Receiving HDTV Over The Air

Steps For Receiving

Free HDTV Programming Over The Air

A Detailed Step by Step Procedure

If the Simple Steps for Getting HDTV Over The Air page just did not give you enough information, and you would like a step by step procedure on how to get HDTV in your home, this page is for you.  We are going to keep things very simple.  This is a practical step by step guide to get you up and running with HDTV.  You'll find no boring specifications or long acronyms here!  But first, let’s start with a brief practical warning before you go out and spend your hard earned money on things you may not need, or may not be able to use.

BEFORE YOU SPEND MONEY TRYING TO RECEIVE HDTV OVER THE AIR   - PLEASE READ THIS FIRST!!

 

Step 1.  Determine if you can receive HDTV broadcasts over the air in your area. 

This site should do the trick:

                  http://www.antennaweb.org  (Don't click here yet, though, keep reading first!)

That site has been sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to help you determine a list of stations that are broadcasting in your area, and what type of antenna you need to receive those signals.  When you go to their site, you will be presented with a form to fill out. 

First, click on the box that says "Choose an antenna"

 

Second, fill out the form that is presented to you with your address.

All you really need to complete is your specific address. You don’t have to fill out your name, phone and email for the form to work though I'm sure the site operators would appreciate it if you did.  After you’ve done that, answer the questions at the bottom regarding hills, trees, towers, etc. near you, and the number of stories in your house.  You can uncheck or leave checked the boxes at the bottom that allows them to send you information.  It won't affect your results.

 

Third, click the submit button, but keep this window open so you can come back and interpret your results.  

Alight, click here to go to the Antenna Web site.  The stations you could potentially receive are listed and the results are color coded.  That’s because outdoor HDTV antennas are color coded also.  The colors are basically indications of how strong the signal is expected to be, based partly on information you provided in the form.  The colors basically represent the signal strength from strongest to weakest, as presented in the picture below:  

Color Codes for HDTV Outdoor Antennas

Interpreting The Site’s Results:

The Antenna Web site is set up to help you understand what type of outdoor antenna you should utilize to pick up the digital HDTV signals being broadcast in your area.  Outdoor antennas are rated according to the color scale to provide an indication of how strong the signal needs to be for them to provide acceptable HDTV reception.  If you only need a code yellow antenna, you won’t really derive much extra benefit by having a violet one.  Of course, if you were to purchase, say a red antenna, it would pick up the red coded stations, and all those with stronger signals, which would be the light green, green, and yellow stations (those higher on the chart above).  The site also will tell you if the signal is UHF (ultra high frequency)  or VHF (Very High Frequency).   The only reason this matters is that if you want to watch a UHF Channel, make sure you buy an antenna that is rated to receive UHF signals. 

You'll note that both analog and digital stations are listed in the results.  To see only the digital stations, click on the button near the top of the results that says "Show Digital Stations Only".   After February 17, 2009, the analog station listings won't matter anyway.

A Quick Word About Indoor Antennas

I know your questions.  You are already wondering...”So why are only the outdoor antennas rated with a color?,” and “Can I use an indoor antenna?”

When you bring an antenna indoors, you shield the antenna from the signal, at least partially.  How much of the signal you lose depends on the structure of the building, where in the building the antenna is located, and many other factors.  The bottom line is that there are too many variables for most manufacturers to feel comfortable assigning a rating to an indoor antenna.

But don’t be discouraged.  If you have yellow, green or light green coded signals at your location, according to the Antenna Web site, feel free to try an indoor antenna.  I know I was not excited about climbing up on my roof, worrying about the antenna during storms, and so on. You may be able to use an indoor antenna with good results.  In fact, be sure you try your existing antenna before going out and purchasing a new HDTV antenna.   You might be surprised at the results!

What's an HDTV Antenna?

