Just A Baby..

[Techfizzle]

i would not consider, if your a serious couch potato, going only with a free to air system. There are alot channels up there, but once you single out the holy channels, the shopping channels, the non-english channels, your only left with a handful of good chanels, white springs tv, family tv, and pbs, to name a couple.

Comedy Central, TLC, Discovery, and other premium channels, do not broadcast for free.

So you have two options.

1. Sign up for directv or dish network service.

2. Find a free satellite dish, by asking around town. Then subscribe to 4dtv.

The pro's of Dish or Directv, you will not have to wait while your dish is moving satellite to satellite, your receiver come with intergrated Video Recorder, you have a better HD Channel line up.

The Cons: Service will cost you anywhere from $20 to $100 a month, depending on what you want. Your service will sometimes cut out in the rain or snow.

Then you have 4dtv

Pro's: Excellent Picture quailty, the same format cable companies use, you can get every channel for $45 a month, Will not go out in rain or snow, never on a contract, so you can cancel anytime, no activation fees, using a hd-200, you will get free hd channels, and the sd channels will be upconverted, blowing away the picture on your dish or directv.

Cons: Equipment can be pricy, but if you do your homework, you should be able to get a dish and receiver for about $200; small delay while moving from satellite to satellite, not as easy to record video.

for more info go to NPS - Your One Call Solution - CBAND Satellite Programming C-band

 

[CountryBoyNC]

Thanks a lot to everyone......

So I guess i need to be pointed in the right Direction...
Where do i get started?

And as far as a hacked box goes...I like my freedom...
Dont have ot worry about me mesing with those..

All I want to do is see some Television.....

 

[concord]

You didn't specify where in NC, however for local (Over The Air == OTA) channels, it depends on your location and terrain (i.e. in a valley vs on top of a hill). I recommend checking out AntennaWeb to see where the local TV antennas are located. It will give you an idea of the type of antenna that would be needed also. Does your TV have an internal digital tuner? Is the TV High Definition (HD)? IF not, then I'd recommend the Dishnetwork TvPal (available at Sears and other places)...note that the output is not HD and you connect to your TV via coax or composite inputs.

For satellite reception, check to make sure you have a clear south view, i.e skyscrapers, large trees are not in the way. There is alot information on the sponsor's website like:
Installing your satellite dish and receiver - DIY INSTALLATION SUPPORT
Satellite AV - Free to Air Satellite Equipment Distributors - Fortec Star, GEOSATpro, Glorystar - SatelliteAV, LLC.
Wholesale Distributor and Supplier of Free To Air (FTA), MPEGII, DVB Satellite Equipment | We sell Traxis, Trimax, Fortec Star, and WSi Digital Satellite Equipment


Ku band requires a min of 30" dish, recommend 36". If you want to view multiple sats, you'll need either a motor or (depending on which sats you want) mutlitple dishes.

C-Band requires a min 6ft (though others have experimented with 4fters), but if you have a Homeowners Association, check with their restrictions.