Are converter boxes worth it???

Question

okay i have signed up for two coupons for the discount,

and i was wondering these things

1. Do they really work???

2. Do they really give you extra channels you couldn't see with a normal antenna??

3. Do they really upscale the picture quality???

for number two i live in phoenix, Arizona so i don't live in a dead zone!LOL

Answer 1

If you want to receive any over the air tv channels after February 2009, you will need a converter box, so if your don't have cable or dish, they will become a necessity if you want to watch tv.

I think your picture quality will increase, and there should be more channels available.  

Answer 2

>1. Do they really work???

Yes. Mine works really well.

>2. Do they really give you extra channels you couldn't see with a normal antenna??

Converters use the same antennas that analog TV broadcasts use. The idea that there are special "digital" antennas is just marketing BS.

You can see programs you can't see with an analog only TV. But these are called sub-channels. You can treat them like separate channels but calling them channels just confuses things.  See Yahoo's TV section for your local TV listings.

>3. Do they really upscale the picture quality???

Good ones give the best quality that the TV it's attached to can display. But this is not "up scaling". Just like watching a DVD on a conventional TV is not "up scaling".

Answer 3

one other thing, the coupons are only good for converters that only output standard definition.