HDTV Receiver Question

[budweiser3]

I bought my home a year ago and was informed by the previous owner that I was hooked up with free cable. My backyard has the cable box in the rear corner and one of the previous owners has apparantly tapped in and ran a line underground into the house. The owner before me lived here for 4 years and this was done before him, with never any problems to his service, or a Rogers tech. at the door. My question is, I have an HDTV monitor and have been hestitant to try hooking up anything to it in case it will be detected. Free cable is great and I would rather not lose it, but I would like to buy a receiver to get the digital channels and possibly the HDTV channels. I talked to an employee at Future Shop and he felt that Rogers would be able to detect my signal if I bought a digital receiver, but does anyone know if this is indeed true. ???
Any information will be greatly appreciated.
The year build up to this being answered may come through!LOL

 

[zzap]

You’re out of luck because you need the Rogers Digital HDTV set top box for HD digital channels. With your free cable connection you’re only going to get the analog channels. Rogers may eventually find your illegal connection and you will get busted for something the previous owner did. I would just call Rogers up and ask for them to connect you up to there HD digital service... and pay for it.

 

[Fred Zed]

Free cable is great and I would rather not lose it, but I would like to buy a receiver to get the digital channels and possibly the HDTV channels.

It's not really free cable - some of us are paying so you can enjoy your cable service "free" of charge. If only everyone would pay for their cable as they are supposed to maybe prices would come down.

 

[Back Burner]

Re: Re: HDTV Receiver Question

It's not really free cable - some of us are paying so you can enjoy cable service "free" of charge. If only everyone would pay for their cable as they are supposed to maybe prices would come down.

Yes Fred, I'm sure the lost in revenue is causing Mr. Rogers to lose sleep

 

[WhOiSyOdAdDy?]

Re: Re: HDTV Receiver Question

If only everyone would pay for their cable as they are supposed to maybe prices would come down.

Fred, you are dreaming!!!

For HD, you need an addressable digital box. I think down the road, the cable companies will only send a digital signal, which requires a digital box to decode it.. and this should all but elimintae cable theft.

btw.. I stole cable for about 6 years and showed quite a few others how to do it as well.

 

[Fred Zed]

Re: Re: Re: HDTV Receiver Question

Yes Fred, I'm sure the lost in revenue is causing Mr. Rogers to lose sleep

Yeah...true. Someone who works in the cable industry once told me it costs more to catch the cheaters than the expected revenues if the cheaters pay : nice little management problem for Ted R.

 

[WhOiSyOdAdDy?]

The only way that cable rates might come down is if the gov't were to deregulate the industry and open up the markets to multiple providers.. I can't see this happening in the near future.. but it is a possibility. look at the phone & natural gas & hydro providers!

 

[DonAngelo]

Get satellite and keep your cable....

...may I quote?

"10. It is not permitted to transmit via TERB any information, data, text, files, links, software, or other materials ("Content") that TERB considers to be unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, hateful, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable. This includes reference to illegal activities at Strip Clubs or Massage Parlours."

I'm sorry Sheik, I could not resist...lol

 

[zzap]

You want FREE and legal HDTV and you live in the GTA then simply put up a good UHF antenna on your house and buy a HDTV "off air" set top box. I have satellite but I've found the off the air HDTV to be of better quality.... plus it's a free service. Once you have bought the antenna and set top box that’s it your all set and no monthly fees. This is all perfectly legal and legit to do but most people have no idea that the HDTV channels are not just on Cable or Satellite but on the air too for FREE. Before there was Cable or Satellite this was the only way to receiver TV using an Antenna.. Now the same can be done for HDTV!

This is the box I bought off of ebay for $160
http://search.ebay.ca/samsung-sir-t151_W0QQsokeywordredirectZ1QQsonewuserZ1

This is the UHF antenna I put up on my home.
http://www.weisd.com/store2/WINPR-9032.html

I get in HDTV ....
NBC
ABC
CBS
PBS
FOX
CITY
Toronto-one

soon to go on air are
CBC (Hockey)
CTV
Global

 

[budweiser3]

I live in the Cambridge- KW area.
Thank-you to all for the information and answers to my question.
I find it amazing - I've been pondering the question since I bought my house over a year ago, and I finally post the question and receive the answer in just a couple of hrs. time!!LOL!

