HDTV antennas

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JJP
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HDTV antennas

Postby JJP » Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:18 pm

Hey gang,

Does anyone have any experience using HDTVs? I just found out my cable provider won't be showing the Super Bowl commercials but well be cutting to local ads. This is the final straw with them. I'm burnt out on the lousy service and high fees. A buddy of mine said he was able to cut off his cable after installing an HDTV antenna. He is bragging about being able to see the CBS Heyeper Zoom, video captured at 300 and 500 frames per second and 3840x2160 resolution (4xHD). That would be awesome to get that on my home theatre. I have no idea if I can use one with my RPTV and if it will affect my home theater. Would be great to cut my cable provide loose, see the commericale lives and enjoy that 4xHD! Any thoughts?

Thanks,

JJ

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grayfox
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Re: HDTV antennas

Postby grayfox » Sat Jan 25, 2014 12:11 am

Hello JJP,



That is really not cool of your cable provider to sell out the super bowl commercial airtime!

What is your TV Make and Model number? I ask this first because the TV in my living room is considered "HD Ready" because it does not have a digital tuner even though it says it is "Full HD". Apparently the High Definition broadcasts are not picked up by my tuner, so in order to get the most potential out of my TV I have an HD Receiver hooked to a Digital Antenna.



You must keep something in mind before you call your cable company and end your relationship!

In order to receive free digital high definition signals you must meet all of the following requirements:



-You live in an area that is capable of receiving over-the-air (OTA) broadcast signals.

-Your local broadcast stations (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, etc) transmit a digital signal.

-You either have a HDTV that has a built-in digital (ATSC) tuner, or a HD-ready TV with an external HD receiver connected to it like me.



Let me know and I will do my best to ensure you enjoy the super bowl commercials!
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ovadoggvo
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Re: HDTV antennas

Postby ovadoggvo » Sat Jan 25, 2014 6:23 am

JJ,

Great question and I think I can help you with what you need.



First, you need to find our if your Rear Projection TV has a build-in HD Tuner (also known as an ATSC Over The Air High Definition Tuner). One way to find out is by buying an HDTV antenna and plugging into the RF/coaxial connection on the back of your TV. Then you would go into the menu of your television and under the "setup" section you would pick the cable settings.



In cable settings - make sure your setting is set to "Air" (and not on "Cable")... this tells your TV that you will be using the standard Over The Air frequency.



Then, there should be an option for "Scan" or "Channel Scan" which will then start to look for over the air channel frequencies.



Once your TV starts to scan for channels it will tell you that it has found X number of Analog channels and X number of digital channels. If it says digital channels, it means you have a built in ATSC HDTV Tuner on your television.



Another way to check is if the channels go into a -X or .X ending... for example, the analog channel 6 will be on Channel 6.. the Digital (or HD) Channel 6 will say 6-1 or 6.1 (or 6-2 / 6.2).



If your TV doesn't have digital channels you can always buy an Analog to Digital ATSC Converter box for under $60. I highly recommend the Lutema AirTV box. This digital converter box essentially acts as an HDTV Digital Tuner... giving you all the -X or .X digital channels in High Definition.



I've tried many of these digital converter boxes, however, the lutema one is by far the best one. It also allows for recording of TV shows right onto a USB thumb drive or an external USB Hard Drive. You can even record those superbowl commercials in HD right from that box.. for under $60-$80. Its Amazing....



Even if your TV has a digital tuner, you may want to consider the Lutema AirTV box and an HDTV antenna from BestBuy as it may pick up more channels than your older TV set due to enhanced frequency technology over the last 3-4 years.



I hope this helps and let us know how it goes.

JJP
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Re: HDTV antennas

Postby JJP » Mon Feb 17, 2014 5:19 am

Hey Ovadoggvo,

Thanks for all the info. We are actually going to try the HDTV antenna with an older model we have. It's a Samsung -- nothing wrong with it -- just an older moder. With this Comcast/ Time Warner Cable deal in the works, I'm worried about slow streaming speeds. Going back to old fashioned Over The Air frequency to watch TV sounds better and better. I've ordered the Lutema AirTV box. I liked being able to order direct and not have to go through Amazon again. Will I need to do anything special for installation of the box?

Best,

JJ

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Re: HDTV antennas

Postby LutemaAmbassador » Mon Feb 17, 2014 7:41 pm

JJ,



Thank you for supporting Lutema and shopping directly at www.lutema.com.



You will find the AirTV HD digital converter box setup very straight forward.



All of the ports on the back are clearly labeled:



RF IN - This is where you put your Coaxial / RF cable from your HDTV antenna. (needed)

RF OUT - Option 1/3 to connect the AirTV box to your Samsung television, using coax/Radio Frequency cable

HDTV - Option 2/3 using an HDMI cable

VIDEO L-AUDIO-R - Option 2/3 using A/V cables (yellow, white and red)

DC 5V - Power Cord (needed)



There is also a USB port that allows you to attach a thumb drive to the AirTV to record and/or watch previously recorded programming.



The manual is included in the box, along with the remote control and RCA cables. It is also available online at: http://www.lutema.com/addins/pdfmanuals/Air%20TV%20BOX-manual-English130917.pdf



If you have any questions, you can call our knowledgeable customer service team at 800-290-6285, available 7 days a week.


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