http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/ Engadget HD Comments for http://www.engadgethd.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadgethd.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/Jan 30th 2006 2:31PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://antennasdirect.com/HDTV_station_lists.html]]>Jan 30th 2006 2:37PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/Jan 30th 2006 4:29PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/
I haven't watched tv through an antenna for probably twenty years. So, for the dumbasses out here, can someone please explain how this would actually work with my current HD TV/TiVo/Digital Cable setup? I add an additional antenna ..... then what? Watch it through my TiVo like I do every other channel? Bypass TiVo? Set the tv to a specific video mode? Someone ... please ... inform ... me ...

Thanks
]]>Jan 30th 2006 6:41PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/Jan 30th 2006 6:46PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/Thanks for the kind words. I don't use an amp at all. Despite the long run and the spliters I still have enough signal.

Someguy,
It depnds on your equipment. Your equipment has to have a ATSC tuner in it. If it doesn't you can connect the output of your ATSC tuner via S-Video to your TiVo. It won't be HD but it will be the best SD you have access to. The problem is getting the TiVo to control the ATSC tuner. More than likely you would have to buy a seperate ATSC tuner either a stand alone or a PCI card for your computer.
]]>Jan 30th 2006 7:50PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/
OTA reception is actually the highest quality HD currently available to the consumer. Cable is compressed via modulation and satellite is compressed via MPEG-2/4. The broadcast signal is uncompressed. Assuming a clean reception, no artifacts, etc. and a technically superior image.]]>Jan 30th 2006 8:14PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/
Can you back this up or is this your interepretation of modulation?

Either way Cable isn't going to be any better than OTA since most cable companies pull their signal OTA too. But it is possible that it could be just as good.]]>Jan 30th 2006 9:13PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/
I've got a similar set up: big UHF/ VHF combo antenna, and a pre-amp. All the channels in Chicago are located fairly closely to each other (if you're in the suburbs), so no need to use 2 antennas. We do have a digital on channel 3, unfortunately. VHF sucks, especially the low channels. Very suceptible to electrical interference.

OTA is great. HD looks awesome, there are lots of subchannels so there is more programming than you might think, and its FREE. No cable for me.]]>Jan 31st 2006 9:31AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/
For example my abc affliate shows a live doppler radar for weather along with my fox one and nbc one.

PBS has 3 stations now of a kids one, documentary/news one and a cooking one...oddly enough my cable co doesn't list them as OTA!!

In addition to all of this you can get quite a number of free stations with a FTA dish and free radio via shortwave]]>Jan 31st 2006 11:11AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/Also, is it standard COAX w/ F-Connector cable you are using between box and antenna?]]>Jan 31st 2006 1:17PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/
A good, but inexpensive HD tuner box is the Samsung SIR-T451 refurbished from www.refurbdepot.com. I have bought one for myself and 2 for family members and all are working fine. Has all the various outputs, including DVI]]>Jan 31st 2006 2:53PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/
The only catch is in windy weather, the signal seems to drop out more. Also if a person stands in one specfic spot, the signal will drop for most of the stations.

I do live within a few miles of the transmitters though, so YMMV. Anyway just wanted to add that you can get exceptional OTA HD reception with an indoor antenna.]]>Feb 1st 2006 2:34PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/What I can't figure out is how to hook up the VCR - can anyone pls help? Do I need to split the antenna cable, and run both seperately, or do I put the VCR after the Samsung HDTV receiver, using the Ant In & Ant Out ports on the HD?
Any website for really good basic instructions?]]>Feb 6th 2006 1:28PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/Feb 9th 2006 12:49PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/
BTW - watching OTA Olympic coverage in glorious wide-screen hi-def is FANTASTIC!]]>Feb 14th 2006 2:18PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/01/30/ota-hd-demystified/Feb 20th 2006 6:45PM