On November 30, 2009 at 11:42, dn7094 said...
I am new to the off-air HDTV and already have a relatively old Sony rear projection HTDV ready TV and an antenna which I bought from the Source. The antenna is installed on balcony with good view of south (currently aimed between CN tower and Buffalo).
I searched channels on my TV last night and picked up mostly Canadian channels and of course analog signal because I don't still have HDTV receiver.
My questions:
-Do I need HDTV receiver to pickup Buffalo's channels (ABC, CBS, ...)? If not, what do you think the problem is?
- Where can I find local supplier of cheap HDTV receiver in GTA area?
- What brand and model of HDTV receiver do you recommend.
Thanks
For Buffalo you need an ATSC tuner, this can be obtained one of two ways, either through buying a television that already has one, or a seperate set top box. A quick search shows that only crappy sha... er The Source has one set top box, for $90..... Can't say how good it is, so I would check the return policy before getting one. If the TV is more then about 7 years old, I would wonder about how much life it has left, you don't want the spend $100 on a set top box if the TV is going to give out in a few months. You need to be careful with TV's though, unlike in the US they don't have to warn you about NTSC only TV's You need to check the specifications to make sure it has ATSC ability.
I have also noticed with the exception of CICA (TVO) all of the Toronto stations now have digital versions. Not all programming is HD, I find some programs were made available to the station in 4:3 letterbox, and on an HDTV it comes out as having the black stripe top and bottom and with black bars on the sides. even in HD mode.
