Cancel Cable and Internet???

[Hot dog]

please teach us who don't know how to work it

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Hot dog

please teach us who don't know how to work it

Well, I don't think we should be posting illegal advice, but there are plenty of free legitimate sites for entertainment online. Many networks post full episodes of their TV shows online. NBC, ABC, etc. Sites like fancast.com or hulu.com post many current and classic shows, movies, etc. Most newspapers and many magazines can be read online for free.

[Hot dog]

Thanks! that is what I meant of course. Just teach us the legal ways to get free entertainment

[noppenbd]

I wanted to clarify something. You do not necessarily need a converter box to get HD local stations with rabbit ears.

If your TV is equipped with an ATSC tuner (most newer TVs are) you can just hook a pair of HD rabbit ears directly to the TV. The HD rabbit ears are not the same as the old analog rabbit ears but I got ours for less than $20 online.

[Hot dog]

My tv is high def compatible or something but it is not built right in so I am not sure what I need I guess I got it before high def was really popular but we knew it was coming

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Hot dog

My tv is high def compatible or something but it is not built right in so I am not sure what I need I guess I got it before high def was really popular but we knew it was coming

Another clarification.

High Def (HD) is not the reason for the converter boxes.

The reason for the converter boxes is that all tv signals will now be digital, not analog. If you have a newer tv, it should already be digital and noppenbd is correct that you may not need a converter box to continue to use an antenna. The converter is built in.

HD is something different and refers to the resolution of the picture. You need an HD television to get the benefit of that. A converter box won't help you there.

[noppenbd]

DS, you are correct that I was confounding the HD with digital TV (ATSC).

The reason being that currently all our local stations broadcast in HD digital. But it is possible to broadcast in digital at lower resolutions, I suppose.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by noppenbd

DS, you are correct that I was confounding the HD with digital TV (ATSC).

The reason being that currently all our local stations broadcast in HD digital. But it is possible to broadcast in digital at lower resolutions, I suppose.

Yes, they could broadcast non-HD digital, but they may not be. They are probably just sending out one signal that is HD digital. If you have an HD TV, you see it in HD. If you don't, you see it in whatever resolution your TV is capable of displaying. After February, if you don't have a digital television or converter box for an analog television, you will see lots of pretty white snow.

[murphyc]

Disneysteve, watch-movies.net works very well for me and thousands of others who use it daily. The word "illegal" cracks me up in this context and you should check out what it is. Again, it ain't perfect but it is cool. I anticipate this post will be removed, though.

[tripods68]

We were a former Comcast subcriber for many years. I just hate the way they keep increasing fees every year. So we decided enough is enough. We dropped them completely last month and switch to SUREWEST HI-def HD Triple Package (landline/cable/Internet) with HBO since I'm a BIG boxing fan. We're now saving $85 a month for switching. It really makes a difference.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by murphyc

Disneysteve, watch-movies.net works very well for me and thousands of others who use it daily. The word "illegal" cracks me up in this context and you should check out what it is. Again, it ain't perfect but it is cool. I anticipate this post will be removed, though.

I didn't mean to accuse anybody of anything. I just assumed "bootleg movies" implied something not quite legitimate.

[disneysteve]

murphyc, just out of curiosity, I took a look at that site. It is totally an illegal file-sharing site. I tried to click on 3 different movies to see what would happen. All 3 times I got a message saying the file had been removed due to infringement.

Folks, stay away from these sites. The authorities can and will prosecute people who participate in illegal downloading. It has happened before and will continue to happen. Plenty of free stuff online. Maybe not 1st run movies but lots of good stuff.

[feh]

Originally Posted by noppenbd

The HD rabbit ears are not the same as the old analog rabbit ears but I got ours for less than $20 online.

This is incorrect. There is no such thing as "HD" or "Digital" tv antennas, regardless of the catch phrases you'll see on the box at the store.

The same antenna used to receive tv broadcasts in the 50s will receive the new digital broadcasts. Don't waste your money buying a new antenna if you already have one.

[Aleta]

I wanted to clarify one thing also. The TV where we are using the DTV converter box is a TV from early 80's. They do say that your TV has to say that it is a digital tuner. My brother bought his HDTV over 2 years ago and it doesn't have it. You have to check. If you have a newer TV with the digital tuner, the converter box will allow you to view the channels that are HD in HD. I'm only talking about local channels if you don't have satellite or cable.

[feh]

Originally Posted by Aleta

If you have a newer TV with the digital tuner, the converter box will allow you to view the channels that are HD in HD. I'm only talking about local channels if you don't have satellite or cable.

No, this is incorrect. There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding digital television broadcasts. I wish I had a web site I could post that explains everything clearly and concisely...

Bottom line - if your tv has a digital tuner (in other words, can receive ATSC broadcasts), you do not need any converter box at all.

Converter boxes are needed only for televisions with analog (NTSC) tuners.

Using a converter box will not provide an HD picture. It simply allows you to view digital broadcasts on an analog television.

[noppenbd]

Here is a good page on the FCC website detailing the changeover to Digital TV (DTV as they call it):

ALL-DIGITAL TELEVISION IS COMING (AND SOONER THAN YOU THINK!)

So look for the words "Integrated Digital Tuner", "Digital Tuner Built-in". It may also use the terms "DTV" "ATSC" or "HDTV" instead of "Digital". If your TV says those then you just need a pair of rabbit ears to view Digital TV over the air for free. If it says "Digital Monitor", "HDTV Monitor" or "HDTV Ready" then you need to buy a set-top converter box to view over-the-air DTV.

[wblake]

I don't have cable and don't miss it very often. There are a couple of channels that I would sometimes like to watch, but unfortunately where I am you can't get them without paying for the higher cable package with all the extra channels. It just isn't worth the money for the odd time I want to see something.

Most of the major networks have a lot of their stuff available to watch on their websites now anyway, as another poster mentioned. It's not as comfortable to watch it on the computer, but if you really need to see something (like the Olympics for example) you can. Plus, less comfort means I don't spend as much time sitting and watching :-)

[Hot dog]

Are all of the convertor boxes priced about the same? Should I shop around or look online?

[feh]

They all seem to start at $60. If you want to spend more, you certainly can.

Go to cnet.com (or similar sites) for product comparisons.

[Aleta]

I decided on mine through consumer reports. Mine was one of 3 that consumer reports reccommended.

Our local broadcasters are telling us that if you have a HD TV with a digital tuner that you can receive the local channels that have HD without paying HD prices the way you do for cable or satelite.