Do You Need an HD Converter with the Analog Passthrough?

Nearly everyone is aware that television will soon be broadcast in only digital format. What many people don’t know, however, is that some individuals will still be able to receive television signals in the old analog format. For those that do, it is a good idea to look for an HD converter with an Analog Passthrough (AP) feature.

Getting Both Analog and Digital Television Signal

Many people think that only digital signals will be broadcast after the big switchover takes place. While it is true that the majority of television stations will be broadcasting with digital signals, some low-power television stations will continue to broadcast analog signals. Therefore, those individuals with an analog television will still be able to pick up these signals without having to purchase an HD converter.

Although there will still be some stations broadcasting in analog, the majority of stations will be broadcasting in digital. In order to pick up these digital signals, it is necessary to have an HD converter or a television that is capable of picking up digital signals. Therefore, unless you plan to watch only those broadcasts that are available in analog, you will still need to purchase an HD converter.

Here we list the top rated analog-passthrough HD converters.

Reading the table columns: CECD = Coupon-eligible, SA = Smart Antenna, AP = Analog-passthrough, SVideo=S-Video, EPG = Electronic Program Guide, URC = Universal Remote Control

Converter	CECD	SA	AP	S-Video	EPG	URC	Total Reviews	Average Rating
Zenith DTT901	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	173	4.3	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
Philco TB100HH9	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	114	3.4	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
AccessHD 1030D	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	5	1.2	Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices
Winegard RCDT09A	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	0		Read reviews	Write a review	Compare prices

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Enjoying Both Signals the Easy Way

Technically, it is not necessary to purchase an HD converter with the Analog Passthrough feature in order to enjoy watching both digital and analog broadcasts. If you don’t get a converter with this feature, however, you will probably have to disconnect your converter every time you wish to watch analog channels rather than digital channels or you will have to split your signal. Obviously, this can be quite a hassle – particularly if you have worked hard to tuck away all of your wires and make your entertainment area look neat and tidy.

If you have a converter box with an Analog Passthrough feature, it will not be necessary to unplug your box when you want to watch analog stations. Rather, the converter will change digital signals to analog so you can watch digital broadcasts and will allow analog signals to pass through without a problem.

The Analog Passthrough feature is particularly beneficial to RV owners that want to watch television while traveling. With the help of the HD converter and its Analog Passthrough feature, they can watch television wherever they want, whether it is broadcast with a digital or analog signal.

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