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How will i know if i need a outdoor antenna for hdtv?

Do I need any converter box for my HDTV antenna for use with my HDTV?

  • I have a Samsung 32" HDTV, which apparently has a built-in HD tuner. I just bought an 'HDTV' antenna for it (I know 'HDTV antenna' is an oxymoron). I connected the antenna and get some channels, but do not see any HD channels (I do see a very snowy channel that says "CBS-HD" on the bottom right of the video). My question is: do I need to have some sort of a converter box between my antenna and my HDTV, for me to be able to view HD channels clearly? Or is my TV's tuner enough? PS: I already checked AntennaWeb.org and found that I should be receiving 5-6 digital stations near my location. I'm not sure if any of those are HD though.

  • Answer:

    It's almost unbelievable to me but virtually everyone is giving you bad advice. If your TV is a HD set and it has a coaxial connector on the back to hook up your antenna, then it has a digital tuner and as the only other person giving you semi-good advice says, "you are good to go". Now, as to exactly what is going on and why you are having the problems you are having, lets work on that a bit. You say "I do see a very snowy channel that says "CBS-HD" on the bottom right of the video". Because you say it is snowy, that tells me that you are really not tuned to a digital channel. Digital channels do not have snow. They may freeze or pixelate... but they will not have snow. Right now, just about all stations are multi-casting. That is, they are broadcasting both analog and digital signals. I've never worked in the TV industry but I presume your local CBS station is putting the CBS-HD logo on screen to advertise they have HD... and I would certainly agree that this could be a source of confusion. Recheck that CBS station and then come back and tell us what the channel number is. Digital stations will all have channel numbers like 12-1 (or 12.1) whereas the analog station will probably have a number of 12. The comments you have made about your indoor antenna are confusing to me. You say it is indoor... but then you say it has a motor to adjust the direction. I can not think of a reason an indoor antenna needs a motor... so I'm wondering if you have made a mistake here? Also, can you go back into AntennaWeb.org and then tell us how far away those 5 or 6 digital stations are? An indoor antenna works ok for relatively short distances of maybe 20 to 35 miles or so, but any further than that, you will probably have problems. The last thing which comes to mind is that you say you have just bought this HD antenna... I don't know how you got your TV signal before, but since you have just hooked up your antenna, you need to go back into your TVs menu where ever the channel scan function is and rescan. My experience with Radio Shack is not good. If you look at the reviews, you will see several good ones followed by a couple really bad ones. The simple fact is, you may well have gotten one of the bad ones. The distances you are saying you are from stations is close enough that rabbit ears should work and give you a decent signal.

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Other answers

Nothing else should be needed......perhaps the antenna you have is too weak, not pointed the right direction, or too many items blocking the way. If you can do so, movie the antenna outside. Also, try moving the antenna to higher ground, or find a metal box to set the antenna on.

eHDMI

If you are only using an antenna for reception, then yes you need a converter box. If you are hooked up to some kind of cable company, then no you do not need a converter box.

jpad108

You'll need a digital converter box and you can get the 40 dollar coupon here: https://www.dtv2009.gov/ And here is some info on hdtv: http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html#faq6

zqert988

You will need a converter box before Feb. Only people using satellite dishes and cable do not

Ariaread

that should be all you need. dont know why youre not getting any channels tho

mikedawg72

This questions has received a bigger percentage of bad answers than I've seen yet on Yahoo. Except for Stephen who is right on the mark 100%, everyone else (so far) has led you astray. 1. Forget the converter box. It's for old analog TVs only, which means it only supplies analog output. You have no use for one at all. 2. As for "HD" TV channels, that's close to another oxymoron. Whether your reception is in HD depends on what the station happens to be transmitting at the time, not the station in general. It might be standard-def 480i, HD in 720p, or HD in 1080i. During my local evening newscast, I can expect all 3 within the same 30 minute program. Point is, it's the program material, not the channel. 3. I'm with Stephen in being confused about your motorized indoor antenna. Cutting through the confusion, if you're limited to an indoor antenna, you need the best one you can get, and it needs to work especially well on UHF. Most of the digital channels are on UHF, even those with "VHF" sounding channel numbers, like 3.1 or 10.1. The two examples I've linked below are among the best available. I have the 2nd one.

kg7or

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