Easy Digital Converter Box (DTV) Setup Guide

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This wikiHow teaches you how to install a digital converter box for your analog television set. Analog televisions that do not receive DTV digital signals will not pick up most over-the-air channels without a digital converter box (DTV converter box), which receives over-the-air DTV digital signals and converts them into analog signals that can be shown on analog TVs.

Things You Should Know

With the TV turned off and unplugged, attach the antenna to the "IN" port on the DTV box.
Connect the DTV box to the TV using a coaxial or RCA cable.
Turn on the TV and DTV box, then go through the setup process.

If you have an HDTV or a TV with "SDTV" written on the front of it, you do not need a digital converter box.

Turn off and unplug your TV. Press your TV's "Power"

Windows Power

button to turn it off, then unplug the TV from its wall socket or surge protector. Advertisement

This step also applies if you're using an externally mounted antenna (e.g., one on your roof).
If your TV doesn't have an antenna, you'll need to purchase a set of antennae (e.g., rabbit ears) before you can use your digital converter box.

The digital converter box's front (i.e., the side with the lights and no cord) should be facing in the same direction as your TV.

If your antenna's coaxial cable screws into place, make sure you screw it in tightly before proceeding.

Coaxial cable - Plug one end of the coaxial cable into the "OUT" coaxial port on the back of your digital converter box, then plug the other end of the cable into the "IN" coaxial port (the one that the antenna cable was plugged into) on your TV.
RCA cables - Plug the red, white, and yellow cables into the same-colored ports on the back of the digital converter box (e.g., the red cable plugs into the red port and so on), then plug the other ends of the cables into the same-colored ports on the front or back of your TV.

If your digital converter box doesn't have a built-in electrical cord, you'll have to attach the non-electrical plug end of the cord that came with the box into the back of the box.

Turn on your digital converter box if necessary. Some digital converter boxes have an "Off/On" switch on the back or the side of the frame; if so, flip this switch to the "On" position before proceeding.

Plug in and turn back on your TV.

If your digital converter box came with a remote, you'll need to put batteries in the remote, press the power button on the remote to turn on the box, and then use the remote's arrows to navigate through the digital converter box's on-screen setup.
Usually, you'll just have to select Next on-screen a few times until the digital converter box begins scanning for channels.
Check your digital converter box's manual if you're having trouble navigating through the setup process.

Allow your digital converter box to scan for channels. Your digital converter box will scan for available digital channels in range; after the scan is complete, you'll be able to browse through these channels as you please.

Community Q&A

Will a DTV converter box work on a non-digital TV? Community Answer

The digital converter boxes were created to allow people to keep their non-digital TVs but receive the new digital TV signals. They are fairly simple to connect, and if you like old school things, you can still use a VCR (you must have two converter boxes if you like to watch one show and record another).

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Do I need an indoor antenna for my Ematic converter box? Community Answer Possibly. It depends on the exact kind of converter box and the release date.

I have a satellite dish receiver on my roof, but it is dead as I withdrew my subscription due to too many commercials. Can I attach an outdoor HD antenna to it, since stations in either direction are over 100 miles away from my home in the mountains? Will I get any reception?

Community Answer You can try. It might work, but make sure they are strong and have a shelter for the rain.

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If using a DVD player as well as a converter box, the DVD player and the converter box must be attached to separate connections on the TV. S-video, composite, and component connections are commonly found on DVD players.

Many DVD players and speaker systems have optical audio connections that can be used in conjunction with composite or component video connections. This type of connection offers superior sound quality.

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