OTA dilemna....

[soonersherm]

My living room TV set is one of the first generation HDTV sets, (not a flat panel). The picture is great, I love HD, and I have no worries. The major problem I am having is that it does not have an ATSC tuner built in.

As I'm sure many of you know, the latest DirecTV HD DVR receiver DOES NOT include an ATSC tuner.

So I'm stuck. When the full DTV transition is made, in order to watch free OTA HD I will either have to 1) purchase the DirecTV piggyback USB ATSC tuner, or 2) get a new TV.

Other than the scenarios I've just listed, can you guys think of any possible workaround that would enable me to watch OTA HD on this non-ATSC tuner set?

Maybe there's a way to fiddle with the ATSC tuner inside one of those digital conversion boxes?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[boba]

Spend $50 on the AM21 and connect it to your HR2x receiver. USED HDTV Satellite receivers and stand alone HDTV tuners on eBay are going to cost you that much. Digital converter boxes are designed for SD output not HDTV that was a requirement to qualify for the coupon program.

 

[daddyzlod]

I put a Zenith DTT 901 digital converter box on a Sanyo 30" HD crt TV connected by coax to the digital
coax input on the TV, and it showed the HD channels out of the Twin Cities in HD.
Real nice picture.

 

[osu1991]

if it was connected via coax, it was just passing a downconverted digital signal, but it was NOT HD. Yes it will look good but it is not HD it is 480i SD.

Channels are not HD they are digital. HD is a name for a broadcast format 720p or 1080i, 1080P.

 

[Jim5506]

In order to see an HD picture on your HDTV, you MUST use either a component (RED/BLUE/BREEN) cable or HDMI cable, anything else is just very nice SDTV.

I have a 34" Phillips CRT HDTV and it has a very good picture on digital SDTV but REAL HDTV is sooooo much better!

 

[Larry1]

You need an HDTV tuner not a converter box.