Free-to-air television is received via an antenna connected to the radio frequency (RF) input port and a built-in tuner of a receiver. A receiver for analogue free-to-air television is a television set. However, for DTT the receiver can take many forms. Typical DTT receivers are television sets and set-top-boxes (STBs). Other receivers include mobile phones, dongles and streaming gateways. It is important to note that all DTT receivers require an antenna to receive the DTT signal. The antenna is typically external to the receiver and is connected via the RF input port. Receivers such as mobile phones may have an internal antenna.
ATSC 3.0 TV Set
Reception via an ATSC 3.0 capable television set is the simplest of the configuration options. All that is required is an ATSC 3.0 capable television set and an antenna. With the deployment of ATSC 3.0 in South Korea and the US, ATSC 3.0 capable television sets are being manufactured and are now available for purchase in those markets. ATSC 3.0 capable television sets have a built-in tuner capable of demodulating and decoding ATSC 3.0 signals. Once connected to an antenna, these television sets will display ATSC 3.0 content.
ATSC 3.0 television sets that are certified carry the NEXTGEN TV logo, shown in the Figure below. All certified ATSC 3.0 capable television sets can be found on the website https://www.watchnextgentv.com.
ATSC 3.0 Set-Top-Boxes (STB)
STBs are used to view ATSC 3.0 content on television sets that are not ATSC 3.0 capable. These include older television sets with only an analogue tuner or newer television sets with a digital tuner for a DTT standard other than ATSC 3.0. To view ATSC 3.0 content, the consumer will require a television set, an ATSC 3.0 capable STB and an antenna. Certified ATSC 3.0 STBs can also be found on the website https://www.watchnextgentv.com and carry the NEXTGENTV logo.
UHF Band Antenna
As mentioned previously, the reception of ATSC 3.0 signals requires an antenna. From Trinidad and Tobago, the main parameter is the frequency range of the antenna. All DTT channel assignments will be in the UHF TV band 470 – 698 MHz and therefore any indoor or outdoor UHF TV band antenna will work for the reception of ATSC 3.0 in Trinidad and Tobago. Examples of indoor and outdoor antennas can be found on the following web pages:
Indoor antennas: https://www.thefreetvproject.org/best-indoor-tv-antennas/
Outdoor antennas: https://www.thefreetvproject.org/best-outdoor-tv-antennas/