 

[wooly110]

You want FREE and legal HDTV and you live in the GTA then simply put up a good UHF antenna on your house and buy a HDTV "off air" set top box....

zzap is correct. You can do it this way. The reason why is that the antenna picks up both the analogue and digital signal. You need a box that decodes the digital signal. If your HD box does that already, then voila! You have digital cable AND the HD signals as well.

The HD signals are digital AND the reason why you are able to get the ones that zzap has mentioned is because the networks run the standard signal and HD signal parallel to each other. And it depends on what format(s) the networks receive their programs on. They may get one copy for each standard, or they'll dub it over to the other format that they need so they have one of each and then run them together.

I say that because keep in mind that just because you get HD, not all programs that are on HD channels are shot in that format or the 16:9 ratio. They have to up convert to get it to look close to it but, it won't be the same.

 

[zzap]

Forgot to tell you that the US Networks show most all of the NFL and other Football games in HD!!! and I get it all with my Antenna and HD off air box.

 

[Fred Zed]

...may I quote?

"10. It is not permitted to transmit via TERB any information, data, text, files, links, software, or other materials ("Content") that TERB considers to be unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, hateful, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable.
I'm sorry Sheik, I could not resist...lol

True Don...I think Sheik mistakenly thinks that since he is currently our of the country he is out of range of TERB rules.

 

[oldjones]

You want FREE and legal HDTV and you live in the GTA then simply put up a good UHF antenna
…edit…
This is the UHF antenna I put up on my home.
http://www.weisd.com/store2/WINPR-9032.html

From a confirmed rabbit-ears guy (cheaper than a month's basic cable and gets stuff cable guys buy extra tiers for): that antenna URL is one of those "only visible with Explorer" sites.

 

[budweiser3]

Is anyone aware if the UHF antenna/"off air" set top box combo will work in the Kichener/Waterloo/Cambridge area? Or am I too far out of the GTA to be able to pick up the signals required?

 

[branson]

isnt hdtv transmitted on a digital feed? if so how would an antenna pull in the channels?

 

[branson]

nevermind. i didnt read 3 posts up

 

[budweiser3]

Thanks for all of the help with my questions, but again is anyone aware if the UHF antenna/"off-air" set yop box will work in the Cambridge/Kitchener area?

 

[goodtime]

You want FREE and legal HDTV and you live in the GTA then simply put up a good UHF antenna on your house and buy a HDTV "off air" set top box....

I just brought the Trek TV55 on boxing day, haven't install it yet. There is a signal map by U.S. zipcode on www.trek.com but the T.O. folks can subsitute with Buffalo zipcode.

 

[zzap]

The Trek TV55 is designed for local urban reception and will not work very well for the Buffalo HDTV stations from the GTA. You need a very high gain antenna because of the distance and the other fact being that these HDTV stations are not yet all running at full power. With HD if the signals weak or dropping out you will get nothing but a blank screen. You need all the signal you can get and I ended up changing my antenna to a high gain model because of this.

Antennas known to work well are outdoor roof mounted as high as possible.

I'm using a Winegard-9032 along with a 25dB mast mounted amp and RG6 cable. I get good lock on NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, PBS from Mississauga.

http://www.weisd.com/store2/WINPR-9032.html

some other antennas that work well are,
Channel Master 4248
http://www.weisd.com/store2/CM 4248.html

Channel Master 4228 8-Bay Bowtie UHF Antenna
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=ANC4228&xzoom=zoom#xview

the 91XG and DB8 from this site,

http://www.antennasdirect.com/LongRangeAntennas.htm

Don't even think of mounting them inside your attic! You will lose half the signal. UHF antennas should be installed at least 10 feet above your roof line.