Hello Aaron,
You can immediately hook up your converter box and start watching digital programming on your TV today.

There's a statistic on www.dtv.gov somewhere I believe, where they have stated that over 90% of the television stations are now broadcasting digtal signals.

There shouldn't be any damage done to your converter box by using it before the digital transition.

Hook it up, and enjoy the extra channels and clear picture! Let us know if you have any other questions...