Is my old Analog TV junk?

poshniallo

Hi

I have an old analog TV that we have been using for about 8 years. It's an early LCD. Our country (Japan) switched over to digital a couple of years ago, but we never gave it any thought, because we have cable TV and everything comes through the set-top box of that.

We're getting a new TV, and my brother-in-law, who has very little money and lives a VERY frugal life (e.g. no TV) would love to have it. However, since it's analog, it's effectively lacking a tuner, right?

If he bought a cheap DVD player or even VCR could he put the antenna cable through that and effectively use that as a tuner? The TV has composite inputs and a D-terminal input (standard in Japan).

Or do we need a DVD recorder, as I can imagine a player not having a tuner in it?

Or are there digital-to-analog signal converters that are worth bothering with?

I know these kinds of questions will be strange for many people, who would just throw the old TV away and get a new one, but his lifestyle is very unusual, and none of us like to waste if we can avoid it.

Thanks for any advice!

MichaelLC

I might be completely off, but I believe it would have a tuner - basically what makes it a TV instead of a monitor - but if you're on digital now, it may not be able to get anything without a box, correct.

When they switched here in the US, gov't was giving away coupons for a free digital converter so people could get the basic channels over-the-air without subscribing to cable. Sounds like the Japanese government did not consider television a fundamental right like the US does,

Doing some quick research, tuners are fairly cheap there too, in the $40 range here and more like ¥10,000 there. He'd also need an antenna if his building does not already have one. A DVD with tuner would work too, probably cost a little more. Just make sure the tuner is DTV compatable (地デジ (chideji). Probably doesn't make a huge difference in brand if getting basic model.

Japan Times article

Donovan Puppyfucker

He won't be able to pick up any channels with it in it's current state, no.

Basically, what you need is one of these: http://www.amazon.com/iView-3500STB-DTV-Converter-Box/dp/B00BFIJQ10/ but in Japan.

Prime

Yeah just grab yourself a super cheap DTV tuner box with the right outputs to your TV and your good to go. In the UK they are around £10-15

WiseManTobes

I'm the same, I don't waste nothing if I can help it, the TV for one of the consoles in the house at the moment is a 1992 JVC Tube TV, it's like ancient and communist, but you can hook all manner of things up to it still, so don't discount your tv just because of channels, it's till more than enough to run a video game system or a dvd player ( or a VCR like mine is!)