01-07-2009, 11:44 PM
|
#21
|
|
Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Sunshine Coast
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm
I thought they were going all digital?
Regardless, it seems like an odd thing to complain about.
|
We're talking about [HD] digital OTA not analogue.
|
|
|
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Vulcan For This Useful Post:
|
|
|
01-07-2009, 11:48 PM
|
#22
|
|
Lifetime Suspension
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan
We're talking about [HD] digital OTA not analogue.
|
Geez, just when I think I have all the terms, sayings, info, etc down... I don't!
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
01-08-2009, 12:33 AM
|
#23
|
|
Atomic Nerd
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Calgary
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm
Geez, just when I think I have all the terms, sayings, info, etc down... I don't!
Thanks.
|
Yeah, basically the best quality HDTV you can get is actually over the air because it's not compressed like on Cable or Satellite. The best thing is that it's also free. Analog OTA is ending but by law, the U.S. stations are switching to digital OTA.
In major cities in the US and Vancouver and Toronto, you can get a huge variety of HD digital OTA. There's none at all in Calgary and it looks like the CRTC date for the conversion to digital in Canada is 2012 instead of 2009 in the states. We can't even piggyback off American channels like those fortunate enough to be in Southern Ontario (or even Southern Manitoba) since the Idaho/Montana area under us is pretty much a backwards HD OTA deadzone as well.
Here, people are stuck paying for lower quality compressed HDTV to the Shaw monopoly when those fortunate to be in cities with lots of coverage get an amazing amount of channels and variety in real high quality HDTV - for free.
I brought this topic up because I bought an HDTV USB tuner for $20 today. That's my total investment cost for this. I don't plan on ever buying HD from Shaw or Bell. I was hoping Calgary would have the coverage a few other Canadian ciies already had. It looks like nothing will be operational until later into this year or even further because Canada is so behind the FCC.
Last edited by Hack&Lube; 01-08-2009 at 12:42 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Hack&Lube For This Useful Post:
|
|
|
01-08-2009, 07:07 AM
|
#25
|
|
Franchise Player
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Virginia
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hack&Lube
Yeah, basically the best quality HDTV you can get is actually over the air because it's not compressed like on Cable or Satellite. The best thing is that it's also free. Analog OTA is ending but by law, the U.S. stations are switching to digital OTA.
|
There's truth to that statement, but in practice it seems to be a bit of a myth. Most of the OTA stations around here have at least 1 or 2 subchannels, so it means that they are not utilizing anywhere close to their full bandwidth, and tend to show quite a few compression artifacts. Also some signals the networks send out to the affiliates are pretty bit starved as well. OTA does have the benefit that there is one less step to add compression, but it is not perfect in practice. Many cable stations are much better than the network affiliates, and if you have a good carrier (ie Verizon in the US), you will get better pictures on these channels than you could ota.
Also, in my experience, getting the antenna pointed right to receive all your local channels is a huge pita. I remember spending months buying new antennas, figuring out how to get them higher and higher off my house, re-pointing etc, and still not being able to find a direction to get all the channels available. That was when OTA was the only choice for getting local HD.
|
|
|
|
|
01-08-2009, 09:06 AM
|
#26
|
|
Lifetime Suspension
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: In the Sin Bin
|
I used to get HD HNIC over the air with basically a set a coat hangers connected to my HDTV in Vancouver.
Great signal.
A common myth is that you need a special antenna to get OTA HD signals. NOT TRUE.
|
|
|
|
|
01-08-2009, 09:59 AM
|
#27
|
|
Atomic Nerd
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Calgary
|
The link Vulcan posted leads to pages about how to build powerful antennas out of coathangers and plywood.
|
|
|
|
|
01-08-2009, 10:11 AM
|
#28
|
|
Franchise Player
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Vancouver
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Pagan
I used to get HD HNIC over the air with basically a set a coat hangers connected to my HDTV in Vancouver.
Great signal.
A common myth is that you need a special antenna to get OTA HD signals. NOT TRUE.
|
So what do you need? Standard rabbit ears?
__________________
A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
|
|
|
|
|
01-08-2009, 10:24 AM
|
#29
|
|
Lifetime Suspension
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: In the Sin Bin
|
Yup, I used a $10 pair of rabbit ears from radio shack.
|
|
|
|
|
10-11-2009, 06:46 PM
|
#30
|
|
Franchise Player
|
so, my brother sent me an article on this, so I thought I would give it a shot..
