So, your favorite free-to-air channel is no longer on the channel list. And that’s perfectly normal. It’s usually a result of bad weather, electrical interference, or reduced transmitting power. Either way, you can run a quick channel scan to get it back on the list. Or, you can create a Roku channel and run your very own TV station.
Why Do You Need to Scan for Channels?
Just like any other old technology, digital television ATSC 1.0 can be a little quirky. It has been the standard for free broadcasts since the ’90s, and there’s nothing wrong with it. However, it can get pretty annoying when it wants to. Channels can unexpectedly fall off the list, and you’d expect the TV to scan “behind the scenes” because it’s 2021. But that never happens.
The idea of manual scanning is still at play here, where your TV scans through the entire bandwidth to find broadcasting channels. This is the same idea with manual tuners, except that your TV handles the actual tunning. An inbuilt tool handles the entire scanning operation, but you must fire it up manually to start the process.
When to Scan for Channels?
You’ll need to scan for channels every time there’s a change in frequency. That includes times when a TV station changes its position in the spectrum or when the FCC decides it’s time for a broadcast standard migration. For example, we are currently moving to the 4K-ready, ATSC 3.0 standard that will revolutionalize how people watch TV. This new standard will not interfere with wireless devices such as IoT and cellular networks, and that translates to a stable network.
You will also need to scan for channels every time you buy a new tv or move house. That’s because your new set needs to establish a connection to the nearest broadcasting point. In this initial scan, the TV will save all the busy frequencies so you can select them from a list the next time you turn on the TV. That same principle applies when moving house. Your old TV needs to receive data from a new broadcasting point, so you’ll have to run a scan to introduce your TV to that station.
Here’s how to scan for new TV channels.
Step 1: Make sure your TV and antenna connection is solid.
Step 2: Find and press the menu button, then select “channel scan.” This can also be “rescan,” “autotune,” or “tune.”
Step 3: Once the TV starts scanning, give it 10 to 15 minutes to complete the task.
Step 4: Look if your favorite channel is back on the list. If not, wait a few minutes, then take it from the top.
Why Won’t Your TV Scan for Channels Automatically?
If channel scanning is automatic, as most TV makers claim, why won’t your TV find new channels in the background?
Well, that’s a valid concern right there. But complete automation on the TV end is almost impossible. Your TV needs to forget every saved frequency when you run the scan tool. And this process interrupts everything else for the entire duration of the scan. You can’t stream, watch a game or use the TV as a monitor when scanning channels.
But, you might have noticed that this is not the case with radio frequencies. That’s because radio broadcast is mostly loud bursts of waves, and those are easy to scan. So, your radio auto-scans for the closest signal when you hit next.
What Does the Future Look Like?
The FCC is transitioning to the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard that supports 4K on most stream-ready devices. However, this transition will take a decade or more to go live across the entire nation.
Ideally, this broadcast frequency will work like WiFI. Your device will search for the strongest signal and connect to it without asking you to do anything. The only difference is that you won’t need credentials to log into the TV network.
Eventually, you’ll see memes of people making fun of channel scanning, calling it ancient technology.
Does That Mean Traditional TV Stations Will Go Live?
Live TV is the future, and every over-the-air TV station knows that. That means you might see more stations transitioning to on-demand content to stay relevant. Still, the new ATSC 3.0 standard might save free-to-air television as it works in a similar way. Maybe TV stations will deliver personalized content on that platform, as that seems to be the biggest trend right now.
