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I have a Samsung T260HD TV that in the past I've used only with cable/xbox/computer. I have gotten rid of cable for all the obvious reasons but would still like to get the broadcast channels. Here I am running into issues as every time I invoke the automatic "channel scan" it turns up empty.

I am in an urban area not surrounded by any large buildings (downtown New Orleans) so I suspect I am doing something wrong.

Question 1: It seems like I should be able to get a strong signal here at least from some channel. Is that false? Is there somewhere that I can test coverage?

One thing that I find odd that I cannot understand the use of is that when I go to Channel -> Auto Program -> Auto I see 2 different selectors which I have to choose before starting.

  • Analog
    • STD
    • HRC
    • IRC
  • Digital
    • STD
    • HRC
    • IRC

Question 2: What are these options? How do I find the correct combination?

Finally, I do not have anything connected to the TV sans the power. Do I need to get some sort of antenna? I suspect that is not the issue as I can't even get a weak signal - I get no signal at all.

Question 3: If I get an antenna to help catch a broadcast signal, I'm not sure where it would plug in? This thing has every connection in the world (one of the main reasons I bought it) but how do antennas connect to modern TVs? Old timey ones had exposed cables that you manually twisted to an antenna to extend their reach but what about new ones? Do they plug into the cable jack?

George Mauer
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    Yes, you need an antenna. You'd plug it into the port on the TV labeled 'antenna'. You also need to use the digital option as the US no longer transmits analog TV signals. – DA01 Feb 05 '12 at 22:44
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    The antenna socket should be an F-type co-axial socket. – staticsan Feb 06 '12 at 02:39

2 Answers2

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Over the air (OTA) broadcasts are all digital now, so you will likely want to scan using the Digital tuner option, probably starting with "STD".

You likely will need an antenna. antennaweb.org can help you select the proper type of antenna to get the most channels and provide some information on how it should be aimed. I believe that most antennas will connect into the same connector on the TV that you used for the cable TV cable.

Once you get everything set, you should be very happy with the results. The HD broadcasts that are sent OTA are very high quality.

SredniV
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Question 1:

The FCC has a website that shows digital TV coverage using Google maps: http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/

They also have a site that shows PDF maps by broadcast area, although I find them hard to understand: http://transition.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/

Question 1b:

You want to scan "Digital STD"

Question 2:

Yes, you need an antenna. An inexpensive pair of "rabbit ears" should be sufficient if you're close to the broadcast towers.

Question 3:

You have an "ant in" connector on the back of your TV. This is described in the TV's owners manual.

kdgregory
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  • Thanks a lot. This has been bothering my girlfriend (and therefore me) for weeks! – George Mauer Feb 05 '12 at 20:59
  • I'm in an area near several digital stations, and only a couple of them work with rabbit ears. You need a much better quality signal for digital to work right. Instead of ghosting, the signal just goes away completely. Get the biggest antenna you can afford/fit! – Brian Knoblauch Feb 06 '12 at 21:22