OTA Receiver

[Camplate]

Was at friends house watching Sunday Ticket on a HD-ready TV. He has a regular D* Tivo. The quality sucked! My 1984 Fisher has a better picture. He’s not a techie, I assume he doesn’t have any of the D* HD packages. When I started to really question him he admitted they watched more DVDs than anything else on the HD, they watched regular D* on the upstairs TV.

My questions will help both of us. I don’t have HDTV yet. We can both get OTA HD. What would he need to be able to get OTA HD channels and D* HD? Would it be two separate boxes? Do HD-Ready TVs have two inputs, or would the boxes need to be in series? And if he wanted DVR, Tivo?

When I upgrade to HD, would it be better to get a HD-Built In TV? I assume HD-Built In sets have both antenna and Aux (more than one?) inputs. I don't care about recording HD, yet.

Don’t know how he had his sound system hooked up, but the sound levels between games and stations were horrible. The sound would go from a whisper to screaming. All on the D*. The local CBS was low, the ticket CBS was next, local Fox, and loudest was ticket Fox. Most notable was the Packers game. When the announcer was talking, the sound was okay, but when the fans started yelling it was deafening.

I have the same problem at my house reversed, when watching D* and switch to OTA, I have to turn the sound down. The locals on D* are a little louder than other D* stations. Is it the receiver?

 

[CRendall]

The HD DirecTV receivers have a built-in HD tuner for OTA. If your friend has an HD set and Sunday Ticket and not a HD DirecTV receiver than he is missing out on up to 9 games a week in HD!

If you subscribe to DirecTV I wouldn't get a TV with a built-in tuner since that is an extra cost, and you will get an HD OTA tuner with the DirecTV box. If you are using cable TV then I would get a TV with an HD tuner since the local cable company may not broadcast all your local channels in HD.

If you get a DirecTV HD box before the end of the month you can get 6 months of DirecTV's HD package for free.

Chris

 

[hancox]

OK - a few answers.

1) All D* HD receivers have built in OTA tuners. You can use the same box. As for DVR, there is an HD Tivo available. Same one box / one hookup rule applies.

2) HD built in will give you the ability to get OTA signals without the D* box. Seeing as you'll own the D* box, it's not worth the extra $ (although most sets now have them anyway)

As for the sound - probably a mix of a few things. Hard to answer.