I cannnot receive digital stations.

Yes. Depending on your location depends on how well it will work. If you are in the US you can go to antennaweb.org and get a fairly accurate idea if an indore antenna will work and what you can expect to receive. After you connect your antenna you need to do a channel search.

The first question you have to answer is whether your TV is capable of receiving digital broadcasts. TV stations no longer broadcast the "old analog" signals, but now transmit only in digital format. If your TV is not capable of receiving digital broadcasts, you will need to buy a special box which allows you to receive digital broadcasts. Then you would hook it up in the order: antenna -> digital box -> TV.

If your TV is capable of receiving digital broadcasts, I've found that it is very important that your antenna have a pretty much unobstructed view of the direction from which the signal is coming. For instance, if your local signals are broadcast from the southerly direction, you should try to mount your antenna to a window which is facing south.

One last point before I forget, you must make sure that you select the proper input on your tv. For instance, I have cable, and a dvd player hooked up to my tv. Before I use the dvd, I have to go into the TV menu and select my dvd. When I want to return back to cable, I have to go back into the TV menu and select the cable input.

HD is pretty critical and if a indoor antenna do not expect much or anything for that matter.

HDTV indicates the number of lines that are shown by the TV. (HD means that at least 720 lines can be displayed in a given picture.) To receive OTA signals, you need an ATSC tuner (digital) of sufficient power (with a clear path to the transmitter) these days. The RCA D52W20 was released in 2002 and only has an NTSC (analog tuner). You will need a digital-to-analog converter to receive OTA TV (unless any low power analog stations remain in your area).

Please note that the basic digital-to-analog converters that were available with the government coupon back in 2009 were SD (480i lines of pixels used) units. HD d-t-a converters exist but are more expensive.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells
(the phrase "digital antenna" is meaningless; check with tvfool.com or antennaweb.org for the direction of local transmitters. TVfool.com will give more information on the type of antenna (indoor, outdoor, amplifier) that you will need to receive channels in your area. Antennaweb assumes an external antenna but is very conservative in the stations that it will indicate that you can receive. Antennas are given a color rating based on how far away the transmitter can be to get a watchable signal. Since digital signals are either enough for the tuner to interpret or you get a "no signal" message, you often need a stronger signal than was needed to receive a watchable analog channel.)

Do you have the antenna aimed correctly and the correct antenna for the distance between your location and the stations? Check antennaweb.org and tvfool.com for the directions to the stations you should be able to receive. Antennaweb assumes an external antenna and is very conservative in the station list. TVfool gives the stations you should get with various different types of antennas. Tall trees and buildings will block signal strength so consider the environment around you.

With digital signals, if you do not have enough signal strength for a given tuner, the channel will not come in. An amplifier may help you get the signal, particularly if the signal is shared to several devices. Failure of an amplifier or lightning surge protection can stop the signal from reaching the TV. A surge through the antenna can damage the tuner.

A damaged cable can also be a source of a problem. Check the outside portion of the wire as well as the interior wires. Replace any that have damaged insulation or ends.

For this TV, if you have done a channel scan with the TV set to the Input TV/DTV, and the Signal Source set to Antenna. Turn the antenna and then set the Additional Scan to On. (Menu > TV > Channels > Additional Scan.) Then do another channel scan.

If you need a copy of the manual, see: http://www.vizio.com/m220va.html#support .

This tv has an analog tuner so you will need a digital-to-analog tuner set-top box (assuming you live in an area where most stations have been converted to digital TV broadcast). Whichever tuner you use, the recommended antenna will depend on where you live and how many tall objects are between you and the transmitters. Go to antennaweb.org or tvfool.com and type in your address. Antennaweb assumes an external antenna but is still very conservative in the channels it will identify as watchable in your area. Tvfool.com lists the channels by direction and the antenna type (by color) you will need to receive them. The color rating is based on how far the stations signal travels to reach your location. An amplifier can help you receive stations that are marginal to your location. (Digital signals are sufficient for the TV to tune them in or you get "no signal" messages.)

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells
(I'm in a rural area with an external antenna with a signal splitter/amplifier. Antennaweb suggests I will only get the stations ~10 miles away. In fact I get the stations from there as well as the ones ~30 miles away.)

Try going into your setup menu. Look for a setting for "Cable/Air". Try switching it to Cable and then doing a channel search. If you are using a cable box try setting channel to 3 on tv. Those are the two easiest things I can think of off the top of my head without seeing it.

Looking at the manual, the specifications indicate that this is an NTSC TV. You would need an ATSC tuner (a digital converter box) to convert the digital signals into the analog ones that this TV can receive. You may also need an antenna designed for DTV signals to get a good reception.

Ok first I can save you some money. Take your "HDTV" antenna back. There is nothing different about the antennas needed receive analog and digital signals. If you got reception without your converter box, use the same antenna with your converter box.

Next let's see if there is a problem with the box. Hook up a television with the antenna. How many stations do you get? Now hook up the same television & antenna, but this time put the converter box between the antenna & the TV. Do not turn on the box. Now how many stations do you get? If the number is different, the box is not allowing the antenna signal to pass through. That is bad. You want your signal to pass through the box so you can still pick up stations that don't broadcast digitally. Some areas of the country will not be covered by digital stations from all major broadcasters when the changeover happens in Feb.

My suspicion is either you did not have the antenna hooked up to the converter box when you searched for channels OR you are in an area that is not yet broadcasting digitally.

I hope this helps you solve your problem. Thank you for using FixYa and feel free to add more questions here by using comments.

It needs an analogue to digital converter to see digital channels. The TV haven't a converter or a a digital tuner inside it.
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