[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 47, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2006]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 47CFR15.117]
[Page 854-856]
TITLE 47--TELECOMMUNICATION
CHAPTER I--FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
PART 15_RADIO FREQUENCY DEVICES--Table of Contents
Subpart B_Unintentional Radiators
Sec. 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
[[Page 855]]
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 capability implementation schedule.
(1) Responsible parties, as defined in Sec. 2.909 of this chapter, are
required to equip 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 in accordance with the following schedule:
(i) Receivers with screen sizes 36 and above--50% of all
of a responsible party's units must include DTV tuners effective July 1,
2004; 100% of such units must include DTV tuners effective July 1, 2005.
(ii) Receivers with screen sizes 25 to less than
36--50% of all of a responsible party's units must include
DTV tuners effective July 1, 2005; 100% of such units must include DTV
tuners effective March 1, 2006.
(iii) Receivers with screen sizes less than 25[sec]--100% of all
such units must include DTV tuners effective March 1, 2007.
(iv) Other video devices (videocassette recorders (VCRs), digital
video recorders such as hard drive and DVD recorders, etc.) that receive
television signals--100% of all such units must include DTV tuners
effective March 1, 2007.
(2) For purposes of this implementation schedule, screen sizes are
to be measured diagonally across the picture viewing area. The
requirement for equipping new TV broadcast receivers with DTV reception
capability does not apply to units with integrated tuners/displays that
have screen sizes measuring less than 7.8 inches vertically, i.e., the
vertical measurement of a screen in the 4:3 aspect ratio that measures
13[min] diagonally across the picture viewing area.
(3) Responsible parties may include combinations of DTV monitors and
set-top DTV tuners in meeting the required percentages of units with a
DTV tuner if such combinations are marketed together with a single
price.
(4) 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
[[Page 856]]
the antenna input terminal(s) has sufficient band-width to allow the
reception of all TV broadcast channels authorized under this chapter.
The provisions of this paragraph regarding frequencies in the range 550
MHz to 806 MHz are applicable as of June 30, 1997.
[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]