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Confused about set-top boxes and wireless TV? We’re here to help.
What Is a Set-Top Box?
A set-top box is an electronic device that converts the signals from your TV or internet provider to video you can screen on your TV. They used to literally sit on top of TV sets. Now with flatscreens you’d be hard-pressed to find a set-top box that actually sits on top of a TV, but the term lives on.
Can’t I Watch TV Without a Set-Top Box?
Yes, but only if you have a smart TV (which you probably do) and only if you want to limit yourself to only streaming TV from internet streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video or Netflix. You’ll need a set-top box from your cable provider to watch a traditional TV package. These set-top boxes have a bunch of other advantages too. We’ll get into it.
Could You Give Some Examples?
Sure. You have your set-top boxes issued to you by your TV provider, but you can also use boxes such as Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, Android TV, and Roku to do the job. Even devices such as Playstations or Xboxes can act as set-top boxes, given that they’re converting digital signals into streaming TV for things like Netflix and Crunchyroll. However, none of these examples can be used to broadcast a traditional TV package.
So What Is Wireless TV?
If your set-top box is not a wireless one, you have what amounts to a black plastic box that plugs into a cable or your router (or both) on one end and then has another wire, probably an HDMI cable, that runs to your TV, allowing you to watch video content on only that TV.
The wireless version of a set-top box plugs into your router on one end, but there is no physical HDMI cable leading to a TV on the other. It just broadcasts a wireless signal to your TV—or any TV or screen anywhere in the house.
What You’re Saying Is That Wireless Set-Top Boxes Have Serious Advantages?
Yes.
A smart TV by itself can hook up to the internet and give you your Netflix fix. However, if you want a cable package—say, a couple of sports channels because you live for the Habs, food channels for comfort watching, and a few major US networks—then you have to get a set-top box from a cable provider. But this set-top box won’t just give you your cable, it will also handle your streaming apps and, given that it’s wireless, it will broadcast TV to anywhere in your house.
Yes, it will probably still live next to your router and main TV or media centre, if you have such a thing. But if you have more TVs in the house or if you also like to watch TV from other screens, like tablets in other places such as your bed or backyard, then you’re going to take serious advantage of the wireless capabilities.
Are There Other Advantages to a Wireless Set-Top Box?
Yes. A good wireless set-top box will let you pause and rewind live TV, record TV to PVR for watching later, and provide an app to help manage casting to all the various screens in your home.
