Over-the-Air Broadcast TV

Depending on where you live, you may be able to watch local broadcast stations for free with an antenna connected to your TV or tuner. There is no subscription, no box rental and no encryption on standard ATSC 1.0 broadcasts, and the same tuner that handles clear QAM cable usually handles antenna signals too.

What you can receive

Full-power US stations broadcast in digital using the ATSC 1.0 standard, and many carry several subchannels alongside their main channel. What you can pick up depends on your distance from the transmitters, the terrain and buildings in between, and your antenna. The FCC's DTV reception maps show which stations are likely to reach your address and how strong their signals are expected to be.

Picture quality: antenna or cable?

An antenna gives you the station's own digital signal, with no extra steps in between. Cable operators receive the same stations and then deliver them over their networks, sometimes passing the stream through unchanged and sometimes re-processing it to fit more channels into their systems. Broadcasters compress their signals too: an ATSC 1.0 channel carries about 19.39 Mbit/s, shared among the main channel and any subchannels. So an antenna picture is often as good as or better than the cable version, but the difference depends on the station and the cable system. When reception is solid, many viewers find antenna HD excellent.

Getting set up

  1. Check the FCC reception maps to see which stations are in range and which direction they are.
  2. Choose an antenna that receives both VHF (channels 2 to 13) and UHF channels, if stations in your area use both. The FCC notes that many antennas sold as "HDTV antennas" work best on UHF.
  3. Put the antenna as high as practical, away from obstructions. Outdoor antennas usually perform better than indoor ones.
  4. Set the tuner's input to antenna or air and run a channel scan.
  5. Adjust the antenna using the tuner's signal meter, then scan again.
  6. Rescan periodically. Stations sometimes change frequencies, and the FCC recommends rescanning to keep your channel list current.

If you live close to a transmitter, too much signal can overload the tuner. The FCC suggests removing amplifiers or adding an attenuator in that case. See Coax, Splitters and Amplifiers.

ATSC 3.0

Some stations also broadcast in ATSC 3.0, which needs a compatible tuner. Some ATSC 3.0 channels use DRM encryption that limits which devices and apps can play them. See QAM vs ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0.

Older analog TVs

Full-power stations stopped broadcasting in analog when the US switched to digital TV. An analog-only TV needs a digital converter box to show today's broadcasts. See Digital Converter Boxes.

Sources

Good to know. Cable lineups, encryption policies, equipment fees and device support are set by each provider and manufacturer and can change. Check with your provider and the sources listed before you buy equipment.
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