Where did it go?
Why Did Old TVs Have Static?
To understand what TV static was, you must understand how analog TV worked.
The easiest way to understand how old TVs worked is to think of them like radios—with pictures.
Because of that shift, modern televisions do not have analog tuners.
Curious about over-the-air HD video?
Jason Fitzpatrick/How-To Geek
This inexpensive indoor antenna makes it easy to get started.
That’s because digital TV signals are binary.
Eitherthe antennacan pick up the signal and produce the image, or it can’t.
Curious about over-the-air HD video? This inexpensive indoor antenna makes it easy to get started.
On the downside, that means you either get a particular channel or you don’t.
Curiously, there’s a notable exception to this binary approach to displaying channels.
A whole slew of LG models show static instead of a simple “No Signal” screen.
