Tech Help: How to go from Analog to Digital TV in Singapore for $28

The other day my dad was telling me that the Singapore government has been asking people to switch to digital TV and the TV in his room is an old Toshiba that is not. Since we have a Starhub cable TV (but it is in the living room) and we didn't receive a digital starter kit. I figured it should be easy enough to convert the old analog TV to a digital one. Turns out it was rather confusing -- and the digitaltv.sg website was not quite helpful either. 

The site advised that you get your gear via electronics stores, but prices start from $100. So with that in mind, I thought I'll try Lazada. I had to search for three different products instead of one solution. But it was worth it because in the end it only cost me $28, including shipping!


Read on to find out how you can do the same via Lazada (login to Shopback first, if you have it).

First, order these 3 things from Lazada and wait for them to arrive (not too long, about 5-6 days). 

a. Digital Set Top Box S$18.70 from Lazada
This digital set top box is basic but does the job - remember to get 2 AAA batteries for the remote (does not come with).  On the front of the digital set top box there's a USB slot for you to record/playback TV shows (in their own file format), and to play your own videos (.mkv works, I tried) and photos.


It came in a box filled with the above. The front is simple a power button and USB slot. It's the back that's more interesting. As you can see, they provided the "traditional" yellow, red and white sockets for older TVs, a HDMI slot, plus an Antenna In (leftmost) socket.


 b. Digital Antenna S$2.20
This is the antenna I got. It is low cost but works fine if you are near a window. If you are in the windowless room, you might want to get a stronger one (which costs much more).


It is the cheapest to buy HDMI cables online (at least $13 in Challenger). And UGREEN is a great brand (I have their USB wall plug). A HDMI cable looks like this, on both ends.


Next, plug the digital set top box to a power source and plug in the digital antenna to the box, connect the HDMI cable from the box to the TV's HDMI cable. Turn on the digital set top box and select the HDMI source on your TV. 

Lastly, once that is done, you will be asked to select your language, country and whether you want to look for channels (yes). It will start searching - notice Ch U appeared twice. You can delete the extra channel by going to settings etc. The passcode is 000000 if you are asked (I randomly tried and it worked, it wasn't in the instruction manual). 


And voila! Your analog TV is now digital. Use the given remote to change channels and volume (to a certain extent) and turn your TV on/off. I hope this helps, for those looking to help your parents or friends. Please share this if you do think it works!

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