Over-the-Air HDTV Reception

You broke the bank buying that new HDTV, but now you have to figure out how you'll receive HD programming and how much it's going to cost you. Cable and satellite companies will charge you a pretty penny for an HD signal, but there's a free alternative: over-the-air HDTV. For Tanya, our Hook Me Up subject, we wanted her to maximize the HDTV we gave her without having to pay a higher cable bill.

If your TV has an HD tuner, then it receives free HD transmissions from your local TV stations. But there's a catch: you have to be within range of the local station's transmitter.  Over-the-air television signals rely on line-of-sight transmission, which, due to the curvature of the earth, max out at about 70 miles. Tall buildings, hills and mountains can also limit transmission distances and signal quality.

But there are a lot of digital transmitters. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, over 99 percent of U.S. TV households have access to at least one local digital station; 89 percent can get five or more stations.

HDTV reception is an all-or-nothing proposal: If you are on the fringe of a reception area, you don't see snow or a compromised picture as you did with the old rabbit ear antennas. You either see a crisp beautiful picture or no picture at all. 

As you are contemplating your reception potential, the direction of your antenna is also an important factor.  The good news is that many TV stations cluster their transmitters in the same areas. Pointing your home antenna in one direction should allow you to receive signals from multiple stations. The bad news is that some stations may have their transmitters in totally different locations. If signals are more than 30 degrees apart from each other you will need to buy a second antenna or a rotor that can move your antenna when necessary.

If you live very close to an HD transmitter, you may actually need to shield your antenna from some of the signal. In the case of digital TV transmissions, too much signal strength can be as much of a problem as too little signal strength. 

HD antennas are not outrageously expensive; you can get them for under $100. In some cases the installation is very simple, but in other cases you may need professional help troubleshooting the system and fixing any reception problems.

Here's a list of stations broadcasting in HD.

The Consumer Electronics Association site helps you determine if you can receive over-the-air HD transmissions. The site asks for your address, but you only need to submit your zip code to get a rough estimate of reception.

For mroe information about HDTV's check out the Dummies Guide article explaining over-the-air HDTV.