Have a smart TV and thinking that you need an aerial for IPTV services such as BT Vision in the UK?
An aerial isn’t needed if you plan on watching mostly YouTube, Netflix and other streaming services, but it can come in handy if you’re keen on watching local news and free channels.
Why Will I Need an Aerial?
You may assume that your new smart TV has all the capabilities when it comes to receiving signals, and you’re partly right. However, in order to catch Freeview channels you will need an aerial and a coax cable connected to your TV. Once this step is complete you should be able to view live channels.
VoD, or video on demand via IPTV services is another matter. For this you will need to be connected to your home Wi-Fi or ethernet cable. Today’s smart TVs have integrated tuners that can show a few channels.
To summarize, you will need an aerial to watch live TV, e.g., ITV, BBC2 and BBC1 among others.
Can I Connect an Aerial and Wi-Fi at the Same Time?
Smart TVs are entertainment powerhouses with a lot of capabilities. A quick look at the back should reveal a variety of inputs and ports for USB, HDMI, coax and even old RCA jacks.
Most of them can handle juggling between set top boxes and video game consoles; switching is a matter of choosing your input video when you turn on the TV. This rule is the same for Wi-Fi and aerial connections, which means you can leave the coax cable in and have a ready internet connection at the same time.
BT Vision is an IPTV service that allows subscribers to view Freeview content via aerial. A TV aerial connected to the BT TV set top box is required. The box will still work but you won’t be able to view all available channels.
