You can mainly use projectors to showcase business presentations or watch movies from your DVD or Blu-Ray Player on the big screen. Nowadays, the device even doubles as an extra-large TV set or screen as well as a method of playing video games.
It’s important to note that the TV itself cannot be connected to the projector because they’re both output devices. Unless you’re using a smart TV with direct online access, it cannot be done.
Further reading: Can You Watch TV on a Projector? Absolutely!
In regards to How to Connect Epson projector to a TV antenna or cable TV, here’s the lowdown.
How to Connect Epson Projectors to Cable or an Antenna to Watch TV
Connecting your Epson projector to your TV to watch broadcast or terrestrial TV isn’t possible because neither are source media devices. Instead of a (CRT) TV to projector connection, you should instead establish a TV tuner box to projector connection. Perhaps even a cable box to projector connection.
The TV tuner box is the better option because it allows any display device with a coaxial or HDMI port to catch TV signals and show them on-screen digitally, whether it’s a projector or computer monitor. It basically digitizes analog signals typically captured by the CRT TV’s analog antennas.
The tuner box—also known as the digital TV converter box, set-top box, or the antenna version of the cable box—is available in many hardware retailers across the country.
(Don’t) Connect a CRT TV to Your Projector, Use a TV Tuner Box
The TV and the projector are both display devices. You need source media like a DVD player or a cable box for them to work. A CRT is an output device. Like a projector, it typically needs a source media device in order to show anything on its screen.
You can attempt to connect your TV to your projector so that it can serve as a middleman for its antenna, but it’s much simpler to link a TV tuner to a projector instead without daisy-chaining the TV with it. HDTVs, however, can be mirrored because they’re smart devices.
It’s also possible to mirror HDTV content via Chromecast and the like in order to duplicate whatever it’s playing unto your Epson projector, including its broadcast TV or cable feed.
How to Use the TV Tuner Box
You can avail of the ATSC Tuner Box and other similar brands at places like hardware stores and electronics shops. However, make sure it has matching inputs to your Epson projector. As a rule of thumb, your TV tuner box should be made as the same year or decade as your Epson projector.
As much as possible, you should get a TV tuner box with an HDMI connection since that supports practically everything. The box’s coaxial input is for the antenna. You can attach the antenna there whether it’s near you or on the roof.
This will turn your projector into an old-timey TV that can capture free TV airwaves or networks like NBC, ABC, Fox, and so forth.
Coaxial Antenna and HDMI Cable
The tuner works by converting the signals captured by the coaxial antenna and turning it into something readable and digital for your projector to display. Usually, the antenna is located on your roof or backyard since TV signals are weaker indoors.
From there, the HDMI cable transfers these digital signals to your projector. You also have the option to connect your HDMI cable to an amplifier to distribute audio signal to any speakers you have on hand—either that or an HDMI splitter.
How to Connect a TV Antenna to a VGA Projector
Here’s what you need to do in order to connect a VGA-only business projector to a TV tuner to allow antenna broadcasts to run on it.
Cable TV is better and more suited to view on an Epson projector, especially an older VGA one, because its signal is already wired and digital. Some old Epson projectors have component or composite S-video outputs available as well. Others require you to get an A/V to VGA converter.
Linking antennas to your VGA projector naturally requires a digital TV converter box and/or a VGA converter as well. You might need a separate connector for audio too since VGA only accepts video signals.
Setting Up the Antenna on a VGA Projector
A VGA projector requires turning off or restarting in order to recognize connections (it’s not plug & play). Place the TV tuner box next to the projector and then connect via its available ports (preferably composite ports).
Have the devices turned in a way that their ports face you. This makes plugging the right cables much easier to do. Plug the coaxial to the antenna via the “Coax In” or “Antenna In” port.
The Source Search Button is the Key
After the connections, cables, and adapters have been plugged in, then you can turn on your Epson VGA projector. In contrast, HDMI-type projectors allow you to plug in devices even while the projector is turned on via plug & play features.
Press on the remote control of your projector the “Source Search” button. Keep pressing it until you get the splash screen of your converter box. This indicates a connection has been established.
Open the Menu and Do a Channel Scan
Push on your TV tuner box’s remote control the “Menu” button. From there, select “Channel Scan” or “Auto Scan”. This allows your TV tuner to seek out the available channels that your antenna can catch. It’s the same thing you do when setting up a new TV.
At this point, you should get the video of the broadcast TV networks or channels available to you, displaying it onscreen via your Epson projector a la cable feed. Use your set-top box’s remote for the task of changing channels as well.
Summary
A digital or smart TV is easier to connect to a projector compared to a CRT one. In fact, if you want to watch TV on your projector, it’s better to connect a TV tuner with its own roof antenna versus an old bunny-eared antenna TV unto it. This is because projectors and TVs are both display devices.
What you really want to access with the TV is its antenna rather than the TV itself. If you want to watch TV with your projector, there are easier ways to go about it. You can connect your cable/satellite box to it. Or you can stream via Roku Stick or Amazon Fire TV Stick.
References:
- “How to connect EPSON Projector to TV?“, Tom’s Guide Forums, June 2, 2014
- “Is it possible to connect my TV to a projector?” Tom’s Guide Forums, January 30, 2013
- Nick Davis, “How to Connect Epson Projectors to Cable or an Antenna“, AZCentral.com, Retrieved February 3, 2021
- “Antenna to Projector?“, Reddit.com, September 9, 2018