Why Your Analog TV Is Still Useful

Snapshot:

• ANALOG TVs will not become obsolete after the analog TV channel shutoff. 
  

• You can use your analog TV to watch digital channels with a TV CONVERTER BOX and an ANTENNA.

• You can use your analog TV to watch a SUBSCRIPTION TV service like CABLE TV or SATELLITE TV.

• You can use your analog TV as a MONITOR to watch video games, DVDs, or anything with a video and audio output. 

ANALOG TVs do not become obsolete after the DTV transition.  Analog TVs with no digital tuner are still useful.  Here are some ways to use them:

1.      Purchase a TV CONVERTER BOX (which tunes digital channels),  connect it to the TV, and watch the digital channels on the ANALOG TV.  You will get great TV reception, stereo sound (from the converter box), and new MULTICAST programs.  And if there are "LOW POWER" stations you watch that are not turning off their analog channels, you can still watch them on the analog TV with just an ANTENNA.  For more information, click here.  

2.     Connect the TV to a SUBSCRIPTION TV service, such as CABLE TV or SATELLITE TV.  Cable and satellite SET TOP boxes have outputs that are matched to ANALOG TVs.  For more information, click here. 

3.     Us the TV as a MONITOR to watch video from any device that has a video and audio output.  This includes:

• DVD players  (but High Definition DVD players will not display the video in HD quality)
• DVRs (Digital Video Recorders)
• Videocassette recorder/players (VCR)
• Video games
• Camcorders
• Digital still cameras with video outputs
• Computers with video outputs
• PC-to-TV or Internet-to-TV viewing devices
• Portable video players, including MP3 players, video iPods

How To Use A TV As A Monitor

You need to find out if your TV has "LINE" or "Audio-Video" or A-V" inputs.  These are inputs for video and sound.  These are usually on the back of TVs; sometimes they are on the front.  There are three kinds of connections your TV may have:

1.  "RCA" connections.   A TV can have one or more of these inputs.  They can be on the back or the front of the TV.  Each input features 3 "RCA" jacks (round, raised metal holes to put the plug in), with the following colors:

• yellow jack (video)
• red jack (right channel audio)  
• white jack (left channel audio)

Video devices like DVD players with the 3 output jacks can be connected to the TV monitor using a 3-wire "audio-video" or "AV" cable with the three colored plugs on both ends. 

Smaller video sources like MP3 video/music players require a special cable with single plug for their small (1/8 inch or 3.5 millimeter) audio/video output jacks, and on the other end, the 3 standard RCA plugs. 

Exception:  Older video devices, and older TVs, might have just TWO plugs: yellow (video) and white (mono or single channel audio).  So:

a. If both the video device and the TV have the two jacks, you can use just the yellow and white plugs on the cable to connect them. 

b. If the video device has 2 jacks (yellow and white) and the TV has 3 jacks (yellow, white and red), you can connect just the yellow and white plugs.  You will hear the audio on just one side (left side) of the TV monitor.  Optionally, you can add a "Y" connector (2 RCA plugs connected via a short wire to one RCA jack) to connect the white plug to the red and white jacks on the TV.  Then you will hear audio in both TV channels.

c. If the video device has 3 jacks (yellow, white and red) and the TV has 2 jacks (yellow and white), you can connect just the yellow plugs and either the red (right channel) or white (left channel) plug from the video source to the TV white plug.  You will hear just one channel of audio.  Optionally, you can add a "Y" connector (2 RCA plugs connected via a short wire to one RCA jack) to connect the white plug to the red and white jacks on the video device.  You will hear both the left and right audio channels mixed together (mono) on the TV. 

2.  "S-VIDEO" connection.  An S-VIDEO connection is a round jack with 4 holes. It carries a video signal only.  A TV can have one or more S-Video inputs.  The jack has a "notch," and the plug will fit only if it's rotated to the proper position. Do not try to force an S-Video plug into an S-Video jack. 

S-Video provides a higher quality video connection than an "RCA" connection.  S-Video cables carry separate signals for the brightness of the video signal and the color of the video signal.  Because the brightness and color signals are separate, they can be processed more effectively to give a better quality picture.  S-Video should be used if both the video device and the TV have S-video jacks.

Some S-Video cables have the audio (RCA white and red) cables and plugs included.  These are easy to connect between the video device and the TV (S-Video to S-Video; white plug to white plug, red plug to red plug).

Some S-Video cables carry video only (and are round), and do not have the audio (white and red) cables attached.  In this case, the S-Video cable can be connected between the video device and the TV.  Another AV cable that has the white and red plugs on both ends can be used to make the audio connections. 

3.  ANTENNA  input.  If the TV does not have any RCA or S-Video inputs for video devices, you can still get the video and sound from a  video device to show on the TV.  You will need to use a device called an "RF Modulator."  You plug the video device into the modulator, and you connect the modulator output (which is a very low power TV signal) to the antenna connection on your TV.  You then tune the TV to the channel that the modulator uses (usually channel 3 or 4).  Modulators can be purchased at electronics and video game stores for about $15. 

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CAPITALIZED WORDS are defined in the Digital TV Glossary.