So, do I need a HDTV receiver to get OTA HD channels?

R

royjr

[H]ard|Gawd
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Mar 2, 2001
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I'm thinking up a project for the spring (along with all the other "honey-do's" my wife has for me) and I'll be installing a UHF antenna on our roof to pick up the 7 or 8 HD-available channels coming from Toledo. BTW, if you want an excellent site to see what HD or Digital channels are in your area, and what direction they are from your home, check out www.antennaweb.org Probably one of the best pieces of info on the internet. :)

Anywho,......do I NEED an HD top-box? Or will my HDTV (Hitachi 65" 65s700 HDTV) decode the HD signals internally? If I need a seperate top-box,...how much do they run?

Or, would it just be easier for me to turn-in my Adelphia (Scientific Atlanta) cable box for an HD cable box from them?
 
Check the specs on your TV to see if it has an HDTV tuner built in. Some, do, some don't.

If your cable company carries the channels you want in HD, I'd say get the cable box. easier than an antenna.
 
Ok, upon further investigation, the instruction booklet on my TV states that it "already has an integrated HDTV reciever, able to recieve terrestrial and unscrambled HDTV signals"

But, according to the FCC, aren't all OTA HDTV signals scrambled?
 
since your tv already has a built-in tuner, you don't need anything but an antenna. but since you have cable, it doesn't hurt to upgrade to an hd box just for convenience. the downfall is that there aren't that many hd cable channels.
 
Unless the expanded range you'll get through your local cable company (HBO, etc.) interests you, I'd say test the waters with a $30 antenna and enjoy the local network shows (Leno is surprisingly good demo material.)
 
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