How to Determine if a TV Is Digital or Analog
With the national digital television switchover scheduled to be completed by mid-June, it is important to know whether your television is digital or analog. If you have a digital television, the switchover will not affect you and you will not need to purchase any additional hardware. If you have an analog television, you will not be able to view TV signals if you don't get either satellite or digital cable service or a digital converter box. It's easy to determine if your TV is digital or analog.
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Instructions
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Find out how old your TV is. Digital TVs have only burst onto the U.S. market in the last few years, so if your television was made prior to that it is definitely an analog set.
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Find a logo for HDTV on your television. All digital TVs have a tiny "HDTV" logo located somewhere on them, usually on the front. If you give your TV a thorough looking over and find the logo, you've got a digital television. If that logo is not on your TV or in your user's manual, your TV is analog.
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Try to tune into some digital channels. If you have a cable television service that provides digital channels, attempt to view them. If you can hear the channel but not see anything but a black screen, the TV cannot understand the digital signal because it is an analog television.
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Tips & Warnings
If you find out that your television is an analog model, in order to receive television broadcasts after the national digital broadcasting transition you'll have to do one of two things. The first is to subscribe to a cable or satellite television service. The box that the cable company provides will convert the digital signal into an analog one that your television can process. The second option is to purchase a digital converter box. This is a small box that hooks up to your TV (the same way a DVD player or VCR would) and converts digital signals into analog ones. You can buy one of these boxes at any major electronics retailer. They're currently priced at about $40.
References
- Photo Credit www.sony.com
