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Digital Connection Store - Frequently Asked Questions

   

 
   
     

 

 
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HDTV Basics

When speaking about HDTV in the US, getting the crystal clear picture can be very muddled.  There are currently three ways consumers get their TV signals: over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts, cable, and satellite.  Of the three, the OTA broadcast is the only free public service available since the conception of television to anyone with an antenna.

While the pay services like Cable and Satellite provides the equipment and labor for subscribers, understanding the free OTA service is a do-it-yourself affair.  Virtually all TV's on the market includes a dual ATSC/QAM receiver, the effort could be as easy as attaching an antenna or using an existing cable connection right to the back of the TV.  The more difficult explanation is that if you're not close to a metropolitan area, a little homework is in order to locate the broadcast tower distance and purchasing the right antenna designed for the task. 

For most viewers in the US, broadcast markets offer the national broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS) as well as local, syndicated, religious, ethnic, and even paid video-on-demand streaming service planned that varies by market.  The free nature of the service poses a dilemma for equipment manufacturers wanting to fill the hole of lack in recording devices.  The high bit-rate digital streams require large storage space to make it useful as a digital video recorder (DVR).  This often forces the consumer to seek Cable or Satellite service to obtain a DVR capable set-top-box, which also offers hundreds of channels and proprietary services like sports, premium movie channels, and streaming video-on-demand (VOD) services.  But for a very casual TV viewer happy with the local stations, there are ways to record OTA HDTV for viewing flexibility. 

To locate what services are available in your area, visit Antennaweb.org or TitanTV.com.  For the sake of discussion, we will cover only the public OTA system, but keep in mind that cable services also must provide a basic free HDTV service via the cable that has been ran into a home, referred to as unencrypted QAM service. What is offered via the commercial services vary from market to market, so consult your local cable company to obtain the information. 

Two UHF HDTV Antennas from Spectrum 
Spectrum's compact and stylish antennas are optimized for ATSC broadcast reception and easy to install and mount. 
 Spectrum LP-49 DTV indoor antenna
 Spectrum LP-410P DTV outdoor antenna

To complete the discussion about HDTV connectivity, below are the paid service options to obtain HDTV.

Satellite HDTV Service

Satellite services install a small dish outside of your home and offer set-top-boxes which can be bought or leased with or without recording capabilities.  There are additional charges for the ability to record shows on a DVR. 

Cable HDTV Service  

Cable is a little more complex.  Below are several options to receive cable signals:

HDTV Cable tuners built into HDTV.  These tuners are capable of receiving unencrypted cable channels, but won't be adequate for premium subscription services which will require a set-top-box or cable card.  If your TV has a cable card slot, a cable card can be leased from the cable service to obtain premium services. 

Cable Set-top-Box lease or purchase.  As often is the case, your cable company will offer to sell or lease you the cable box to receive premium services.  Cable operators also offer DVR devices at additional charge.

PC tuners with Cable Card.  These days, there are PC based cards that can receive premium cable services with the use of Cable Card that is provided by the cable operator.  Using a PC allows you to schedule and record your shows often on multiple channels and store the signal on your own hard drive along with all the other video, music, and photos files for viewing at a later time.  With advances made on a PC platform using Windows Media Center, today's HTPCs can offer a simple interface that's robust and multi-faceted for use as a whole home library, but there are pre-requisites for this performance.  A good place to start your research is Wikipedia Cable Card info

-Kei Clark
Updated 12/12/2011

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