Final answer:
Yes, a pre-2009 TV antenna meant for analog can be used to watch today's digital broadcast TV. While the encoding for broadcast has changed, the antenna still receives the electromagnetic waves. However, an older analog TV will require a digital-to-analog converter box to decode the digital signals.The correct option is A.
Step-by-step explanation:
Can you use a pre-2009 TV antenna meant for analog to watch today's digital broadcast TV? The answer is Yes, you can. Antennas do not distinguish between analog and digital signals; they only receive the electromagnetic waves that the TV station transmits. What has changed is the method of encoding the transmitted content. The older analog television systems used amplitude modulation (AM) for the video and frequency modulation (FM) for the audio component. In digital television (DTV), both video and audio are encoded digitally and broadcast using a different type of modulation, such as 8VSB for ATSC (in North America) or OFDM for DVB-T (in Europe).
The FCC created a transition period for broadcasters and consumers to shift from analog to digital, which started back in 1998 and was originally set to extend through at least 2006. Since the transition is now complete, all over-the-air broadcasts are in digital format. However, the frequency ranges for these broadcasts are similar, and thus an old-fashioned roof antenna can still receive these signals.
An important note is that while the antenna can still receive the signal, the television set must be able to decode it. If your television is older and can only process analog signals, you'll need a digital-to-analog converter box to convert the digital broadcasts into a format that your analog TV can display. This converter box connects between the antenna and the television, allowing you to watch digital broadcasts on the older TV set.