Entertainment Center: TVs, Stereos, VCRs and DVDs - converter box and antenna help
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panteramatt
11-05-09, 04:19 PM
Im going to be putting a tv in my cabin in the mountains and will need some sort of reception device. Now days, I need to get a convertor box for digital signal AND an antenna right? If so, which are the best ones and what else might I need to recieve a good reception?
fewalt
11-05-09, 08:00 PM
we need more info;
what kind of tv? crt or flat screen
how far from tv towers are you?
ck antennaweb.org
fred
what kind of tv? crt or flat screen
how far from tv towers are you?
ck antennaweb.org
fred
panteramatt
11-06-09, 03:27 AM
Its an older Sony wega lcd projection 50". Im gonna guess that I might be pretty far as it decently remote.
panteramatt
11-06-09, 03:34 AM
Great, by the looks of it Ill recieve 1 station and thats PBS!!!
fewalt
11-06-09, 05:36 AM
Well, if your Sony has an ota tuner already, all you need is an antenna.
You could also consider a sat. system. Get one for home. Have a second dish installed at the cabin and take a receiver up to the cabin - all the channels you need.
Or, take plenty of DVDs!!!
fred
You could also consider a sat. system. Get one for home. Have a second dish installed at the cabin and take a receiver up to the cabin - all the channels you need.
Or, take plenty of DVDs!!!
fred
cheinemann
11-06-09, 08:19 AM
like fewalt said, antennaweb.org is a very good reference for finding transmit towers, etc. If you are in a remote area, I would highly suggest an amplified antenna of some sort. As for which type (omnidirectional, vs directional) This is where antennaweb comes in handy. It will tell you by color codes, which type of antenna will work to pick up various channels. Hope this helps.
panteramatt
11-07-09, 10:25 PM
How do I know if my TV has a ota tuner?
Gunguy45
11-08-09, 10:57 AM
All TVs (real TVs, not the big monitors) will have an ota tuner..(that means Over The Air). I think fewalt may have mis-spoke his thoughts.
An older set MAY not have a Digital tuner just an Analog. Thats when you would need a converter box.
The Digital TV Transition: FAQs - Consumer Corner - Digital Transition (http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html)
They have a map there to check what should be available.
Be advised, you may need to upgrade the antenna if you were only getting a marginal signal when it was analog. Digital is pretty much an all or nothing thing.
An older set MAY not have a Digital tuner just an Analog. Thats when you would need a converter box.
The Digital TV Transition: FAQs - Consumer Corner - Digital Transition (http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html)
They have a map there to check what should be available.
Be advised, you may need to upgrade the antenna if you were only getting a marginal signal when it was analog. Digital is pretty much an all or nothing thing.
panteramatt
11-08-09, 01:56 PM
Well it looks like Im beat. Only 1 channel and its weak. I guess Ill have 2 stick 2 dvd's. I dont wanna go 2 sat in my home as I like cable and am probally gonna check out fios.