OTA Question

[Muckrak3r]

If I am getting the Dish HD package is there a need for an OTA antenna? All I want is my locals in HD, and according to the rep at Dish, those will be included.

 

[gc3jeff]

Kind of depends where you live and if you like all of the extra digital channels that are at 5.02, 5.03, etc. PBS HD only comes in with an antenna.

I think the biggest benefit of the OTA antenna is that you get a 3rd tuner because of OTA. So you can record 3 HD sources at once. It's already come in handy now that CFB season is here and has games on OTA HD channels. For example, last weekend my wife's tuner for Giada's Getaway on the Food Network didn't interrupt me from watching two games simultaneously (one dish tuner, one ota tuner) while the other dish tuner recorded her show for later viewing when I wasn't in charge of the remote.

I'd say definitely invest the $25 bucks in an antenna. Dell has the Terk iHDTV one for that price. Depends how far you are from the transmission towers to see if this fits for you. I'm about 20 miles and it works great. The payback was made for me in one game I didn't get to miss and now the rest is just gravy.

 

[adavis720]

Ditto everything gc3jeff says.

The 3rd tuner is great and I can only get PBS in HD w/ the antenna as well, plus the channel that broadcasts our local baseball games is only available in HD OTA too.

 

[garys]

If I am getting the Dish HD package is there a need for an OTA antenna? All I want is my locals in HD, and according to the rep at Dish, those will be included.

The HD locals are a part of the local channel package, not the HD package. If Dish does not offer your HD locals, the only way you can get them is via OTA. If you go the OTA route, the channels will only have guide info if you subscribe to the local package. If you only want the locals and not the HD package you will have to pay an enabling fee $6 compared to $20. The CSR is way off.

 

[Muckrak3r]

Okay - I am in the Dallas area, and my address on dishnetwork.com does show the 4 major channels in HD. I am quite a bit outside of the main metropolitan area (25 miles or so) so I wonder if an OTA antenna would actually work, but if its only $20 why not try...

 

[garys]

I am over 20 miles from the towers and over some mountainous terrain and have no problem receiving the signals. With right equipment you should have very little problems either. Check AntennaWeb and fill in info for your area.

 

[highdefjeff]

Get an antenna!

Okay - I am in the Dallas area, and my address on dishnetwork.com does show the 4 major channels in HD. I am quite a bit outside of the main metropolitan area (25 miles or so) so I wonder if an OTA antenna would actually work, but if its only $20 why not try...

Dallas has many digital feeds. (I counted 12...) With additional programming of local digital channels, you will increase your HD programming and digital SD local channels, considerably! The antenna (and possible amplifier) may run a little more than $20.00, but it will be well worth it.

All your information here:

FREE HDTV!

 

[KKlare]

Caution, the OTA feed will often take up much more disk space as they are MPEG-2 while the satellite local HD is MPEG-4 or about half the size. You don't really get to see the sizes until you use an external hard drive. Of course, as our CBS station has not given retransmission agrement, I would have little choice for those programs, nor for CW etc.
-Ken

 

[Muckrak3r]

Okay - the install was successful today. I have ALL locals in HD plus many more. I am in awe of the pic quality. I don't think I will venture into OTA because I have everything I need and I'm a lazy college student..... Thx for the tips/advice all.

 

[Barry Erick]

All of the digital channels take the same 6 mhz broadcast bandwith. It seems that all of the .1, .2, .3 and .4's can fit in as a full HD takes all and all the .'s below .1 have to cease when a full bandwidth hd runs. Sure, it takes more encoders but not a data bit more that the hd. Of couse they have to be able to control this, but that is easy with bandwidt detectors.

 

[Jim5506]

Locals will take up more HDD space, because CBS and NBC are 1920X1080 OTA, not 1440X1080. 33.3% more pixels to draw.