OTA noob: what do I do?

[jostenmeat]

Hey guys, the Superbowl article got me thinking about this again. What the heck do I need, how will it be connected, and how is it operated, specifically with "tuning in"?

I suppose an amplified antenna is better, or does that even matter?

I'd like an antenna recommendation. How much will this cost me in the end, all said and done?

I think the best spot might be the attic for me. I just point it at where the distant OTA towers are located (at least according to antenna org/web or whatever it's called)?

What is the video cable used? Component? (I only care about HD).

This will be connected to my RS1 projector.

It's been quite a long time since I've had to suffer commercials, and I did note that this device was recommended by bandphan in one of the OTA search result hits. If I could put it in-line before, say, I connected the antenna to the receiver, that might be nice. (No problem connecting OTA to receiver, right?).
http://www.smarthome.com/7848T/TV-Volume-Regulator-VR-1/p.aspx

Is that it? Just an antenna, connect to receiver? If the antenna is in the attic, I need an emitter that is long enough to control it up there (or is the "control device" a separate thing from the antenna?).

I ask about the above because I noted adk's post here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=413095&postcount=5

So I need to buy an ATSC tuner? (I doubt my PJ would have one??). Maybe I should research that.

Thanks. Sorry about my ignorance!

 

[highfigh]

Hey guys, the Superbowl article got me thinking about this again. What the heck do I need, how will it be connected, and how is it operated, specifically with "tuning in"?

I suppose an amplified antenna is better, or does that even matter?

I'd like an antenna recommendation. How much will this cost me in the end, all said and done?

I think the best spot might be the attic for me. I just point it at where the distant OTA towers are located (at least according to antenna org/web or whatever it's called)?

What is the video cable used? Component? (I only care about HD).

This will be connected to my RS1 projector.

It's been quite a long time since I've had to suffer commercials, and I did note that this device was recommended by bandphan in one of the OTA search result hits. If I could put it in-line before, say, I connected the antenna to the receiver, that might be nice. (No problem connecting OTA to receiver, right?).
http://www.smarthome.com/7848T/TV-Volume-Regulator-VR-1/p.aspx

Is that it? Just an antenna, connect to receiver? If the antenna is in the attic, I need an emitter that is long enough to control it up there (or is the "control device" a separate thing from the antenna?).

I ask about the above because I noted adk's post here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=413095&postcount=5

So I need to buy an ATSC tuner? (I doubt my PJ would have one??). Maybe I should research that.

Thanks. Sorry about my ignorance!

Where are you and why are you waiting until the day before the game?

If you're not far from the towers, you shouldn't need an antler. In this case, if you don't have a digital tuner, you'll need a digital converter, which is actually a digital tuner that has line outs. Your projector doesn't have one and you'll need to find one that has the signal outputs you need if you want the best video quality- HDMI, or ? If you do need an antenna, you'll need to decide if a smallish panel on the outside of the house is OK, or if you'll need more than that. Look at your equipment- if you have a newer video recorder, DVR with tuner or DVD recorder, the tuner must be able to handle QAM and ATSC if it was made after about '07. In this case, you can just send the signal to whatever you use for switching inputs (and this is why I really like using the receiver for that). Once the signal goes there, it all goes through one cable to the projector and/or TV and no additional cabling is needed).

As far as setting up the digital tuner, the menu is all you need to use- it will acquire channels the same way as a TV. For aiming, use the antenna website or look out the window, like I would (I'm about 3/4 of a mile from the antenna farm).

 

[jostenmeat]

Where are you and why are you waiting until the day before the game

CA, and about 50 miles or so from the HD OTA antennae, and last I looked (a while ago), there are two of them very close to each other.

I have superbowl plans already, hehe, but maybe next year I will host, heh.

If you're not far from the towers, you shouldn't need an antler. In this case, if you don't have a digital tuner, you'll need a digital converter, which is actually a digital tuner that has line outs. Your projector doesn't have one and you'll need to find one that has the signal outputs you need if you want the best video quality- HDMI, or ?

THANKS! I have this nagging feeling that the area/city that I live in will not allow an antler, but I'll look into that. Maybe I just think that because I don't see any around, tough codes in general, or maybe just because everybody else and their mom uses cable/dish.

If you see a unit with HDMI that you can recommend, that would be quite lovely!

If you do need an antenna, you'll need to decide if a smallish panel on the outside of the house is OK, or if you'll need more than that. Look at your equipment- if you have a newer video recorder, DVR with tuner or DVD recorder, the tuner must be able to handle QAM and ATSC if it was made after about '07. In this case, you can just send the signal to whatever you use for switching inputs (and this is why I really like using the receiver for that). Once the signal goes there, it all goes through one cable to the projector and/or TV and no additional cabling is needed).

