Question about TV reception without cable

[Catshrink]

I dumped my cable service and the change will be effective tomorrow. I dug out my old antenna but with the all digital thing, I'm wondering if it will work. I bought my TV in about 1987. Any thoughts? Do I need one of those coverter box things?

[Dr Morbius]

1. Yes, and a special antenna, and when it's working it will be hit-&-miss.

Yes, to the converter box. No, to your old antenna; the old antennae are garbage now. The antennae which work cost about $50. It doesn't get all channels, and from time to time channels crap out. I haven't watched anything on CBS in over a year.

Broadcast service absolutely sucks since the inception of digital.

[Catshrink]

2. Thank you.

I was afraid of that. So I'll be watching certain programs streaming or go without. XM now has MSNBC so at least I can listen to Keith and Rachel. I don't think this will be a great loss.

[Common Sense Party]

12. Some of the good antennae are only about $30.

[elocs]

17. No, you don't need a "special" antenna. I got my digital converter the year of the switch for $10.

My experience is totally the opposite of yours: my digital broadcast is great. I now get 12 channels where I used to get just 4 and that includes 3 PBS stations.

Everybody's experience is different. It depends upon your location and the direction and distance of the stations from you. Check out this site: http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx and it will help you to find the right antenna by showing where your stations are located and their direction from your home and it will give you an idea of the kind of antenna needed.

From the government website about the digital transfer: http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner_5.html#faq5

Do I Need a Special Antenna to Receive DTV Signals?

No. DTV signals do not require a special antenna. The reception of over-the-air DTV programming requires the same type of signal reception equipment (an antenna) that worked with your analog TV set.

If you needed a rooftop antenna to receive analog TV broadcasts, the same antenna generally will work to receive DTV broadcasts. It should not be necessary to purchase new antennas that are marketed “digital ready” or “HD ready.”

While you do not need a special antenna to receive DTV signals, you will need additional equipment to receive over-the-air television when the DTV Transition is completed -- if you use an analog TV set that has only an analog tuner.

Consumers who rely on antennas (including outdoor antennas and "rabbit ears") to receive over-the-air broadcast signals on analog sets with analog tuners will need to obtain separate digital-to-analog set-top converter boxes to watch over-the-air TV.

These boxes receive digital signals and convert them into analog format for display on analog sets. Analog sets connected to such converter boxes will display digital broadcasts, but not necessarily in the full, original digital quality.

For more information on antennas, see the Antenna Guide, Consumer Tips for DTV Reception on VHF TV Channels 2-13, or Indoor Antenna Consumer Advisory.

Also:

Can I Use My UHF/VHF Antenna to Receive DTV?

Yes. Television stations broadcasting in digital use both the VHF (channels 2-13) and UHF (channels 14-51) bands. Many indoor antennas use “rabbit ears” for the VHF band and a “loop” or “bow-tie” antenna for the UHF band.

• Make sure you are using an antenna that covers both the VHF and UHF bands and have connected it properly. Many antennas currently being sold as “HDTV Antennas,” perform best at receiving UHF signals; some of these models state that they provide reception of signals on channels 7-13 but actually perform less well receiving those channels. When acquiring a new antenna, be sure to talk to retail consultants and look at information on the packaging and/or the Internet to make sure that any new antenna you may choose provides good reception of both VHF and UHF channels. In addition, if you use an indoor antenna and receive signals on VHF channels, you may need to use an antenna with amplification. You can use the DTV Reception Maps on the dtv.gov website at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/ to identify the stations you should be able to receive at your location. For more information on antennas, see the Antenna Guide at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas.html.

[begin_within]

3. I'm very disappointed in digital broadcast TV

The majority of the time it works, but there are frequent losses of signal, artifacts, mosaics instead of image, freeze-ups, audio loss or distortion, and so on. They claimed digital TV would be a pristine signal but it was all a lie. It's really erratic. There was a program for a while where you could get up 2 coupons to help defray the cost of buying the converter boxes but that program has ended. So you have to pay full price for a converter box for an older TV like yours. If you live close to the transmitters you should have no trouble, but if you live further away you can expect a lot of erratic performance and there's not a damn thing you can do about it... except for buying expensive cable or satellite service!

