Digital OTA TV

[GillettBreweryCnslt]

Dammit!

So I have bunny ears on my tvs, I refuse to pay $150/month for tv. However, global has now switched their signal to digital and the other two stations will follow suit shortly. I need to find a digital-to-analog converter box for the tvs but for the life of me I can't find a decent one. It almost seems every store has pulled them off of the shelf and is waiting for the demand to spike so they can raise the price and make a fortune.

Anyone have an ideas where I can find one that won't cost me $100?

Dave

[mr x]

I was just looking at this the other day. I think BB or FS has them in the $60 range.

[maltster]

I looked around and found the same model converter at Walmart, FS and BB and it was $49.99 at all 3 stores.
"Access HD, Model DTA1030D"
BB- Dart only had one....I bought it.
FS-Dart had several left.
I didn't check Walmart in town but the Truro store had 10-15 units.
I'm guessing everyone waited until the last minute and with Global's switch last week they sold quickly.
Check the other Walmart stores as they seemed to have the most in stock.

[GillettBreweryCnslt]

I grabbed one from BB in Bayer's Lake. It works ok, I can now get Global crystal clear which is nice. However, the signal on the other two analog channels is too weak to pass through the box. So, I have to turn off the converter box in order to watch either CBC or CTV (which come in very clear so I don't understand why they don't pass through the box).

Regardless, it'll be a moot point once all three go digital.

[mr x]

http://digitaltv.gc.ca/eng/1298735399295/1298735399333" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There's a really good forum on tv signals in this country, and for the life of me, I can't remember it...

[jeffsmith]

There's a really good forum on tv signals in this country, and for the life of me, I can't remember it...

Is it Digital Home by any chance? They've got a section on the forum dedicated to OTA.

[mr x]

That's it.

http://digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread. ... ova+scotia" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[chalmers]

Probably unrelated, but I don't pay for TV either. I do have an Eastlink cable modem, and as a lark I have a cable plugged into my TV. With that, I get about 80 channels, half of which are the crappy music channels no one ever watches. But TSN, Comedy, Sportsnet (even in HD!) come in just fine. But no local CBC or CTV.
With these OTA antennas being mentioned, should I only expect to pick up a few of the HD channels mentioned (Global, CBC, CTV)?

[GillettBreweryCnslt]

Yup, if you live east of Fredericton then you can only get the basic 3 channels.

I had full intentions of getting Eastlink internet then plugging it into my tv which is a well known way to get free tv. However, when we moved to our new house, I was completely stood-up on four different occasions where I took the day off to wait for the dude (it was a new install from the pole). Each time I called and complained and they offered me something else for free, but the fourth time I got them to delete any account of my existence from their system and vowed (to myself and the tier 2 customer service agent) that I would never use them again. I am a man of my word. So I have Bell internet and a sweet antenna from the 1960's in my attic.

Dave

[Jimmy]

So I am too lazy to read that topic on the other form. Are there many hd channels available OTA in Halifax?

[chalmers]

So I am too lazy to read that topic on the other form. Are there many hd channels available OTA in Halifax?

42.

Now don't be so lazy and look up to the post above yours.

You're

[Jimmy]

Thanks Chris, but I still don't see where you're getting that from? 42 hd channels OTA, that's pretty sweet!

[GillettBreweryCnslt]

Are you being sarcastic Jimmy? Such things are hard to gauge through the interweb. Did you get my sarcasm in that last sentence?

Hopefully you are and you already know this:

CBC (Channel 3) Currently is analog, but going digital on Aug 31st.
CTV (Channel 8) Currently is analog, but going digital on Aug 31st.
Global (channel 8) is currently digital.

Those are the only channels you will be able to get with any kind of antenna; be it bunny ears, roof-top or super-duper.

Dave

[papercrane]

TV Fool has a good calculator to see what channels you can get and what sort of antenna you'll need. Include pending applications to get the digital channels that are scheduled to switch over on the 31st.

[chalmers]

Thanks Chris, but I still don't see where you're getting that from? 42 hd channels OTA, that's pretty sweet!

The Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything.

[Jimmy]