Digital TV stuff question

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:37 am

My mother-in-law does not have cable or satellite tv. She has been using on old old tv with indoor rabbit ears antenna, she does not have an outdoor antenna available.

She is going to buy a new LCD tv, she does not want to use the aftermarket digital box. Can she hook up the rabbit ears antenna to the new tv, will she still need the aftermarket box?

What should she do? She lives about 45 miles from me and I will be the one setting her up.

Thanks

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:43 am

If the new TV has a digital tuner (and anything she buys new in the store will have a digital tuner by law unless it's clearly market otherwise) then you can just hook up the rabbit ears or (better yet) the roof antenna. Keep in mind that the new digital channels are in the UHF band so a UHF antenna is going to give you the best reception (roof antenna will have a UHF antenna integrated).

Hopefully she get strong reception? The problem with the digital broadcasts is that the signal level falls off suddenly at the limit of it's range, while the old analog signal falls off gradually. So people on the fringes are complaining that where they used to at least get a snowy picture on a weak station, they get nothing now.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:13 am

I tell you what though. If you're close enough, that picture is clear as day though. I've got 13 channels (all that there are in St. Louis) at 95-100% reception with the antenna I made & it's better than the dish network signal that I ended up giving up. I'm about 20 minutes drive from downtown.

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:52 pm

She lives in a very remote area, guessing about 45 - 50 miles from town. She may be out of luck.

nexus_7 · Post by **nexus_7** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:40 pm

might have to upgrade to a directional antena

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:53 pm

I tell you what, with the hanger antenna (or bow tie antenna as manufacturers like to call the style), I don't doubt that she could pick up most if not all stations.

ZYFER · Post by **ZYFER** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:20 pm

For everyone courtesy of theconsumerist:

That is an easy to understand flowchart for those not sure on the digital transition. The biggest difference between analog and digital, is with digital, you either get it, or you don't. With analog, you can sorta get something, but with digital, its all or nothing. She may have to get a better antenna, it is a possibility.

Badmojo · Post by **Badmojo** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:59 pm

Digital is only all or nothing when its not being streamed from stuff like ur dvd/blu-ray it maybe all or nothing but when you stream that content its up to the end line of the equipment on how to recompose. nbc gets weird stuff all the time streaking or moving around(have to check the antenna damn winter storms).

anyways if shes in a building that doesnt allow drilling you can get flat F-type coax off e-Bay cheap and run it under a closed window. Also Digital tuners come in all kinds of chips and some dont handle singals under 90% so well where others can display down to a 70% signal quilty.

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:03 pm

Badmojo wrote:Digital is only all or nothing when its not being streamed from stuff like ur dvd/blu-ray its all or nothing but when you stream that content its up to the end line of the equipment on how to recomposite. nbc gets weird stuff all the time streaking or moving around.

anyways if shes in a building that doesnt allow drilling you can get flat F-type coax off e-Bay cheap and run it under a closed window. Also Digital tuners come in all kinds of chips and some dont handle singals under 90% so well where others can display down to a 70% signal quilty.

She lives in a log cabin in the woods, drilling would not be a problem

d_b · Post by **d_b** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:39 pm

I'm about 45 miles from NBC, CBS and Fox stations and get the pictures crystal clear with an indoor hd antenna. Its a Philips MANT510.