What Is an ATSC Tuner on a TV?
The Advanced Television Systems Committee is the name of the broadcasters that use the Digital TV system. An ATSC tuner, or HDTV tuner, receives DTV signals broadcast by these stations and allows viewers to watch shows on their televisions.
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Function
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An ATSC tuner receives signals from over-the-air television broadcasts. In order to convert the signals to fit the television screen, it uses one or more of the following functions: analog to digital conversion, audio/video synchronization, decompression, demodulation, error correction, media reformatting or transport stream demultiplexing.
Types
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ATSC tuners can be built into various electronics. They can come directly within a television set, DVR, VCR or DTV box. Televisions with ATSC tuners will need a TV antenna system, while DVRs, VCRs and DTVs all act as set-top boxes to receive channel signals.
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Considerations
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The U.S. government requires that every television built after March 1, 2007 include an ATSC tuner, as all television broadcasters must now broadcast digital-only signals for all televisions to receive. Television owners can still use set-top boxes, but they will have no additional impact in picture quality.
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