§ 15.117   TV broadcast receivers.

   (a) All TV broadcast receivers shipped in interstate commerce or
   imported into the United States, for sale or resale to the public,
   shall comply with the provisions of this section, except that
   paragraphs (f) and (g) of this section shall not apply to the features
   of such sets that provide for reception of digital television signals.
   The reference in this section to TV broadcast receivers also includes
   devices, such as TV interface devices and set-top devices that are
   intended to provide audio-video signals to a video monitor, that
   incorporate the tuner portion of a TV broadcast receiver and that are
   equipped with an antenna or antenna terminals that can be used for
   off-the-air reception of TV broadcast signals, as authorized under part
   73 of this chapter.

   (b) TV broadcast receivers shall be capable of adequately receiving all
   channels allocated by the Commission to the television broadcast
   service.

   (c) On a given receiver, use of the UHF and VHF tuning systems shall
   provide approximately the same degree of tuning accuracy with
   approximately the same expenditure of time and effort: Provided,
   however, That this requirement will be considered to be met if the need
   for routine fine tuning is eliminated on UHF channels.

   (1) Basic tuning mechanism. If a TV broadcast receiver is equipped to
   provide for repeated access to VHF television channels at discrete
   tuning positions, that receiver shall be equipped to provide for
   repeated access to a minimum of six UHF television channels at discrete
   tuning positions. Unless a discrete tuning position is provided for
   each channel allocated to UHF television, each position shall be
   readily adjustable to a particular UHF channel by the user without the
   use of tools. If 12 or fewer discrete tuning positions are provided,
   each position shall be adjustable to receive any channel allocated to
   UHF television.

   Note: The combination of detented rotary switch and pushbutton controls
   is acceptable, provided UHF channels, after their initial selection,
   can be accurately tuned with an expenditure of time and effort
   approximately the same as that used in accurately tuning VHF channels.
   A UHF tuning system comprising five pushbuttons and a separate manual
   tuning knob is considered to provide repeated access to six channels at
   discrete tuning positions. A one-knob (VHF/UHF) tuning system providing
   repeated access to 11 or more discrete tuning positions is also
   acceptable, provided each of the tuning positions is readily
   adjustable, without the use of tools, to receive any UHF channel.

   (2) Tuning controls and channel readout. UHF tuning controls and
   channel readout on a given receiver shall be comparable in size,
   location, accessibility and legibility to VHF controls and readout on
   that receiver.

   Note: Differences between UHF and VHF channel readout that follow
   directly from the larger number of UHF television channels available
   are acceptable if it is clear that a good faith effort to comply with
   the provisions of this section has been made.

   (d) If equipment and controls that tend to simplify, expedite or
   perfect the reception of television signals (e.g., AFC, visual aids,
   remote control, or signal seeking capability referred to generally as
   tuning aids) are incorporated into the VHF portion of a TV broadcast
   receiver, tuning aids of the same type and comparable capability and
   quality shall be provided for the UHF portion of that receiver.

   (e) If a television receiver has an antenna affixed to the VHF antenna
   terminals, it must have an antenna designed for and capable of
   receiving all UHF television channels affixed to the UHF antenna
   terminals. If a VHF antenna is provided with but not affixed to a
   receiver, a UHF antenna shall be provided with the receiver.

   (f) The picture sensitivity of a TV broadcast receiver averaged for all
   channels between 14 and 69 inclusive shall not be more than 8dB larger
   than the peak picture sensitivity of that receiver averaged for all
   channels between 2 and 13 inclusive.

   (g) The noise figure for any television channel 14 to 69 inclusive
   shall not exceed 14 dB. A TV receiver model is considered to comply
   with this noise figure if the maximum noise figure for channels 14-69
   inclusive of 97.5% of all receivers within that model does not exceed
   14 dB.

   (1) The responsible party shall measure the noise figure of a number of
   UHF channels of the test sample to give reasonable assurance that the
   UHF noise figure for each channel complies with the above limit.

   (2) The responsible party shall insert in his files a statement
   explaining the basis on which it will rely to ensure that at least
   97.5% of all production units of the test sample that are manufactured
   have a noise figure of no greater than 14 dB.

