Digital television is knocking at our doors and we will have to let it in! Will you be left with no local TV on Feb 17, 2009? As March 1, 2007 all new TVs sold with a standard an analog TV tuner must also include a digital tuner.
February 17, 2009: The mandated date requires that all full-power TV stations stop broadcasting analog signals and only broadcast a digital signal format. This transformation will primarily change nearly 15-20 million TV viewers who depend on localized over-the-air broadcasts received by an antenna or rabbit ears.
Consumers who subscribe to cable or Dish TV shouldn’t experience any interruption in those services. In fact, your Cable or Dish provider will distribute a digital set-top box that will work with your TV.
For continued reception after the cutoff, anyone out there with an older TV (analog-only tuners) will need to add a digital-to-analog converter box*, or replaced by a new HDTV with a built-in digital tuner.
As of now these device boxes will sell for between $50 and $70. They are available to the public now. If you opt out for the “stand alone” converter box* don’t be fooled that you will have a high definition signal, you will be receiving a digital signal alright but like the boxes title, it’s converting it back to analog!
Also if you currently subscribe to DIRECTV or DISH, your HD satellite receiver will most likely include an over-the-air HD receiver to get your localized HDTV stations.
Let me add something to this thought… most all your Cable and Satellite companies will charge you surplus (usually around $10/month more) to get your localized High def signals through their receiver! If you decide to go this route and your are fine with $10 fee your ready to go!
Your remaining option… Acquire your own over-the-air (OTA) HDTV antenna and keep the $120/year! The antenna is cheap and actually you will provide you with a sharper image than your cable or satellite provider’s box! Why?… When you get your Hi def signal through your own DTV antenna your are getting a (pure) 100% digital uncompressed signal!
Getting your signal through a Satellite or Cable provider causes the HD communication to get compressed (squeezed smaller) in order for your provider to transfer along with all the other channels their providing you!
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Are you thinking about getting a High definition TV (HDTV). Possibly you have already thought about getting an LCD or plasma and have worked out the pros and cons of each. Perhaps you are still thinking about getting an HDTV. The truth is that the technology has come on in leaps and bounds recently. You can get incredible picture resolution and fantastic sound quality. This is also true of the prices for these appliances. They have steadily dropped to the stage where a good HDTV is within the reach of most families. One draw back recently, however, was that many television stations didn’t broadcast in the high definition format. This is also changing as you may notice next time to watch your favorite program. You may notice a small logo at the beginning of the program indicating HD format. Whilst this is all well and good, none of this will be of any use if you don’t have an HDTV antenna. Surprisingly this is something that many people overlook in the excitement of getting a new television. This article will explain what it does and doesn’t do and why you need one.
So what is an HD antenna ? Well, it simply allows you to receive High definition television signals from TV stations.
To begin with, you don’t need an HD antenna to watch High definition discs or blue ray discs. Like an ordinary antenna, it is only needed to pick up broadcast signals. Another point is that unless your television has an inbuilt high definition tuner the antenna will be useless. Modern TV’s will have the tuner in but older versions will require an external tuner. This is sometimes referred to as a set top box and is quite cheap to pick up.
The antenna come in two forms – indoor and outdoor. Indoor DTV antennas are made more for convenience than functionality. It is aimed at people that live in accommodation that doesn’t have any external land to install an antenna. This might include apartment buildings or rented houses where the landlord isn’t keen to have a large antenna attached to the house. The major advantage of this type of antenna is that it is easy to install but it is seriously limited in range. Having said this, if you live in the middle of a large city center then you will have no problems with such a device.
A modification is known as an amplified indoor HDTV antenna. This has an improved gain which means that it has a longer range but this range is narrower. So you will have to point the antenna in a particular direction, this may be very specific but you will be able to pick up signals over a greater distance.
An HDTV outdoor antenna gives the best range and flexibility. They are rated by size and directivity. Omni-directional antennas will receive signals from many directions. Directional antennas are similar to amplified indoor antennas in that they have a greater range of reception but have to be moved into the path of the signal to receive it.
By far, the outdoor HD antenna is the more powerful of the two. It is also more expensive and harder to install. The indoor variety is made for convenience but will work fine in built up areas where the TV signals are good.
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You can learn more about HDTV Antennas and can even use our HDTV antenna selector to help you decide what is best for your location and situation.
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About the Author:
Find reviews on the latest home theater components, including Home theater speaker systems at http://www.hometheaterreviewed.com . Adrian writes reviews and features on home theater equipment and accessories.
