HDTV Programming Without Cable or Satellite? - By: Tim Macomber

If you’re thinking about getting a new HDTV or already have one hooked up to a cable or satellite receiver, you may have been wondering, can I get HDTV programming without paying for cable or satellite service? The answer may very well be yes. You will need a HDTV with a digital TV tuner or “ATSC” tuner which can pick up HD digital broadcasts or lower resolution digital broadcasts over the air. You also might need to live within 60 miles (or so) from a local TV broadcasting station.

The next question is do I need an expensive Digital-HDTV antenna? No, you do not. Do not be mislead into thinking you need a special Digital-HDTV antenna. If you find an affordable HDTV antenna, then definitely buy it; however, an old-school UHF antenna will work just as good. Manufacturers and retailers are taking advantage of the increased interest in all things related to Digital-HDTV.

The vast majority of TV stations broadcast their digital signal over the UHF frequency range. Fortunately for us, the UHF antennas are the smaller, less expensive ones. The old VHF antennas are the larger ones. You remember the UHF antennas. They can be a small rectangle, 7 inches or so in width, or the butterfly antenna which is two small triangles pointing towards each other (like this |><|). Even an old pair of rabbit ears should work. Just shorten the length of each rod to about 7 inches, and flatten them out horizontally. So find one of these antennas packed away in a box somewhere, hook it to the antenna input of your TV. You may need a converter from 300-ohm flat cable to 75-ohm coax round cable in order to hook it to your TV (check your local hardware store). If you have an old rooftop antenna, it needs to have the series of short antenna rods in the front, any longer rods are for VHF and don’t really help.

You have an antenna connected. Now what? Go into your TV’s menu and tell it to scan for channels (digital channels if there is a choice). Also choose antenna, not cable, if there is a choice. When finished scanning, it should tell you how many channels it found. If you have a channel 8 in your area that is broadcasting digital, you may now find that you have a channel 8_1 or 8.1 added to your channels. Just use the channel up and down if you are unsure how to enter a channel like 8.1 with your remote. Sometimes a channel broadcasts more than one channel so you may have an 8_2 or 8.2 as well. With digital TV, it usually will work perfectly or not at all. So if it works, there is no reason to get a more expensive antenna. However, if you live more than 20 miles from the TV broadcasting towers, you may need an outdoor antenna or an outdoor amplified antenna to receive the signal. Remember you can go for the HDTV outdoor antenna if affordable or just get a basic UHF outdoor antenna to improve your reception. Some of these claim to have 150 mile range. I have installed an amplified outdoor UHF antenna for my parents and was able to pull clear digital signals from 50 miles away, but my brother who is 70 miles away got nothing. So the 150 miles may be true depending on your location.

Certainly if you live on a hilltop, you could get signals from further away than if you live in a valley. I live only 16 miles away and can use an inside, un-amplified, butterfly antenna with no problems.

Now you may also be wondering if the quality will be as good as cable and satellite TV? It should be as good as, if not better than, the programming on cable or satellite. The reason for this is because some cable and satellite companies have resorted to “filtering” to reduce the bandwidth per program. This allows them to carry more channels but causes images that are not as clear as true HD like you will get over the air.

So in conclusion, dig out that old, previously useless, UHF antenna and hook it into that brand new HD television and you may be absolutely amazed! Now you can watch your favorite programs in crystal clear high-def free from cable and satellite charges. Or maybe just when the cable goes out and you really want to finish watching the game, be ready with a basic UHF antenna as a backup. One last advantage to using an antenna is that you will be able to use that nice, fancy remote that comes with your HDTV instead of the one provided from the cable or satellite company to run their box.

About the Author

I invite you to start watching free HDTV programming using an inexpensive antenna like the Philips SDV2940 antenna that I installed at my parents. The reception was really outstanding! For more antennas go to HDTV Antennas.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Tim-Macomber/123021

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