No they're not.... There will be a mad rush to purchase boxes after Feb 2009. Only tech-types have bought them so far.
That is 100% wrong.
Go into any Wal-Mart, you'll find people who know nothing about tech, choosing between Magnavox and RCA, and turning in their cards they got from the government. I would say that at least 50% of these people do not even need these boxes, but they heard they needed to get them because the sky was falling.
P.S. Wal-Marts have been selling out of these converter boxes like crazy, usually only have one brand or the other in at a time.