20 bucks for a Jensen tv antenna from Best Buy(using the UHF not the VHF antenna), hooked up to my flat screen, let it search for channels in the "Air" category, and bingo...HDTV Global...
I live downtown, so I am close to the global transmitter i guess.
But sadly, from what i've read, its the only OTA HD channel in calgary...hopefully CBC will get their act together, as getting HNIC in HD for free would be cool...
anyways, thought i'd share my small success...
|
|
|
|
|
10-11-2009, 07:07 PM
|
#31
|
|
Franchise Player
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Sunshine Coast
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary
so, my brother sent me an article on this, so I thought I would give it a shot..
20 bucks for a Jensen tv antenna from Best Buy(using the UHF not the VHF antenna), hooked up to my flat screen, let it search for channels in the "Air" category, and bingo...HDTV Global...
I live downtown, so I am close to the global transmitter i guess.
But sadly, from what i've read, its the only OTA HD channel in calgary...hopefully CBC will get their act together, as getting HNIC in HD for free would be cool...
anyways, thought i'd share my small success...
|
Congrats, I wished I could pick up some HD stations out here. CTV HD is also broadcasting in CAlgary.
|
|
|
|
|
10-12-2009, 08:37 AM
|
#32
|
|
Franchise Player
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan
Congrats, I wished I could pick up some HD stations out here. CTV HD is also broadcasting in CAlgary.
|
Vulcan...
hmmm...thanks for the info about ctvhd...I thought maybe there was only one channel to pick up here.
I am not getting right now (or even a hint of it) but now that i know its out there, maybe i'll try to tweek my antenna to see if i can pick it up.
i'll let you know if i am successful!
|
|
|
|
|
10-12-2009, 10:43 AM
|
#33
|
|
Scoring Winger
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary
so, my brother sent me an article on this, so I thought I would give it a shot..
20 bucks for a Jensen tv antenna from Best Buy(using the UHF not the VHF antenna), hooked up to my flat screen, let it search for channels in the "Air" category, and bingo...HDTV Global...
I live downtown, so I am close to the global transmitter i guess.
But sadly, from what i've read, its the only OTA HD channel in calgary...hopefully CBC will get their act together, as getting HNIC in HD for free would be cool...
anyways, thought i'd share my small success...
|
Apparently, there's about 1/2 dozen stations slated to go OTA-HD in Calgary. But, for the life of me, I can't find the website that had them listed.
|
|
|
|
|
10-12-2009, 11:16 AM
|
#34
|
|
Powerplay Quarterback
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Medicine Hat
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedi Ninja
Apparently, there's about 1/2 dozen stations slated to go OTA-HD in Calgary. But, for the life of me, I can't find the website that had them listed.
|
Is this helpful? link
Or these? link | link
__________________
|
|
|
|
|
10-12-2009, 11:40 AM
|
#35
|
|
Had an idea!
|
Interesting that CBC has more than 3x more wattage going out from their Calgary tower than Global or anyone else.
|
|
|
|
|
10-12-2009, 12:17 PM
|
#36
|
|
Franchise Player
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Memento Mori
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
Interesting that CBC has more than 3x more wattage going out from their Calgary tower than Global or anyone else.
|
The only reason Global and CTV put up OTA HD is so they could simsub.
|
|
|
|
|
The Following User Says Thank You to Shazam For This Useful Post:
|
|
|
10-12-2009, 02:05 PM
|
#37
|
|
Franchise Player
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
Interesting that CBC has more than 3x more wattage going out from their Calgary tower than Global or anyone else.
|
really? hmmm...that is weird I am not getting a sniff of anything but Global's feed (and who knows how long that will last with CanWest in trouble!)
Thanks for the links above as well...maybe I try to go manual and see if I can get the HD feeds that way...
|
|
|
|
|
10-12-2009, 02:06 PM
|
#38
|
|
Had an idea!
|
Yeah. CBC is running at something like 325,000 watts, and the other channels are at 100,000 watts.
|
|
|
|
|
10-12-2009, 03:18 PM
|
#39
|
|
Franchise Player
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
Yeah. CBC is running at something like 325,000 watts, and the other channels are at 100,000 watts.
|
that's bizarre...i'll poke around and see if I can get it configured properly...
|
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:06 PM.
|
|
