OTA HD help

QCassidy352 · Jul 23, 2009

My Comcast promotional offer is about to end, and I'd like to drop cable and go to OTA HD with itunes subscriptions/hulu picking up anything I'm not getting.

What I have:
- el gato EyeTV hybrid 2009, connected to:
- mac mini 2009, connected to:
- 40" sony bravia

My question:
- What else do I need to receive OTA HD? Some sort of antenna? But not like an old antenna, right? A digital antenna?

Sorry if this is a really stupid question. Macs I'm good with... TV equipment, not so much.

Thanks!

(please, no condescending responses telling me to search - I did, and if this has been discussed before, I can't find a clear and concise answer to my specific question.)

belvdr · Jul 23, 2009

QCassidy352 said:
My Comcast promotional offer is about to end, and I'd like to drop cable and go to OTA HD with itunes subscriptions/hulu picking up anything I'm not getting.

What I have:
- el gato EyeTV hybrid 2009, connected to:
- mac mini 2009, connected to:
- 40" sony bravia

My question:
- What else do I need to receive OTA HD? Some sort of antenna? But not like an old antenna, right? A digital antenna?

Sorry if this is a really stupid question. Macs I'm good with... TV equipment, not so much. Thanks!

(please, no condescending responses telling me to search - I did, and if this has been discussed before, I can't find a clear and concise answer to my specific question.)

Speaking strictly on receiving, an antenna is all you need. There is no such thing as a digital antenna or analog antenna. Some will say HDTV certified or something similar, but in reality there is no difference.

That said, you'll get various results based on your antenna choice, but don't let the logos or sayings fool you. I use an RCA amplified set of rabbit ears and they work fine (and have done so for the past 12 years).

QCassidy352 · Jul 23, 2009

Thanks! I do have an antenna, just an old set of rabbit ears I got for $10 or something. Is it worth looking for something better? Money's not a problem on a one-time purchase if it's going to give me better results.

When the government ended analogue recently, there was all this talk about needing a digital converter if you had an antenna. In my case, am I right in thinking the eyeTV hybrid itself is acting as the digital converter?

Also, how can i find out what OTA channels are available in HD where I am?

belvdr · Jul 23, 2009

QCassidy352 said:
Thanks! I do have an antenna, just an old set of rabbit ears I got for $10 or something. Is it worth looking for something better? Money's not a problem on a one-time purchase if it's going to give me better results.

When the government ended analogue recently, there was all this talk about needing a digital converter if you had an antenna. In my case, am I right in thinking the eyeTV hybrid itself is acting as the digital converter?

Also, how can i find out what OTA channels are available in HD where I am?

Nobody can give a specific answer to the antenna question. Unfortunately, it's a matter of trial and error. I paid $20-30 for an amplified antenna and that works great for me.

The eyeTV model you have includes a digital tuner.

Go to http://www.antennaweb.org to determine what stations you may receive.

QCassidy352 · Jul 23, 2009

thanks, you've been extremely helpful. sounds like this will be easy, and is the way to go for me.

QCassidy352 · Jul 23, 2009

hmm, after reading up on it some more, most people really suggest an outdoor antenna, which is not an option for me. I guess I'll try out my old rabbit ears, but seems that doesn't produce the greatest results for most folks.

Search

Search

OTA HD help

QCassidy352

macrumors G5

belvdr

macrumors 603

QCassidy352

macrumors G5

belvdr

macrumors 603

QCassidy352

macrumors G5

QCassidy352

macrumors G5

Our Staff