HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

[fishepa]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

The Vizio tuner will pick them up via that (or if you use bunny ears)

That's the QAM tuner.

[mgoblue]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

That's the QAM tuner.

Yeah, the QAM tuner will grab the free stuff the cable companies pass along (or if you just use bunny ears, same thing). It worked pretty well when I tried it before having a HD cable box.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Side note, they are working on some sort of wireless protocol for this problem...eventually I think TV's will be able to somehow take a wireless signal, not totally sure how it'll work, but that's the direction we'll head in the next 10 years.

I will love the day when everything is wireless and nothing needs to be hooked up to my TV other than the power cord.

[K_rob11]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Yeah, the QAM tuner will grab the free stuff the cable companies pass along (or if you just use bunny ears, same thing). It worked pretty well when I tried it before having a HD cable box.

Janurary 26 is my installation day guys !!!

i had to pay the 99.00 upgrade fee, but he is giving me the HD service (9.99/mo) free for my first year.

...i'll have to google what a QAM turner is because i have no idea...if not, i'll have to see if anyone i know has some bunny ears laying around because i know i dont)....

....so with these, will i be able to see the games this weekend in HD???!!

it would be SO SWEET if i can watch the Jags/Pats in HD!!!!

[rudyjuly2]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

...i'll have to google what a QAM turner is because i have no idea...if not, i'll have to see if anyone i know has some bunny ears laying around because i know i dont)....it would be SWEET if i can watch the Jags/Pats in HD!!!!

All HDTVs built in the last couple years have it built in. It simply allows your TV to display an HD signal from over the air signals rather than completely rely on a satellite/cable/HD DVD box to do it. You will have one. Just auto-tune your TV for them. Depending on how close you are to the station, you might even be able to get some in right away without an antenna (a crappy one will work most likely).

Those channels will all be -1 or some dash type of channel. If your local channel 4 offers an HD channel, it will show up as 4-1 on your TV. Just hit that on your remote and see if you get it. Much like a satellite signal, over the air HD channels either tune in or not. You don't get a half way snowy picture.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

All HDTVs built in the last couple years have it built in. It simply allows your TV to display an HD signal from over the air signals rather than completely rely on a satellite/cable/HD DVD box to do it. You will have one. Just auto-tune your TV for them. Depending on how close you are to the station, you might even be able to get some in right away without an antenna (a crappy one will work most likely).

Those channels will all be -1 or some dash type of channel. If your local channel 4 offers an HD channel, it will show up as 4-1 on your TV. Just hit that on your remote and see if you get it.<b>.Much like a satellite signal, over the air HD channels either tune in or not. You don't get a half way snowy picture.</b>

Not entirely true and I can attest to this. You can get a picture that either scrambles or goes in and out depending on the strength of the signal. I have to adjust my "bunny ears" to get a good signal on a couple of channels. Sucks to have the picture go out and get a "weak signal" message instead.

But yeah. Go to www.antennaweb.org and enter your address. that will give you a very good estimate of what channels you should be able to pick up OTA (over the air) if you use an antenna.

You'd definitely be able to watch the playoff games if you can pick up CBS and FOX.

[K_rob11]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

All HDTVs built in the last couple years have it built in. It simply allows your TV to display an HD signal from over the air signals rather than completely rely on a satellite/cable/HD DVD box to do it. You will have one. Just auto-tune your TV for them. Depending on how close you are to the station, you might even be able to get some in right away without an antenna (a crappy one will work most likely).

Those channels will all be -1 or some dash type of channel. If your local channel 4 offers an HD channel, it will show up as 4-1 on your TV. Just hit that on your remote and see if you get it. Much like a satellite signal, over the air HD channels either tune in or not. You don't get a half way snowy picture.

ok....help me out here...i am at home and wanting to try this. I don't have an antenna, and you are saying that i may not need one, correct? How would I "auto-tune" my TV to display an HD signal from over the air?

[joshuar9476]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

just got a harman/kardon receiver. should i hook up the video components and hdmi to the audio receiver and then to the tv, or just leave the video hooked up to the tv? i have the digital audio cable from the 360 and the tv into the receiver.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

ok....help me out here...i am at home and wanting to try this. I don't have an antenna, and you are saying that i may not need one, correct? How would I "auto-tune" my TV to display an HD signal from over the air?

Sorry, didn't see this post. For one, you can just enter the channel on your TV and see if you get it. If you know a channel has an HD feed (say channel 4), enter 4-1. Some networks carry more than one HD feed (weather, news, etc) so you could also try 4-2, 4-3,...

To autotune, there is probably a channel search feature on your TV. I think mine has a specific one for the digital channels. Have it search for them and see if you get anything. There are some cheap TV antennas you can get to help boost the signal but if you are getting your Direct TV soon, I wouldn't bother.

[K_rob11]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Sorry, didn't see this post. For one, you can just enter the channel on your TV and see if you get it. If you know a channel has an HD feed (say channel 4), enter 4-1. Some networks carry more than one HD feed (weather, news, etc) so you could also try 4-2, 4-3,...

To autotune, there is probably a channel search feature on your TV. I think mine has a specific one for the digital channels. Have it search for them and see if you get anything. There are some cheap TV antennas you can get to help boost the signal but if you are getting your Direct TV soon, I wouldn't bother.

thanks! i'll try it out when i get home. One of my co-workers is giving me one of his old antennas, so i lucked out there....hopefully i'll be watching the Jags beat the Patriots this saturday night in HD!

So, if i am understanding u correcly, for channel CBS-47, i would enter "47-1"....if i get a blank screen, that means i have no reception? Its all (HD) or nothing, correct?

[fishepa]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

thanks! i'll try it out when i get home. One of my co-workers is giving me one of his old antennas, so i lucked out there....hopefully i'll be watching the Jags beat the Patriots this saturday night in HD!

So, if i am understanding u correcly, for channel CBS-47, i would enter "47-1"....if i get a blank screen, that means i have no reception? Its all (HD) or nothing, correct?

Yep, it's all or nothing.

[J-Unit40]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

Unrelated to the current discussion:

Is there a way to take my HD DVR'd content (football games, movies, TV shows, etc) to a DVD?

I have a 52" Toshiba DLP (2 HDMI ports) and a DirecTV HD DVR. I have a handful of things I would like to transfer to a DVD (if it is even possible). Can I do this with a DVD Recorder/Player and some recordable DVDs? I can't find much about it on the Web, but I was hoping to do so to free up some of my HD DVR.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[K_rob11]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

ok....question. If i have Directv, will the QAM turner work the same way (w/ cable connected from wall directly to the TV) as it would if i had something like comcast? (does it make a difference if im using the directv satellite is what im trying to say). I am just confused on how i am supposed to hook up everything to get my local HD? Also, am i supposed to set the TV to cable or antenna? Does it matter if i currently have my audio video cords connected to the AV2 slots on my TV .....i am totally clueless with this thing

[fishepa]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

QAM will not do anything with DirecTV, only cable.

[K_rob11]

Re: HDTV Questions and Answers Thread

QAM will not do anything with DirecTV, only cable.

ahhh...ok thanks....so i will just need to hook it up to an antenna?