- . Are HD local channels the only stations carried on the fifth satellite?
HD locals and HD RSN's are carried on 99 and 103 currently. ALL new HD that DirecTV plans to add later this year will also go on 99 and 103. So if you are into HD and the new channels you need to see all 5 sats.
- Will DirecTV give me the national HD feeds for Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, etc.?
Only if you get waivers from your local stations or you don't have a local affiliate in your area (say you don't have a Fox station then you can get the national Fox feed).
- Could I get the standard definition local channels along with the HD national feeds?
Yes, SD locals are included in every package, assuming they are available. HD locals just get added in if they are available as well.
- Considering that we didn't get good signal on an antennae back in the old days, is there any chance that a modern antennae would pick up the local HD channels clearly?
Antenna technology really hasn't changed much in the past 30 years. I have a 15+ year old rusting antennna on my roof and it pulls in the digital/HD channels perfectly. Check
www.antennaweb.org to see what is available in you area and what kind of antenna you need. Also go to
www.avsforum.com and find your cities local HD thread where you can post for advice from people actually in your area.
- Do you know of any knowledgeable people in the greater DC area who could look at this for me?
If you are actually in DC, unless you have mountain in the way you should be able to easily get your HD locals via antenna and if you're north of the city you'll probably pull in Baltimore as well. Again, the DC HD locals thread on AVS should be your first stop after antennaweb.