Verified answer

It has to have a separate conventional analog NTSC tuner as TVs always did to receive analog TV signals. In two years, the US Government says that there won't be any more old analog TV station broadcasts allowed (only the new digital TV signals), so you won't be able to use the old analog NTSC tuner TV sets to tune in Over The Air (OTA) TV station broadcasts any more. All TV sets sold after that time must have the new ATSC digital signal tuner. However the old NTSC analog TV sets will still tune any analog signals carried on your cable TV service.

The short answer is no, ATSC tuners are digital only while the NTSC turner is analog. In 2009 all NTSC transmission must terminate as there assigned frequencies to support other functions than television.

excellent answer. i agree. but most tvs that are sold with an atsc also include a ntsc. but look at the manual or the box it came in . unless its some cheapie brand it should have a ntsc. also to the best of my knowledge on the tv channels ill use 24 for example. 24.0 or 24 is analog or ntsc. and any others 24.1 or more 24.2,24.3 are atsc.

HDTV is a broadcasting frequent, in simple terms like NTSC and chum, so in the journey that your television helps HDTV you do no longer could desire to agonize approximately receiving HDTV content cloth. besides the undeniable fact that - at the instant there is very few HD channels in Israel (in simple terms one movies/sequence channel accessible by way of definite), so i may well be greater worried approximately getting the conventional channels.