Watching Both Digital TV and Analog TV

Snapshot:

• There may be TV channels you watch with an ANTENNA that are not changing to DIGITAL broadcasting.

• These channels include "LOW POWER" TV channels, TV TRANSLATOR channels, and Mexican and Canadian TV stations.

• You can choose one of four ways to be able to quickly switch between new DIGITAL channels and older ANALOG channels that you watch with an ANTENNA.

The U.S. DIGITAL TV TRANSITION applies to TV stations called "FULL POWER" TV stations.  After February 17, 2009, these stations will broadcast a DIGITAL signal only.

But many stations will continue to broadcast only a traditional ANALOG TV signal over-the-air.  These include:

• some local TV stations, called "LOW POWER TV" or LPTV stations.  These stations may have a station name that ends in "LP," or they may have their channel number included in their station name.  To find out if any of these stations serve your viewing area, click on this website: www.lptvanswers.com. Enter your zip code in the location box.

• transmitters that relay TV signals to remote areas, called "TV TRANSLATORS."  They usually re-broadcast a city-based TV station to a remote area.  The channel number of the translator is usually a different number than the channel of the TV station.  (For example, you might watch a "channel 12" station by tuning your TV to channel 20.) 
  

• Mexican and Canadian stations along the nation's borders. These stations will eventually switch to DIGITAL channels, but not in 2009.  

If you watch any of these stations now using an ANTENNA, you may want to set up your TV system so that you can easily switch back and forth between the new DIGITAL channels and the remaining ANALOG channels. 

These solutions are only for TV stations you receive over-the-air, free, with an ANTENNA.  These does not apply to any stations you watch on a CABLE TV or SATELLITE TV system.


FOUR SOLUTIONS TO SWITCH BETWEEN WATCHING DIGITAL TV AND ANALOG TV WITH AN ANTENNA


Solution 1.  GET A DIGITAL TV. 

The simplest way to watch both digital and analog channels is to get a new DIGITAL TV.  Digital TVs have new DIGITAL tuners as well as traditional ANALOG tuners combined in the same set.  They let you tune through the DIGITAL channels and then the ANALOG channels, usually with a remote control.  A new TV can be expensive, and there are cheaper solutions below that use your existing TV. 


Solution 2.  BUY A DIGITAL TV CONVERTER BOX WITH A FEATURE CALLED "ANALOG PASS-THROUGH." 

With this feature, when the CONVERTER BOX is turned on, the antenna signal is used by the CONVERTER BOX to receive DIGITAL channels.  The picture and sound from the digital channels are sent to the TV through the "TV antenna" connection. 

When the CONVERTER BOX is turned off, the signal from the antenna can "pass through" the CONVERTER BOX and out the "TV antenna" connection to an analog TV.  Then the TV uses the antenna signal to tune in ANALOG channels. 

When you install a CONVERTER BOX with an "analog pass-through" feature, you connect the CONVERTER BOX to the TV using the TV ANTENNA connection. 

For a list of converter boxes that have the "analog pass-through" feature, click here.

For information on connecting a CONVERTER BOX, click here.   

        Watching TV with an "analog pass-through" converter box.

• To watch DIGITAL channels, turn the converter box on.  The TV must be tuned to channel 3 or 4, and you use the CONVERTER BOX remote control to change digital channels. 
  

• To watch ANALOG channels, turn the CONVERTER BOX off.  You use the TV tuner or remote control to change the ANALOG channels.

Solution 3.  INSTALL A CONVERTER BOX USING A "LINE PLUS ANTENNA" CONNECTION TO THE TV. 

To use this setup, your TV must have a "line in" or "video in" connection that you can use to connect the converter box.  You then set the antenna up to provide a signal directly to both the converter box and the TV.  The converter box does not need to have an "analog pass-through" feature; any converter box will support this. 

        Installing a converter box using both the "line in" and antenna connections. 

• Parts.  You will need an "antenna splitter" and a short "antenna connector cable." You can get these at an antenna accessory store like Radio Shack.  (You should already have a short antenna connector cable that came with the converter box.  You will need two of these cables.)  You will also need an "audio-video cable" (with three plugs: yellow, white, and red).
  

• First, connect the antenna to the "input" jack on the antenna splitter.

• Connect one of the other "output" jacks on the antenna splitter to the CONVERTER BOX antenna input with an antenna connector cable.
  

• Connect the other "output" jack on the antenna splitter to the antenna input on the TV with an antenna connector cable.

• Connect the 3 "line outputs" on the CONVERTER BOX (yellow, white, and red colors) to the "line inputs" on the TV using an audio-video cable. 

Watching TV with a "line plus antenna" connection.  

• To watch DIGITAL channels, turn the converter box on and select the "line input" on your TV that the converter box is connected to.  You will see the digital channels on your TV and tune them with the converter box remote control.
  

• To watch ANALOG channels, select the "antenna input" on your TV.  You use the TV tuner or remote control to change the channels.  The converter box does not have to be turned on to watch analog channels. 

Solution 4.      INSTALL THE CONVERTER BOX USING AN ANTENNA INPUT SWITCH ON THE TV ANTENNA CONNECTION.  This is a solution to use when:

• the TV does not have a "line in" connection, and

• the converter box does not have an "analog pass-through" feature.  

You must split the antenna signal and send it to both the converter box and the TV, as in setup 3, but you add an antenna switch in the antenna connection.  You use the switch to choose which signal goes to the TV: the antenna signal, or the converter box signal.

This is the most complicated system to set up.  It is also the most inconvenient to use, because it requires viewers to change the antenna input switch when they want to change from watching digital channels to analog channels, or vice versa.  Because of that, solutions 2 and 3, above, are preferred. 

To use this solution, click to this document from the FCC:  "Setting Up Your Digital-to-Analog Converter Box (For Viewing Analog and Digital Broadcasts).  On the document, look for "Set-up #2: which has a diagram of how to set it up.  

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CAPITALIZED WORDS are defined in the Digital TV Glossary.