jaywdetroit said:
Are you in the Detroit Market?
Do you care if we get OTA?
Why?
The only thing I can think of that might be nice is the secondary PBS channel. Other than that, Doesn't D* have it covered?
Advantages of OTA-HD over your MPEG-4/HD-Locals:
1. PQ (Picture Quality). The Gold Standard of PQ is OTA-HD and is likely to remain so for quite some time. Your MPEG-4/HD-Locals from D* are transcoded from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4...there is loss. Available bandwidth on D* is limited, so all HD on the satellites is bit-starved (further degradation). HD as delivered via D* is at best HD-Lite compared to OTA-HD, in most cases.
2. Immunity from signal loss: OTA-HD (unless you are in a fringe area) is much less vulnerable to signal loss from precipitation.
3. Sub Channels and PBS (I don't think PBS-HD is carried yet by D*). There is wonderful programming on PBS, and the video quality is stunning.
The expense of adding OTA-HD to your current setup is minimal. A good antenna for local OTA-HD is the U-75 from Radio Shack. It is only about 25 bucks. It has a 40" long boom and a corner reflector, so it has a small footprint, but very good gain.
Go to antennaweb.org, plug in your zip code and see what kind of antenna and where it needs to be located in order to receive your locals via OTA-HD. You might find you don't need an outside antenna, or you might be able to put the U-75 in your attic. Some people do well (if within 15 to 20 miles of a good transmitting site), with nothing more than a Sliver Sensor (do a google for it), mounted a few feet from the TV itself.