Check back here in a few days and I'll provide you with some additional advice on HDTV antennas.  Here's one tip though.  An antenna is a device designed to capture signals broadcast over the air.   I encourage you to try what ever antenna you have been using with your converter box, or even with your HDTV, even though it may not say "HDTV antenna" on it anywhere.  Most technical gurus will tell you that there is no such thing as an HDTV antenna.  The antenna itself picks up signals broadcast over the air.  It does not know and cannot tell if they are analog signals or if they are HDTV digital signals.  The marketing folks will tell you there is a difference in HDTV antennas.  The main change is that they have been labeled and marketed so that people will buy them for use with HDTV.  I was able to pick up most of the HDTV stations in my area with an old set of rabbit ears that were made before HDTV was around.

Step 2.  Get your government coupon for a $40 discount on your converter box.

This step is optional. You don’t have to do this if you are in a hurry or if you must order your box online (see the box below).  Just be aware that if you wish, the U.S. government will give you a coupon worth $40 toward your purchase of an HDTV converter box.  You will learn more about these boxes in the next step.  The limit is two coupons per household.  Click here to go the government site where you can get your coupon.  You should also be aware that the coupons have to be used within 90 days of the day they are mailed.  Oh one more thing, the HDTV converter box can only be used on "approved" boxes.  The only "approved" boxes are simply HDTV converter boxes without any extra functions, such as built in DVD players. 

Step 3.  Purchase an HDTV Converter Box

These boxes contain a digital tuner that will receive HDTV digital signals. They will convert these signals into analog format so that they can be displayed on your older analog TV.   Do not be misled into thinking that you will see HDTV quality pictures on your old TV by using one of these boxes.  You may indeed see a clearer picture and have better sound than you did before, and there are some other benefits to using a converter box, but it will not turn your TV into an HDTV set any more than wearing a rabbit fur coat will turn you into a rabbit!

HDTV converter boxes come in a variety of forms.   Some are fancy, fairly costly units that also contain DVD players.  Some are just simply converter boxes, like the Zenith DTT900.   The Zenith is a very nice converter box though.    The box I tested worked flawlessly, was easy to set up and easy to use.  The best source I’ve seen so far online for this converter box is ABT electronics, which is where I ordered mine.  At the time, they were offering free shipping too.  You can find the details on the Zenith DTT900 by clicking here.  Notice that you can download the manual and specification sheets from this page as well.  Check back in a few days, and you’ll find a complete review of the Zenith DTT900 on this site. 

If you happen to have an HD Ready TV, which means your TV can show HDTV resolution, but your TV did not ship with a digital tuner, then the Samsung Digital Set Top Box – DTBH260F may be for you.  This box serves a different purpose than the Zenith DTT900.  The Zenith DTT900 is for use with analog TV sets.  The Samsung DTBH260F is for use with HD Ready Sets or even computer monitors.  The bad news that you cannot use your government coupons with the Samsung box.  The coupons only apply to boxes that provide analog output for those old TVs.

When your HDTV converter box arrives, install it according to the directions.  You can find an example of how to connect a Zenith DTT900 on this site in just a few days. 

Step 4.  Connect Your External Antenna

Notice that Step 4 does not say, go out and purchase an HDTV antenna.  If you have the stronger signals available in your area, you should try your existing antenna. I was able to pick up all of the local channels in my area with my old set of rabbit ears!  I did try one of the best HDTV indoor antennas I could find, and it did improve my situation just slightly.  Was it worth it?  You can read more about that really soon.

Step 5.  Finally, consider purchasing an HDTV antenna.

For some people, choosing and installing a good antenna may be the most involved part of this whole process of getting HDTV over the air.  And for others, it may not be a big deal at all.  If you have strong HDTV signals in your area, such as those indicated as yellow or green on the Antenna Web site (link here), there will probably be many antennas which will work fine for you.

More information on HDTV antennas and how to get the most out of antenna web, will be coming soon.

Philco TB100HH9 TV Digital-to-Analog Converter Box