What's the best TV converter box?

What is the cheapest converter box i could buy for my tv?

• ive been without tv ever since it was upgraded believe me or not. i have decided to check out a few new tv shows on regular tv but i first need a converter box, which i know nothing about. so whats like the most basic and cheapest ones out there and where can i buy it. also from your experience are they easy or complicated operate or install?

• Answer:

  For the cheapest, scrounge one from family or friends. Or try craigslist.org Of the new ones listed on Amazon.com, I'd recommend the Artec T3AP-LL or Zinwell ZAT-970A >where can i buy it Sometimes stores still carry them, but the best models are no longer manufactured and stocking is iffy. >from your experience are they easy or complicated operate or install? If you have the manual (many can be found online) it's not that difficult. The hardest part is usually the antenna. If you have an old antenna, go ahead and try it; all TV antennas are "digital" antennas, even 30 year old ones. Antenna problems: -It's harder to adjust the antenna because unlike analog signals, there is a slight delay between adjusting the antenna and seeing results on the screen or built in signal meter. -Antenna requirements depend on location. There is no "best" antenna for all locations. Most of the info on TV antenna boxes is just useless marketing hype. -Unlike analog tuners, digital tuners have to find channels by a scanning process. Scanning just means the converter checked for reception on all possible channels and saved the information on the ones it found. So when you adjust the antenna to try to pick up more channels, you have to repeat the scanning process. Go to http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29 and find out what direction the TV signals are coming from.