OTA HDTV in MPLS St. Paul

[cjasov]

I'm curious as to what stations are broadcasting HDTV signals here in the Twin Cities, and what your perceptions are on strength of signal, etc.

I'm buying an HDTV TV and am debating on purchasing one with, or without the built in ATSC tuner. I have the DISH for my satellite feed, but I'm not sure I'll upgrade to their HD equipment just yet.

[coolmonk]

The Twin Cities has several stations broadcasting in High Definition: ABC, CBS, PBS, WB, NBC, and two others that I cannot remember. Just to be sure, you may want to check--

http://www.titantv.com

For best results on signal, an outdoor antenna is a MUST! You will have trouble receiving 2-3 channels if you use an indoor antenna.

[cjasov]

Hey that's a pretty nice website. Thanks for the link.

On antenna's, Best Buy has suggested a little amplified set top rabbit ears kind of antenna as all I'd ever need to receive HDTV signals. What are your thoughts?

[coolmonk]

My motto: "There is a RIGHT way........and then there is the Best Buy way..."

That Terk antenna is decent, yes, but could potentially give you problems with signal strengths. I have tried both of the Terk's at Best Buy (Terk TV25 and Terk TV55) and neither could receive all signals at one spot. It was extremely frustrating having to move the antenna constantly just to get a signal, and then once I got the new channel..I couldn't receive the old ones. I spent 2 weeks, yes...2 weeks, just trying different placement ALL OVER THE HOUSE. I wasn't satisfied so I did research online and from several suggestions, I finally opted to try an outdoor antenna. WOW! What a difference it made! I put it up only about 20 feet off the ground (not even on my roof yet), then I turned on my TV with the HD-tuner box, and EVERY digital channel was received!

Trust me, you MUST get an outdoor antenna for the Twin Cities.

[cjasov]

How about an antenna in the attic? I really don't want an antenna on the outside. Can I assume that an attic mount would be far superior to the Terk?

[cjasov]

Another related question. What is the ATSC connection on the back of an HDTV? Is it just a coax input that comes direct from the antenna?

[coolmonk]

Mounting an antenna in the attic would be superior to the Terk, yes, but do your research first before purchasing just any antenna. The only connection you would need is a coax directly from the antenna.

By the way, get a TV with a built-in ATSC tuner.