Please!! Some straight answers on the new information.

[Cabby]

I live in the suburbs of Washington, DC.

Based on the information released today....

1. When can I get my local channels in HD? I want a date, no "Well maybe" or "I guess around..." It doesnt even need to be a correct date, but I want a date (from Dish) of when I will receive my local channels in HD.

2. What equipment do I need to receive the aforementioned channels?

How is Dish the leader in HD??? Every other service out there can give me my local channels in HD.... TODAY! Not sometime in Feb or March, or who knows when.... I guess if I want to watch 24 hour Kung Fu and am willing to put another dish on my roof, then yes, Dish is certainly the leader in HD, hooray for them.

I dont care if it's not 1080i and MPEG-4 and all that crap... I want some sort of local HD channels. It doesnt need to be perfect, but it needs to be in HD, and it needs to be very soon. Work on getting it perfect later, give me something now that I can use with my existing dish and my existing HD receiver.

And it's not the cost that bothers me. I would shell out $699 for a new receiver if that's what it takes. Honestly, cost is no object. Wasting my time with waiting for some guy who can barely speak to put another dish on roof bothers me. Not giving me concrete information bothers me. Not knowing any sort of timeframe bothers me.

Just give me a date, tell me how much and where to get the new receiver, and I will do so. I want some solid information right now or I'm switch to crappy cable who can give me my Redskin game in HD on Fox every Sunday.

 

[Reefer123]

...1. When can I get my local channels in HD? I want a date, no "Well maybe" or "I guess around..." It doesnt even need to be a correct date, but I want a date (from Dish) of when I will receive my local channels in HD...

Dude read that to yourself and see if it makes any sense. Give me a date even if it is not accurate?!?!?! No one knows, Dish doesn't know either IMO. If you need it that bad get cable. If money is no object, keep E*, call your local cable company and get it installed ASAP. Heck you probably won't be watching the Redskins in HD after this weekend :devil: :devil: anyway so whats the rush???

 

[hpman247]

1. No big deal putting up a new dish. It's legal even in your HOA.
2. You need to care if it's 1080i or 720p. You can't call garbage thats 1440*1080 or 1280*1080 HD.
3. You'd rather have them wait and get it right huh. Well, they should get it right now. They should nto release somethign until it is damn near perfect. Having them put channels in HD LITE only makes it easier for them to get by with it later on.

Think about new subs that have never seen HD. They will look at that HD Lite junk and be wowed. They will never complain about thr PQ b/c they have not seen its possibilities. I have had dish HD a year and a half and I know what it's supposed to look like. Give it time man...And GO SKINS. They'll beat TB. Put that antenna outside like i told you in your "Clueless" thread and you will get your Skins in HD.

 

[Cabby]

I just want them to throw me a bone. The information is so ambigious, I dont feel like I know anymore now, then I did before. That's my point. If they are waiting to make a feasible, cheap upgrade path, well that's fine. But I'll shell out to get it now if I have to.

I dont want to put another dish on my roof, and I sure as hell dont want a 10+ foot antenna on my roof.

 

[JH1949]

I just want them to throw me a bone. The information is so ambigious, I dont feel like I know anymore now, then I did before. That's my point. If they are waiting to make a feasible, cheap upgrade path, well that's fine. But I'll shell out to get it now if I have to.
I dont want to put another dish on my roof, and I sure as hell dont want a 10+ foot antenna on my roof.

I've already posted elsewhere that I am simple minded, but here's my opinion anyway:

(1) E* starts DMA's HD LIL March 2006
(2) E* does 4 DMA per month
(3) your DMA is #8
(4) 2 month fudge factor for E* being late
(5) QED: you will have your HD LIL by July 2006

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=51279

For myself with Nashville locals 55 miles away, I started beefing up my HD OTA equipment in December 2005 because I don't expect to get E* HD LIL for about a year.

 

[mdonnelly]

... I want some sort of local HD channels. It doesnt need to be perfect, but it needs to be in HD, and it needs to be very soon. Work on getting it perfect later, give me something now that I can use with my existing dish and my existing HD receiver.
And it's not the cost that bothers me. I would shell out $699 for a new receiver if that's what it takes. Honestly, cost is no object. ...

Cabby, if cost is no object, and you want good HD locals that will work with your existing equipment, put up a good OTA antenna. You'll get a lot more digital channels than either E* or D* will provide, they'll be pristine, with full bitrate/bandwidth direct from the station, you won't need a new receiver, and you won't be paying somebody else money every month for the privilege of watching local HD. Other people in the DC suburbs have done it. They get DC and Baltimore both.

