My Dream said:
Just so I don't missunderstand, all you need is a HDTV, and a compatable TV antennae outside or inside your home to receive 1080 lines of resolution? Do you need a seperate receiver, or any other external components? Does it matter whether you're located in the US, Canadan, etc?
Thanks REWahoo.
I bought a set with tuner built in, just to avoid the hassle of ever having to look for one to add as a component. I already went through my 'audiophile' phase, and was not going to go 'videophile', so integrated was what I wanted.
Here is a quick grab of some of the specs. I paid $900:
Formats 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i
Resolution 1366x768
Built-in HDTV/QAM Tuner for Access to Digital Programming
Widescreen 16:9 Display
High Contrast Display and 3D Digital Comb Filter
Digital Connections Include HDMI™, VGA/PC and Component Inputs
Listen to TV Audio in PC Mode with MultiTask Audio™
VESA Compatible Wall Mounting
Again, I am no expert, don't know all the ins and outs, and was frankly, just pleasantly surprised to get anything better than analog over-the-air, but there it was!
I just checked antenna guide for my area, and it looks like I am getting all the channels I should - 20 something digital, of which a little less than 1/2 are HD.
Lots of good technical info here:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/info.aspx?page=FAQ#_DTLPCA
DTV is the umbrella term used to describe the digital television system adopted by the FCC in December 1996. HDTV is a type of DTV service. HDTV provides high resolution programming in a widescreen format. A current analog TV picture can provide resolution of up to 480 horizontal lines. An HDTV picture can provide resolution of up to 1080 lines, providing improved picture detail. Aspect ratio is a comparison of screen width to screen height. Analog TV has an aspect ratio of 4 by 3, which means the screen is 4 inches wide for every 3 inches high. Widescreen HDTV format has an aspect ratio of 16 by 9. HDTV programs include Dolby digital surround sound, similar to the sound used in movie theaters and on DVDs.
Currently, the vast majority of TV stations broadcasting in digital are using UHF (14 and up) channels to do so. This is not due to any technical requirement of digital broadcasting, however. It is mostly because the UHF channels were more likely to be available in most markets. Eventually, after the digital transition is complete and TV stations no longer need to broadcast in analog, they may switch and use their current analog VHF channels for digital instead.