HDTV Expert - The DTV Transition: One Year Later

[720pete]

Wow, has it been a year since the digital TV transition? How'd it work out for you?

[url=http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/columns/2010/06/hdtv-expert-the-dtv-transition-one-year-later.php]Read Column[/url]

[Roger Halstead]

I say that only half jokingly as we've had satellite and thus digital for years. When local stations started broadcasting in digital and HD we were ready, so as to the switch over, we really never noticed it. OTOH broadcast and the national networks are still SOS. IOW, hardly anything worth watching.

[ccclvib]

I figure I should get in on this, because I've been a real fan of OTA anything for a long time. I've had an external FM antenna - just because I don't get enough of what I want from the "local," read homogenized and narrow, broadcasters. When I found out I could receive local broadcasters in HD (although still testing) more than four years ago, I found an antenna that would work from here. Fortunately, all the broadcasters that put signal into my area are to the south and southeast of my location, which meant I only needed one installation. I used the HD receiver for Dish Network to do the conversion, and, incidentally, add the programs to the DVR built into the receiver. This was long before either Dish or my local cable system (which still doesn't offer HD on its digital service), provided local broadcasting in HD. My neighbors were amazed - and upset - that I could get HD when they couldn't. When the digital conversion occurred, I found another low-power broadcaster that was putting out four digital channels on one "physical" channel. With the help of an external antenna-mounted amp, I was able to receive all four - making my haul of OTA channels twelve - including the multi-channel output of some of the other digital transmitters! Not a bad deal, and we watch almost as much from those channels as we do from satellite. The effort in installing my system turned out to be well worth it.

[Roger Halstead]

For quite a while I've run two of the largest UHF antennas with antenna mounted preamps at roughly 90 feet. These bring in "local" stations out to about a 100 miles reliably and consistently. I found that I didn't need a VHF antenna, at least out to 40 miles as there was plenty enough signal on the UHF antennas for a crystal clear picture. If it hadn't been for the two stations about 90 miles to the NW I could have gotten away with just the one antenna. Even with the strong directivity I easily pick up the strong stations 30 degrees either side of the main axis. As the local network affiliates went HD I did a lot of searching but didn't find much.

I tried the top end DISH receiver (we have two) and they could only find two locals that were the strongest. Hook the TV up directly and it'd receive over 20 stations, but switch back to the DISH receivers and just two. It was as if they had no gain on the OTA tuner. I was beginning to wonder if they did that on purpose as the HD image OTA is far superior to what DISH rebroadcasts.

I still find little of interest on the networks.