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Since I currently have an HDTV, all I would need is to just find an HD antenna?
You're TV will have tuner fully capable of tuning digital channels, it's the older TV's that won't have the digital tuner and require a digital box to get OTA channels. It was a year or two before they did the digital switch that new TV's were mandated to have digital tuner, I forget what the year was. If you have an old antennae laying around try plugging it in, if it don't work or you don't get all the channels what you may need is a better regular antennae or one like they used to have that were common on roofs.
I actually live 50 miles from the nearest television station tower. The odds of my getting a very good OTA signal in a heavily forested area is not very good. It is my understanding that the OTA signal is old school, it is not digital and it is limited to national networks. I think you will need some type of a converter if you want to see HD.
If you live within 20 miles of a city the size of say of 100,000 people you should be able to get AT&T plus Comcast or TW. Other than the Big 3 you might find a small ISP. Generally speaking it is more expensive than TW or AT&T. I pay $150/mo for 7/512 internet, premium basic cable and VOIP.
These are links to help a user understand OTA and HDTV. The TV Fool link will take a zip code (or address) and return what stations you should be able to receive OTA.
If you have a digital TV then all you need is an antenna. I tried old rabbit ears with no result. I bought an RCA antenna at Target, $25, and now get local stations. The new antenna includes electrical amplification of signal. The feed is to the TV by coax. The TV has the built in digital tuner.
We dumped satellite last year. Got a very small digital antenna on the roof. You'd be surprised at how many channels you get. There are local channels I never knew existed.
The HD compared to what we got through satellite - way better.
We either watch t.v. live, or we watch Hulu Plus through our son's xbox (by the way, xbox has a deal with ESPN for those who like sports), or, because some shows can't be watch through Hulu Plus on the xbox and only on the computer, we actually have a computer hooked up to the t.v. in the basement. That way we can also watch CBS shows at a later date (since they aren't on Hulu).
It is my understanding that the OTA signal is old school, it is not digital and it is limited to national networks. I think you will need some type of a converter if you want to see HD.
It is digital hence the reason you need a digital converter for older TV's. They changed it from analog a few years back because the digital signal requires far less bandwidth. This freed up some space for other services like cell phones. Full HD over the air is certainly possible if the station is broadcasting in HD.
Channels will be limited but it's more than the single station when they were analog, In my area ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS and a local religious station however some of them have multiple channels. For example PBS had 3, one was the standard local broadcast, another was just the national broadcast and the last one was Create. I think it'd about 15 channels altogether instead of the 6 they had with analog.
We dumped satellite last year. Got a very small digital antenna on the roof.
You don't need a "digital" antennae, that's just a marketing gimmick. You might need a better antennae but it's still just an antennae. The only thing someone might need is the digital converter box if the TV is old.
These are links to help a user understand OTA and HDTV. The TV Fool link will take a zip code (or address) and return what stations you should be able to receive OTA.
If you have a digital TV then all you need is an antenna. I tried old rabbit ears with no result. I bought an RCA antenna at Target, $25, and now get local stations. The new antenna includes electrical amplification of signal. The feed is to the TV by coax. The TV has the built in digital tuner.
LOL,
So for $10 Comcast 'sold' me limited basic cable. Guess what? It sucks. It seems crimimal that I have an HD TV, but they are forcing me to watch broadcast networks in 4:3, and not full HD.
Will def be going to look into an antenna this weekend. I mean, channels like ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS are free....and their signal is in HD... there's no reason why I don't have it in HD. UGH, what crooks they are.
It feels weird, though I mean, like most.. I grew up with a TV. Sometimes I just had the TV onto a channel I like, for background nose. It's kinda scary how TV has this weird hold on us. Like I feel "guilty" for not having cable. I feel like I "might miss out"....it's SO weird.
New South Park tonight..but.. they put the new episodes on SouthParkStudios.com the following day.
..I can wait until tomorrow.
Did anyone else feel like this?
I'll keep this updated when I get an antenna and post my findings and any questions. One question: Antenna's WILL receive the HD signal and it WILL look great on my TV, right? I don't believe you hook Antenna's up to TV via HDMI or component, right?
(hey I'm young enough to not know anything about antennas!! I was born in the cable TV era..lol!)
I know how ya feel about the TV. I keep mine of a business channel, just for background. I glance at it if something interesting comes on, to see what the Dow is up to, or down. Take a look at TV-links.eu for links to optional programming.
I just took a look at the antenna feed (local stations). Yeah, my amplified antenna linked above, feeds by coax directly to my TV, no conversion required. Right now it's ABC, broadcast in 720p (HD). You may need to tell your TV to adjust the view from Standard to Cinema or whatever your TV calls it. I'm looking at PBS and can see the dirt under the cook's fingernails, so it must be high def. This one is broadcast 1080i. Looking at the Pentagon channel, USAF graduation ceremonies is broadcast in 480i (not HD, standard TV, 4:3). At HD, I can see pixelation so I put TV on 'Normal' and pixelation goes away. So, that is a broadcast issue, not TV or antenna. This is where you become technical master of your TV.
No need for an HDMI cable unless you have some arrangement requiring it. My Roku plays into an amplifier by HDMI, then to the TV by HDMI. So, with my broadcast TV, I use RCA (red/white) from the TV to the amp to play surround sound.
I'm old enough to know about turning the outside antenna for reception in black and white. Color was NOT an option.
Last edited by Willsson; 05-25-2011 at 11:40 AM..
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I mean, like most.. I grew up with a TV. Sometimes I just had the TV onto a channel I like, for background nose. It's kinda scary how TV has this weird hold on us. Like I feel "guilty" for not having cable. I feel like I "might miss out"....it's SO weird.