[Catshrink]

5. I noticed that tiling with my cable and it's very annoying.

The converter box is about $30 and up. I found one on overstock.com that seems reasonable but I might just say to heck with it and see if I can go the entire summer without TV. I think I might make it until June 1 but I could surprise myself.

[gmoney]

7. here's the gummint site about it

http://www.dtv.gov/

Harry Shearer (Le Show, Simpsons, Spinal Tap) has been warning for years that digital was going to be a nightmare, and pointing out how "digital" does not necessarily equate to better.

[Catshrink]

15. I'm seeing some of that

I just hooked it all up a couple of hours ago. I need to play with the angle of the rabbit ears, etc. but so far the picture is much better than I thought it would be.

[merh]

4. You can build your own antenna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

you will need a converter box for the old t.v.

[Catshrink]

6. I have the antenna but not the converter box.

Oh well. I'm going to see how long I can last.

[Captain Hilts]

8. Your equipment is fine. Your signal might not be. I can't get a signal because of a tree outside

my window, but I ditched cable anyway.

Yes, you need a converter box.

[Captain Hilts]

9. Here's the catch: because I can't pull in a signal I subscribed to the cheapest cable package...

I could get through RCN. $25 a month.

But the picture I got was LOUSY. It is worse than you can get for free through the air.

In other words, I was buying a deliberately degraded signal. There is supposed to be no 'bad' television picture any more. You get a signal or you get no signal at all. All their talk to me about 'strength of signal' was bullshit.

I cancelled.

[caty]

10. You can go to a

chain drug store and get the converter boxes for about $30.

This change over has really limited our viewing if our electricity happens to go out due to a storm or power failure. I have two of those little battery operated TVs that we could fall back on if needed. But, with the change to digital, these TVs are useless except for the radio that in built in.

This change can really keep us in the dark at times, so to speak. ;(

[guitar man]

11. I'm a TV guy

I work at a broadcast TV station so I get to answer these questions all the time. :)

No, DTV isn't all it was cracked up to be but it is workable for a reasonably small initial outlay for equipment.

First, the 1987 tv will work fine with a convertor box. They can be had for as little as $30 or so but for a little more you can get a better box if you look around.I reccomend the Zenith/Insignia (same box with different brand names) or the Dish Pal DTV convertor box. If possible, stay away from the Apex, Magnavox and RCA boxes, it's been my experience that they are just really crappy.

Your antenna selection will depend on several factors, primarily distance from stations, terrain and whether you live in an apartment or a stand alone home where you can put up an outdoor antenna of you want. A key factor in aiming the antenna is finding the physical location of the transmitter. The TV station's studio location may or may not be where their transmitter is located, as they may be beaming signal from the studio to a remote transmitter via STL or fiber link etc. Many cities have an "antenna farm" where all or most of the transmitter towers are grouped in a common area.

Anyway, the above factors will determine whether you can get away with a set of indoor "rabbit ears" or whether an attic or outdoor antenna is the way to go. A booster amp can also be very helpful bumping the signal up to where it's pulling all the stations in nice and stable. I'm about 35 or so miles from the antenna farm where I live and I wound up using an old long range VHF/UHF antenna thet was made probably in the late 70s about 20 ft up on a pole and a 10db booster amp I bought at Lowes for $20 and I'm getting 22 channels 5x5.

Please let me know if I can help and I'll be glad to assist you any way I can

:hi:

[Catshrink]

14. I did it!

Thanks you your suggestion, I bought a converter box off my neighbor who'd purchased one with the coupon from the fed. I hooked it up with my old Emerson rabbit ears and the picture is incredible! I get more channels than I thought I would but of the 24, 8 are Spanish language, 4 are religious, and the rest various local channels, except for Ion. For some reason I can't get our PBS station which is the one I want the most.

But... it's better than I thought I would be and only cost me $10.

[MrCoffee]

13. I'm much happier with digital broadcast than the old way...

I get a much clearer picture and more channels than I did with my rabbit ears. Yes, I had to buy the converter box (which was subsidized by the feds, thank you Uncle Sam) and a new antenna, but my reception has drastically improved.

[hippywife]

16. We just stopped using the TV and are using a laptop to watch

PBS using a digital USB tuner card. No special antenna, no converter box. We live in a rural area and have always had an antenna mounted on the roof for over the air reception anyway, which still works for us.

We don't watch much TV and not usually anything that isn't on PBS, so it works fine for us.