About a Set Top TV Aerial

Prior to the advent of cable television, the primary method of getting television reception was via television aerials or antennas. In some cases these would be outdoor antennas, but early in the days of television they were outnumbered by set-top TV antennas, also known as “rabbit ears.”

The appearance of a set-top TV aerial

A set-top consisted, for the most part, of two conductors that were parallel with a short space between them. In the case of older television sets, the aerial was in the form of two telescoping metal tubes that pointed up from the top of the set forming a “V,” hence the “rabbit ears” terminology.The length and angle of the conductors could be adjusted. In some versions of indoor set-top TV aerials, the conductor part of the TV aerial was in the form of a loop or a loop combined with the rabbit ears configuration.

The pros and cons of set top TV aerials

Many older TVs are presently unable to receive feeds directly from TV aerial, whether an outdoor or indoor set top. This is because in 2009, TV broadcasters were required to shut down their analog signals and broadcast only in digital. Newer models with a built-in digital tuner will be able to, but older sets will need a separate device in order to show a broadcast.

These devices, called digital converter boxes, will translate the digital broadcast signal to an analog one that can be interpreted by the television set. In many cases, a newer DVD player or DVR will accomplish the same task if the cable from the aerial is routed through it and then to the television set. Apart from this problem with using an antenna, there is also the fact that indoor set-top TV aerials are notoriously inefficient and can only pick up broadcasts from nearby transmitters. One benefit that they do have is that of being cheap to purchase and easy to install.