A Digital Set Top Box will let you hang onto your old television after analogue broadcasts cease. 
Initially most Digital Set Top Boxes could only receive the standard definition digital channels, but today most can receive the high definition digital channels as well. If you're not using a high definition television, a HD Digital Set Top Box should be able to downscale the high-def channels to standard-def.
What to look for in a Digital Set Top Box
If you've got a high-def television, it's worth looking for a HD Digital Set Top Box that will upscale the standard-def channels to 720p, 1080i or 1080p. Upscaling helps the standard-def channels look sharper on a big television, although they won't look as sharp as the actual high-def channels.
You'll notice that some Digital Set Top Boxes feature the Freeview logo, but Freeview certification isn't necessary in order to view all the digital channels. Freeview devices must have high-def tuners, plus they must be MPEG-4-compatible - a broadcasting format which the networks may switch to in a few years.
Digital Set Top Boxes come with a variety of video outputs such as composite, s-video and component, but you really want an HDMI output if your television features an HDMI input. Some high-def broadcasts include surround sound, so look for a Digital Set Top Box with digital audio outputs (optical and/or coax) if you want to hook it up to a home theatre system. A few Digital Set Top Boxes even feature USB ports so you can play music, video and image files from a USB stick.
Every Digital Set Top Box features an RF aerial input, but look for an RF output as well so you can run an aerial connection to your television or VCR as well. Otherwise you'll need to use an aerial splitter in order to connect more than one device to your aerial. If you suffer from signal degradation issues, consider using a powered splitter rather than a cheaper passive splitter.
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