If your old tv is analog you won't get anything at all if you hook an antenna directly to it. All TV stations were required to go digital in 2009. The best way to be sure if your TV is analog or digital is by connecting the antenna directly to it and seeing what happens. If you get tv channels, it's digital. BUT receiving digital signals isn't the same thing as being a smart tv. A smart tv has basic computer functions built into it so it can download tv schedules, connect to the internet for streaming content, and secretly report everything you do to Big Brother.