RE: Anyone from CT getting OTA TV signals?

[firefighterjake]

Trying to settle a bet . . . well more like a vigorous debate.

Brother in law in CT says in order to get OTA TV signals with his new TV he would need to buy some special sort of converter box.

I said I was pretty sure you would need a converter box with an older analog TV, but with a new TV with the built in digital tuner all they would have to do is hook up a UHF/VHF antenna to receive the free TV OTA.

 

[Dairyman]

Not from CT but that's how it works in MO

 

[Highbeam]

You are correct in WA. I have/need a box to convert the digital OTA signal to the analog that my old TV requires. The new TV requires a digital signal so no box.

Those boxes are called converter boxes because they convert digital to analog.

Oh and I love my free OTA HD television.

 

[bmblank]

You are absolutely correct. I forget what year it is, but (american sold) tvs made after a certain year have the digital tuner required to watch TV. Also, some people think one of those special HD antennas is necessary to watch the digital ota TV. That is also false, the same old antennas will still work. I've never tried one of the HD antennas, so I can't comment on how they work.

 

[Jonathan70]

Anyone with a digital ready tv can hook up to any number of roof top or attic mounted antennas. Clearstream is a good brand , I have comcast in my downstairs.... An extra box is another $10-15 a month.... So I bought 2 Clearstream antennas 1 is UHF & 1 is VHF. That are feeding my tv in my bedroom.....

Go to: antenna fool.com. Punch in your address & you'll be able to see with fairly good accuracy what high def channels you can get....it's really cool;-)

OTA signal in HD , is much clearer than any cable or dish..... It's amazing..

 

[billb3]

Is he trying to get these OTA channels via cable company ?
For that he might need a box.

 

[Bad Wolf]

I just bought a brand new TV and DVR for the bedroom but also didn't want to pay for an extra box. So far we just watch DVD's and Netflix.

So I just need to slap an antenna in the attic or on the roof to get some of these channels?

I couldn't find antennafool but did find TVfool

 

[Highbeam]

I just bought a brand new TV and DVR for the bedroom but also didn't want to pay for an extra box. So far we just watch DVD's and Netflix.

So I just need to slap an antenna in the attic or on the roof to get some of these channels?

If you have a signal present, yes. I actually made my antenna out of a 2x6 and some leftover romex wire. Before I put it in the attic I tested it by leaning it up against the wall behind the TV and it worked great.

Just as companies have created a mythical "digital" antenna, they have also created a mythical "HD" antenna. All TV channels are still broadcast on UHF and to a lesser extent VHF. The signal you receive is not analog, it is now digital, but your antenna doesn't care. What did happen is a lot of stations moved from VHF to UHF so those big honking horizontal antennas made for VHF are not as useful as the flat screen type which is better at UHF.

Many stations broadcast in HD but some shows and some stations do not. When you do get HD it is superior to anything that comes from the cable company since they compress the HD signal.

Antennafool or the other OTA site will tell you which type of antenna you need.