Nope, pretty much 100% bluray here. Not even video games.

Have a tuner to recommend?

Panel on the outside is ok, but I guess I was mistakenly thinking height was the key, so that's why I was thinking attic.

As far as setting up the digital tuner, the menu is all you need to use- it will acquire channels the same way as a TV. For aiming, use the antenna website or look out the window, like I would (I'm about 3/4 of a mile from the antenna farm).

Thanks. I'm hoping that I am understanding your education, I do appreciate it!

 

[mtrycrafts]

... and why are you waiting until the day before the game?

....

He is pre planning Maybe for this game or for next years?

 

[bhodge]

First, as mentioned before you will need a digital tuner. Most recent HD TVs and Tivo series 3 (HD) among other devices will have them. It will be referred as an HD, Digital, or ATSC Tuner if your device is capable (doubt your PJ will have one and the sad thing is stand alone ATSC tuners are not cheap. If you have a smaller LCD/plasma TV and it has a video out, its possible to run it out into your PJ.

Next you need to determine how far you are away from the towers and which stations you will get. You can go here http://antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx to find out how far you are and in what direction the towers are for optimal reception. You do not have to register, it does ask for email but not required. It will also give you a guide to what possible antenna you will need.

And finally you will need an antenna. Unless you live out in the middle of no wear, almost any antenna will do (but smaller antennas will have a harder time getting all stations with one position, which is why I recommend the roof/attic antenna). There is no such thing as an HD Antenna, its all a marketing ploy. ANY TV antenna will work, although there are some that are better than others. I have never used an amplified antenna so can't say much to that but what I have done (and now my parents and my brother) is to buy a roof/attic antenna and put it in the attic. They are not expensive, I think I got mine at home depot years ago but can't seem to find them on their site, but here is one from Radio Shack.

Now you have to connect the antenna to your tv...
I dumped cable years ago and have never looked back. Between the major networks OTA, the better HD quality, netflix, Tivo suggestions, Hulu, etc. I'm never looking for something to watch. I was lucky enough to have my cable run from outside, into my attic, arcoss the house, and down into a hub in the master bedroom closet. So to connect my attic antenna to my TV, I cut the cable in my attic and spliced in my antenna. Now I have a antenna jack in every room where there was a cable jack for all my TVs.

If you are not as fortunate to have this setup, then most likely you will have to manually run a cable down your wall to your TV, not hard to do, just takes time crawling in the attic.

 

[bhodge]

If you're not far from the towers, you shouldn't need an antler. In this case, if you don't have a digital tuner, you'll need a digital converter, which is actually a digital tuner that has line outs.

Correct, but just to clarify (highfigh did, just reiterating) just because its a digital tuner does not mean its outputting in HD. The converter boxes that most bought with the government funding during the switch over were not capable of out putting HD. Make sure the converter box you get (if you so choose) has an HD output connection (HDMI, component).

 

[jostenmeat]

Thanks a lot, bhodge. The PJ is indeed my only display. I will most likely have to buy a tuner.

I think I will stop into Radio Shack this week, and see if the employees might be able to help me out.

I did know that antennae are all the same, but it did skip my mind. The tuner, yes, and I guess that's why I was curious about the connection used. I will look for HDMI.

Cheers!

 

[Midwesthonky]

I fought this battle about 3 years ago because my HDTV is old enough to not have the digital tuner. I also didn't want the big honking antenna on the roof as I really don't like holes in my roof. I found one that was amplified and could be mounted on the side of the house and painted if necessary. It connects using standard coax cable.

I forget the brand and I would go look for you, but unfortunately, I'm a whole ocean away from the US/home on Superbowl weekend!! #$^#$%^$&*@!!!!!!! So kickoff is something like 11:30 pm here outside London. Not sure if this hotel even carries it... Ok, a rant for another time.

Found one similar to it listed on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-SDV2950-27-Digital-Outdoor/dp/B001K7ID6A/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1265575937&sr=1-9

Getting back...I am about 40 miles or so away from the towers. So before I climbed on a ladder, ran wiring, etc., I pulled it out of the box and assembled it in my family room. I hooked it up to my tuner (my satelite HD receiver) for a test run before going through the excess work of installation. Dang if I didn't get a good signal and all my local channels with the antenna right there in my family room.

Since the signal worked so well right there and it fit on top of my entertainment center where it could only be seen by an NBA player (I don't know any) or from the 2nd floor balcony (the top of the entertainment unit is ugly from that view already), I left it on top of my entertainment center. No one knows it's there unless they look for it.

My point? You may find one that will give you the desired signal and that you may be able to hide within your existing room or in a location that can be easily wired to your receiver.

