I haven’t used a regular TV for many years - starting with EyeTV and its tuner on a retired iMac (running Front Row - which was dropped by Apple as it competed with the newly released Apple TV). I now use a HDHomerun tuner and Apple TV running Channels. I can also view “live” TV from any Apple device on my home network.
The Apple TV displays video on a TV or projector (using an HDMI splitter) and outputs audio to stereo Homepods (which currently have a volume control bug after the latest tvOS update - see a separate discussion: Apple TV audio & HomePod Siri woes - #6 by mpainesyd )