Digital Tuner TV Converter Box is a television tuner that receives a digital television (DTV) transmission, and converts the digital signal into an analog signal that can be received and displayed on an analog television set. The input digital signal may be over-the-air terrestrial television signals received by a television antenna, or signals from a digital cable system. It normally does not refer to satellite TV, which has always required a set-top box either to operate the big satellite dish, or to be the integrated receiver/decoder (IRD) in the case of direct-broadcast satellites (DBS).

In North America, these ATSC tuner boxes convert from ATSC to NTSC, while in most of Europe and other places such as Australia, they convert from Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) to PAL. Because the DTV transition did nothing to reduce the number of broadcast television system standards (and in fact further complicated them), and due to varying frequency allocations and bandplans, there are many other combinations specific to other countries.

Digital tuner TV converter boxes are tremendously important products for analog TV and VCR owners. It's true that digital TV is here to stay, but that doesn't mean analog TVs need to be replaced. Digital tuner TV converter boxes offer several benefits, including higher picture quality and sound.

How To Know if your TV needs a Digital Tuner TV Converter Box:

As of June 13, 2009, television in the United States ceased transmitting over-the-air television signals in analog format to comply with a mandate by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Instead, these signals are now broadcast in digital format. This means that those who receive television service via an antenna on top of their television or house will need to have a television that is capable of receiving digital information in order to continue to watch programming. Those who don't have digital-capable television need a digital-to-analog converter box to continue to receive transmissions. Only certain consumers need this box while others can continue watching programming as normal with no effect.

- Note the type of television service received in the home. Consumers who receive subscription cable or satellite television service will not be affected by the conversion to digital and will not need a converter box.

- Consider the age of the television being used. As of March 1, 2007, the FCC mandated that all televisions sold in the United States must come equipped with a digital tuner.

- Check the specifications of the television if built prior to March 1, 2007. Although it wasn't mandated by the federal government, television manufacturers began including digital tuners in their products leading up to the deadline. This can be recognized by the words "DTV", "ATSC", "HDTV" or "Digital Receiver" on the television's original box or within its instruction manual.

- Evaluate the television quality. If using an antenna to receive television programming, check to see if any programming actually getting to the television. If the antenna is set up properly but no signal is being received by the television, it may need a converter box.

- Call the FCC at 1-888-CALLFCC when in doubt. Although, as of 2010, its local assistance efforts for users with analog-only television sets has ceased, its call center remains open to aid consumers with the transition.

Things to Consider when buying a Digital Tuner TV Converter Box:

Pass-through feature - Digital Tuner TV Converter Box take ATSC digital signals and turn it into an NTSC analog one. That’s the basic idea behind them but sometimes you might still need to receive an analog signal from a low-power local broadcaster so you are going to need pass-through functionality. This is the ability that enables you to send the analog signal directly to the TV set.

Image resolution - It’s a highly recommended to take into account the broadcasted image resolution because this affects both the quality and the compatibility with your TV. If your set only contains an SDTV screen, getting an HDTV video signal would be pointless. Those who own 1080p TV screens will most likely need a more advanced converter which has a compatible image resolution.

Extra features - Some models can do more than digital-to-analog conversion as they also have extra abilities. For example, they can come with recording capabilities. You can save video live to a portable hard disk or a similar external memory device. Another interesting feature is an integrated multimedia player for accessing some digital content from various external drives. More expensive converters should only be considered if you think you will really use these features.

PROS:

Provides a higher number of channel choices, and often additional features such as on-screen programming,

Viewers can record live programming at the click of a button and schedule a recording days out with the electronic programming guide.

Have an ability to play a wide range of different file formats, like MKV, VOB, FLV and MOV files.

If you have an older TV that only accepts analog signals, then yes, get yourself a Digital Tuner Tv Converter Box. That's really your only option since all analog TV transmissions.

CONS:

You don't want this technology attached to your HDTV because it will decrease your picture quality.

You lose the ability to watch one program and record another with the DTV converter.

Conclusion:

Considering the monthly cost of cable, upgrading your old tube TV with a DTV converter is a sensible decision.

You don’t need a smart TV to cancel cable. Most new TVs typically have HDMI cables which will allow you to leverage TV streaming devices like Roku and Apple TV.  Combine these devices with your antenna and you will have little need for cable TV.

If you have a TV with an analog tuner and a terrestrial antenna -- not a satellite dish antenna -- you need a digital-to-analog converter box to continue watching TV now that the deadline for conversion has passed. You need a converter for every tuner you have, whether it's for a TV or for the videocassette recorder or digital video recorder you use to record shows. So if you have a second TV in another room, you need a box for that one, as long as it has an analog tuner built in.