I have no cable, no Satellite TV, and just use a Hi gain ant to see
all the current TV broadcasts over the air.  Very good pics on all
of them.  I asked Costco what happens after all the TV stns go to
HDTV in early 2009, would I be able to see anything at all on my
old TV's. Costco said "no you will see nothing" after I explained
to him I dont use cable nor sattelite just antenna.
I asked Sams Club the same question and they said If am just watching
the chnls from a home antenna,  yes I will be able to see the same
chnls after they change their xmtrs to HDTV, but those people
who use Cable or Satellite wont see anything unless they install
the black box converter needed for HDTV.  If Costco was correct
theres gonna be one helluva mess of toxic material which will
overflow our land fill in short order, or maybe it will be hauled
by ship to the deepest part of the pacific and dumped 3 miles
deep.
               Kokomo Joe


**************************************************************************
* Ham since 1937 HiSchool Sophomore ex W9ZUU, KP4EX, W4FAG, KH6ARG KH6JF *
* WW2 Vet since Sep 1940 to just After VJ day. US Signal Corps AACS      *
**************************************************************************

On Nov 14, 2:41 pm, Joseph Fenn <jf...@lava.net> wrote:
> I have no cable, no Satellite TV, and just use a Hi gain ant to see
> all the current TV broadcasts over the air.  Very good pics on all
> of them.  I asked Costco what happens after all the TV stns go to
> HDTV in early 2009, would I be able to see anything at all on my
> old TV's. Costco said "no you will see nothing" after I explained
> to him I dont use cable nor sattelite just antenna.
> I asked Sams Club the same question and they said If am just watching
> the chnls from a home antenna,  yes I will be able to see the same
> chnls after they change their xmtrs to HDTV, but those people
> who use Cable or Satellite wont see anything unless they install
> the black box converter needed for HDTV.  If Costco was correct
> theres gonna be one helluva mess of toxic material which will
> overflow our land fill in short order, or maybe it will be hauled
> by ship to the deepest part of the pacific and dumped 3 miles
> deep.
>                Kokomo Joe
>
> **************************************************************************
> * Ham since 1937 HiSchool Sophomore ex W9ZUU, KP4EX, W4FAG, KH6ARG KH6JF *
> * WW2 Vet since Sep 1940 to just After VJ day. US Signal Corps AACS      *
> **************************************************************************

Lot of misunderstanding with the switch to HDTV broadcast signals.
Yes, you will not be able to pickup TV signal with regular antennaes.
But you can get an adaptor that allows you to use a new HDTV antenna
with an old TV.  That's your cheapest option is to get one of those.
Infact, likely you can do this already and watch in HDTV now.

Thanks,

Tom

>
> Lot of misunderstanding with the switch to HDTV broadcast signals.
> Yes, you will not be able to pickup TV signal with regular antennaes.
> But you can get an adaptor that allows you to use a new HDTV antenna
> with an old TV.  That's your cheapest option is to get one of those.
> Infact, likely you can do this already and watch in HDTV now.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tom
>
>
Thanks much Tom that takes care of the landfill problems.
                        Joe

There is a lot of good info concerning this changeover at this site:
http://www.dtv.gov/

-Andrew

"Tom Watt" <tom@wattservices.com> wrote in message 
news:1195076912.956848.181320@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>
> Lot of misunderstanding with the switch to HDTV broadcast signals.
> Yes, you will not be able to pickup TV signal with regular antennas.

And even you are confused.  He can still use the same antenna he is using 
now, won't make a difference.  It has nothing to with the antenna, it has to 
do with the type of signal being broadcast.

> But you can get an adaptor that allows you to use a new HDTV antenna
> with an old TV.  That's your cheapest option is to get one of those.
> Infact, likely you can do this already and watch in HDTV now.
>

Almost right.  There is no such thing as an "HDTV antenna," an antenna is an 
antenna, despite claims otherwise.  He will need a new TUNER, as the tuner 
built into the old set is designed to decode analog, where-as the new tuner 
will be designed to decode digital, and to down-covert the resolution if 
necessary.

