Choosing & Setting Up Your Converter Box

Digital Television Transition. Get the coupon. Get the right box. Keep your TV.

Choosing & Setting Up Your Converter Box

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Choosing a Converter Box
Setting Up Your Converter Box
Digital Reception & Antennas

Choosing a Converter Box

There are more than 80 approved digital converter boxes currently available. Each one is a little different. It’s important that you get the right box for your needs.

For example, people who live in rural areas may need to choose a box with a stronger signal. Some boxes may be better for people who rely on closed captioning or who watch low-power broadcasts.

Five Simple Steps to Upgrade to Digital Television (pdf) - Consumers Union
List of coupon-eligible converter boxes - FCC
Where to Buy a DTV Converter Box (national, online, and telephone retailers) - NTIA
DTV converter box guide -Consumer Reports - how to choose a converter box, along with ratings of more than 30 converter box models

Receiving Low-Power Station Broadcasts

Low-power television stations, which transmit to a small geographic area, are allowed to continue broadcasting an analog signal after June 12. If you wish to continue watching a low-power analog station after the transition, you should buy a converter box with "analog pass-through" capability which will allow you to receive both analog and digital signals.

More than half of the boxes approved for the coupon program have this capability. Check the list of approved boxes and look for the boxes marked with an asterisk.

Low-power channels include some stations in rural areas, as well as many community-based channels that provide foreign language, religious, and local programming.

List of low-power stations by state
Search for low-power stations by zip code
Low-power TV Answers - National Association of Broadcasters

Receiving Canadian and Mexican Broadcasts

If you live near the U.S.-Mexico border and watch Mexican TV stations, they are not included in the transition and most will continue to broadcast only in analog. Canadian stations will also continue to broadcast in analog until their own transition in 2011, but many already also broadcast in digital.

If you wish to continue watching a Canadian or Mexican analog station after the transition, you should buy a converter box with "analog pass-through" capability which will allow you to receive both analog and digital signals.

Converter Box Features for People with Disabilities

These resources can help you choose an appropriate box with necessary features such as closed captioning or video description:

How can people with disabilities prepare for the DTV transition? - DTV Transition Coalition
Closed Captioning and Digital Converter Boxes - FCC
DTV Converter Box Accessibility Features - FCC

Setting Up Your Converter Box

Most stations are already broadcasting a digital signal, so as soon as you get your box, you should test it out and make sure everything works properly.