I’ve heard that it is possible to recieve HDTV signals using a UHF antenna and a video card which supports HDTV. Apparently this is a much cheaper route than buying a HDTV television.
Does anyone know anything about this? What’s the best video card to buy, and what is the approximate cost?
Thanks.
Thanks for that link astro. Its $399.00
By the way, I went to Circuit City the other day, to get hdtv broadcasts you need a Set Top box, $549.00 in addition to the tv. They have some real nice hdtv deals now, $2000 for a 54".
A few caveats about ‘cheap’ HDTV. First of all, you’ll need an antenna and a decoder box. Then you need a TV that is not only capable of decoding the signal from the set-top box, but that has the resolution required to display it all.
It’s the last criterion that’s the rub. Technically, a TV that can receive a 480p, 720p, or 1080i signal is ‘HDTV compatible’, but that doesn’t mean the picture tube is good enough to resolve all the detail.
For example, most big screen projection TV’s use 7" guns. A 7" gun is not capable of resolving the full resolution of HDTV, yet the majority of projection TV’s today that say “HDTV compatible” use them. 9" guns will get you there, but those TV’s are usually much more expensive.
Another issue is that HDTV is presented in 16X9 format, yet most “HDTV Compatible” TV’s still have a 4:3 aspect ratio. So even if the full height of the picture tube could resolve say 720 lines, the HDTV picture will have to be scaled into the middle of the screen with letterboxes on the top and bottom. This will cause you to lose resolution if the TV can’t display a full 720 lines within the letterboxed area.
Next, if you sit a long way back from your TV, HDTV isn’t going to do you much good anyway. The eye cannot resolve 720 lines of resolution from typical family room viewing distances in smaller screens. So if you buy a 32" HDTV compatible display, you’re going to have to sit only a few feet away in order to be able to perceive the resolution.
Finally, be aware that Hollywood whore Fritz Hollings is once again trying to push a bill through government which would require digital signals to remain digital throughout the entire display chain. If that happens, your HDTV will be obsolete.
If you want a true HDTV experience, and have a room where you can completely control ambient light, then the best experience by far is achieved with a front projector and a large screen. The Plus ‘Piano’ projector will display true HDTV at 720 lines of resolution, and it will throw a 100" image in your typical living room. If you can make the room completely dark, the results will astound you. It’s like being at a movie theater. I have an NEC LT-150 projector that I bought for $1680, and a 92" wide projection screen that I built myself for $70. The result is that I can play movies in my house and have a better viewing experience than my local multiplex can offer. Having a 9’ diagonal screen makes all the difference. It’s the difference between watching TV and being at the theater.
Projectors are the absolute pinnacle of the home-viewing experience. Of course, their obvious drawbacks are (1) price and (2) you need a very, very dark room for them to work in.
Sam, I went to Circuit City. Their hdtvs state clearly on their info label that you need a Set Top box, which is $549.00, to get hdtv. There isn’t any mention of needing an antennae (But I once read you needed this). Have times changed from using an antennae to using a Set Top box?
HDTV isn’t transmitted over cable in any areas I know of. I guess it’s possible. But most HDTV is transmitted over the air, and you’ll need an antenna to pick it up. And while I’ve heard that in some locations you might be able to use ‘rabbit ear’ antennas in your house, it’s far more likely that you’ll need a rooftop antenna.
The other option is satellite - you can buy a satellite dish and get a satellite receiver with a built-in HDTV decoder. Most of the large satellite providers now have at least a few HDTV channels, I think. There might not be a lot of content on them, though. It seems that most of them will have a pay-per-view movie channel, maybe an HD sports channel, and HBO in HD. I don’t know if you can get HDTV network broadcasts on satellite.
HD content is still relatively lacking. FOX, for example, isn’t broadcasting any of its shows in HDTV. They’ve chosen a 480p standard instead. Which actually makes sense in a lot of ways, and it’s the same resolution that DVD’s have. But it’s not that jaw-dropping looking-through-a-window image that you get when viewing a real HDTV image.
Also, if you are planning to hook up a set-top box to your regular TV, you’ll gain no benefit unless your TV can accept a direct component video input and can resolve the detail. If you use an S-video connection, you’ll be limited in resolution to about 480 lines interlaced, if I recall correctly.
Be wary of anything you are told at Circuit City or other big-box retailers. The clerks there have no particular training other than word of mouth with other salespeople or what they read on their own. On something as complex as HDTV, your chances of getting good information are very low, especially if that good information makes it less likely that the clerk will make a sale. Also be wary of pitches to buy expensive accessories like cables and extended warranties. These are extremely high margin items, often with special sales incentives for the clerks, and they push them very hard. They are almost universally a sucker purchase.
Elwood: The price differential between projectors and big-screen RPTV’s is not very big any more, and in fact I think front projectors of equivalent quality are now cheaper. The Plus Piano, for example, is only a little over $2000 now, and can display true 720p HDTV on a 100" wide screen. If you project onto, say, a 55" screen, I don’t believe you would be able to find another 55" big-screen TV for anywhere near close to its price that could match the picture.
The key is light control. Front projectors have to be watched in a completely dark room. That makes them unsuitable for family room situations where one person might be watching TV while another reads or the kids play on the floor.
But if you are serious about movie watching, and you can black out the light in your room, don’t even consider a big-screen TV. Go for the front projector. The advantages are numerous – first, the picture is astounding. You have a movie theater in your house. Second, you can reclaim a lot of floor space. A 55" Rear-projection TV takes up a humongous amount of space, and is very difficult to move. A projector weighs 3-10 pounds and can be hung from the ceiling. The screen can retract up into a box on the ceiling. That gives you a huge amount of flexibility in furnishing a room, and removes a lot of hassle in owning a big TV.
I’m building a dedicated theater in my basement, complete with stage and raised seating platforms. But if I didn’t do that, then instead of getting a big-screen TV for the family room I’d get a decent 32" TV for casual watching, and a cheaper front projector for watching movies.
Next up, a HDTV compatible VCR…I Think they are around $1500?
um…what’s HDTV? 
High-Definition Television