How do I view HDTV on my analog TV?

Question

I have a very good TV, but it is not HDTV at all. I currently am receiving my TV signal through an HD capable antenna. How can I view TV from HD broadcast sources without getting a new TV?

The antenna only has a coaxial output.

This is just to view the channels when they switch over all of the signals.

Answer 1

(Assuming that you are in the USA)

All you need is a converter box or a DVD recorder with a digital (ATSC) tuner built in to it. These should give you DVD like quality with OTA signals.

You can get converter boxes through mail order today, but it would be cheaper to wait until Jan 2008 to buy one. In Jan the government is going to start giving out $40 off discount coupons for the converters. The price in Jan (after coupon) should be about $20.

Alternatively you can also buy a DVD recorder that has a built in digital (ATSC) tuner. These start at $140 at Walmart. The $40 coupons will not be good for recording devices, but the recorder would give you a VCR type capability.

You can also buy digital tuners for computers that will allow them to act as digital TV tuner.

P.S. All old "analog" TV antennas are "HD capable". The concept of a "HD" TV antenna is just a marketing ploy. Analog and digital TV signals use the same frequencies; the antenna doesn't know the difference.

Old type OTA TV signals = NTSC = "Analog TV"
New type OTA TV signals = ATSC = "Digital TV" = DTV

OTA = "Over the Air" = stuff you get through your TV antenna

Answer 2

Okay, "Wiggins, Ray"/Ray Wiggins (I bet) is partly right. Yeah, you don't just hook the HD-capable antenna to the SD TV, since the SD TV won't pick up those signals. But you CAN, as Ray says, hook this antenna up to a TUNER that will pick up these signals, and then connect THAT to your TV. But you don't use a "composite to coax" converter, because there is no such thing. Composite IS already a coax connector. That's RCA, and that's a type of coax. Another type of coaxial cable is F, which is the common one for antenna connections.

So what you'd do, then, is get the HD tuner, hook your antenna to it with the F-coax connector, then hook your TV to the output of that via either the composite (RCA-coax) connector or the S-video (a type of DIN) connector (but I don't know if your TV has an S-video input--not a lot do, if I understand right, but a few I've seen, including one that my parents have).

Mike1942f isn't completely correct, either, because--well, yes, he did mention the tuner as a needed item, and that would be right--but in 2009 the U.S. nation is NOT switching to all-HD. We're just switching completely OFF from analog and over to digital, either HD or SD.

"NickName" mentioned the record-in-a-CD player example as if there wasn't such thing as a converter box, but then supposes there "might" be a converter. Well, in fact, there ARE at least converters, but I believe also HD TUNERS with analog outputs.

Problem is, though, that he mentioned that if you're just on a (non-satellite-type) antenna, you should save up for HD equipment, as if "(non-sat.) antenna signals would be going away in 2009." NO, not true, since you just said that the antenna you have IS an HD-capable, non-sat. ANTENNA.

Jeffrey O. gave mostly correct information, but he wrongly assumed that you're trying to pull an HD-quality picture from an SD set, which of course you were not saying you're trying to do.
And he also said "digital broadcasts in standard definition," which incorrectly implies that all digital broadcasts are HD (or that no SD broadcasts are digital), but that's not true.


Yeah, I'd save up for a $500 HDTV with a built-in tuner, but then also get some kind of recorder that can record HD (such as a DVHS or Blu-ray or HD-DVD recorder) on its own or with the help of a tuner--and then if it doesn't have the tuner, get a tuner for the recorder.

Or, another thing you can do is just bag the basic HD antenna altogether and subscribe to Dish Network or DirecTV or a cable TV company like Comcast, who all have HDTV programming that you can downconvert through THEIR box to your SDTV.

Well, good luck, and yeah, watch out for Feb. 17, 2009, at night, because I bet it will be a big sight to have a few analog TVs on analog air signals on different channels all going off at once (and being recorded while doing it)-- PFFFF, PFFFFFFF, PFFFFFF, PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF…
Say bye-bye to good-old analog TV forever!


Mike A. Christensen

Answer 3

There are converter boxes available to get the analog signal your TV needs, from a digital signal source. Even with the converter, your set will not be High Definition.

These are two separate issues. The FCC has mandated the change over to digital broadcast, but has not yet ruled on whether High Definition will be required.

If you wait, there is a proposal for each person who needs a converter box, to get a $40.00 discount coupon from the government at the time of the changeover.

Answer 4

Unfortunately, the answer is very simple - you can't. It is impossible to view HDTV grade progamming on a non-HD television. Even if you are using an HD antenna, you will not get it. The best you can do is to pick up digital broadcasts in standard definition IF you have an ATSC tuner. Check your tv's specs to see if your television is equipped with it.

An analog tv cannot display 1,080 lines of resolution. The maximum would be 480.

Answer 5

You don't. It has a different scan rate and a number of other differences. You will have to have an HD Tuner at a minimum. When every station in the country goes HD as is supposed to happen in 2009, then there may be lower cost HD to analog tuner/convertors, but not now.

Answer 6

It's kinda like trying to play a record in a cd player.

There might be some sort of converter, but honestly it's all going to HD. You should start saving up if you are on antenna.

Answer 7

You will need to get a "set-top-box" with a digital TV tunner.
The box will receive HD but will down convert it to SD for your TV.
Cheap boxes like that should appear as analog transmission is closer to stop ( Feb. 2009).

Answer 8

you'll need to downconvert the HD signal. I would gess your HD convertor box should be able to send out composite signals - you might need a composite to coax convertor.

(the picture - of course - won't be HD, it will be standad def - but you will be able to see the shows. Since most over-the-air programming is simulcast in SD, I don't see much of a reason for you to do it.)

Answer 9

you can't. you need an HD set.