Now for that bit about the receiver/tuner. I used my existing satelite receiver's digital tuner. They now don't have the ability anymore so I dropped them because I really need to access local channels in really bad weather. The kind of bad weather that spawns tornados and causes satelite to black out. Another rant for anotehr time.

As already stated, you need to look for a tuner that will not only receive the digital signal, but will outout it in HD. You can find them listed on places like Amazon. As to quality, I cannot help you there as I have not used any of them.

 

[jostenmeat]

So I stopped by the rat shack tonight, and the fellow wasn't too knowledgeable about HD tuners (which they don't really carry according to him), but he did recommend an antler for the attic. He said it should be just fine.

I think this might do the trick for me.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3740646

Then I just connect some coax I guess, RG6 or 59, to the tuner.

I guess it's that easy?

Time to go hunting around on Amazon or something.

 

[bhodge]

As midwesthonky pointed out, after you get your antenna (and tuner) hook it up near your tv first to see what kind of signal you get before putting it up in the attic.

I would go with rg6, technically 59 would be okay but rg6 has more shielding and therefore better over long runs.

As tuners are concerned, that will be the most expensive part and possible the hardest to solve. There aren't that many out there. There are some dvd recorders that have ATSC tuners but be careful, just because it says it has an ATSC tuner does not mean it will output in HD even if it has an HD connection, you need to make sure it outputs HD. I know a lot of the recorders that first came out only had the tuner to decode the digitial signal (digital <> HD) and did not output the HD content. Did a quick search and here is a dvd recorder with an ASTC tuner (not recommending, just using as an example)
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-DR570-Recorder-Built-Tuner/dp/B001TOD3KK/ref=pd_cp_e_0

Good luck

 

[jostenmeat]

As midwesthonky pointed out, after you get your antenna (and tuner) hook it up near your tv first to see what kind of signal you get before putting it up in the attic.

Seems to be good advice. I would have gone straight to the attic, because it's not that big of a deal, but I like the safe/lazy approach. (though I've bumped my head pretty good up there).

I would go with rg6, technically 59 would be okay but rg6 has more shielding and therefore better over long runs.

Yes, I learned that tonight.

There aren't that many out there.

Good. You know, atm I can better empathize with AV noobies looking for their first receiver. jk . . . well maybe I'm not.

There are some dvd recorders that have ATSC tuners but be careful, just because it says it has an ATSC tuner does not mean it will output in HD even if it has an HD connection, you need to make sure it outputs HD. I know a lot of the recorders that first came out only had the tuner to decode the digitial signal (digital <> HD) and did not output the HD content.

Wow. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[bhodge]

Just thought of this, if you have a pc running to your projector, there are several PCI or USB HD tuner cards (and if you have windows vista/7 you can use them with WMC for a DVR). Haven't personally used them but probably the cheapest and easiest solution if already running a pc. Just google PCI HD tuners and you will get a list of them.

Found this STB http://www.hdtvsupply.com/hdtvotatuner.html as you can see a bit pricey just to output a free signal in HD, I'm sure there are a few others out there, just have to dig through a lot of searches.....OR you can buy a plasma/LCD to compliment that PJ

 

[jostenmeat]

Just thought of this, if you have a pc running to your projector, there are several PCI or USB HD tuner cards (and if you have windows vista/7 you can use them with WMC for a DVR). Haven't personally used them but probably the cheapest and easiest solution if already running a pc. Just google PCI HD tuners and you will get a list of them.

No HTPC here, but thanks!

Found this STB http://www.hdtvsupply.com/hdtvotatuner.html as you can see a bit pricey just to output a free signal in HD, I'm sure there are a few others out there, just have to dig through a lot of searches.....OR you can buy a plasma/LCD to compliment that PJ

And thanks again. It could be a whole lot worse than $149. In fact, I was talking about this idea with some people tonight, and I guess it really has been a long time since I've paid for hdtv programming . . . I balked at the cable prices they were paying. I thought it was like $50 for HD programming, but they were paying a lot more.

So, with that said, I rather do it once and do it right. Because in the end, the costs will be nominal in comparison to any other solution. Now, am I convincing myself to get the largest antler I can possibly fit . . . ?

 

[bhodge]

So, with that said, I rather do it once and do it right. Because in the end, the costs will be nominal in comparison to any other solution. Now, am I convincing myself to get the largest antler I can possibly fit . . . ?

That is my philosophy, but in this case larger doesn't always equate to being better, there is technology in that big antenna that just looks like a bunch of metal. But I have yet to see any attic/roof antenna not work well...but then again, I have been ~5 miles of all my broadcasting towers.

