DirecTV HDTV questions.

[MLapointe]

I have two questions.

1. Are any companies coming out with a DirecTV HDTV box with a built-in OTA tuner between 300 and 400 dollars US. If not when could we expect the prices to drop down to this level.

2. Based on this antennaweb page would I have trouble picking up my local HDTV stations with an indoor antenna. By the way I have no buildings within 10+ blocks that are more than two stories high and very little trees around either. Just 2 moderate sized trees around me. Also no hills or bad type terrain.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/stations.asp

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

[nyworker3]

you should be ok-i have a zenith gemini hdtv attenna, i think it was 50 bucks, most of the time it works fine, some fade outs pending on weather or not, but oother than that , dont kill your self on a expensive attenna.

[kevinw]

We can not help unless you give us some info, like where do you live? Own,rent, apartment/house etc.

All Direct HD boxes accept OTA. If you look around BestBuy/Circuit City you can find open box units under 400. Ebay is another place. MAny people are switching to cbale and selling off boxes.

Not likely for new though..

[MLapointe]

Sorry I didn't unclude this info. I live in Seminole, Florida. I own my house. I don't want to go through the trouble of getting an outdoor antenna if I don't have too. I would never switch back to Bright House Networks Tampa Bay. I was told over three years ago that they would be adding all of our local channels in HDTV. Well they did add ABC and FOX just about a year ago and I'm still waiting for CBS and NBC for going on 4 years now. I've asked them when they would offer the Explorer 8000 settops and was told that it would be available by the end of 2002. Then it became no later than May 2003 and as of now they still haven't offered it yet. I've been waiting for them to add Showtime on Demand and I was also told that they would offer this channel by the end of 2002. This was also delayed until sometime in April 2003. As of now they still haven't launched it. This sums up why I would never go back to BHN. They are all talk but they never actually do anything. If I can't see CBS in HDTV I would rather watch it in digital than in analog if you know what I mean.