Newbie - help with HDTV upgrade please!! (1 Viewer)

[Marc Weppner]

Hello all,
I want to start thinking about the jump into HDTV. I have a lot of questions on how to accomplish this, and I am going to try to put them all into this post. Any time you have to answer my questions will be GREATLY appreciated.
Currently, I have DirecTv with a single LNB on a Toshiba 43H70. I have Comcast cable on the other sets in my house.
Here is what I would like with some questions(I need to stick with DirecTv instead of Dish Network because of the Sunday Ticket):
1) satellite to go to main TV for now (for HDTV plus regular programming) with potential to go up to 5 sets, with perhaps more than one HDTV location in future.
2) a satellite dish that gives me HDTV signals from both DirecTv and OTA / standard programming from DirecTv / and Local Channels through DirecTv and/or OTA? What type of dish can do this for me and at what cost?
3) a receiver that gives me an integrated on-screen program guide/schedule, including satellite, local OTA HDTV, and local channels (I prefer Sony - does their receiver accomplish this?)
4) will the current cable I have running from my dish to my receiver work with a new dish and receiver? or will I need to upgrade that cable? I don't know what kind it is now - it looks like standard cable.
5) once I purchase the new equipment and it is installed, will I view everything through my HDTV component input (Input # 5), or will I need to switch inputs depending on whether I am watching standard TV or HDTV?
6) If I leave Comcast on the other sets, can I convert them to satellite later using the existing cables in my house? Or will I have to rewire everything?
I hope these questions make sense to you guys. I'm not very knowledgeable in these areas, and will appreciate any help/information/advice any of you can give me.
THANK YOU!
-Marc

 

[Marc Weppner]

one more question: if I'm set up with a satellite dish and receiver that does the above, will this remove the need to pay for local channels through DirecTv? Will this mean I can receive my locals OTA instead?
THANKS!
Marc

 

[Brian Mello]

I'll try to answer a few questions:
If you currently have DirecTV now and want to stay with them, you will need to upgrade to a HD receiver like the Sony SAT-HD100, RCA DTC-100, Toshiba DST-3000, etc. I own the DST-3000 and have Cable & Satellite diplexed to "Sat-In" and my OTA antenna to "Ant-In". Recently most of the local program info just started showing up in the guide and its very nice. As long as you have line of site to the 119 satellite you will be able to mount your new 18"x24" dish where your current 18" dish is located with some minor tweaking. I had to move mine a little bit to get both satellites. I'm sure you already have RG6 coax installed so you can use the same cable. Depending on your location you will just have to experiment with different antennas for OTA reception. Don't bother with Dish attach on antennas. If you get good OTA Digital signal reception, you won't need to get the local channels from DirecTV because the Digital channels will look better anyway. Depending on the STB you get, you can probably view everything via "Componet 1" because the STB will upconvert everything to 1080i. However, some programs look better in natural 480i via S-Video. As long as your cable company ran RG6 through your house you can use the existing coax. Good Luck!

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Ok, only those I know about.
4. The cable from your sat to your sat receiver is RG-6, and that will NOT have to be changed.
5. Once you pick up an HD station, will you get 24/7 with the new channel number, so you won't have to switch over to the old channel for non HD shows.
6. Normal CATV cables are RG59, and MIGHT not work with your dish. As most houses have a splitter where the cable line from the pole goes to your house, you can read the numbers on the cables themselves. What I did was to pull all of the CATV from my house one by one. (they were RG-59) and replace them with RG-6 quad shield.
I said MIGHT above because sometimes RG-59 will work, but sometimes it does not. Your best bet is to buy a roll of RG-6 from Home Depot along with the plugs, crimper and either a coax cutter or a knife to fix the ends. If TV's in different rooms will be on different DTV stations, you will need a receiver for each one, along with a diplexer, I think? (Not sure about the name).
Hope that helps - Glenn

 

[Marc Weppner]

Thanks for the responses!! I'll probably look into making my "move" in the next couple of weeks.
Thanks for your time.