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The converter box may or may not give you a better picture than you currently have, but almost certainly wayyy less channels.
One thing is absolute and that is that these $40, give or take, converter boxes are not high definition receivers/tuners.
There is at least a 50/50 chance your Phililps TV has a digital tuner built in that makes the converter box unnecessary to receive digital broadcasts OTA (over the air). Check the specs to see if it has an ATSC tuner.
ATSC tuner = digital tuner for receiving OTA digital broadcasts
QAM = digital tuner for receiving digital CATV channels
NTSC = analog tuner for receiving analog CATV or analog OTA broadcasts
The bottom line is if you are going to stay with Dish Network, yes, you do need the HD upgrade to get HD picture.
The other alternative is to check the TV spec for the ATSC tuner I mentioned and if it has one, connect an antenna to see what you can pull in for free OTA. There's a decent chance you'll get at least one or two channels in true high def. Depending on what's transmitting around you, you may need a VHF antenna or UHF antenna. Antennaweb.org has that information.
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push back against dubious claims that defy logic;
be on the lookout for misrepresentations;
question the lack of science when belief is the substitution;
be very skeptical when the denial of the laws of physics comes into play.
--jpaik
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