My sister has DirecTV and wants to get HD for her new TV. I know she needs an HD box but does she really need a new satellite like she was told by the dude at Best Buy?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
-
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- Thread starter BuckNutty
- Start date
Taosman
Your Cousin In New Mexxico
Here are answers to some of the questions we're frequently asked.
Q: I've heard about Digital Television and High Definition Television. What's the difference?
A. You have found the key question. They are not the same.
Digital television (DTV) simply means the signal is transmitted as a bunch of ones and zeros. Right now, direct home satellite systems use a digital system to send signals to your home (where most likely, you convert them back to analog TV to play on your TV set). Some cable services do the same thing.
At this point, all commercial television stations in our area are operating a digital service on a separate channel from where you now watch them. NBC12 has its digital service (WWBT-DT) on channel 54.
You cannot see digital TV on a regular (or analog) television. You will need a new, special digital TV set or set-top-box to see the new digital TV channels.
Digital television has some big advantages. The picture you get is exactly what the station sends out. There is no "snow" or "ghosts" on digital TV. You either get the picture or you don't. The audio is also much clearer with the same range you expect from CD's.
High Definition Television (HDTV) is a special wide screen, super sharp, version of digital TV. HDTV is transmitted with about five times the amount of picture information and up to six channels of digital audio. It will provide the viewer with a clarity and picture quality you need to see to believe. It also appears on a wider-screen (much more like a movie screen).
There isn't enough "room" (bandwidth) on the current TV channels to send HDTV and continue to provide you with today's television.
NBC12 has begun HDTV service. But as this new medium starts, not all of WWBT's television shows are produced in HDTV.
We are carrying in HDTV all NBC shows that are produced in that format (and that's much of NBC's primetime schedule). All the rest of our schedule is being "converted" to a picture that looks a lot like HDTV and plays on your HDTV but isn't true HDTV. [Click here for more on NBC & HDTV]
As time passes and more and more people have HDTV, more and more shows will be produced in this new format.
Q. Is HDTV expensive?
A. Prices have come down a lot. But top of the line, large screen, plasma HDTV's could cost you $4,000 or more. Other HDTV TV sets are selling in the range of $1,500 and up. Projection HDTV's range from about $1,200 to $5,000.
But just like color, most people believe those prices will come down as more and more people want HDTV and competition gets stronger. Already, in the last few years, we've seen prices come down about a thousand dollars a TV.
And the set manufacturers point out that the early color TV's, relative to the black and white TV of the 50's, were actually more expensive.
Q. I hear that my old TV will become obsolete soon. That doesn't sound fair.
A. When the Government developed the plan for the transition from today's (analog) TV to digital Television, back in the 90's, they guessed it would be complete this year. They predicted most all TV's in your home would be the new digital ones. However, because that hasn't happened, the deadline has now been extended to February 17, 2009. On that date, unless the government delays it again,your non-digital TV's will no longer pick-up any over-the-air signals.
The Government has plans for many of the old, analog TV channels NBC12 and other local TV stations now use. The expansion of cell phones and other wireless devices makes these frequencies very valuable. Today's TV channels are being sold to other industries.
As of February 2009, your only option will be cable, a new TV or 'converter boxes' that will turn the digital signals into signals your old TV can receive. Most people guess those converters -- which now cost about $500 -- will come down to about $100.
Beginning in 2008, you will be able to obtain up to two coupons worth $40 each toward the purchase of converter boxes for your analog TVs receiving over-the-air broadcasts. You can obtain these coupons from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which will be publishing rules on how to obtain and use the coupons sometime in 2006.
Q. I recently bought a HDTV monitor, but I can't find
Q: I've heard about Digital Television and High Definition Television. What's the difference?
A. You have found the key question. They are not the same.
Digital television (DTV) simply means the signal is transmitted as a bunch of ones and zeros. Right now, direct home satellite systems use a digital system to send signals to your home (where most likely, you convert them back to analog TV to play on your TV set). Some cable services do the same thing.
At this point, all commercial television stations in our area are operating a digital service on a separate channel from where you now watch them. NBC12 has its digital service (WWBT-DT) on channel 54.
You cannot see digital TV on a regular (or analog) television. You will need a new, special digital TV set or set-top-box to see the new digital TV channels.
Digital television has some big advantages. The picture you get is exactly what the station sends out. There is no "snow" or "ghosts" on digital TV. You either get the picture or you don't. The audio is also much clearer with the same range you expect from CD's.
High Definition Television (HDTV) is a special wide screen, super sharp, version of digital TV. HDTV is transmitted with about five times the amount of picture information and up to six channels of digital audio. It will provide the viewer with a clarity and picture quality you need to see to believe. It also appears on a wider-screen (much more like a movie screen).
There isn't enough "room" (bandwidth) on the current TV channels to send HDTV and continue to provide you with today's television.
NBC12 has begun HDTV service. But as this new medium starts, not all of WWBT's television shows are produced in HDTV.
We are carrying in HDTV all NBC shows that are produced in that format (and that's much of NBC's primetime schedule). All the rest of our schedule is being "converted" to a picture that looks a lot like HDTV and plays on your HDTV but isn't true HDTV. [Click here for more on NBC & HDTV]
As time passes and more and more people have HDTV, more and more shows will be produced in this new format.
