hdtv question re: off-the-air antenna and Dish Network.. (1 Viewer)

[todd s]

I have a hdtv ready set and dish network. I know I need a Dish Network HiDef reciever to play HD channels. But, can I just get the off-the-air antenna and get HD local hd stations without buying the reciever??

Thanks!

ps-Anyone know a good place(cheap) to get the Dish6000 receiver and what I should get with it??

 

[Lew Crippen]

Unless your TV has a built in ATSC (HD) tuner, the answer is no.

And since you describe your set as HD-ready, your set almost for sure does not have a built in digital tuner.

The only good news in this is that most satellite HD receivers (including Dish) will also decode over the air (OTA) signals. For example the Dish 6000 has an OTA module—and I think that the newer versions have the module included.

There are also many OTA receivers which you can purchase.

Basically most TVs, including the HD-ready ones come with an NTSC tuner (for traditional SD, analog signals). They won’t decode any digital signal, even if it is not an HD signal. For that you need an ATSC (digital) tuner.

Extremely frustrating, but there it is.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Todd,

Anyway you slice it, you'll need to buy a new receiver to get OTA HD channels. You could get an OTA-only one cheaply or get the Dish one. Also, even if you get the Dish one, you still actually need to do OTA reception since Dish does not provide local HD channels from their satellites AFAIK.

If you get the Dish 6000 receiver, make sure to get the 8vsb module also for OTA reception. This may or may not be included in the package depending on the dealer. The same goes for the extra module you need for Discovery HD.

Also, you will need to get an extra dish for HD from Dish.

_Man_