| Digital Converters |  |
converter box (set-top-box) to your system, rather than replace your TV.
Simply put, a set-top-box is a low-cost, stand-alone, digital tuner (called an ATSC tuner), which will
send an analog signal to your older TV, in the same way a VCR does.
Remember: when you first set up your converter box, you must use the "find channels
automatically" feature (sometimes called : "Scan Channels", "AutoScan" or something similar)
found in the menus, before your set-top-box will receive any channels, at all.
VCR's will record the analog output from a set-top-box, but cannot directly record digital
broadcasts. However, it is possible to purchase DVD recorders, which have both the original,
NTSC tuner; and the newer ATSC, digital tuner for the newer, digital broadcasts. These units
can use standard DVD-R and DVD+R discs, to digitally record up to 8 hours of your
favourite TV shows. These discs can be recorded only once. They can also use re-recordable,
DVD-RAM discs, that act very much like a video tape. They can hold up to 8 hours of video, and
be erased up to 1000 times. These units can also act as a "set-top-box" for your older, analog TV!
You can also find dual tuner PVR's (Personal Video Recorders) whch store your TV shows
on a hard-drive, like a computer. You will need a model capable of setting record times by
day, time and program length, just like you would set a VCR.
For information on where to find set-top-boxes, click here.
For information on how to connect your set-top-box, click here.