6 Tips to receive HDTV over-the-air on a PC

Sat, Oct 7, 2006

Most television stations in major cities broadcast in high definition. Receiving high definition (HD) over the air is free, except for about $100 in hardware costs. Over the air HD is perfect for watching sporting events, especially since most sporting events are broadcast in HD. For a sports fan, the only thing you are missing is ESPN. I must say that it is very cool to record Redskin�s games in high definition. If you have a widescreen monitor, I would highly recommend trying to see if you are able to receive HD broadcasts where you live. I have listed 6 tips to receive HD broadcast over the air on you computer.

Visit antennaweb.org. By putting in your address, Antenna Web will tell you how far you are from a broadcast tower, what stations you should be able to receive, and what direction the tower is in location to your residence. This site will give you a good idea about your prospects to receive high definition broadcasts. A very useful site indeed!
Buy a Phillips Silver Sensor HD UHF antenna. I highly recommend one of these silver sensor antennas and you can buy one cheap from Amazon for under $30. It is relatively small and the price cannot be beat. Make sure you get a UHF antenna.
Purchase a cheap ASTC HD tuner card. A tuner card for HDTV reception is pretty cheap, in the $70 range. My card of choice was VBox’s Cat’s Eye DTA-150, which I purchased from www.pcalchemy.com. One thing to keep in mind is to look at the bundles offered with card. You can purchase a Firefly remote, Beyond TV and a tuner card for $110. I opted not to do this and I regret it. If you have a widescreen laptop, the USB version might your best bet.
Download a media center front-end. You will need a software package like Beyond TV, SageTV, or Media Portal. Media Portal is a free front-end and is a nice way to test the HD waters. Both BeyondTV and SageTV offer trial versions of their software as well, and are slightly more polished than Media Portal.
Try the antenna in different positions. By moving my antenna just one foot closer to the window, I was able to pick up all the local network affiliates. The most extreme case would be moving it into you attic. For me, I got good reception in my office.
Make sure your computer is up to the task. HD Mpeg-2 files run about 8 GBs per hour! For long-term storage, compress your files. Also, an empty PCI slot is needed.

The last step is to install the tuner card into an empty PCI slot and connect it to the antenna with the cable provided.

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J.R. - who has written 54 posts on Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers.

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5 alternatives to help you ditch cable television » FloppyHead - A Media Center, Digital Video Recorder, and HTPC Resource Says:
November 19th, 2006 at 4:42 pm

[...] Get an indoor high definition antenna and either hook it up to your HDTV or a tuner card on your PC. Most local TV affiliates broadcast in high definition over the air. [...]

Ditch your cable tv! « snartz Says:
December 1st, 2006 at 7:35 pm

[...] Get an indoor high definition antenna and either hook it up to your HDTV or a tuner card on your PC. Most network affiliates also broadcast in high definition. [...]

Vista HTPC with CableCard: What does it really get you? » FloppyHead - A Media Center, Digital Video Recorder, and HTPC Resource Says:
December 12th, 2006 at 2:39 am

[...] That is an underwhelming list if you ask me. Universal HD and INHD appear to be groupings of channels that offer round the clock HD programs, like “Law and Order : SVU” and “Battlestar Galactica.” To be fair, the lack of HD channels is not Microsoft’s fault. After realizing the lack of HD programming offered by Cox, I am suddenly not as interested in a Vista HTPC for the short-term. As more channels become HD, a CableCARD will certainly be useful. This research did reinforce to me what a cool thing broadcast TV has become with the inclusion of high definition. Most of the shows I watch, like “Lost” and “Heroes” are available to me for free. Most of the other programs I watch, like Maryland basketball and football, are not available in HD, at least from Cox. [...]

Picture Frame Antenna for High Definition Televisions » FloppyHead - A Media Center, Digital Video Recorder, and HTPC Resource Says:
February 4th, 2007 at 12:40 am

[...] The key to receiving high definition broadcasts is having an antenna. Most indoor antennas are not too bulky but still look like a generic antenna and can stick out in a den or home office. I recently came across an HDTV antenna, called the PF 7, that is a wood picture frame that would blend into any room in your house. The antenna costs around $50 and is available at AntennasDirect.com. This antenna is great for a home office, especially if you are within 15 miles of any broadcast towers. I currently use an indoor antenna and a tuner card to watch HD broadcasts on my widescreen computer monitor and it works great, especially for a second television in the house. If you have more questions about how to watch HD broadcasts on a computer, check out my 6 tips to receive HD broadcasts. [...]