Yes, they are currently available, however he technically won't be watching 
HDTV.  He will be watching the programming that is being broadcast as 
digital, but it will be FAR from HD.  Quite frankly, even a lot of the new 
digital TVs aren't HDTVs, but are in fact only SDTVs or EDTVs.  Lot's of 
confusion is right!

To the OP, check out the link that was provided in a previous post, it's an 
excellent source of info...

FeMaster wrote:
> "Tom Watt" <tom@wattservices.com> wrote in message 
> news:1195076912.956848.181320@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>> Lot of misunderstanding with the switch to HDTV broadcast signals.
>> Yes, you will not be able to pickup TV signal with regular antennas.
> 
> And even you are confused.  He can still use the same antenna he is using 
> now, won't make a difference.  It has nothing to with the antenna, it has to 
> do with the type of signal being broadcast.
> 
>> But you can get an adaptor that allows you to use a new HDTV antenna
>> with an old TV.  That's your cheapest option is to get one of those.
>> Infact, likely you can do this already and watch in HDTV now.
>>
> 
> Almost right.  There is no such thing as an "HDTV antenna," an antenna is an 
> antenna, despite claims otherwise.  He will need a new TUNER, as the tuner 
> built into the old set is designed to decode analog, where-as the new tuner 
> will be designed to decode digital, and to down-covert the resolution if 
> necessary.
> 
> Yes, they are currently available, however he technically won't be watching 
> HDTV.  He will be watching the programming that is being broadcast as 
> digital, but it will be FAR from HD.  Quite frankly, even a lot of the new 
> digital TVs aren't HDTVs, but are in fact only SDTVs or EDTVs.  Lot's of 
> confusion is right!
> 
> To the OP, check out the link that was provided in a previous post, it's an 
> excellent source of info...
> 
> 
Oh damn, you just broke a marketing campaign designed to sell new antennas.

LOL!

"FeMaster" wrote on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:44:17 -0600:

> And even you are confused.  He can still use the same antenna he is using 
> now, won't make a difference.  It has nothing to with the antenna, it has to 
> do with the type of signal being broadcast.

That depends.  Most DTV is UHF.  If all he has is a VHF antenna, and
he's not close enough to the source, he'll need a new antenna.

-- 
-Brandon
 http://www.brandonstaggs.com/c64.html

In article <1195076912.956848.181320@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com>, Tom
Watt <tom@wattservices.com> wrote:
> Lot of misunderstanding with the switch to HDTV broadcast signals.
> Yes, you will not be able to pickup TV signal with regular antennaes.
> But you can get an adaptor that allows you to use a new HDTV antenna
> with an old TV.  That's your cheapest option is to get one of those.
> Infact, likely you can do this already and watch in HDTV now.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Tom


Tom, your post provided more misinformation, I'm sorry to tell you.
There is no such thing as "HDTV antenna" despite what the marketing
slogans on the outside of antenna box packaging says.

NTSC television signals sent over the air (whether it's VHF and/or UHF),
will be discontinued, replaced by ATSC digital signals, but still sent
over VHF/UHF waves.  VHF antennas are different from UHF antennas, but one
can and always has been able to buy combo vhf/uhf antennas, both outdoor
and indoor varieties.

The main thing that decides what you will be able to watch, or if you are
able to watch once the digital switchover occurs, is what kind of tuner is
or is not built into your television (or what kind of external tuner box
you have).

NTSC tuner/receiver, will stop receiving signals once the digital
switchover occurs.

ATSC tuner/receiver, will receive the new digital signals, and in some
well populated areas of the U.S. (and even areas such at Toronto,
Vancover, Montreal) are already receiving digital ATSC signals (for free)
over the air (OTA), as long as the broadcasting station is broadcasting
the ATSC digital signals.

Of course, if most of your digital signals are being broadcast over UHF,
and all you have is a VHF antenna such as a pair of rabbit ears and
nothing else, you will have to get a UHF antenna, obviously. But don't be
fooled by "HDTV antenna". There's nothing special about it. VHF and UHF
waves are still bound by the same laws of physics as they were 50 years
ago. Just make sure you have the appropriate antenna or antennas for the
waves you expect to receive, that being VHF and/or UHF.

Example. I currently have an external NTSC tuner box (Radio Shack brand)
hooked up to my Commodore 1702 monitor (composite video and audio hookup
cables from the tuner box to the monitor.....indoor antenna hooked up to
the coaxial input on the tuner box).

Once the digital switchover occurs (here in Canada it's set for 2011 or
2012), my NTSC tuner will be useless for receiving OTA (over the air)
VHF/UHF signals. It will then be necessary for me to replace the NTSC
tuner with an ATSC tuner to receive the new digital signals, should I wish
to receive over the air signals.
But then again, I also have digital StarChoice satellite (a direct to home
mini-dish system here in Canada), so for the most part, it's a moot point
for me.

On Nov 14, 2:41 pm, Joseph Fenn <jf...@lava.net> wrote:
> I have no cable, no Satellite TV, and just use a Hi gain ant to see
> all the current TV broadcasts over the air.  Very good pics on all
> of them.  I asked Costco what happens after all the TV stns go to
> HDTV in early 2009, would I be able to see anything at all on my
> old TV's. Costco said "no you will see nothing" after I explained
> to him I dont use cable nor sattelite just antenna.
> I asked Sams Club the same question and they said If am just watching
> the chnls from a home antenna,  yes I will be able to see the same
> chnls after they change their xmtrs to HDTV, but those people
> who use Cable or Satellite wont see anything unless they install
> the black box converter needed for HDTV.  If Costco was correct
> theres gonna be one helluva mess of toxic material which will
> overflow our land fill in short order, or maybe it will be hauled
> by ship to the deepest part of the pacific and dumped 3 miles
> deep.
>                Kokomo Joe
>
> **************************************************************************
> * Ham since 1937 HiSchool Sophomore ex W9ZUU, KP4EX, W4FAG, KH6ARG KH6JF *
> * WW2 Vet since Sep 1940 to just After VJ day. US Signal Corps AACS      *
> **************************************************************************

Altho this post has nothing to do with a C=64  , it effects anyone who
uses one... and has to do with everyday life... and "geek" stuff....
so anyone who wants to flame this poster..... think again.

anyway... I submit this Kokomo Joe.........  the year is 2009, for all
this "new shit" to become "legal" ----- after MANY YEARS, of pay-4-
view companys, and cable TV company's lobby-ing for it to be become
"real"

Fact is ----  it's too late for them.....  the whole thing is just
going to be a pain in the ass, for the folks, that "have no clue" of
modern day electronic's.... and the  minimum wage dude at Best Buy
( who get commissions on his sales BTW )  only makes the watters more
muddy.

The truth is..... broadband connections.... and 27" monitors, that are
avaialable for "dirt cheap" ( compared to 4 years ago when this crap
all started)... are common.... and Internet TV "providers" are
everywhere.

TV ( as we know it )  will be a thing of the past in the next 10 years
( you can quote me on that ) .... and the Internet will be the source
for EVERYTHING.

If you are really concerned about this "little bump in the road",
concerning TV reception, that was in the works 10 years ago, and
FINALLY  "came to be" last year.

Consider this ............   10 years ago  Windows 98  was THE BIG
DEAL........   3 years ago, burning a DVD was waaaay cool... now it's
a dual layer DVD...with light scribe.... or you suk.

By the time all this "TV" stuff actually happens...  it will be out-
dated anyway ( you can quote me on that too )

Rick

"Andrew J. Kroll" <a@oo.ms> wrote in message 
news:473b9e9d$0$4973$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
> FeMaster wrote:
>> "Tom Watt" <tom@wattservices.com> wrote in message 
>> news:1195076912.956848.181320@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>>> Lot of misunderstanding with the switch to HDTV broadcast signals.
>>> Yes, you will not be able to pickup TV signal with regular antennas.
>>
>> And even you are confused.  He can still use the same antenna he is using 
>> now, won't make a difference.  It has nothing to with the antenna, it has 
>> to do with the type of signal being broadcast.
>>
>>> But you can get an adaptor that allows you to use a new HDTV antenna
>>> with an old TV.  That's your cheapest option is to get one of those.
>>> Infact, likely you can do this already and watch in HDTV now.
>>>
>>
>> Almost right.  There is no such thing as an "HDTV antenna," an antenna is 
>> an antenna, despite claims otherwise.  He will need a new TUNER, as the 
>> tuner built into the old set is designed to decode analog, where-as the 
>> new tuner will be designed to decode digital, and to down-covert the 
>> resolution if necessary.
>>
>> Yes, they are currently available, however he technically won't be 
>> watching HDTV.  He will be watching the programming that is being 
>> broadcast as digital, but it will be FAR from HD.  Quite frankly, even a 
>> lot of the new digital TVs aren't HDTVs, but are in fact only SDTVs or 
>> EDTVs.  Lot's of confusion is right!
>>
>> To the OP, check out the link that was provided in a previous post, it's 
>> an excellent source of info...
>>
>>
> Oh damn, you just broke a marketing campaign designed to sell new 
> antennas.
>
> LOL!
>

Yeah, guess I cracked that one open a bit...

In either case, most people no longer have antennas, so sales will probably 
be up anyway, despite the incorrect marketing.

"Brandon Staggs" <nospam@a.b.c> wrote in message 
news:1qgp0c7lx8s8p$.1ktc9bp6i1zil$.dlg@40tude.net...
> "FeMaster" wrote on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:44:17 -0600:
>
>> And even you are confused.  He can still use the same antenna he is using
>> now, won't make a difference.  It has nothing to with the antenna, it has 
>> to
>> do with the type of signal being broadcast.
>
> That depends.  Most DTV is UHF.  If all he has is a VHF antenna, and
> he's not close enough to the source, he'll need a new antenna.
>
> -- 

Quite true, I was mostly just trying to clear-up the fact that he won't need 
a "special" antenna for the reception of the new digital signals.

"Rick Youngman" <wlbbs@commspeed.net> wrote in message 
news:3c2981b0-5e9a-422e-9e46-c8307ae58e11@e6g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> On Nov 14, 2:41 pm, Joseph Fenn <jf...@lava.net> wrote:

> Consider this ............   10 years ago  Windows 98  was THE BIG
> DEAL........   3 years ago, burning a DVD was waaaay cool... now it's
> a dual layer DVD...with light scribe.... or you suk.

Dual-layer with LightScribe?!?  How pass�!  You need a Blu Ray (BD)
recorder or you are hopeless!  8^)

Tom Lake 

It is not the antannae or TV. You need an HDTV tuner box. That's it.

Basically, if you buy a DVR with HDTV tuner, you're ready. Buy a VCR with 
HDTV tuner, your ready.

It is not the antannae or TV itself, it is the tuner. The difference is that 
the tuner built in the TV will be useless for the most part and you'll 
probably will have to use the A/V input OR an RF-Modulator imput to input 
the video out of the HDTV tuner to the TV but the tuner box would take care 
of the rest.

That is all. As for our old VHS tapes and VCR, time to hack them over for 
use as storage media for Commodore as tape back up.

"FeMaster" <FeMaster @ hotmail . com> wrote in message 
news:JHM_i.5276$K01.2312@newsfe05.lga...
>
> "Tom Watt" <tom@wattservices.com> wrote in message 
> news:1195076912.956848.181320@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> Lot of misunderstanding with the switch to HDTV broadcast signals.
>> Yes, you will not be able to pickup TV signal with regular antennas.
>
> And even you are confused.  He can still use the same antenna he is using 
> now, won't make a difference.  It has nothing to with the antenna, it has 
> to do with the type of signal being broadcast.
>
>> But you can get an adaptor that allows you to use a new HDTV antenna
>> with an old TV.  That's your cheapest option is to get one of those.
>> Infact, likely you can do this already and watch in HDTV now.
>>
>
> Almost right.  There is no such thing as an "HDTV antenna," an antenna is 
> an antenna, despite claims otherwise.  He will need a new TUNER, as the 
> tuner built into the old set is designed to decode analog, where-as the 
> new tuner will be designed to decode digital, and to down-covert the 
> resolution if necessary.
>
> Yes, they are currently available, however he technically won't be 
> watching HDTV.  He will be watching the programming that is being 
> broadcast as digital, but it will be FAR from HD.  Quite frankly, even a 
> lot of the new digital TVs aren't HDTVs, but are in fact only SDTVs or 
> EDTVs.  Lot's of confusion is right!
>
> To the OP, check out the link that was provided in a previous post, it's 
> an excellent source of info...
>
> 

Those "HDTV antannaes" maybe kits that includes an HDTV tuner. Enough said. 
By an HDTV tuner and you be just fine, guys. If you have a VHF antannae then 
upgrade to VHF/UHF combo antannae to give yourself more option. Or go 
cable/satellite.


"Sweet F.A." <noemail@nonet.net> wrote in message 
news:noemail-1411072001460001@s01060005020715c5.wp.shawcable.net...

> Tom, your post provided more misinformation, I'm sorry to tell you.
> There is no such thing as "HDTV antenna" despite what the marketing
> slogans on the outside of antenna box packaging says.
>
> NTSC television signals sent over the air (whether it's VHF and/or UHF),
> will be discontinued, replaced by ATSC digital signals, but still sent
> over VHF/UHF waves.  VHF antennas are different from UHF antennas, but one
> can and always has been able to buy combo vhf/uhf antennas, both outdoor
> and indoor varieties.

<<< SNIP >>>

> ATSC tuner/receiver, will receive the new digital signals, and in some
> well populated areas of the U.S. (and even areas such at Toronto,
> Vancover, Montreal) are already receiving digital ATSC signals (for free)
> over the air (OTA), as long as the broadcasting station is broadcasting
> the ATSC digital signals.
>
> Of course, if most of your digital signals are being broadcast over UHF,
> and all you have is a VHF antenna such as a pair of rabbit ears and
> nothing else, you will have to get a UHF antenna, obviously. But don't be
> fooled by "HDTV antenna". There's nothing special about it. VHF and UHF
> waves are still bound by the same laws of physics as they were 50 years
> ago. Just make sure you have the appropriate antenna or antennas for the
> waves you expect to receive, that being VHF and/or UHF.
>
> Example. I currently have an external NTSC tuner box (Radio Shack brand)
> hooked up to my Commodore 1702 monitor (composite video and audio hookup
> cables from the tuner box to the monitor.....indoor antenna hooked up to
> the coaxial input on the tuner box).
>
> Once the digital switchover occurs (here in Canada it's set for 2011 or
> 2012), my NTSC tuner will be useless for receiving OTA (over the air)
> VHF/UHF signals. It will then be necessary for me to replace the NTSC
> tuner with an ATSC tuner to receive the new digital signals, should I wish
> to receive over the air signals.
> But then again, I also have digital StarChoice satellite (a direct to home
> mini-dish system here in Canada), so for the most part, it's a moot point
> for me. 

Nah, you need optical crystals storing 1000 Terabytes and quantum memory 
cubes. Digital computers are so passe. You are all hopeless dinosores.   :-P


"Tom Lake" <tlake@twcny.rr.com> wrote in message 
news:473c140c$0$2364$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
>
>
> "Rick Youngman" <wlbbs@commspeed.net> wrote in message 
> news:3c2981b0-5e9a-422e-9e46-c8307ae58e11@e6g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>> On Nov 14, 2:41 pm, Joseph Fenn <jf...@lava.net> wrote:
>
>> Consider this ............   10 years ago  Windows 98  was THE BIG
>> DEAL........   3 years ago, burning a DVD was waaaay cool... now it's
>> a dual layer DVD...with light scribe.... or you suk.
>
> Dual-layer with LightScribe?!?  How pass�!  You need a Blu Ray (BD)
> recorder or you are hopeless!  8^)
>
> Tom Lake 

Joseph Fenn wrote:
> I have no cable, no Satellite TV, and just use a Hi gain ant to see
> all the current TV broadcasts over the air.  Very good pics on all
> of them.  I asked Costco what happens after all the TV stns go to
> HDTV in early 2009, would I be able to see anything at all on my
> old TV's. Costco said "no you will see nothing" after I explained
> to him I dont use cable nor sattelite just antenna.
> I asked Sams Club the same question and they said If am just watching
> the chnls from a home antenna,  yes I will be able to see the same
> chnls after they change their xmtrs to HDTV, but those people
> who use Cable or Satellite wont see anything unless they install
> the black box converter needed for HDTV.  If Costco was correct
> theres gonna be one helluva mess of toxic material which will
> overflow our land fill in short order, or maybe it will be hauled
> by ship to the deepest part of the pacific and dumped 3 miles
> deep.
>               Kokomo Joe

Okay, Joe, here's the scoop.

Sam's is WRONG. But that doesn't mean that a lot of TVs have to be 
thrown away.

The analog TV ground-based over-the-air system will END on February 19, 
2009. Cable and satellite systems, however, are perfectly free to 
continue using analog systems to either distribute their programming 
(cable*) and/or to convey it to the input of a TV (cable, satellite).

[* There is very little consumer use of analog satellite TV, aka "TVRO", 
anymore.]

Yes, this will render a lot of TVs obsolete: figures indicate that 
anywhere from 25% to 47% of TV viewers still receive their signals over 
the airwaves from a ground-based tower rather than using cable or satellite.

HOWEVER! The prices on set-top boxes for receiving digital broadcasts 
and converting them for use on analog TVs are coming down all the time. 
By the time of the switchover, it is expected that such devices will 
cost less than $100. (Digital TVs -- not hi-def, but can receive and 
down-convert HD to SD -- already can be purchased for $100. Hint: Best 
Buy, in-store brand "Dynex", 13-inch, 4:3, curved screen picture tube.)

And the FCC has a program whereby consumers can apply for a voucher for 
$40 toward the purchase of such a converter box.

So don't be too quick to throw out that old TV set.

**************************************************************************
* Ham since 1937 HiSchool Sophomore ex W9ZUU, KP4EX, W4FAG, KH6ARG KH6JF *
* WW2 Vet since Sep 1940 to just After VJ day. US Signal Corps AACS      *
**************************************************************************


> away.
>
> The analog TV ground-based over-the-air system will END on February 19, 2009. 
> Cable and satellite systems, however, are perfectly free to continue using 
> analog systems to either distribute their programming (cable*) and/or to 
> convey it to the input of a TV (cable, satellite).
>
> [* There is very little consumer use of analog satellite TV, aka "TVRO", 
> anymore.]
>
> Yes, this will render a lot of TVs obsolete: figures indicate that anywhere 
> from 25% to 47% of TV viewers still receive their signals over the airwaves 
> from a ground-based tower rather than using cable or satellite.
>
> HOWEVER! The prices on set-top boxes for receiving digital broadcasts and 
> converting them for use on analog TVs are coming down all the time. By the 
> time of the switchover, it is expected that such devices will cost less than 
> $100. (Digital TVs -- not hi-def, but can receive and down-convert HD to SD 
> -- already can be purchased for $100. Hint: Best Buy, in-store brand "Dynex", 
> 13-inch, 4:3, curved screen picture tube.)
>
> And the FCC has a program whereby consumers can apply for a voucher for $40 
> toward the purchase of such a converter box.
>
> So don't be too quick to throw out that old TV set.
>
What a wealth of good info that I can understand!  Thanks so much
whomever you are!!! I already have a panasonic 46" modern TV bought
2 years ago, and its ready for that plug in box already.  It even
has a slot on the front for some kind of a card to plug into.
Have'nt got a hunch as to what thats for.  Also more plug receptacles
on the back of the LCD that I know nothing about.   Guessing would
not be appropriate on all those holes in back.
                       Joe

"Joseph Fenn" wrote ...
>>
> What a wealth of good info that I can understand!  Thanks so much
> whomever you are!!! I already have a panasonic 46" modern TV bought
> 2 years ago, and its ready for that plug in box already.  It even
> has a slot on the front for some kind of a card to plug into.
> Have'nt got a hunch as to what thats for.  Also more plug receptacles
> on the back of the LCD that I know nothing about.   Guessing would
> not be appropriate on all those holes in back.

I haven't checked Panasonic's website to be sure, but... if you go on 
Panasonic's website you may be able to find the users manual for that TV set! 
And, that should tell you what all those connectors on the back of the set 
are for.  No need to guess.    :-)
-- 
Best regards,

Sam Gillett

Change is inevitable,
except from vending machines! 

On Nov 14, 5:44 pm, "FeMaster" <FeMaster @ hotmail . com> wrote:
> "Tom Watt" <t...@wattservices.com> wrote in message
>
> news:1195076912.956848.181320@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
> > Lot of misunderstanding with the switch to HDTV broadcast signals.
> > Yes, you will not be able to pickup TV signal with regular antennas.
>
> And even you are confused.  He can still use the same antenna he is using
> now, won't make a difference.  It has nothing to with the antenna, it has to
> do with the type of signal being broadcast.
>

I've read that there is both a HDTV antenna and a HDTV converter/tuner
box to pick up HDTV over the air on old TV.

This article suggests you MIGHT not need one, but may still need one:
http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5108854-1.html

Doesnt matter. Over the air blows chunks and I wont be using it...
I'm quite happy with standard cable for now.. When I can afford an
HDTV and cable doesnt charge extra for HDTV I'll switch then..

"Tom Watt" wrote on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:16:46 -0800 (PST):

> Doesnt matter. Over the air blows chunks and I wont be using it...

Actually, OTA is by far the best way to receive HDTV.  Not only is it
free of subscription costs, it's not transcoded to smaller bitrates as
cable and satellite often are.

-- 
-Brandon
 http://www.brandonstaggs.com/c64.html

On Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:22:37 -0600, Kelli Halliburton
<kelli217@gmail.corn.invalid> wrote:


>The analog TV ground-based over-the-air system will END on February 19, 
>2009.
>Yes, this will render a lot of TVs obsolete: figures indicate that 
>anywhere from 25% to 47% of TV viewers still receive their signals over 
>the airwaves from a ground-based tower rather than using cable or satellite.

That's the plan, but let's see what happens when the masses start
marching with pitch forks and torches.

>So don't be too quick to throw out that old TV set.

"Joseph Fenn" <jfenn@lava.net> wrote in message 
news:Pine.BSI.4.64.0711181534440.10421@malasada.lava.net...
>
>
> **************************************************************************
> * Ham since 1937 HiSchool Sophomore ex W9ZUU, KP4EX, W4FAG, KH6ARG KH6JF *
> * WW2 Vet since Sep 1940 to just After VJ day. US Signal Corps AACS      *
> **************************************************************************
>
>
>> away.
>>
>> The analog TV ground-based over-the-air system will END on February 19, 
>> 2009. Cable and satellite systems, however, are perfectly free to 
>> continue using analog systems to either distribute their programming 
>> (cable*) and/or to convey it to the input of a TV (cable, satellite).
>>
>> [* There is very little consumer use of analog satellite TV, aka "TVRO", 
>> anymore.]
>>
>> Yes, this will render a lot of TVs obsolete: figures indicate that 
>> anywhere from 25% to 47% of TV viewers still receive their signals over 
>> the airwaves from a ground-based tower rather than using cable or 
>> satellite.
>>
>> HOWEVER! The prices on set-top boxes for receiving digital broadcasts and 
>> converting them for use on analog TVs are coming down all the time. By 
>> the time of the switchover, it is expected that such devices will cost 
>> less than $100. (Digital TVs -- not hi-def, but can receive and 
>> down-convert HD to SD -- already can be purchased for $100. Hint: Best 
>> Buy, in-store brand "Dynex", 13-inch, 4:3, curved screen picture tube.)
>>
>> And the FCC has a program whereby consumers can apply for a voucher for 
>> $40 toward the purchase of such a converter box.
>>
>> So don't be too quick to throw out that old TV set.
>>
> What a wealth of good info that I can understand!  Thanks so much
> whomever you are!!! I already have a panasonic 46" modern TV bought
> 2 years ago, and its ready for that plug in box already.  It even
> has a slot on the front for some kind of a card to plug into.
> Have'nt got a hunch as to what thats for.  Also more plug receptacles
> on the back of the LCD that I know nothing about.   Guessing would
> not be appropriate on all those holes in back.
>                       Joe

That card slot is for a card you can get from your cable company (should 
they support it) so that you can get all your subscribed channels, without 
using one of their cable boxes...