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I am constantly amazed by the build quality of satellite TV receivers. Every day at Solid Signal, we hear from folks who are still using receivers that are 15-20 years old. These old boxes soldier on day after day and still provide great service. Most receivers made for DIRECTV or DISH before 2003 won't work with current satellite programming, but chances are if they did, they'd probably still be out in the field today.

In fact, these receivers are SO reliable that it brings up another whole problem: what to do when they won't connect to a new TV.

The problem

When you talk about standard-definition satellite TV receivers from 2003-2010, most connected to the TV using a coax cable. You'd then turn the TV to channel 3 and watch programing that way.

The problem is that for about the last decade or so, manufacturers have been selling what they deem "tunerless TVs" which don't have a coaxial input. Before this point, the FCC had been pretty strict. They said that if you want to call it a TV, it has to have a tuner that can receive all US broadcasts. However, more and more companies were taking cheap computer monitors and selling them as "tunerless TVs" anyway, so the FCC told them it was ok as long as there was a clear disclaimer on the box.

So, depending on what looked good when you walked into your local club store, you might have gotten a TV without a tuner, and not thought twice about it. Then you got it home, went to connect it to your old satellite box, and… nothing.

The solution: old school meets old school

There is a way to get those "tunerless TVs" to accept signals over a coax cable. It's technology that's probably as old as your receiver itself. I'm talking about something like this:



What you see above is the Proscan Digital TV converter box. Converter boxes were used in the mid-00s to let old TVs use the new digital signals. However, it also lets you receive old-school analog signals and output them to newer TVs through its HDMI port.

Setup is simple. Connect the coaxial cable from the satellite receiver and turn the satellite receiver on. Connect an HDMI cable from the converter box to the TV. Power up the converter box and go through a one-time setup process that's pretty easy to follow. From that point on, you should be able to simply leave the converter box on and not even think about it. Your old receiver will output to your new TV!

Or… maybe it's time to upgrade

If you're still using an old standard-definition receiver, it might be time to upgrade. Both DIRECTV and DISH are actively turning off standard-definition local channels on a city-by-city basis. It might be time for you to look into getting a new receiver. Here's how you get the best deal.

Call Solid Signal at 888-233-7563. We're both DIRECTV and DISH dealers and we can help you make that upgrade. Whether you're simply swapping one receiver for another, or you choose to upgrade to full high definition or 4K, we can help! We'll let you know what upgrades you qualify for, and we'll take care of all the hard work.

For simple upgrades, we'll send you a receiver ready to go. Call us to get it activated and we'll take care of the rest. For full system upgrades, we'll send a qualified installer to your home and you'll get the red carpet treatment!

Call us with any questions or if you're ready to jump in, let us know! We're here for you during East Coast business hours. If it's after hours, fill out the form below. We'll get back to you, usually within one business day.


The post New TV without a coax input? Old satellite receiver? What can you do? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.

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