Gonna put it all out there!!!

[labatt90]

ok, I am gonna put it all out there and stop beating around the bush. I have spent countless hours getting opinions from many people with all different systems and signals. I still however seem to be very confused on what to do. I am just going to put every question on the table in one thread and "git-er-done."

I have bought a $5,000 42" Sony Plasma. Here it is, if your interested.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=1VW_V5TVzV-_VNUan-K1XNvE3GLZz7w8pOU=?ProductSKU=KDE42XS955&Dept=tv&CategoryName=tv_hdtv_flatpanel

1.) I currently have 68 standard cable channels. Obviously this isn't going to cut it with spending so much to get a plasma that has 3 different HDTV connection ports. All the main channels that say CSI, Everybody loves Raymond, etc, that are HI-Def, aren't with my simple basic cable. They are still NTSC 4:3 480i. So, I need to get something. And of course this is where I am stuck. I did find out however, that I get channel 855, 820, 889, 821 and 83.2. They happen to be ABC, NBC, CBS, Discovery HD, and TNT HD. So, now I have a dilemma. Do I get the HD digital cable box from my cable company and pay $80 a month just to get Espn in HD? Do I get Direct Tv, just to get Espn and HD net and different football games from around the league?

2.) So, my second question is, does will a HD digital cable box make regular 4:3 cable look better anyway? Is getting this box going to make watching anything better even if it is still orginally a 4:3 regular feed?

3.) Direct Tv is about $300 for the triple LNB satellite and $36 dollars a month. Digital cable with a HD box is about $80 a month. That is $732 a year for direct tv and $960 a year for cable. The second year with direct tv would only be $432 and cable, still $960. Am I even right about this?

4.) Is cable or direct tv any better at giving HD channels and shows then what I have now?

5.) HELP!!!

James

[mjones73]

1) Your money, your choice, if you go the Directv route your going to need an antenna to get your locals unless you keep your basic cable also...

2) Probably not, probably worse, the tuners in TVs tend to do better with analog channels then the tuners in cable boxes.

3) Yes, but for the basic Directv package with their HD channels is $36 + $11 + an OTA antenna or basic cable for your local's in HD still.

4) What you have for your HD channels now is cable, adding a STB to get the premium channels such as ESPN won't improve the ones you already get. Directv is currently compressing their HD channels pretty good because of the Sunday Ticket HD games they have, I'd bet cable would look better for the premium channels at the moment, when they launch their new sats over the course of 2005 their PQ should go up.

[flafos]

Since you already have the cable, I would definately go with the cable company. You can get get them to hook you up with the new HD digital video recorder which are becoming more and more available (check your cable co.) and they are only a few dollars more per month.
The analog channels may not look as good through the cable box but you can split the 75ohm coax cable and run a feed directly to the TV. The analog channels will look as good as they can then. I have mine set up this way and I am completely satisfied with the 1-99 channels.
You can try this and change if you decide the sat. is what you want to do later down the road. Have fun with this new plasma and let us know how it is after you burn her in. Then you will probably want to know more about the latest DVD set-ups.

[kevinw]

DOes your cable company offer your locals in HD? If so get the HD bocxfrom them. It is more than ESPNHD it is your locals as well. Who is your cable co?

www.antennaweb.org will tell you what digital are available using an antenna.
www.titantv.com will tell you what available form all sources.

[labatt90]

As of right now, I get channels 2 through 70 or so in 4:3 analog signal through cable. However, by accident, I get channel 83.2, 83.3, 820,821,855,889. These happen to be ABC, NBC, CBS, TNTHD, Discovery HD, and another cbs. I can get all the shows on these channels. When a show like csi comes in HD, I get it. So, with getting all these accidentally because they aren't scrambled and my tuner reads them, should I spend money to get anything else?

[kevinw]

As of right now, I get channels 2 through 70 or so in 4:3 analog signal through cable. However, by accident, I get channel 83.2, 83.3, 820,821,855,889. These happen to be ABC, NBC, CBS, TNTHD, Discovery HD, and another cbs. I can get all the shows on these channels. When a show like csi comes in HD, I get it. So, with getting all these accidentally because they aren't scrambled and my tuner reads them, should I spend money to get anything else?
NO..... :wow:

[mjones73]

Your getting the QAM HD channels your cable company is required to offer with basic service, that's supposed to be like that...

[Splicer]

Channel 83.2 and 83.3??? What kind of cable box do you have??? Or is that the plasmas tuner??? Are those off the air channels or cable channels using the TV's tuner???

[labatt90]

My expert that I bought the tv from, says they are cable channels coming through the cable line that are not scrambled that I get with my tv's tuner.