I got a TV antenna in 2023

[scout]

mine has a coax connector but i think the way they work is that they're not directly compatible with older TVs, you also need a digital converter box or something like that unless your TV has a digital tuner built in

[ARKYmouse]

I meant the antennae the thread's about, not a TV ^^;

I'm sorry, agh n.n; only after re-reading your question did I make any sense of it. I thought we were talking about personal setups. .w.;

mine has a coax connector but i think the way they work is that they're not directly compatible with older TVs, you also need a digital converter box or something like that unless your TV has a digital tuner built in

Yep, that's correct. Antennas take coaxial, but the antenna's not enough anymore. To get working channels, you need to hook up your antenna to a digital converter box, which connects to your TV. Depending on the box, you can usually get coaxial, AV Composite, AV Component, and HDMI out to connect to the TV.

[SnepperStepper]

Isn't the digital in the antenna? IDK, that's what I heard about the new antennas last time the subject went around. If you ask me, they should just give the old bandwidth to enthusiasts to do local shows and stuff. That's something I've always wanted to do....I've already pretty much got my own '90s TV station set up in my basement anyways.

[ARKYmouse]

it depends on the TV itself. HD TVs usually have that sort of thing built in. The antenna doesn't usually have a digital converter built in. Antennas advertising themselves as digital-ready might be referring to them being UHF instead of VHF, which simply means they can receive frequencies within the range of digital broadcasts. On their own however, they typically can't do anything with those received signals. The converter handles that part.

As for those lower frequencies, those signals were handed over to telecommunications services to make band-line room for stuff like smart phone signals. (You might even notice on older TVs, how every so often, you'll get weird fuzzy beeping noises coming through your signal when a cellphone is receiving service next to it.) Simply put, analogue lines were removed from television broadcasting by the FCC to make way for newer technologies. Thus, it became difficult, and eventually impractical to broadcast on those frequencies. You'd get a lot of interference, and for broadcasters, receive just as much! I think it's now illegal to publicly broadcast on those frequencies. The last of NTSC analogue band lines finally went off air about two years ago.

[NovaSquirrel]

And now after having had an antenna for my TV for awhile, I have turned into the person who knows when Cyberchase s on and tries to catch it on TV haha. I still like it!!