These days, people are switching from their regular TV to Smart TVs. Smart TVs are designed to work with home internet connection and support a wide range of streaming apps. Whether you recently bought a smart TV or planning to buy a new one, you may have a question in your mind that does a Smart TV needs cable? Let’s find it out here.
Does a Smart TV need cable?
No, Smart TV works without cable or an antenna box! You can connect your Smart TV to a WiFi connection and stream whatever you want to watch.
Smart TV allows users to stream any TV show, movie, web series, or sporting event with just the push of a button, thanks to a broad range of streaming channels and apps. But can you watch local TV channels on a Smart TV?
Here are more details on it.
Can I watch local TV channels on a Smart TV?
Yes, you can watch local TV channels on a Smart TV. There are two different ways to watch local TV channels. Obviously, the traditional cable TV method is always available for you, but you can also use new ways to stream local channels on your Smart TV with OTT apps.
As I said earlier, there is a flurry of OTT apps available to choose from, with some apps are totally free, while some require a subscription to watch everything.
Talking about the free applications, then you can count in these apps – Peacock TV, Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Crunchyroll, Tubi TV, Plex, and a few more.
Moving to the list of subscription-required streaming channels, then you can watch your favorite streaming channel on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, and Philo.
If you want to know different ways to watch local TV channels on your smart TV, then you can move to this dedicated guide.
Does a Smart TV need an antenna for local channels?
No, Smart TVs do not need an antenna to watch local channels. Instead, you can install a streaming channel or app on your TV and stream any channel you want.
Do Smart TVs have a built-in antenna?
No, there’s no built-in antenna available on the Smart TVs, you need to purchase an antenna and set it up. It is suggested to stick the antenna near your window or any open space in your house that is close to the TV. Once you have finalized the antenna’s placement, connect the cable from the antenna to your Smart TV. All done, now search for the local channels and start streaming.
The other method, as I already mentioned, you can install any streaming app of your choice and start streaming your favorite TV show or movie.
Does a Smart TV need a cable box for Netflix?
No, there is no need to connect a cable box to smart TV to watch Netflix content. You can simply download the Netflix app on your smart TV from the app store or channel store, then login with your credentials and start streaming your favorite show or movie on Netflix.
Note: The subscription is required, so make sure you have a Netflix subscription.
Now let’s take a look at how you can set up smart TV without a cable box.
How can I hook up my smart tv without a cable box?
You can easily hook up your smart TV without a cable box, all you need to do is, connect your TV to your home internet connection, you can take the advantage of WiFi or connect the TV to the internet through an ethernet cable. Once connected, you can open your favorite OTT app or install it from the app store or channel store.
You can also take advantage of features like controlling the TV from your cell phone. Here’s a step-by-step video on setting up a Google TV, shared by Sony Electronics on their Support channel on YouTube.
Can I make my regular TV a smart TV and What is the cheapest option in the market?
Yes, you can easily make any regular TV a smart TV. There are many options available in the market to make a non-smart TV smart, Roku Express is one of the most affordable options in the market, while there are some other options available in the market, including Google’s own Google TV Chromecast, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, Nvidia Shield TV Pro, Apple TV, and a few more.
What is the downside of a Smart TV?
Performance is one of the key downsides of Smart TVs, they are not super responsive as the regular TVs, and you may face some stutter or lags on most Android TVs. Hopefully, Smart TV manufacturers will release more powerful TVs with upgraded processors and memory in the future.
Internet connection is mandatory! Yes, once you are disconnected from the internet, you can not watch anything on your TV, else change the input to an antenna cable if available.
So, now you know that Smart TVs work without a cable box, start streaming your favorite channel on your TV, if you still have some queries left in your mind, then leave them down in the comment section. Also, share this article with your friends.
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