Am I able to get HDTV signals from Directv if I don't get local channels? (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Adams]

This is driving me crazy. I can't get a strait answer from Directv. Nobody there knows what they are talking about. Anyway, I live in Colorado Springs,CO. And I am in an area that does not give me my local channels through Directv. They keep telling me soon. Yea right, I have heard that for 3 years now. Anyway I am able to get CBS east and west coast. My question is, if I can get the CBS east coast and west coast signal, if a show if broadcast in HDTV, will I get that signal too? Or will I just get the normal signal? Thanks.

 

[David Forbes]

You will just get the analog CBS signal over DirecTV. The only HD channels currently on DirecTV are HDNet, HBO, Showtime, and an HD PPV channel on 198.

 

[Jeff Adams]

Thanks David. So in other words, nobody in the US can get HD signals for CBS,FOX,ABC & NBC if they have DirecTV?

 

[Quentin]

Correct. You must get those signals with an antenna.

 

[Jeff Adams]

What kind of antenna do I need to buy? And don't my local channel providers have to broadcastin the hdtv signal in order to get it? Can I get hdtv channels from Denver? I am 60 miles south of them.

 

[Tom Foley]

Jeff, check out avsforum.com in their local HDTV form for (very indepth) answers to your questions. I don't really keep up with Denver news, but I can tell you that the over-the-air HDTV situation in Denver has been a headache for years there. Basically, it has a lot to do with a proposed tower, and also because not many people could receive digital channels there anyway, I think the local broadcasters are not up to snuff with their equipment. Sixty miles might be kinda far. Search that forum using your city, Colorado Springs, as a search criteria and I'm sure you'll find stories from people who live near you.

You can also get HDTV from Dish, and they have CBS, HBO, SHO, Discovery Channel, and maybe a PPV channel, I'm not sure.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

There are no high definition feeds of CBS, NBC, ABC, or Fox on DirecTV. Dish Network has a CBS high definition feed, but you can get it only if you live in an area where the local CBS affiliate is owned by CBS, or the local CBS affiliate not owned by CBS gives permission.

DirecTV should have Colorado Springs local channels sometime in the first half of this year so you won't have to wait much longer for that. Try not to sound too upset about having to wait in front of those of us who live in smaller markets that may never see local channels on satellite.

 

[Jeff Adams]

Wayne, do you know if Dish Network is going to have local channels a long with DirecTV? And if they do, would that mean that I could get a hdtv signal for CBS? And the reason I am so mad about it, is before I even bought the satellite system DirecTV told me almost 3 years ago that local channels were only 6 months away.

 

[David Forbes]

Check out www.titantv.com for help in reception/availability of channels.

I use a yagi antenna in my attic that I bought at Radio Shack for $40.00. I also added a rotor for $60.00.

 

[Binh Vu]

At least for now, you can't get your local channels in HD through D*. The only way you can get your local ch is buy an antenna. I'm not sure your area broadcasting HD or not but I think they should.
Or you can try a good indoor ant and see if you can pick up any channel. Make sure you buy it at some stores with good return policies. I myself have a good luck with TERK TV5 indoor ant, it picked up all the digital channels avail in my area

 

[DwightK]

You all are lucky you live in large markets. I am in the 160th TV market and the local stations have very cleary stated that I will never see OTA HD. The equipment that is required for HD reception any farther away from the tower than a mile or so is WAY more than our stations can bring in through any advertising, etc. One of our channels, CBS, has already met the requirements by putting up the very smallest, cheapest tower and tranmitter that they could get away with to meet the upcoming deadlines. Our NBC station is only putting up a system in their home city and it is the same as CBS. The home city is 60 miles away. ABC here says they wont do anything at all unless they are threatened.

Oh, and none will grant an exception for any directvdishnetwork.

Small markets can sometimes bite.

 

[Jeff Adams]

It seems to me that all this hdtv stuff is a joke. I bought into it as soon as hdtv's hit the market. Which I don't regret due to DVD movies have never looked better but if you are not in an area that gets hdtv signals then what is the point of purchasing a hdtv decoder box? Is HBO, Showtime and HDNet worth the investment? What is HDnet? How much better does the picture look compared to an NTSC signal?

 

[David Forbes]

It seems to me that all this hdtv stuff is a joke.

HDTV is most certainly not a joke. HD-originated video (like HDNet or CBS sports) KILLS NSTC video. There's no comparison. Seriously, it's not even close.

You still need an HDTV set-top-box (STB) to receive signals. In most cases you can't just plug them into your TV (I can't anyway, I have a CRT front projection system; everything has to be routed through a scaler). The Panasonic STB that I have receives standard DirecTV signals, high-def DirecTV signals like HBO, Showtime and HDNet, and also over-the-air (OTA) high-def signals from my local CBS, PBS, and NBC affiliates (ABC is coming online in the fall).

HDNet is Mark Cuban's full-time high-definition network. He owns the Dallas Mavericks and is a HUGE believer in HDTV. There's a variety of programming, from bikini contests in Hawaii to news programs from Afghanistan to NHL hockey and major league baseball. Go to www.hd.net for more info.

Jeff, your TV is more than likely "HDTV ready", which means it needs an STB to actually receive HD signals.

Some cable companies are also starting to offer HD.

 

[Jeff Adams]

David, I should have said that a little better. I know hdtv is not a joke, just trying to get it is. I just meant that it seems that it has taken a very long time for hdtv programming to become available. And it also seems that the STB's have not come down in price that much. Also I wanted to ask you if you can expand on a video scaler. Why would I need one? Why could I not just plug it in directly to my tv? Another thing I wanted to ask you. Is Showtime and HBO full time hdtv movie channels? Or do they also have specials, like concerts or sports in hdtv? I also heard that a lot of movies broadcast by HBO and Showtime are not true hdtv and they do a lot of cropping of the images. Is that true? Thanks for your help.

 

[David Forbes]

Jeff,

I have a CRT front projector. It can take bascially any scan rate, like a computer monitor (800x600, 1024x768, etc.)
What a scaler does is take a video signal and upconvert it to the desired scanning frequency. Right now DVDs, regular satellite, and cable are all 480i. That is, they have 480 vertical lines of interlaced video. My scaler (a Digital Leeza, soon to be replaced with an HD Leeza, more info here: http://www.keydigital.com/detail.asp..._ID=KD-HD1080P ) takes that video and ouputs DVD signals at either 540p or 720p, that is, 540 or 720 vertical lines that are progressively scanned. 1080i HDTV, which I can also receive, is passed through the scaler unaltered since there is enough picture information to completely fill my screen without scaling. My screen is a 104-inch diagonal 16x9 Stewart screen.

All HDTV sets have scalers of some kind already built into them. If you send your TV a regular cable signal it will be upconverted to the set's native rate (usually 1080i or 540p). Check your set's manual for the scan rate it uses.

Scalers are not usually worth the expense for RPTVs, so I wouldn't worry about it. They're absolutely necessary for front projection systems just to make them watchable.

HBO has some great stuff on its HD channel, but it also does have some upconverted material that is not native HD. And yes, movies with aspect ratios of 2.35:1 are cropped to fit a 16x9 frame.

I don't have Showtime so I can't comment on it. But HDNet is great!