[infoe]

I just got dish with the HD platinum package and local channels...I was told I had all the HD channels and also installer showed me which numbers were my local channels in HD..Question is.

I see talk about of OTA hd channels...I am a very big newb when it comes to avr, do you all recommend going out and getting one of these antenna's to add more HD channels? I did a scan on the dvr but nothing came up...I guess tahts obvious since I dont have an ota antenna?

 

[whatchel1]

I just got dish with the HD platinum package and local channels...I was told I had all the HD channels and also installer showed me which numbers were my local channels in HD..Question is.

I see talk about of OTA hd channels...I am a very big newb when it comes to avr, do you all recommend going out and getting one of these antenna's to add more HD channels? I did a scan on the dvr but nothing came up...I guess tahts obvious since I dont have an ota antenna?

Do your locals broadcast in HDTV? If they do you really should buy the OTA that will give you the best HDTV for the networks. The OTA has less processing than any signal short of the HD & Blue Ray DVD's. Go to www.antennaweb.org and find out what will be best for your area.

 

[Jolard]

The other reason it is nice to have the OTA locals is that you then get an extra tuner on the 622 for recording. So you would be able to record one network show OTA and another two at the same time on the Satellite.

Or like it always seems to happen in our home, both Sat tuners will be recording, and I will still want to browse a little, so I can at least still browse the OTA channels. Plus they will still get all the normal DVR functionality, so it is definitely worth it.

As for Antennas, I bought a cheap indoor one from Radio Shack. Works well for me.

 

[Rob Glasser]

Before you go out and by an antenna you might want to check AVSForum for an OTA thread for your area. If one exists they can be very helpful to determining what kind of antenna you need for your area and distance from the towers.

 

[DanoP]

See if your local Ratshack has this:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...014&cp=&origkw=terk&kw=terk&parentPage=search

It's the antenna I use and it brings all the OTA HD in. I got it at the retail store but it may be web only now. Nice thing about these portable indoor antennas is that you can always pack 'em back and return 'em.

 

[Jolard]

Exactly. By all means check antenna web, it is a great resource, but before you install an outdoor antenna on your roof, try a couple of indoor antennas from local stores. I tried the Terk one above, and it worked ok for me, but I ended up returning it and instead got this one: Linked Here

It was cheaper and actually worked better for me. Obviously YMMV, but I am glad I bought a couple of indoor ones first, rather than going with my first instinct and installing a huge outdoor antenna and spending all the time wiring it down to my receiver.

Honestly it doesn't hurt, just buy from someone with a decent return policy, if it doesn't work you are just out some time.

 

[JimFunk]

There is a 30 year old antenna on my roof that looks like square grill. I ran the wiring down from the roof, not expecting much, but the HD OTA signal is crystal clear. So this tells me it is not about the huge OTA dishes, it is about pointing it in the right direction and getting a good LOS. I used the HD signal website for my area, and it tells me where to point, and lucky for me, the old antenna was already pointing that way...just hook it up, and it will be better than through the 622. Saves some money per month and add more recording capability.