Over the air HDTV

A friend of mine used an HD antenna and it looked great. Are you sure the morning show is in HD? The non-HD shows were stretched, IIRC. How does it look while primetime HD shows are on?

 

The HD channels over the air aren't the same exact channel. Let's say you're watching CBS... the regular channel is 11, but the HD channel is actually 11-1.

 

Use your TV's ability (if equipped) to search for the digital channels. As someone else said, they are not the same, but usually are like 13.1, 2.1, etc.

 

also

you said you checked antennaweb, which is a good site, but did you check your distance from the transmitters?

In the Houston area, 90% of them are down in the southwest area (near Missouri City or Stafford , cant remember exactly)

so if you got a little HD antenna and/or are tryin to just set it near the tv you might not be receiving them yet.

Alot of the serious OTAHD geeks setup powered antenna high in their residences...in the attic or even outside near the peak.

 

yeah, it *should* be able to search automatically, I know both my Samsungs do

depends on how far you are from the transmitters, but if you really want to pick up the OTA stuff, bigger is always better when it comes to antennas.

 

It's not the antenna. Depending on your distance to the transmitters and any blockages, a pair of old fashioned rabbit ears from the 1950's can work. It doesn't have to say "HD Antenna" that is just hype.

Before spending a ton of money on an expensive antenna, test out some cheapos. You'll be surprised that more $$$ doesn't necessarily translate into better picture.

I tested several higher priced antennas and there was not an appreciable difference in quality to justify the extra price. I'm approximately 20 miles away from the Austin transmitters and pull in all digital stations with a $15 cheapie.

EDIT: Although, you can't argue with bigger is better when it comes to outdoor antennas.

 

Some things to know about OTA (over the air) HD reception:

1. Your HDTV has two OTA tuners in it - NTSC for analog and ATSC for digital. Some TV's allow you to switch between analog & digital tuners seamlessly just by switching channels on the remote. Other TV's require you to switch between analog & digital modes separately. Read your owners manual to see if you have to switch to a separate digital (or "DTV") mode in order to watch digital TV.

2. Digital reception is an all or nothing deal, so it's difficult to accurately orient your antenna to get the best signal. Consult your owners manual ... see if there is an on-screen signal strength meter that you can access thru the menus. Some tv's don't offer this feature, but if yours does, it will really help you orient that antenna.

3. It takes more bandwidth to broadcast analog than digital, so your local TV stations can not broadcast digital on the same channel as their analog signals. In Houston, channel 11 (cbs) KHOU is actually broadcasting in digital at the frequency for channel 31. So, switch to channel 31 to receive what will be reported to your TV as channel 11.1 KHOU-DT (DT = digital tv). For all digital channel allotments in your area look HERE. You need to know this because an automatic channel scan won't necessarily pick up all the digital channels at once. Some channels won't be detected unless you orient your antenna a certain way. So you'll need to add them manually after the auto scan. One good thing to know: from my experience, channel 31 aka 11.1 digital is probably the easiest one to pick up in the Houston area.

4. Signal amplification. Some TV's have a built-in signal amplifier that will boost OTA reception (I know some SAMSUNG models are equipped this way, but no clue about HITACHI). If you don't want to deal with an old-school giant exterior antenna, I recommend at least a good pair of amplified rabbit-ears. Here's an old post I made about rabbit ears and OTA HD reception.