Q. Is HDTV expensive?
A. Prices have come down a lot. But top of the line, large screen, plasma HDTV's could cost you $4,000 or more. Other HDTV TV sets are selling in the range of $1,500 and up. Projection HDTV's range from about $1,200 to $5,000.
But just like color, most people believe those prices will come down as more and more people want HDTV and competition gets stronger. Already, in the last few years, we've seen prices come down about a thousand dollars a TV.
And the set manufacturers point out that the early color TV's, relative to the black and white TV of the 50's, were actually more expensive.
Q. I hear that my old TV will become obsolete soon. That doesn't sound fair.
A. When the Government developed the plan for the transition from today's (analog) TV to digital Television, back in the 90's, they guessed it would be complete this year. They predicted most all TV's in your home would be the new digital ones. However, because that hasn't happened, the deadline has now been extended to February 17, 2009. On that date, unless the government delays it again,your non-digital TV's will no longer pick-up any over-the-air signals.
The Government has plans for many of the old, analog TV channels NBC12 and other local TV stations now use. The expansion of cell phones and other wireless devices makes these frequencies very valuable. Today's TV channels are being sold to other industries.
As of February 2009, your only option will be cable, a new TV or 'converter boxes' that will turn the digital signals into signals your old TV can receive. Most people guess those converters -- which now cost about $500 -- will come down to about $100.
Beginning in 2008, you will be able to obtain up to two coupons worth $40 each toward the purchase of converter boxes for your analog TVs receiving over-the-air broadcasts. You can obtain these coupons from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which will be publishing rules on how to obtain and use the coupons sometime in 2006.
Q. I recently bought a HDTV monitor, but I can't find
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I had DirecTv and recently switched to Insight. They gave me HD DVR at a great price, and I soon found out why. The HD box sucks and all of my local channel shows I DVR'd were scrambled. I DID need a new box, per DirecTv, and if I were her I'd wait for a while until they can get their product functional. I got out of my new contract because they knew the problem existed and a shitty service contract is null.
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BrutuStrength
It's time to bring it!
Your 2 year old set can get some HD channels, but likely not all of them, including local channels. I have a Sony HD box that is 2-3 years old. It gets all of the HD channels from the HD package that were available. I have a new receiver that DirecTv sent me this summer that works with my new 5 LNB dish. In addition to the channels from the HD package, it now gets my local channels (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC) in HD as well. These channels are from the 2 additional LNBs on my new dish. My older Sony HD receiver cannot read these new LNBs.Taosman;682579; said:
Nutty, I recommend to your sister that she call up DirecTv and ask them to give her a new receiver and the 5 LNB dish for free. They'll probably say OK, as long as she agrees to add 2 years to her contract. They did something similar with me. And if I were her, I'd push for the new HD receiver that includes the DVR. My brother got one of those by threatening to go back to cable since they would give him an HD box with DVR.
I know that the 5 LNB dish gets local HD channels in the Columbus and Cleveland areas. It might not get them in more remote areas.
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coxew
Heisman
This is good info. I called DirecTV on this issue just a few days ago. I have a 3 LNB dish and a $500 HD/DVR receiver that I bought about this time last year. I have to use the antenna to get my locals in HD and was checking to see if my market had locals in HD yet without using the antenna. I was told that you had to have their latest receiver, which currently has a waiting list, and change over to the 5 LNB dish. I think the new receivers were also selling for around $600. I'm not sure what kind of discount current subscribers may get. Until they start rolling out more channels in HD, I'm sticking with what I have. From what I understand, the only extra channels you get with the 5 LNB and new receiver are the local HDs, which are available anyhow with an antenna.BrutuStrength;682713; said:
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BrutuStrength
It's time to bring it!
Yep, that's pretty much all the extra stuff you get for now with the new receiver. Their new HD receivers aren't that much ($99 - $199) and the new one w/ the HD DVR is around $399.coxew;688307; said:
sandgk;688329; said:
DirecTv has been using channels 95 and 96 to air select broadcast from networks they carry that don't have designated HD channels at this time. They've done this for the past several years.coxew;688363; said:
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coxew;688307; said:
Anyone have any experience with getting locals in HD using an antenna in the Columbus area? I really want to make the full switch to DirecTV but I can't go without locals in HD, which they don't offer where I live yet.
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Not with DirecTV, but Dish Network a few years ago and they didnt have HD locals at the time. Use this website...BuckNutty;1500475; said:
Address
It will give you an idea what kind of antenna you need. The antenna plugged into the back of the Dish receiver and the channels appeared like all other stations with Dish, just highlighted in yellow. Pretty nice and easy.
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CookyPuss
Screw Blue
BuckNutty;1500475; said:
I live in Cincy, but if you get an HD box from Direct TV, you get locals in HD. I'm pretty sure that is true in any major market now.
Edit: now that I think about it, even if your locals aren't in HD, I believe you can access the national HD broadcasts as long as you have the HD receiver. If you don't want to get that, than you can by a Terk antenna that you clip on your dish that works well if your tv is HD ready.
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