How do I tell if I have an analog TV set?
Generally, if your TV set was purchased prior to 2007, it's probably an analog set. You can easily tell by the "aspect ratio." Analog sets have an aspect ratio of 4x3 -- that is, the picture area is 4 units wide by 3 units high. Digital TV sets, by contrast, have an aspect ratio of 16x9 -- that is, the picture is 16 units wide by 9 units high. Digital sets are noticeably wider than they are tall, and are noticeably wider than analog TV sets.
Analog sets are denoted as "NTSC," which stands for "National Television Systems Committee," the old analog-days technical-standard-setting group for TV. Digital sets are denoted as "ATSC," which stands for "Advanced Television Systems Committee," the group that sets the technical standards for DTV.
Many TV sets sold in the last 3 to 4 years were sold as "digital ready" but may not be true digital sets. Check your owner's manual, check the set manufacturer's website for your particular model, or call their 800# to ask if your set is analog or digital. Since March 2007, all TVs imported into the U.S. or shipped in interstate commerce have been required to have digital tuners. TVs with analog tuners can still be sold, but are supposed to be labeled prominently as "analog" because of the switch to digital.
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