I have two 12-year-old analog TVs that are hooked up to local (Cox) cable The Cox set-top box handles this OK, but cost me a $11/month rental fee. I can disconnect the set-top box, but then only receive channels 2-69.

(My mother’s new HDTV set receives all Cox-subscribed channels — and sub-channels — quite nicely without a set-top box.)

Will a DTV converter box allow my analog models the channel range (2-999) of a new set; or will they also limit me to channels [2-51?]?? In other words, do these converter boxes TRULY upgrade and analog set to DTV equivalence (and thus will save me the Cox rental fee), or are they merely adjusting for over-the-air equivalence?