So THIS is HDTV?

Bullshit. You can see their pores.

 

I didn't say they didn't look more clear. I said they didn't look any better.

 

An audio engineer friend back home said to strip some coaxial cable down to bare copper and use that. Somehow, it picks up their local HD channels perfectly.

 

Seriously? I'm getting DISH HD on Friday to go with my new 40-inch HD TV that I bought about two hours ago. Anyone else with DISH have this problem? I'm getting mine mounted on my wall and I don't want to have to have ANY kind of cable or antenna attached.
DISH types, please weigh in.

 

This may out me somewhat, but ... I bought this antenna from Radio Shack yesterday, plugged it in in about 10 minutes and picked up all my local channels (I have DirecTV and my market doesn't offer the local CBS and Fox affiliate in HD). I plugged it into the "external antenna" coax opening on the back of my DirecTV HD receiver and it worked like a charm.

If you're in a metro area, I'd recommend the same.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2253765&cp=&pg=2&sr=1&origkw=antenna&kw=antenna&parentPage=search

 

To you antenna folks out there,

Local channels on antenna is better for a few reasons:
1) You get them for free. DirecTV charges like 3 bucks and I honestly thought Dish provided them, too, for about the same price.
2) You get more channels. With the switch from analog to digital required by 2009, most local channels have already switched over. So, for example, your CBS affiliate may have 2-3 digital channels. Instead of the "farmer 5," you get 10-12 local channels now.
3) The picture is better. With an antenna, you're getting it straight from the tower. With a satellite or even digital cable box, you're getting upconverted stuff. It's still a very, very good picture, but you're best comes from a true antenna.

You can choose to hook your antenna into the back of your HD satellite box or straight into a coaxial spot on the back of your TV that should read something like "over-the-air." The advantage of straight into your satellite box is that it's probably on your satellite guide screen. If it's straight into the back of your TV, you'll have to simply switch your input with your remote.

If you live in the city of the region's TV market, a simple amplified indoor antenna for about 50 bucks should do. If you live outside (say 20 miles away), an outdoor antenna would suit you better.

Good luck. If you have an questions, PM me. I used to sling these beasts and their accessories at Best Buy.

 

To this day, I have never found a local antenna to be worth much of anything to me. Gave up on that idea a long time ago.

 

Well, there is one teeny-tiny additional reason why buying an HDTV isn't an exhorbitant luxury that no one really needs.

In 2009 your SD set will be useless . . . unless you want to PAY ($$$$$$$$$) for an adapter that will allow it to receive digital signals.

 

Junkie, the move was supposed to happen in 2007 or 2008. It was then extended. It was pushed forward by Congress years ago.

 

Several years ago FCC mandated that all signals must be digital.

Was supposed to already have happened, but they kept moving back the deadline. 2009 is supposed to be the drop-dead deadline now.

It's a well-known story. People have been warned about this countless times. And it's not really an "HDTV" issue. It's simply a "digital TV" vs. "analog TV" issue.

You won't necessarily need a new TV. You'll just need an adapter to make your current TV work.

 

You only need an adapter (aka ATSC tuner) if you get your channels with an antenna. So if you don't have basic or digital cable or satellite local channels and simply get your local channels with an antenna, then you need a TV with an ATSC tuner built in. These are also called digital TVs. A digital TV doesn't necessarily have to be HD or even cost over a few hundred bucks. You simply need a TV with an ATSC tuner that picks up the digital broadcast.

The analog to digital move was tentative until Oct. 2005 when Congress passed that on Feb. 17, 2009, all analog over-the-air signals will be converted to digital. This is a deadline. Most markets' local channels already broadcast in the digital signal, but there are a few who don't but will have to by the 2009 deadline. It's government regulation now; it's going to happen.

Here's the government's Website if you want to read details. But what I've just written pretty much sums it up.

http://www.dtv.gov/