Finally joined the Digital TV age.

[Marswolf]

Well, I've been there before with both DIRECTV and Dish Network. But both companies annoyed me, so I zapped them.

I had an old analog TV antenna from over at my mother's place, so I installed it and have been on ithe analog airwaves for several months. I despise cable TV sales techniques (only $5 for the first three months....) and the quality frequently sucks for the high price you pay.

DSL Internet is through the phone company and guaranteed to never go up. As far as I'm concerned, the cable company can go out of business. Preferably sooner than later. They also have a no-guns sign on their door.

When I had the satellite service, I found that the extra channels tended to repeat over years in the cycle. So, at this point I haven't missed all the extra channels. BFD!

So I have an antenna on top of the house. Very low tech - and I'm a techie. I did add a Channel Master amplifier that got me some extra PBS and ABC channels from North Carolina and Virginia. The "local" Knoxville PBS channel would never come in. PBS in northeast Tennessee sucks. But even when I could get it, it sucked. No real loss.

So DTV comes along. There is a DTV converter box program that gives you $40 toward the cost of a DTV converter box (probably $60) that lets your antiquated analog TV receive digital signals receive digital TV. OK, so I apply for the certificates (I get back $40 that I paid to the government for these things). Actually I applied for two of the certificates, since I have a couple of antiquated TVs. So your converter box is $20.

I researched the matter and found out that the Zenith and Insignia converters have the latest and greatest chips that help eliminate multi-path problems. They are the same unit. Made by LG. I have a problem where I am with multi-path on Fox. There is a big knob right between me and the antenna. Big knobs seen to cause lots of problems.

Generally, Radio Shack sells the Zenith; Best Buys the Insignia.

So...on Thursday, I finally get my coupons. Today, it's rainy and I figure it would be a good time to play around with this project.

So I plan to take my coupon to RS and buy the Zenith unit. Good idea, but they don't have any at either Bristol store. So I head up this Interstate for another 6 miles and try Wal-Mart. They are sold out. Another couple of miles on the Lee Highway to the brand new Best Buy. They have the Insignia converter.

Racing back to my ranch (hey if Amanda Blake could have an "Avocado Ranch" I can have a three acre grass and tree ranch (Herd up those blades of grass and Oak trees) I arrived home and figured out how to hook up this gadget in short order.

It would have taken even less time, but I have to hook up to a Dolby, 5.1 theater system. In the end, I just said F**ck it and used the RF ports. I'll go for quality later.

Sooooooo, the story is that it works. I gained about twice the channels and lost none. I had been concerned about the frequency response of my antenna amplifier. No one addresses this. The amp works just fine. I doubled my number of channels. Some are repetitions of other channels. Multi-path is no problem.

My "weak" analog channels sometimes work and sometimes are "spotty" But that was true before DTV.

Generally, with the coupon, it was well worth the few bucks I spent to upgrade.

[NuTcAsE]

Welcome Aboard! Now, time for a BIG Plasma....

[strickj]

So,what is the channel count up to now? 5 or 6?Man,its gonna be horrible when the Olympics are on

[TripleDigitRide]

You're a stronger man than I.

No way I could resist the amazing picture quality of my new 60" Sony (dropped down from 65" JVC), Comcast Hi-Def Cable, and of course, the Sony PS3. The PS3 is more for Blu-Ray movies than game playing.

[Marswolf]

So,what is the channel count up to now? 5 or 6?Man,its gonna be horrible when the Olympics are on

Actually, it went from 10 to 21. And remember I'm in a really marginal area. The quality depends on the signal. It's either perfect, or it is like what happens when a dense - dark cloud comes over on satellite.

[Guest BigBoostDSM]

DirecTV is now all digital. They've got 75+ HD channels.

Once you start watching HD content it's VERY hard to watch Standard Def programming I leave my guide set to only display HD channels

Congrats on the purchase, now you need to get a big HDTV

[ZenDog]

Y'all have gone over to the dark side of the Force.

Once you start watching HD content it's VERY hard to watch Standard Def programming

Electronic crack- y'all are all electronic crack heads. The machines have you in their power. Take the red pill, Neo.

Get a Big Screen Window-- they function perfectly, they never need upgrading, and the bill is much lower.

Reality is analog. Only the machines are digital.

Pretty soon y'all will all be shooting digital ammo.

[Guest BigBoostDSM]

I've always been on the dark side

[Mike.357]

ZenDog put it very well.

Screw all these so called technilogical advances.

It does not impress me in the least.

