T.V. Cards for your PC

[JT4SC]

Anyone ever tried one of these as opposed to buying an in-motion Satellite dome and keeping a Dish Netowrk or Direct TV subscription?? 

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi JT,

I have a WinTv card in my office comp. and it works pretty good but, it is for cable.

I'm not sure if they have a card that decodes Direct tv or Dish.  Ahhh, Lcd's are cheap enough now anyway...

Nick-

[HighTechRedneck]

The TV receiver cards still need a signal source.  That source can be open air broadcast via antenna, basic cable or the output of a cable/satellite receiver box.  There are also an increasing number of television channels available via Internet, but then that requires a broadband Internet connection.  It probably wouldn't work well with the average satellite Internet speed so it would likely only work with a cable/DSL modem connection or a WiFi access to such a high speed Internet connection.

As for me, I am wiring for cable for use at campgrounds that offer it, and an amplified antenna for open air broadcast channels when available and a DVD player for movies.  I just don't need TV enough for more than that.

[JT4SC]

Thanks guys.  Question for HighTechRedneck or anyone else in the know... What kind of amplified antenna do you use for open air broandcasts, and by open air broacasts do you mean the basic network channels??

[Dale MC8]

Almost ALL crank-up antenna's are amplified. Just FYI
Dale

[JackConrad]

We use a Winegard "bat wing" which came with an amplifier.  This is a directional antenna and has to be rotated to get the strongest signal. There is also an "omni-directional" amplified antenna that does not need to be rotated. Usually, the directional can pull in a weaker station better then the omni-directional.  "Open air" and "off air" refers to the local stations received on a regular old style TV antenna, as opposed to receiving the signal from a satellite.  Jack

[Dallas]

I hate to dash everyones happy stories of antennae.

In not too long the standard TV antenna won't do you a bit of good. All the analog broadcasting will be switched to HDTV, meaning your present setup won't be worth much. You'll have to switch to HD compatible TV's, cards and antennae.

I think I'll stick with my Direct TV and rabbit ears for off satelite broadcasting

Dallas

Oh, yes, Our local Walmart had a sale a couple of weeks ago and sold off some big fancy TV's for less than $100 each because they aren't HDTV compatible. Some were 32" PinP, Stereo, with all the other bells and whistles!

DF

[HighTechRedneck]

Here are some interesting links to read.

For extreme portability (laptop): http://www.floppyhead.com/2006/10/19/5-tips-on-watching-broadcast-hdtv-on-your-laptop/

More PC oriented:  http://www.floppyhead.com/2007/02/14/roundup-tips-to-receive-hdtv-broadcasts-over-the-air-on-a-pc-or-hdtv/

Open air broadcast HD in general:  http://www.floppyhead.com/2007/05/05/over-the-air-hd-reaching-mainstream-press/

Dallas, I hate to disagree, but as I have understood it, and as referenced in that last link, regular TV antennas work for HD too.

[Dallas]

Open air broadcast HD in general:  http://www.floppyhead.com/2007/05/05/over-the-air-hd-reaching-mainstream-press/

Dallas, I hate to disagree, but as I have understood it, and as referenced in that last link, regular TV antennas work for HD too.

Sure they work! Yup, they do!

The thing is, an outdoor antenna isn't needed to recieve good HD. No need to punch another hole in the roof. No need to pay WHINEgard for the priveledge of watching local channels.

[HighTechRedneck]

Sure they work! Yup, they do!

The thing is, an outdoor antenna isn't needed to recieve good HD. No need to punch another hole in the roof. No need to pay WHINEgard for the priveledge of watching local channels.

Ok.  Well, that takes care of my quota to learn something new everyday.   

[H3Jim]

There is no change in antenna design just because the signal has digtal (and HDTV) vs analog infomation. I researched this several years ago, and confirmed it by playing with antennas and my HD Mitsubishi TV.  Rabbit ears work well if the signal is strong. 

That and the typical Dipole antenna they pack with tuners will work. They typically use 1/4 wave length - generally 27" average to cover the intended spectrum. What works even better is to just make the antenna part twice as long, 1/2 wavelength.  Look up the frequency of hte channel you are trying to get, and make the antenna part as long as 1/2 the wavelength.

The typical house based TV antenna that has all the bars of varying lengths does the same thing. The bars are of different lengths to more specifically tune the frequency you are looking for.  Rabbit ears - adjustable - do much the same thing, but would be adjusted  each time you change the channel to better "tune" in that particular frequency. You can do the same thing with lengths of antenna wire.

[WEC4104]

A few more clarifications regarding analog/digital/HDTV and their respective antennae.

Yes, analog is being phased out, and being replaced by digital as a federal mandate.  The deadline keeps being pushed out, but it is definitely happening.  All high definition (HDTV) broadcasts are digital, but not all all digital is high definition.  The growth in HDTV, with it's superb picture quality is consumer driven, not government mandated. 

In general, there is nothing unique about the antenna needs for digital and HDTV.  But that doesn't stop the marketing types from tossing these terms around on the antenna packaging like it is something special.  An old Winegard bat wing or omni will work fine with digital/HD.

The one thing that you do need to pay attention to is the frequency range.  Digital transmissions are actually in the UHF range.  The most simplistic "rabbit ears" are set up for the VHF band (Ch 2-13) so they aren't a good choice. On the other hand, I have used a simple bow tie shaped UHF antenna from Radio Shack ($4) with an HDTV and obtained excellent results. If you use rabbit ears, make sure they have the secondary pieces rated to pick up UHF.   With digital TV, you either "get" the signal, or you don't.  It is not like analog where you fight ghosts, snow, and the like.