Terrestrial television

TV can come through the air.

A station sends out waves. You use an antenna to catch them. This helps you watch shows at home.

Many people use these waves today. Over one billion people watch this way. In one land, 250 million people watch. Long ago, shows were only black and white. Now, many shows have bright colors. It is a very old way to watch TV.

Terrestrial television is a way to watch shows through the air.

A TV station sends out radio waves from a transmitter on the ground. You can catch these waves using an antenna. This is often called over-the-air TV.

This was the first way to broadcast television. In the early days, the picture was only black and white. It was also not very clear. This changed after World War II with new technology. By the 1960s, color TV became common. Many countries have now switched from analog to digital signals. Digital signals are a new way to send data. They help provide better pictures and sound.

Some people use cable or the internet to watch TV. However, terrestrial TV is still very big. About 1.6 billion people use it today. In Indonesia, 250 million people watch this way. In the United States, many people still use an antenna. Some new systems even let you watch shows in very high detail. This is called 4K resolution. It makes the picture look very sharp.

Terrestrial television is a way to send shows through the air. People often call this over-the-air or broadcast television.

It works by sending radio waves from a station on the ground. A TV receiver uses an antenna to catch these waves. This is different from cable or satellite TV. Satellite TV sends signals from space down to you. Cable TV carries signals through a physical wire. Internet TV uses a digital stream to reach your screen.

The way it works depends on radio waves. These waves travel in specific bands called VHF and UHF. The signals move in a straight line of sight. This means the signal usually stops at the visual horizon. Some signals can travel much further under special weather conditions. This is called tropospheric ducting. Stations use different frequencies to send their programs. In the Americas, these channels use specific ranges like 54 to 88 MHz. Some areas even use signal boosters to reach more homes.

This was the very first way to broadcast television. The BBC began its broadcasts in 1929. Many radio stations had experimental shows by 1930. However, those early pictures were not very good. They used mechanical scan technology which was quite limited. Television did not become popular until after World War II. This was because of new electronic scan technology. Early shows were only in black and white. People did not see color TV until the 1960s.

Different parts of the world used different rules. In the Americas, the NTSC standard was used for a long time. Japan also used this standard for its broadcasts. In Europe, many countries used a system called PAL. The UK switched off its old 405-line system in 1985. Many countries are now moving to digital terrestrial television. This is often called DTT. In the United States, the FCC set a deadline in 2009. This was the date to stop most analog signals.

Terrestrial television is still very important today. About 1.6 billion people use it around the world. Indonesia is a huge market with 250 million viewers. In the United States, about 14% of homes use an antenna. New systems like ATSC 3.0 are now starting to appear. This new way can show 4K UHD resolution. That means the picture is very sharp and clear. It also allows for better sound and mobile reception.

Terrestrial television, often called over-the-air (OTA) or broadcast television, is a method of transmitting video and audio content via radio waves. These waves travel from an Earth-based transmitter at a TV station to a receiver equipped with an antenna.

This technology differs significantly from other delivery methods. Satellite television, or direct broadcast satellite (DBS), receives signals from overhead satellites. Cable television delivers content through physical wires. Internet Protocol television (IPTV) uses internet streams or networks. Terrestrial broadcasting remains a foundational technology for global media distribution.

The mechanism of terrestrial television relies on specific electromagnetic frequencies. Stations broadcast on channels within the Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) bands. These bands typically range from about 52 to 600 MHz. Because these radio waves travel by line of sight, reception is usually limited by the visual horizon. However, special atmospheric conditions known as tropospheric ducting can sometimes allow signals to travel hundreds of kilometers.

In some regions, free-to-air repeaters or signal boosters are used to rebroadcast signals. These devices use unused channels to extend coverage to areas with marginal reception.

Television broadcasting has evolved through several distinct technological stages. The earliest era used mechanical scan technology, which produced insufficient picture quality for widespread public use. Following World War II, the advent of electronic scan technology allowed television to become a common household item. For many years, broadcasts were limited to greyscale, commonly called black and white. This changed in the 1960s with the transition to color television. Later, the industry moved from analog signals to digital terrestrial television (DTT), which uses digital data rather than continuous waves.

History shows that terrestrial television was the first broadcasting technology. The BBC began broadcasting in 1929, and by 1930, many radio stations aired experimental television programs. In Asia, experiments began in Japan as early as 1939 through the NHK Broadcasting Institute of Technology. Although World War II interrupted these efforts, NHK began regular broadcasting in 1953. That same year, Nippon TV became Asia's first commercial broadcaster. In the Philippines, the Alto Broadcasting System launched the first commercial station in Southeast Asia in October 1953.

Different regions developed unique technical standards to manage their broadcasts. In the Americas and Japan, the National Television System Committee (NTSC) standard was used for decades. The NTSC originally defined a black-and-white system with 525 lines of vertical resolution. In Europe, many countries utilized the PAL color system. The United Kingdom transitioned from its old 405-line VHF system to UHF broadcasts in 1964. Recently, many nations have moved to the Digital Video Broadcasting—Terrestrial (DVB-T) standard. For example, the European Union decided in 2005 to cease all analog transmissions by 2012.

North America has largely adopted the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standards for digital high-definition transmission. In the United States, the FCC set a final deadline for the analog switch-off on June 12, 2009. Canada followed with a deadline of August 31, 2011, for metropolitan areas. Mexico discontinued its analog terrestrial service on December 31, 2015. A newer standard, ATSC 3.0, launched in select U.S. markets in 2020. This IP-based system is not backward compatible with the older ATSC 1.0 standard. However, it supports advanced features like 4K UHD resolution and immersive audio.

Despite the rise of internet streaming, terrestrial television remains globally significant. As of 2020, an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide receive television through terrestrial means. Indonesia represents the largest market, with approximately 250 million viewers. In the United States, while many use cable or streaming, about 14% of households still use an antenna. This technology connects to broader digital systems through modern standards. For instance, ATSC 3.0 allows for hybrid broadcast-broadband services. This creates a connection between traditional broadcasting and interactive internet-like features.