Screaming Penguin

HDTV signals are most often received over the air? I had no idea about this until recently. Recently I got a new TV that can do the "HDTV" thing and so I started looking into it more. Turns out my expensive "digital" cable is really really really (did I say really) crappy. The picture quality is horrible on a nice TV and nothing on the entire network is "HDTV" even though its digital. This is the first thing I didnt understand. I thought digital was HD quality, not so. I also thought digital meant a good picture, not so. Also it turns out that while DirecTV has a few HD channels most people even with DirecTV use the "Over the Air" HDTV broadcasts from local channels. Thats right, over the air. Most local channels nowadays have an HD broadcast. In my area ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TBS, WB, UPN, PAX (hooray, they actually have 4 channels, yippee!), UNI (hooray Spanish style!) and several others actually have HD broadcasts. So how do you receive an HD broadcast? You buy an HDTV "capable" or "ready" TV right? Well thats part of it. You have to either buy a TV with an HDTV tuner built in, or buy a "set top box" HDTV tuner. Then once you have the tuner you have to climb on the roof or into the attic about 65 times until you get your new antenna in the perfect position. Thats right, you will once again have an antenna on the roof (or in the attic). You determine which antenna you need and what channels are in your area using antennaweb.org. Its a site setup by the manufacturers of said antennas and supporters of the HDTV thing. antennaweb is a great resource. The antenna thing has been very rough for me. I bought a big multi directional cheap antenna at Home Depot and mounted in in several locations in the attic. It worked on some channels, not on others. So then I spent a hundred bucks on the fancy Terk TV55. The TV55 works about the damn same as the cheap one. Moving it around I can get all channels, but its sort of inconvenient to climb the ladder into the attic and move it (I prefer just clicking a remote control). So my next step will be to mount it outside on the chimney or something. Its an unobtrusive antenna, so it wont look like arse, and hopefully that will help reception. I might fall of the roof and break both my legs trying, but dammit I am going to get all the channels! So again, long story short, the antenna thing is a pain. So the next thing I learn is that once you have a monitor, a tuner and an antenna, and you are now looking at HD broadcasts and they look pretty good, not all programming is shot with an HD setup (HD camera or whatever it is) because only a few specifically HD targeted programs REALLY look good. Thankfully CBS football looks AWESOME and supposedly so does ABC on Monday Night (we shall see tonight). All of the trouble (and expense, which BTW it mus t be mentioned wives love to bring up every other half second, its been a great joy for my wife to make fun of how much it costs and to see me crawling into the attic 65 times a day, quite a riot) may indeed be worth it however. The true HD broadcasts on a true HD monitor that can do 1080i resolution are pretty impressive. And if one of your hobbies is watching football in the most impressive and expensive manner possible SHORT of season tickets to a remote city then HDTV is for you. So in all of my trials (which arent over) and my ignorance I am sure I have missed many details or important things. Any real HDTV experts out there that care to offer more pointers or more information please do so.