[Daniel]

i have no digital tvs.

[Marswolf]

i have no digital tvs.

Me either. That's why I got the digital TV converter box. Of course, if you are on cable or satellite, that's taken care of for you. You can apply for up to two $40 coupons at https://www.dtv2009.gov/.

Basically I get the same stations I could get for free (over the air) on a new digital TV. I do lose some resolution of course compared to a new set.

HD is very nice, but I'll live with what I have until the prices come down on the HDTVs. I learned my lesson when I spent $1000 many years ago for a SONY Beta recorder.

Only thing I miss from the satellite services are a few automobile races. I don't miss getting ripped off each month for ridiculous service fees. That just adds up to more guns.

[strickj]

Mars,this HDTV fad is not going away in six months like beta

I picked up a 32 HDTV about a year ago for around 700 bucks.I also use it as a computer monitor,and theres nothing like watching internet po.. huh,err.. read books,yeah thats it,books online on a 32 inch

[NuTcAsE]

Mars,this HDTV fad is not going away in six months like beta

I picked up a 32 HDTV about a year ago for around 700 bucks.I also use it as a computer monitor,and theres nothing like watching internet po.. huh,err.. read books,yeah thats it,books online on a 32 inch

Yeah, it makes the words REALLY easy to see....

[Marswolf]

Mars,this HDTV fad is not going away in six months like beta

Yeah, but the price will go down and the quality will get better the longer I wait.

I know I'll give in, get a HDTV and satellite service sometime. But for now, I'm enjoying being cheap.

[strickj]

Yeah,WM had some the other day thats bigger,and a better known brand then mine for 600~

[towerclimber37]

heh. Julie talked me into buying her a 54 inch Sony Bravia for Christmas. *sigh*

now its in storage.

[Guest GregRN]

I'm glad you posted this info. I have applied for my coupons, but have not yet received them. I will have to look for the LG made units. I still have DirecTV in my living room, but if I watch Jay Leno at night, it is in my bedroom, through an antenna.

[Marswolf]

It was infuriating waiting for the coupons. I think they space out the mailings to prevent the coupons running out in 90 days from a run on the supply of converter boxes. This way the retailers have a chance to restock.

Before the converter box, I got NBC, CBS, and ABC just fine. At least ABC is fine when our local affiliate can keep its transmitter working. Asheville was, and is, a backup for ABC. The PBS channels I can pick up are in North Carolina and Virginia. Depending on weather conditions, they could be excellent to unwatchable. FOX was either from North Carolina (always fuzzy to unwatchable) or local but with frequent multipath problems.

This converter box has solved all of these problems. Occasionally, the signal strength is too weak to pick up the Virginia PBS channels (there are now three of them), but the North Carolina PBS (five channels now) is pretty reliable. I'm putting in an A-B switch for those times I might be having a problem with the weak digital signal, so I can easily switch back to analog if something is on that I can't get on digital (one FOX station that doesn't do digital - yet) and I'm willing to put up with an always pretty snowy picture.

BTW, I use http://www.zap2it.com/ for my listings. To get it to list the North Carolina stations, as well as the TN and VA ones, I have to lie to it and tell it I'm in Asheville. I just played around until I found a location that would list all of the stations I can receive.

[PackinMama]

I have directv and use a 10 year old 32" regular old tv. I want an LCD BADDDD! But I can't see spending the money that they cost right now. Look how much they've already gone down in a year. If you can hold out, give it a couple more years and you'll be able to pick up a nice 42" or bigger LCD for probably $500.

I bought a new Dell computer system in 2005 and I paid almost $500 for a 20" Ultrasharp LCD monitor (stupid )....now you can pick them up for $200.

[Guest eyebedam]

70 in Mitsubishi Diamond line HD here. I love this Tv had it for almost 5 years now no Problems at all. Comcast HD also I will admit I hate comcast because I feel like they got us by the balls. Im payinying about a 100.00 A month for basic HD cable but you can get the cable phone & intenet for a year for the same price. I have seriously considered going back to dish network.

[Fallguy]

Just for my own curiosty.....

Everyone knows that there are two different things being discussed, right?

A digital converter box to allow an analog TV to receive over the air Digital broadcast or a new Digital TV or antenna that can do the same.

...and...

A High Definition or HD TV.

While most newer HD TV are digital just being HD doesn't mean it is HD and you can have a digital TV that is not HD.

[Guest BigBoostDSM]

I picked up that 42" 1080p Plasma that I posted a picture of on the first page for 850 out the door. I practically stole the thing