Digital TV question

I recently canceled my cable subscription because to save the money. So today I'm flipping through the TV — which has HD capabilities, as a Sony Vega SDTV — and I mistakenly hit the "digital/analog" button. The proverbial light bulb turned on: "Oh yeah, this is HD capable. Fuck this snowy, shitty signal."

I search for HD signals, and I only get one. It's the PBS affiliate in town. The CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox affiliates all broadcast in HD, but I'm not getting those signals.

Any ideas why I would get one HD signals (all three channels it's broadcasting) and not the other affiliates in town?

 

You may need an antenna to get them.

And the affiliates likely do not broadcast in HD 24/7.

That's all I can think of.

 

That would be my thought too, if it weren't during prime time programming.

 

Even if they aren't showing a program in HD, they are still sending out a digital signal.

Bottom line - you need an HD antenna.

 

Ye gods.

If you're so desperate to save a buck that you're canceling cable, it may be time to consider a more lucrative line of employment.

 

Before you go nuts with crazy antennas, look into an HD capable set of rabbit ears. If you're close enough to the stations' antennas, you'll be set with your locals in HD. As long as you don't mind the sight of the ears on top of/near your TV.

 

So what's the picture like on the station you do get. Wondered what HDTV looks like over the air...

 

Actually, I don't think you need an HD antenna. I just bought a Sony Bravia 32-inch LCD HDTV. I plugged in my $5 rabbit ears and it immediately began picking up local HD channels and digital channels. And I don't live too close to where the signals are originating (about 30 miles).

Both digital and HD channels come in crystal clear.

 

HD OTA is, for the most part, brilliant. To a certian extent, though, it depends how many "stations" a particular channel is sending out digitally.

For example, let's say your CBS station is channel 3. Unless your TV is mapping automatically, you may need to search for your DTV channel, which might well be something like 47. It will then remap to 3. And there could be two or three channels, for example 47-1 (the normal channel), 47-2 (often a weather loop) and so on and so forth.

This site should tell you everything you could possibly need to know about your individual situation.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

 

There's no such thing as an HD antenna. It's a scam.

I get all of my locals in HD with a 10-year-old set of amplified rabbit ears that cost me $20.

On my other HDTV I stripped down the last four feet of a coaxial cable, leaving only the little wire in the middle. I hung that out my window and plugged the still-intact end to my TV. Voila! Free antenna.

 

Don't forget your $40 coupon so that you don't lose service on February 1, 2009!

[/PSA]

 

OK, so why am I get one HD signal if I need an HD antenna?

I'm not relying on the newspaper industry anymore. I work two jobs often, and it leaves little time to watch TV.

It's quality. With the rabbit ears on top of the TV, it's ghosty and a bit snowy. The digital signal is crystal clear and I'm getting all three versions of the channel.