Hi, I have a LG HDTV (recent) and I'm curious because when I scan I pick up some CATV channels .. CBC and CTV .. even though I don't have a cable or satellite subscription .. how can this happen ??

it's not a problem because I'm happy getting all possible HD channels with a zenith silver sensor .. just curious

I'm in Toronto relatively close to the CN tower

Because alot of local channels from major networks are actually offered OTA (over-the-air) for free. Like you would with good old fashioned rabbit ears!

You can actually get more channels with a better antenna. You don't need expensive subscriptions! You can geven get american major network programming from ABC/NBC/CBS from Buffalo if you work at aiming your antenna. Check this list. It's all the possible HD channels you can get FOR FREE (no cable/satelitte fees!) I hear the picture OTA is even better than what TV companies offer these days.

[Link: remotecentral.com]

Quite a few people are actually ditching their sattelite/cable for classic Over-the-air broadcasts. Lots of stuff to choose from, even without specialty channels! :)

In general this is true when compared with most paid tv providers but there are cases of OTA stations even broadcasting 6 sub channels!!! (not in our GTA area). But yes like the previous poster said your new HDTV has the capability to tune in to the new digital OTA free broadcasts and in general they have better picture quality than their paid tv counterparts since the latter are overly compressed to maximize profits, but this is a capitalist society so we should not complain after all. Third subchannel, Universal Sports on WKBW being an exception since it has a lot of macroblocking and being an sports channels is unaceptable. I still beleive it is due to the source of the material being internet video rather that the buffalo broadcaster compressing it to fit 1 HD + 2 SD channels. BTW just a few days ago , this channel, Universal Sports , started being braodcast In The Clear (un-scrambled) as part of the NBC Mux via satellite , for now FTA or in the clear , so today I will repoint my C Band 6 ft Dish to that satellite just to compare the quality of the satellite feed. Will report back on the main OTA thread the results later.

Being so close to the CN tower were the canadian transmitters are could work also against you. Try non-amplified antennas , preferably outdoors, and you will be amazed of the quantity and quality of what you get.

BTW all those channels are Digital or DTV but not necessarilly HDTV , some are acctually SD all the time , some boradcast in HD but the source material is upconverted since it was originally SD. In any case the picture and audio quality has improved although some people beleive digital sucks , I guess it all depends on your own personal experiences.

OK I am getting OTA HDTV from To and Buffalo .. great quality .. was just curious about receiving CATV as well with an indoor antenna .. I recently cancelled my Bell Expressvu
tnx

Probably since you live so close to the CN tower! Though you might lose alot of Buffalo stations if you use an indoor antenna. Unless you get lucky which could be your case :)

Are you talking about CATV, or just TV in general, which these days is usually over-the-air TV (OTA)? CATV stands, or stood, for community antenna television, meaning one antenna with a signal distribution to many houses, for instances houses in a valley where the signals can't directly be received. CATV has also been used to mean Cable, in which case you might pick up stations if there's a fault in the cable system near you.

The US services that come to mind are OTA, cable, DirecTV and Dish. I'm not sure which satellite services operate in Canada.

Bell TV and Shaw Direct (formerly known as StarChoice). You could also get some interesting programming via FTA satellites like Universal Sports without the overcompresion that makes it look like internet video on the Buffalo's NBC subchannel.

The OP probably meant Cable TV. The Digital tuner on your new HDTV probably has the capability to tune in clear QAM signals in other words digital cable signals that are un-scrambled. There was a thread about it on this and other forums and I beleive that nowadays Rogers has encrypted most of those channels so nothing interesting anymore. Besides you would requiere to have at least a basic cable subscription to have the cable tv service conected to the cable provider.

The OP said

"Hi, I have a LG HDTV (recent) and I'm curious because when I scan I pick up some CATV channels .. CBC and CTV .. even though I don't have a cable or satellite subscription .. how can this happen ??"

This is a funny question or remark or comment. The OP must indeed be a very young person who has been subject, like the rest of us, to the cable and satellite companies mass media advertising to the point of forgetting or even worst not even being aware of the existence of TV Stations in its original format which is free OTA broadcasts. It goes to show the enormous effect the constant , persistent and almost brutal bombarding of media advertising produces on the average TV viewer to the point of even distorting the reality completely for some of us. To some degree I can understand that some people still beleive that HDTV signals can only be received with a paid SAT or Cable subscription but to question the very existence of TV Stations free OTA as it has always been for the last 70 years , specially here in NA where it was invented, it goes way beyond my own imagination. As a matter of fact I had to re-read it several times because I thought I was hallucinating, lol.

This last comments were, as usual, a somehow funny way to remark a sad story. No pun intended for any one of course let alone for the OP , who pretty much like all of us , is just another victim of the media. Well the ones of us who use PVR's daily at least can scape the beast until they invent something new in the forcoming years , because beleive me , they will ,lol.