[HenryGale]

Has anybody heard anything regarding the arrival of HD local programming on Directv/Dish Network for our area? I currently have Directv, but am willing to switch if they are available of a different carrier. Any thoughts, suggestions? What about cable? Is that an option?

[Hold My Own]

I live in lynchburg and I can get HD through Direct TV

[HenryGale]

HMO, but can you get local channels (ABC, CBS) etc? I know you can get ESPN etc. I looked on Directv's website and they listed Lynchburg as not having local channels.

[Purple Haize]

Not on either satellite system can you get local HD. THUS, the 50" plasma purchase for Rancho Haizo is being delayed

[Rocketfan]

If you have an antenna you can get all the local channels - i live in forest and can get Fox, CBS, NBC ABC, CW and other channels in HD. If you get the HD thru Directv at some point they will still have to compress the signal to send it out so it will never be as good as going thru an antenna. Just depends on where you live and what strength antenna you will need to view all those channels.

Note : your TV will also have to have an HD tuner in it to pick up these channels.

[LUconn]

sometimes things that are supposed to be in HD are not always on our local channels. It's infuriating.

[Hold My Own]

agree, if you have the antenna you should be able to get the channels in HD....I'm pretty sure even a few of the news stations advertise their "Channel blah blah in HD"

[HenryGale]

So how good is the antennae? How much are they? Is the setup similar with Directv as it was before they had local channels, where you have to "switch" back and forth between the antennae and DTV?
Along with this I am considering getting a TIVO/DVR. Is there a problem with the Tivo swithching back and forth between the antennae/DTV? I know, lots of questions, but thanks for the answers!

[Rocketfan]

So how good is the antennae? How much are they? Is the setup similar with Directv as it was before they had local channels, where you have to "switch" back and forth between the antennae and DTV?
Along with this I am considering getting a TIVO/DVR. Is there a problem with the Tivo swithching back and forth between the antennae/DTV? I know, lots of questions, but thanks for the answers!

Antenna i bought cost less than $40 at walmart. You can go to antennaweb.org and they have a color coded chart of what you will need to look for when shopping once you enter your information. Yes you will have to go back and forth from antenna to DTV. I can't answer you question about the TIVO though, sorry don't have one.

[LUconn]

If you don't have a built in HD tuner you can pick one up off of ebay, normally for about $50 bucks. I got mine about a year ago so maybe the older models have come down in price. The cheapest ones in the stores are/were in the $100s.

[El Scorcho]

So how good is the antennae?

Well, it's a little different than using an antenna on an old set. Since you're picking up a digital signal, all you need is some signal, and you have television. It's an either you pick it up or you don't sort of thing. With old antennas the picture quality varied with the reception quality. With the digital broadcasting, if you're getting a signal, you're getting full picture quality.

Just another perk to going digital, IMHO.

[Rocketfan]

So how good is the antennae?

Well, it's a little different than using an antenna on an old set. Since you're picking up a digital signal, all you need is some signal, and you have television. It's an either you pick it up or you don't sort of thing. With old antennas the picture quality varied with the reception quality. With the digital broadcasting, if you're getting a signal, you're getting full picture quality.

Just another perk to going digital, IMHO.

Wait wait....and i confusing you with the guy who said that you can pry the CRT from my cold dead hands?

[Sly Fox]

I am assuming cable television in Lynchburg is so expensive that HD isn't worth it.

[LUconn]

[It's an either you pick it up or you don't sort of thing. With old antennas the picture quality varied with the reception quality. With the digital broadcasting, if you're getting a signal, you're getting full picture quality.

LIES! This is what everybody says. And it's almost true, but not entirely. Sometimes you'll be sitting there and it'll digitally wig out on you. Like all of the little bocks go crazy. So really if you're getting a weak signal, you're replacing snow with blocks. Don't even get me started if somebody walks through the direction in which your signal is coming. It may not come back for a few minutes.

[LUconn]

I am assuming cable television in Lynchburg is so expensive that HD isn't worth it.

last I checked cable didnt offer HD in this area yet. Proto says that jetbroadband is working on it, but adelphia wasnt. But now it's Comcast, so maybe they're more on the ball.