   (3) [Reserved]

   (4) In the case of a TV tuner built-in as part of a video tape recorder
   that uses a power splitter between the antenna terminals of the video
   tape recorder and the input terminals of the TV tuner or a TV broadcast
   receiver that uses a power splitter between the antenna terminals of
   two or more UHF tuners contained within that receiver, 4 dB may be
   subtracted from the noise figure measured at the antenna terminals of
   the video tape recorder or TV broadcast receiver for determining
   compliance of the UHF tuner(s) with the 14 dB noise figure limit.

   (h) Digital television reception capability. TV broadcast receivers are
   required only to provide useable picture and sound commensurate with
   their video and audio capabilities when receiving digital television
   signals.

   (i) Digital television reception requirement.

   (1) Responsible parties, as defined in § 2.909 of this chapter, are
   required to equip with DTV tuners new TV broadcast receivers that are
   shipped in interstate commerce or imported from any foreign country
   into the United States and for which they are responsible to comply
   with the provisions of this section. For purposes of this section, the
   term "TV broadcast receivers" includes other video devices
   (videocassette recorders (VCRs), digital video recorders such as hard
   drive and DVD recorders, etc.) that receive television signals.

   (2) The requirement to include digital television reception capability
   in new TV broadcast receivers does not apply to devices such as mobile
   telephones and personal digital assistants where such devices do not
   include the capability to receive TV service on the frequencies
   allocated for broadcast television service.

   (j) For a TV broadcast receiver equipped with a cable input selector
   switch, the selector switch shall provide, in any of its set positions,
   isolation between the antenna and cable input terminals of at least 80
   dB from 54 MHz to 216 MHz, at least 60 dB from 216 MHz to 550 MHz and
   at least 55 dB from 550 MHz to 806 MHz. The 80 dB standard applies at
   216 MHz and the 60 dB standard applies at 550 MHz. In the case of a
   selector switch requiring a power source, the required isolation shall
   be maintained in the event the device is not connected to a power
   source or power is interrupted. An actual switch that can alternate
   between reception of cable television service and an antenna is not
   required for a TV broadcast receiver, provided compliance with the
   isolation requirement specified in this paragraph can be demonstrated
   and the circuitry following the antenna input terminal(s) has
   sufficient band-width to allow the reception of all TV broadcast
   channels authorized under this chapter.

   (k) The following requirements apply to all responsible parties, as
   defined in § 2.909 of this chapter, and any person that displays or
   offers for sale or rent television receiving equipment that is not
   capable of receiving, decoding and tuning digital signals.

   (1) Such parties and persons shall place conspicuously and in close
   proximity to such television broadcast receivers a sign containing, in
   clear and conspicuous print, the Consumer Alert disclosure text
   required by paragraph (k)(3) of this section. The text should be in a
   size of type large enough to be clear, conspicuous and readily legible,
   consistent with the dimensions of the equipment and the label. The
   information may be printed on a transparent material and affixed to the
   screen, if the receiver includes a display, in a manner that is
   removable by the consumer and does not obscure the picture, or, if the
   receiver does not include a display, in a prominent location on the
   device, such as on the top or front of the device, when displayed for
   sale, or the information in this format may be displayed separately
   immediately adjacent to each television broadcast receiver offered for
   sale and clearly associated with the analog-only model to which it
   pertains.

   (2) If such parties and persons display or offer for sale or rent such
   television broadcast receivers via direct mail, catalog, or electronic
   means, they shall prominently display in close proximity to the images
   or descriptions of such television broadcast receivers, in clear and
   conspicuous print, the Consumer Alert disclosure text required by
   paragraph (k)(3) of this section. The text should be in a size large
   enough to be clear, conspicuous, and readily legible, consistent with
   the dimensions of the advertisement or description.

   (3) Consumer alert. This television receiver has only an analog
   broadcast tuner and will require a converter box after February 17,
   2009, to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the
   Nation's transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should
   continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming
   consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. For more
   information, call the Federal Communications Commission at
   1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the Commission's digital
   television Web site at: http://www.dtv.gov.

   [ 54 FR 17714 , Apr. 25, 1993, as amended at  59 FR 25341 , May 16, 1994;
    61 FR 30532 , June 17, 1996;  67 FR 63294 , Oct. 11, 2002;  70 FR 38804 ,
   July 6, 2005;  70 FR 75743 , Dec. 21, 2005;  72 FR 26560 , May 10, 2007;  73 FR 5681 , Jan. 30, 2008;  77 FR 4913 , Feb. 1, 2012]

   return arrow Back to Top