Americans are fearing the future. And not just because there's a fourth Jurassic Park movie in the works.

In February 2009, analog TV broadcasting in the United States will end. From that point forward, it'll be digital only. Most Americans think this means they'll never see American Idol again unless they spend a fortune on a digital TV converter box. Sadly, they're wrong.

The only people who need to buy a digital TV converter are those who get their TV signals from an antenna (not from cable or satellite), and who haven't bought a new TV in quite some time. All the larger sets made in the last couple of years already have digital tuners, and as of March of this year, all new TVs of any size must have digital tuners.

Fortunately, even the frugal and tech-indifferent folk who need digital TV converters can get help from the U.S. government. Just call 888-DTV-2009 and the U.S. Department of Commerce will be happy to send you a coupon for $40 off the price of a digital converter. Many of these converters have dropped to $50 or $60, so your cost is a mere $10 or $20. (One converter, the EchoStar TR-40, costs just $39, making it essentially free — but with no front-panel controls, it seems like a dicey buy.)

Even at $10, though, no one wants to get stuck with a lemon. And you can't tell much about these converters by brand name. Most of the marques are either unfamiliar (AccessHD, Digital Stream, Insignia) or have suddenly and inexplicably risen from the grave (GE, Magnavox, Philco).

Sound & Vision decided it was high time someone lent a helping hand to the confused cheapskates of America. The command came down that an editor with a discerning eye and ear would put some of these boxes to the test and find one or two safe buys. Since no such editor was available on short notice, the staff settled for a confused cheapskate: me. I'm not a big TV fan in the first place, and once I saw what digital TV had to offer, there's no way I was going to spend $50 or $100 a month on cable or satellite. Digital TV is free — and that's good enough for me.

Every time you change channels on the RCA, a window tells you what you're watching and what's on next.

THINGS YOU'LL LIKE ABOUT DTV

If you're buying one of these converters, you might not know about the advantages of digital TV. Allow me a brief aside to fill you in.

A digital converter box will bring in lots more channels than the tuner in your old analog TV can. Digital TV includes a feature called multicasting, which lets broadcasters send several channels in the space of one. For example, channel 4 here in Los Angeles offers the regular NBC feed, a 24-hour local weather channel, and a local news channel called NewsRaw. PBS stations often offer two or three programs at once.

All digital TV converters pull in a crystal-clear, noise-free picture that's far better than anything you've ever seen from an antenna. If they work at all, that is — digital converters are fussier about antenna adjustments than the old analog tuners were. If you have reception problems, there's help available at AntennaWeb.

Digital TV can carry extensive program information. You can get the name of the program, a synopsis, and the schedule of upcoming programs on whatever station you're watching. But it doesn't work unless your TV station puts that information into the signal. From what I've seen, most major network stations do, most independents don't.

The Zenith's info screen tells you what's next, and lets you scroll to find out what's on other channels.

THE CONTESTANTS

While my quick review of some websites found more than 40 models supposedly available, I settled on three of the most prominent ones: the Digital Stream DTX9900, the RCA DTA800, and the Zenith DTT900. Websites typically list the Digital Stream and Zenith models for about $60 and the RCA for about $50.

At first blush, there doesn't seem to be a dime's worth of difference among these humble boxes. All have an F-connector for antenna input; RCA jacks for composite video and stereo audio output; and another F-connector for channel 3 or 4 output (for use with ultra-low-rent TVs that don't even have composite video input). All deliver a standard-definition picture; if you need a high-def tuner, that'll cost you a lot more. All have a power button and channel up/down buttons, though the Digital Stream has them on top instead of on the front. All come with a remote that also controls your TV.

They do look a little different, though. The Zenith verges on cool, with an LED power indicator slashing across its front. The Digital Stream resembles a smaller version of a $50 Chinese DVD player. The RCA looks like something you stole from a Motel 6.

One more minor difference: The RCA has an extra jack for a Smart Antenna, a new class of product that automatically evaluates signal strength and adjusts itself for the best reception. Though these products are supposedly available now, I couldn't find one for sale. Some websites list an RCA model, the ANT1500, for about $30, but I couldn't find it in stock.

THE EXPERIENCE

Once I plugged in these little boxes, though, I realized there's a world of difference in DTV converters. All three worked fine; it's how they work that matters.

I read user comments on websites complaining about setup difficulties with some of these boxes, but I encountered none. Immediately after you turn the power on the first time, each of the boxes offers to scan the airwaves for available channels. Activate the scan, come back a minute later, and you're ready to watch some newfangled digital TV.

I could go on and on detailing the ergonomic differences among these converters, but both of us would get bored. Instead, I'll just mention some things I liked and disliked:

• On the RCA, when you change channels or hit the info button, it tells you what show's on and what show's on next, provided your local affiliate provides that information. This one feature almost makes me want to junk my 2007 Samsung 57-inch LCD TV, pick up an old CRT set for $50, and settle down with the RCA. The Zenith brings up this info with one punch of the Guide button, and also shows you what's on adjacent channels. I loved that feature, too. You can find all this stuff in the Digital Stream's on-screen guide, but you've gotta go digging.

• On the RCA, bringing up the main menu completely kills the picture and sound. Maybe I'll stick with my Samsung TV after all.

• The Zenith's unfriendly remote has tiny buttons, many with gray labels on a black field. The RCA remote, on the other hand, has big buttons that are as easy to read as a highway sign — a real plus for older users. A slight curve in the top gives it a great feel. The Digital Stream remote is just okay: Didn't love it; Didn't hate it.

• The Digital Stream and Zenith models will both display widescreen images on 16:9 TVs. That feature will be useless for most buyers, but I'm sure there's that 2 percent out there who'll consider it essential. Maybe for really old 16:9 sets that don't have digital tuners? Maybe for use with projectors?

• If you're watching on an old-style 4:3 screen, you have to choose whether to show widescreen images with letterbox bars at top and bottom, or to show them full-screen and crop off the sides. On the Zenith, you can't set this for all channels at once — you have to set each channel individually, which I found tedious.

• It was hard to catch differences in picture quality with normal program material. But the computer graphics of channel 4's weather feed revealed a few subtle distinctions. The Zenith was probably the best overall. The RCA looks similar but its color is a bit pumped up (you can correct that with your TV's color control). The Digital Stream's color is fine, but its picture looks softer than the RCA's or the Zenith's. All delivered an enjoyable picture free of noticeable artifacts.

• The Digital Stream and Zenith boxes exhibit a distortion in the treble that seems isolated to the left channel. It annoyed me when I listened through my fancy-schmantzy surround-sound system, but it was inaudible through the speakers in my TV.

• With all three boxes, reception was perfect from my rooftop antenna. When I tried using a $5 bowtie antenna instead, the RCA and Zenith models both dropped seven channels entirely and had problems pulling in three others; the Digital Stream dropped seven channels and had problems pulling in five others.

With the Digital Stream box, separate windows provide information on current and upcoming programming.

THE BOTTOM LINE

All these digital TV converters work pretty well, especially if you're using them with an old analog TV that will likely level out any performance differences.

That said, I kept coming back to the RCA for its comfy remote, its awesome "On Next" feature, and its non-annoying audio performance. The Zenith ranks a very, very close second in terms of the on-screen interface, but its generi-remote made me uncomfortable — overall, it reminds me of a competent and likable business associate with a halitosis problem. The Digital Stream's OK, but for me, its rather clunky on-screen interface made it the least enjoyable converter to use.

No matter which digital TV converter you choose, though, it's definitely going to outperform the analog tuner you're used to by a factor of 1,000. It'll be the best $10 to $20 you've ever spent on electronics.