[El Scorcho]

LIES! This is what everybody says. And it's almost true, but not entirely. Sometimes you'll be sitting there and it'll digitally wig out on you. Like all of the little bocks go crazy. So really if you're getting a weak signal, you're replacing snow with blocks.

This happens to all digital signals when there isn't enough bandwidth to display things at full resolution. You're correct and I stand corrected. You can observe the same phenomena on cheap DVD players when the laser moves from one layer to another while playing a movie. You can also hear the same thing on your cell phone as garbled speech just before a call cuts out. This should only happen when you're on the verge of losing signal completely, however.

[Rocketfan]

[It's an either you pick it up or you don't sort of thing. With old antennas the picture quality varied with the reception quality. With the digital broadcasting, if you're getting a signal, you're getting full picture quality.

LIES! This is what everybody says. And it's almost true, but not entirely. Sometimes you'll be sitting there and it'll digitally wig out on you. Like all of the little bocks go crazy. So really if you're getting a weak signal, you're replacing snow with blocks. Don't even get me started if somebody walks through the direction in which your signal is coming. It may not come back for a few minutes.

Well thats if you have you antenna mounted indoors from what i have seen so far. The one i got can be mounted indoors or outdoors. I have also noticed you need about 70% or better signal strength to get no blocks.

[El Scorcho]

Wait wait....and i confusing you with the guy who said that you can pry the CRT from my cold dead hands?

Nope. And the reason I'm hanging on to that CRT is because analog cable has no DRM restrictions on it, unlike digital cable and HD signals. Which means that my home brew DVR/HTPC can only make use of an analog signal. If I'm watching analog, I won't be switching to a display designed for digital signals any time soon.

[PAmedic]

Dear Mr. El Scorcho,

Please come to my house and set up my external HD/DVR/HTPC antennae thing or what ever the heck all you IT geeks are talking about.

And if you could also show me how to operate my DVD player I would appreciate it. The kids are at school and I don't know how to work it.

Oh, and please reset the clock on my VCR as I cannot do that either.

Love,

PAmedic

PS: Thank you

[A.G.]

Medic must still be having to get up out of his chair to change channels, too.
Explain what the push buttons on a phone are for, too.

[PAmedic]

Medic must still be having to get up out of his chair to change channels, too.
Explain what the push buttons on a phone are for, too.

I'm still using a rotary, pal.

And I'll bet 2/3 of the people on this board don't even know what a rotary phone looks like.

I had 2.

oh- and as far as channel changing- thats what the kids are here for.

[LUconn]

while your at it, can you find the remote to my DVD player/receiver? I know I had it after I moved so it didn't get left behind but I havent been able to find it for a few months. I really would to be able to turn the volume up from the couch. I have already checked underneath all of the coushins. Thanks in advance.

[PAmedic]

LUconn-

I may have your remote- we have about 7 here that don't appear to go to anything we own.

keeping 'em all though- top drawer of my wardrobe. Ya never know

[Rocketfan]

Wait wait....and i confusing you with the guy who said that you can pry the CRT from my cold dead hands?

Nope. And the reason I'm hanging on to that CRT is because analog cable has no DRM restrictions on it, unlike digital cable and HD signals. Which means that my home brew DVR/HTPC can only make use of an analog signal. If I'm watching analog, I won't be switching to a display designed for digital signals any time soon.

So basically you know alot about HDTV but can't view it? I know people who simply use a computer as a DVR why not just try that?

[El Scorcho]

Um, I suppose that's one way to put it, yes.

And I am using a computer for a DVR, thanks. You can't use computers to directly record digital cable. The only way to do it is to run it through a digital cable box, which means you have to use a little USB infrared device to control the box. It doesn't work nearly as well as tuning analog cable directly. The reason you can't directly record digital cable is because CableLabs (the organization that specifies equipment standards for all of the cable companies) refuses to allow "unapproved" computer hardware to make use of CableCard technology. And then there's that nasty little broadcast flag that the MPAA is trying to push through the FCC for all HD broadcasts.