Basic EPG (Electronic Program Guide) functions are also sometimes provided from the information contained within the digital signal. If the box has extra features such as live pause or DVR function, the tuner within the digital converter box connects to flash memory or external hard drive which it writes to just like a normal DVR. The processor inside the box then converts the digital signal of those channels you do want into an analog signal so your TV understands it.

You decide what channels you want to receive when you set up the box and the converter will ignore the rest. That’s where the converter earns its keep.Ī digital converter box takes the digital signal and filters out some of the channels the TV couldn’t handle. Analog equipment isn’t capable of understanding digital signals and there are simply too many channels for its limited capability to cope with. For those with beloved analog equipment, that mean paying for a cable TV subscription or buying a digital converter box. Many regions switched off analog transmissions years ago.

Analog to digital converter box for vhs