 

[Cold Irons]

I'm with mdonnelly here.....put up an OTA antenna & enjoy it for the weeks (or months...or years) until HD is available via Satellite. You're lucky to be in an area where you can get OTA - a lot of the country is not it that situation. Got my 50" plasma in November partially so that I could see the rest of the NFL & Redskins season in HD. The OTA antenna + DVR 942 is such a sweet combination that you just won't regret it....a really, really great HD picture with DVR functionality. The antenna option is pretty cheap (esp. if you DIY). In my case, there is no cable available - it's either E* or D*.

If E* provides DC locals in summer of '06, I may add those also depending on the cost & then can use either Sat or OTA for HD locals...a little added plus. But in the meantime, I'm watching the 'Skins in HD, CSI in HD, and the Voom/HD pak....

 

[caesar gdi]

cabby,

I dont know how far away you are from the towers but who says that you will need a +10' antenna? My antenna is small and I was surprised at how many other houses around me have antennas. also I have an HOA too.

 

[Cabby]

I can't put a 10+ foot antenna on my roof. I just can't, its hideous and the wife will never go for it.

Would it work in the attic? Keeping in mind I'm something like 55 miles away?

 

[datwell]

Cabby: Me too! I put up a big CM4228 to get my locals + our beloved 'Skins. The problem is that wind pretty much does a number on the CM4228.

C'mon Charlie - we need our locals!!

--Doug

 

[Cabby]

Cabby: Me too! I put up a big CM4228 to get my locals + our beloved 'Skins. The problem is that wind pretty much does a number on the CM4228.

C'mon Charlie - we need our locals!!

--Doug

Does anyone have a pic of this hideous monstrosity I have to put on my roof?

 

[caesar gdi]

I have the 4228 also but I dont have a pic of my setup. here are some pics I found on google.

 

[JamesJ]

I can't put a 10+ foot antenna on my roof. I just can't, its hideous and the wife will never go for it.
Would it work in the attic? Keeping in mind I'm something like 55 miles away?

My attci antenna works great and I am about 45 miles from my stations, with trees all around me! I would recommend OTA Hd reception any day of the week! especially sunday

 

[tigertalk]

Does anyone have a guide to the effective range of over the air HD antennas? I live about 70 miles from Kansas City. Is there a high def antenna that would pull in transmissions from that distance?

 

[JH1949]

Winegard 9095 with 28db preamp picked up signals for me at 55 miles, but I'm looking at alternatives because of multipath. This was very stable in 40mph winds.

http://www.tselectronic.com/winegard/hd9095.html?tse_Session=2196810c43dda6d226967994889df4a8

 

[gdarwin]

Winegard 9095 with 28db picked up signals for me at 55 miles, but I'm looking at alternatives because of multipath. This was very stable in 40mph winds.

http://www.tselectronic.com/winegard/hd9095.html?tse_Session=2196810c43dda6d226967994889df4a8

Same antenna I'm using without an amp. 14 miles. Works great.

 

[Stargazer]

I look at it this way, if I waited this long then I can wait a while longer. By the time I do get it there will be something else that is new on the horizon.

 

[Cabby]

My attci antenna works great and I am about 45 miles from my stations, with trees all around me! I would recommend OTA Hd reception any day of the week! especially sunday

Which attic antenna do you have?

 

[BrettTRay]

Does anyone have a guide to the effective range of over the air HD antennas? I live about 70 miles from Kansas City. Is there a high def antenna that would pull in transmissions from that distance?

I am about 65 miles from Birmingham, about 62 miles from Huntsville, and about 85 from Atlanta. I can get most every channel from all three DMA's without much of a problem. Of course I have a high gain antenna and a preamp.

 

[AndyOI]

Well I'll put it this way...I'm 30 miles from Baltimore stations. I hooked up a cheap, non amplified set top antenna to my TV's integrated tuner IN THE BASEMENT (concrete) and picked up most of the baltimore stations. (The 811 tuner missed a couple extras). Then I switched to my powered set top antenna. I raised the antenna to ground level and now I pick up ALL the Baltimore stations at 85% signal strength as well as several Washington ones. Basically I get every channel that www.antennaweb.org says I will need a Large Directional Rooftop Antenna with Pre Amp.

So it really doesn't take much to get those channels. You could put a slightly larger antenna in your attic and be just fine.