“I want to connect two input sources - a cable box and an external antenna to a single TV input. I can turn the cable box off when I am using the antenna, but I can't turn the antenna input off when I'm using the cable box. Will this work?”
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You tv should be able to make the distinction between cable and air(settings choose cable or air). But if it would make you feel better a switch could help separate the two. I have not had cable for a while but cable boxes have a connection for air antennas from what I remember.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.You will likely have issues hooking it up this way but you won't know for sure without trying it. I'm assuming you have an older TV if your cable box is connected via the TV coax input. If you have another way to plug in the cable box to the TV, say via an HDMI cable or Composite or Component inputs that would be a better way to go. Then you could leave the antenna alone plugged into the TV's coax input. If you must connect both cable and antenna to a single coaxial input you should buy an A/B switch. This will allow you to switch between either device as needed and it will block the unused device from the TV. There are even remote controlled switches so you won't have get up and manually throw the switch when you want to change from cable to antenna and back again. Be advised that these cost more than a splitter.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.I use the splitter to bring in two different antennas so I do not have to move the antennas to get some difficult channels. I think it should work to do antenna and cable box. On a newer TV I would just use separate inputs to the TV and select which input I wanted at the time I use it. If you only have one input then you could try the way you are thinking. The splitters are cheap and no great loss if it doesn't work as intended.
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