I went the route of Tivo. By far the best DVR (even if its interface hasn't changed since the beginning), never misses anything and even knows to record things I don't tell it. The cost of the box is going to be not a whole lot more than buying just a standalone STB to decode HD and for $399 (or ~$12/month) you get a DVR too. People complain about having to pay for a Tivo when cable/satellite companies do it for free, but in reality they aren't free. You rent the STB from them (regardless of it its a DVR or just a tuner), they usually still charge you (albeit lower fees), and as you mentioned charged more for HD...the fees are just nicely hidden in one big fat bill every month.

Personally, I can live with higher quality HD from ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, CW for free (you might have more stations in your area) and get all my fixes in with my Tivo, Hulu, TV.com, netflix, redbox, bittorrent and still come out alot more ahead $$ in the long run. I got lifetime with my tivo for $399, one time fee (its only lifetime of the unit, not my life time) and never have to worry about paying another bill for my tv.

 

[jostenmeat]

That is my philosophy, but in this case larger doesn't always equate to being better, there is technology in that big antenna that just looks like a bunch of metal. But I have yet to see any attic/roof antenna not work well...but then again, I have been ~5 miles of all my broadcasting towers.

Ah. I am a lot farther away from the "local" antenna. It looks like everything comes from the same antenna according to a-web-org.

I went the route of Tivo. By far the best DVR (even if its interface hasn't changed since the beginning), never misses anything and even knows to record things I don't tell it. The cost of the box is going to be not a whole lot more than buying just a standalone STB to decode HD and for $399 (or ~$12/month) you get a DVR too. People complain about having to pay for a Tivo when cable/satellite companies do it for free, but in reality they aren't free. You rent the STB from them (regardless of it its a DVR or just a tuner), they usually still charge you (albeit lower fees), and as you mentioned charged more for HD...the fees are just nicely hidden in one big fat bill every month.

And so many of the STBs that are rented are seriously pure crap. omg. $150 I don't mind so much, but $400 is tough. My first thought is to try the cheaper route, and if I happen to love it, I can upgrade, but then that's $150 down the drain.

Honestly though, I've lived many years, I don't even know how many, without TV programming. I think I'm just fine without a DVR. Yeah, not for that price anyways. Thanks though.

Personally, I can live with higher quality HD from ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, CW for free (you might have more stations in your area) and get all my fixes in with my Tivo, Hulu, TV.com, netflix, redbox, bittorrent and still come out alot more ahead $$ in the long run. I got lifetime with my tivo for $399, one time fee (its only lifetime of the unit, not my life time) and never have to worry about paying another bill for my tv.

The first thing that matters the most, by far, is PQ, and I suppose SQ but in this case it's not a big deal, obviously. To put this in context, I haven't watched DVD since '07. BD or bust.

I am really quite curious about how good an OTA HD signal can look. I have a huge screen, w/ 42 deg viewing angle. Thanks again for your supportive feedback and discussion.

 

[jostenmeat]

So, I saw this, for about $150, and I post it because it has the highest consumer reviews at the zon. I did find $70-80 units, but reliability seems questionable.
http://www.amazon.com/ATSC-NTSC-Pass-through-Tuner-Receiver/dp/B002P39DI0/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1265750449&sr=1-17

I should go run some search functions and/or start queries at AVS perhaps.

Cheers.

Oh, btw, some complaints about stereo only. Are OTA signals actually in mch? Even if they were, my hopes aren't very high, but I admit I thought I would just be applying plIIx or something.

 

[bhodge]

OTA can carry multi channel audio, but whether or not your OTA network does (its up to them) OR if the box you have can decode it is another story.

Hopefully that box works out for you, love to hear your impressions after you get everything setup. If your distance/antenna play nice together the PQ should beat any paid service provider. I could easily tell a difference between the same show on Time Warner Cable vs. OTA on my plasma.

Speaking of AVS, wouldn't hurt to post there too, found this handy dandy post:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=179095

 

[itschris]

Okay... really noob question: How do you find out what stations you can get over OTA? Can you still get Discovery, Bravo, FOX, CNN, History, and all that? Or is just the local affiliates?

 

[jostenmeat]

Okay... really noob question: How do you find out what stations you can get over OTA? Can you still get Discovery, Bravo, FOX, CNN, History, and all that? Or is just the local affiliates?

Local stuff.

Plug in your address, and it will show the stations, how far the antenna is, and at the specific compass reading. It will also list them as easiest to hardest signals to receive:

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx

 

[lsiberian]

As a person with both a projector and OTA setup.

My OTA box works very well though the HK doesn't talk to it via hdmi. My Onkyo did. Still it's a good one and cost me around 120. OTA is better than most cable I've seen. Being a PJ user with a reference setup you will see an improvement in most material.

For me a netflix account and a OTA tuner takes care of all my needs.