Signal converter boxes are pretty easy to set up

— -- Most of the U.S. television audience won't have to do a thing to prepare for the coming demise of analog TV. With few exceptions, TV stations will stop broadcasting in analog on Feb. 17. If you subscribe to cable, satellite or some other pay-TV service, you'll continue to receive programming.

But if you're among the many folks who rely on rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna for reception, you'll have to act to avoid disruption.

Many people must buy a digital-to-analog converter box, such as the two small $60 boxes I've been testing on a Toshiba TV in my kitchen: Magnavox's TB100MW9 and Zenith's DTT901. The boxes are simple enough to set up, though I prefer the Zenith's remote control and on-screen programming guide.

As the name suggests, converter boxes convert digital broadcasts back into an analog signal that your old TV can recognize.

The analog Toshiba is probably the most watched set in my house, even though it has the smallest screen. Normally, the Toshiba receives cable TV, but I disconnected it for my tests with the converter boxes.

I ran a connection cable from each box to the TV. I ran another cable to the $60 RCA ANT1500 flat antenna I used in lieu of rabbit ears to each converter box. Once plugged in, the boxes can search for the stations broadcasting digitally in your area.

While neither the Zenith nor the Magnavox is terribly large, these nondescript black boxes do add clutter to an already cramped countertop.

The Zenith has a slimmer and simpler remote control, with a dedicated button leading to a signal-strength indicator. You have to dig into the set-up menu to gauge signal strength on the Magnavox.

The Zenith also has an "Analog Pass-Through" feature the Magnavox lacks. This lets you watch analog broadcasts right up to the February switch-off and will continue to take in "low-power" stations (from religious organizations, local governments, small businesses, etc.) still permitted to broadcast in analog. The antenna signal flows through the box to the TV even when the box is turned off. Alas, analog reception was dreadful.