Many people are curious whether Samsung TVs come with built-in antennas. This is a question that many people have, and the answer is not always clear.
In this blog post, we will take a look at whether or not Samsung TVs have built-in antennas, and what you can do if your Samsung TV doesn’t have one.
Do Samsung TVs have built-in antennas?
The short answer is no, Samsung TVs do not have built-in antennas.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, some Samsung TVs do have an antenna port, which means that you can connect an external antenna to your TV.
Second, if your Samsung TV does not have an antenna port, you can still enjoy live TV by connecting a streaming device that provides access to live TV channels. Streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku, and Apple TV allow you to stream live TV channels without the need for an external antenna.
Third, there are very few models which were released from 2020 to 2021 which had internal antennas. But there are very much limited.
Do I need an antenna for my Samsung Smart TV?
Essentially, a TV cannot work without an antenna because it receives signals from it, so you need an antenna. Now, let us see how you can add an antenna yourself:
- First of all, hover over the “Source” menu. For that, you must look for the Home menu and then find the “source” icon present on the left side of the screen. From there, select the TV option as your source.
- Connect the coaxial cable based antenna by attaching it with an RF connector located in the back and then select Scan.
- Now you must choose what would be the source of the signal, i.e., cable, air, or both. If you choose air, you’ll be able to scan for channels that you get through the antenna.
- Scan for channels now that the tv will automatically detect in the signal.
- The setup is done once the tune process is complete. Samsung also has separate channels under the TV. These streams are because of the internet and are live channels, and you can even watch without an antenna.
- You can now watch live TV from the home button by clicking on the Live TV title.
- Now you can scroll through the channel guide to find what you want to see. Note that it may take some time for the information to load.
Does my Samsung Smart TV have a built-in antenna?
If you don’t see a pull-out antenna in the Samsung Smart TV, then there probably isn’t any antenna built-in in the TV. You have to connect a separate antenna to the TV. However, it isn’t very common nowadays to plug an antenna since you stream various apps and shows online through the internet without using an antenna.
Similarly, smart TVs are equipped with the feature of using the internet connection from Wi-fi or Ethernet. Only portable TVs that were used in earlier times used to have a socket for the antennas, but it was connected from the outside. These TVs come with an RF socket that is for cable and satellite.
However, an antenna would give a better picture quality for the smart TV. It is crucial to find a good spot for antennas so that they can catch signals easily. You can install antennas on rooftops and in high-traffic areas where there are ideally fewer disturbances.
Can I get local channels on Samsung Smart TV?
Yes, you can get local channels on your Samsung Smart TV.
To understand how to access local channels on the Samsung Smart TV, follow the steps mentioned below:
- Select the source from the Home menu. There will be a drop-down menu from which you can select the source option.
- Select TV as your source of supply. The source you select will mean what medium you are using to view channels.
- Now connect the antenna to a computer/TV. You will keep getting “no signal” on the screen until you connect the antenna. Here, the TV is bound to use an antenna which is why you see the “no signal” option.
- Select a source from the air, cable, or both options. You must choose air which means that you are using an antenna.
- Now you can scan for available channels. Do not disturb it until the process is completed.
- Configuration is now completed for you to use the live TV finally.
- You can now watch live TV and go through tons of new local channels.
- You can use the channel guide to scroll through the new channels that you can watch now.
How do I get local channels on my Samsung Smart TV without cable?
If you are looking for an option to watch local channels without attaching any cable or antennas, the easiest way to do that is to get internet streaming live TV service. Several of these online streaming live TVs have almost all of the local TV channels, and they come at the best price as well.
Most streamers also give cloud DVR, which is a system that allows saving the live shows on the account. You can later watch them on any device such as a computer, smart TV, or even a mobile phone.
However, this also has a minor disadvantage even though it’s a quick and easy method which is that these might be costlier than you would think. These are more expensive than an antenna using the TV.
OTA (over-the-air) programs have a long time to go through since all of the local stations are broadcasting shows in ultra-High definition. Your TV also has a tuner that scans for local stations automatically and shows the channel guide for you to scroll through. Also, using an antenna is a comparatively cheap method of finding even more local channels and using a better-quality of picture and signal.
You can decide for yourself whether you need local channels on your smart TV with or without an antenna according to your budget and need.
How can I watch live channels for free on my Samsung Smart TV?
Samsung smart TVs have a Samsung TV Plus app that lets you and Smartphone users watch from a few selected TV channels for free. This app is available in 13 countries, including the US, UK, India, etc.
The Samsung TV Plus app has shows falling under categories like news, technology, lifestyle, science, music, sports, and movies. The users don’t have to pay anything extra for this as it is of free service.
Samsung TV Plus is pre-installed on the Samsung Smart TVs that can support the app. You can locate it at the bottom of the TV screens and simply click on the icon to start using the free content.
It comes with a channel guide that lets you see what channels you can watch. You can also delete certain channels from it if you like. You can also remove the app entirely from the smart TV and can restore the service by doing a “Smart Hub reset” on the TV.
The bottom line
If you have thought of buying a Samsung smart TV, you must go through this dilemma of whether to use an antenna for it or just do internet-based live streaming. Well, the answer depends on what budget you have and what suits you the best. Even though using antennas would give you a better signal and amazing picture quality, it can be a little hassle to set it up.
But if you compare its comparative choice, which is live TV streaming by using the internet, it is comparatively cheap from it and only needs to be installed during the initial setup. All you got to be careful about is the location of the antenna.
It should be placed in such a place where it can receive a clear signal without much interference from any other device or any other living disturbances. Therefore, we can say that using an antenna is a much better option for you. Good Luck!