Does a Smart TV Need an Aerial?
Did you know that, in 2020, the UK’s television industry made about 16.27 billion pounds? Whether you watch TV to relax after a hard day of work or look to watch the nightly news to learn about current affairs, there are plenty of reasons to watch television.
If you’re considering upgrading to a smart TV, you’re probably wondering, “does a smart TV need an aerial?”
This article explains what a TV aerial is and what shows, movies, and music you can watch with them. Keep reading to learn more about installing a smart TV aerial.
TV Aerial Explained
An aerial is an antenna that accesses live TV broadcasts. This antenna is commonly mounted on your rooftop and connects to your TV’s receiver, processing television signals. From there, you’re connected to various stations.
There are several types of TV aerials. The most common ones include terrestrial aerials, cable aerials, and satellite aerials.
You’ll commonly find terrestrial and cable aerials in homes within a city. Satellite aerials are more common for remote, rural locals with weak broadcast signals.
Satellite aerials work within cities, but you’d need an external aerial to use a satellite for broadcasting channels.
You should always have a professional technician install your TV aerial, as the process can be tricky and dangerous for anyone inexperienced with installing satellites on a rooftop.
Smart TVs: At a Glance
If you have a Smart TV, you’ll find that it comes with a variety of pre-installed apps. All you have to do is connect your TV to your home’s WiFi and you can access each app.
To do this, go to your Network Settings, select your home’s WiFi from the list of available WiFi networks, add your password, and allow the two to connect. Once this is complete, you can watch movies, listen to music, and more, so long as you have the right apps installed.
Does a Smart TV Need an Aerial?
If you’re only looking to use a streaming service, then, no, your smart TV doesn’t need an aerial. This is because smart TVs don’t rely on aerials to bring you the shows, movies, and music you want to watch.
All you need to do is access the internet to benefit from the best apps on a Smart TV. This includes Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and more.
But if you’re looking to access cable TV, then yes, you need an aerial. Aerials give you greater access to more television stations, but you can stream without them.
This is because smart TVs don’t have built-in aerials. For example, if you have Freeview (one of the UK’s most popular TV service providers), you’d need an aerial to watch any of the available channels. Some of these channels include Channel 4, Channel 5, Yesterday, Dave, Film4, Legens, CBS Realtity, all the BBC channels, including CBeebies and BBC News, and so much more.
So Do You Need an Aerial for a Smart TV?
You only need an aerial for your smart TV if you want to watch cable channels.
What’s the Difference Between Streaming and Terrestrial TV?
Streaming and terrestrial TV both grant you access to your favourite movies and TV shows. However, streaming provides these shows and movies on demand, so you can watch them whenever you want. Terrestrial TV usually has a set schedule for when each movie or TV show is broadcast.
Streaming typically requires fewer cables when sending data back and forth, since everything relies on the internet and a wireless connection.
For terrestrial TV, you need various cords and cables to receive a signal and watch movies and TV shows.
Should you Get an Aerial for Your Smart TV?
There are tons of reasons to invest in a smart TV aerial. Although you can watch a lot of movies, documentaries, and TV shows with streaming services, you can still benefit from an aerial connection.
Here’s how a smart TV aerial can benefit you.
Access Tons of Free Channels
Are you interested in stations like PBS, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox? If so, then you should consider a smart TV aerial. You’ll have access to these free stations, without the hassle of a subscription fee.
Access Tons of Paid Channels
You should also invest in a smart TV aerial if you’d like to access subscription TV programs. This includes BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC One HD. These channels only work with an aerial.
If you’re looking to watch live broadcasts from local news outlets or other mainstream news programs, then you need a TV aerial.
Access to HD Channels
Do you love watching HD movies and TV shows? Then a smart TV aerial is a worthwhile investment. Aerial content remains uncompressed, which means all your movies and TV shows will have crisp, clear visuals.
You just need to position your antenna in the best position for receiving each TV’s stations signals.
Do You Need a Smart TV Aerial?
Does a smart TV need an aerial? If you have a smart TV, you don’t need an aerial if the TV shows, music, and movies you watch and listen to are on streaming services.
However, smart TV aerials give you access to tons of great channels, some part of a paid subscription and some free. If you’re interested in terrestrial TV, then consider installing a smart TV aerial the next time you complete a home improvement project.
Are you looking for more great information about your home? UK Home Improvement offers the best information for all your needs. Check out our Home Improvements blog today.
