HDTV
Well, it's now the law: on Feb. 17, 2009, the nation's analog TV signals will go off the air forever. If you don't have a digital TV set by that date, you had better have cable. Your analog TV set will be good only for watching DVDs and tapes.
You will be able to upgrade your analog TV with a digital receiver box. These days, they cost $150 or more, but prices will fall.
Standard digital (EDTV) is clearer than analog. Within the digital category is also HDTV: high definition. There are two varieties: 720i (better) and 1080i (best).
My TV sets are so old that they actually receive signals from towers 10-15 miles away. Such powerful built- in receivers have not been made for analog TV sets for years. Manufacturers have assumed that everyone has cable or satellite TV. They're wrong. I don't.
Please don't tell me I need cable or satellite TV -- not $30 a month to watch "House," "Sunday Morning," and "Frontline."
How much is your cable/satellite TV viewing costing you? Your monthly bill is peripheral. Count the value of your time. You may be not getting your money's worth. Find out. Keep a record of which shows you watch, day by day. Then review this at the end of 30 days. Would you donate to charity the equivalent of the Federal minimum wage per hour to watch all this? If not, cut back. Invest this time on your business, your career, or your family.
Still, I must admit: Widescreen movies would be nice, even though DVDs aren't high definition.
Warning: an integrated HDTV set has a built-in HDTV tuner. An HDTV-ready or HDTV-compatible set doesn't. You must shell out another $150 or more for a tuner. By law, on July 1, 2006, every newly manufactured TV with a screen 25" or larger must come with a digital tuner.
I have decided that $500 is my upper limit. Paying $1,000+ to watch three TV shows a week is not cost effective.
Anyway, all this raised the question about how many HDTV channels are available locally. I went looking. I have located a great website that tells this.
Type in your street address and your zip code, and the site will not only tell you which stations are HDTV and which are not, it will tell you which way to point your TV antenna to pick up each station.
To find out what's showing locally today, and what's on in HDTV, go to this site:
For an indoor antenna (amplified), I recommend the Terk TV5, which retails for $50, but which you can buy on Amazon for about $34, including shipping. It improves analog signals, too.
Want more information? Start here: