View Full Version : am I out of options?
sotzo
01-31-2004, 05:30 PM
I live in down town San Jose, Ca (Silicon Vally 95112) and Comcast currently does not offer HDTV service, I tried to get Dish Network and DirecTV but the installer said that I dont have line of site with the HDTV satilte but I do have it with the regular DirectTV one.
Anyway, my question is do I have any other choices to get HDTV service in my area? I called Voom and they say you need south west sky, I have Eastern sky and a little of the southern sky, so that wont work either. Any suggestions would be great! I really dont want to waste my brand new TV on crappy regular service.
jigray3
11-21-2004, 01:47 PM
What about an antenna and OTA broadcasts? Multipath can be a little bit of an issue in an urban area, but a fairly cheap directional antenna, some RG6, and perhaps a tuner (if you don't have one built in) and you may be good to go. In my area, with the possible exception of ESPN HD and INHD, the local affiliates offer better quality HD picture anyway.
Thanks for including your zipcode.
Are you up next to a hill or tall buildings, surprised you can't get the sat's.
Check www.antennaweb.org for the digital stations in your area. Use your full address.
Based on your zipcode, there are plenty to stations that you can receive. They are all over the map and you would probably need a rotor for the antenna.
www.antennaweb.org recommends a medium range antenna. NBC is the only VHF station but since it transmits on CH12 (high VHF) and its close by, a good UHF antenna will most likely pick it up.
Check www.antennasdirect.com for a medium range antenna like the DB4. Channel Master and Winegard both make a similiar antenna. AntennasDirect has an excellent warranty and return policy. The 'bowtie' type antenna is excellent for multipath rejection (like ghosting on a analog set).
There is a lot of good reading in our FAQs, also on the www.antennasdirect.com website.
RadioShack is a good source for mounting hardware etc. They have a small UHF antenna that sells for under $25 too.
Digital OTA looks like it might be a good option for you.
Lee