Roundup: Tips to receive HDTV broadcasts over-the-air on a PC or HDTV » Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers Says:
February 14th, 2007 at 3:51 am

[...] 6 Tips to receive HDTV over-the-air on a PC - Learn more about the steps needed to get HD reception for a computer. [...]

Over the Air HD Reaching Mainstream Press » Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers Says:
May 5th, 2007 at 1:22 am

[...] Outdoor antennas are making a comeback according to CNN.com. I am not too surprised by this. This blog frequently talks about how local television stations broadcast their channels in HD for free, with such posts titled 6 Tips to watch HDTV over the air on a PC. Two things are need to receive high definition television broadcasts: a HDTV with a built-in tuner and an antenna. Any old antenna will do though you can buy a new indoor antenna for around $20 from Amazon.com. [...]

TVFool.com: Find local digital broadcast stations » Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers Says:
June 1st, 2007 at 12:59 am

[...] Whenever I get chance, I talk about how local TV stations broadcast in high definition. All you need is an HDTV, an ASTC tuner, and any antenna. It is one of the best kept secrets in the tech world. High quality high definition programming for free with no digital rights management. The only roadblock is whether you get good reception or not. TVFool.com is a relatively new site that provides an estimation as to which broadcast stations are available near your home or apartment. [...]

Over the Air HD Broadcasts | Snapstream Gets Rid of Cable » Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers Says:
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:20 pm

[...] I frequently talk about how over the air high definition broadcasts of network TV are free. A media center is a great way to watch these broadcasts. Not only can you ditch your cable company, but you can record anything you want in high definition. [...]

autonomy's status on Tuesday, 27-Oct-09 20:14:06 UTC - Identi.ca Says:
October 27th, 2009 at 8:14 pm

[...] http://www.floppyhead.com/2006/10/07/6-tips-to-receive-hdtv-over-the-air-on-a-pc/ [...]

Ken Says:
October 10th, 2006 at 9:36 am
The DVico Fusion HDTV5 Lite rocks (for about $100) : http://fusionhdtv.co.kr/eng/Products/RTLite.aspx

The USB version is cool as well (for about $150): http://fusionhdtv.co.kr/eng/Products/HDTV5usb.aspx

Both have the latest “5th generation” ATSC demod chip from LG.

Both work with Linux.

The Artec T14 looks cool, but I haven’t tried it : http://www.artectv.com/ehtm/be126.htm

I use the DB2 antenna : http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB2_Indoor_antenna.html

5 alternatives to help you ditch cable television » FloppyHead - A Media Center, Digital Video Recorder, and HTPC Resource Says:
November 19th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
[...] Get an indoor high definition antenna and either hook it up to your HDTV or a tuner card on your PC. Most local TV affiliates broadcast in high definition over the air. [...]
Ditch your cable tv! « snartz Says:
December 1st, 2006 at 7:35 pm
[...] Get an indoor high definition antenna and either hook it up to your HDTV or a tuner card on your PC. Most network affiliates also broadcast in high definition. [...]
Vista HTPC with CableCard: What does it really get you? » FloppyHead - A Media Center, Digital Video Recorder, and HTPC Resource Says:
December 12th, 2006 at 2:39 am
[...] That is an underwhelming list if you ask me. Universal HD and INHD appear to be groupings of channels that offer round the clock HD programs, like “Law and Order : SVU” and “Battlestar Galactica.” To be fair, the lack of HD channels is not Microsoft’s fault. After realizing the lack of HD programming offered by Cox, I am suddenly not as interested in a Vista HTPC for the short-term. As more channels become HD, a CableCARD will certainly be useful. This research did reinforce to me what a cool thing broadcast TV has become with the inclusion of high definition. Most of the shows I watch, like “Lost” and “Heroes” are available to me for free. Most of the other programs I watch, like Maryland basketball and football, are not available in HD, at least from Cox. [...]
Picture Frame Antenna for High Definition Televisions » FloppyHead - A Media Center, Digital Video Recorder, and HTPC Resource Says:
February 4th, 2007 at 12:40 am
[...] The key to receiving high definition broadcasts is having an antenna. Most indoor antennas are not too bulky but still look like a generic antenna and can stick out in a den or home office. I recently came across an HDTV antenna, called the PF 7, that is a wood picture frame that would blend into any room in your house. The antenna costs around $50 and is available at AntennasDirect.com. This antenna is great for a home office, especially if you are within 15 miles of any broadcast towers. I currently use an indoor antenna and a tuner card to watch HD broadcasts on my widescreen computer monitor and it works great, especially for a second television in the house. If you have more questions about how to watch HD broadcasts on a computer, check out my 6 tips to receive HD broadcasts. [...]
Roundup: Tips to receive HDTV broadcasts over-the-air on a PC or HDTV » Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers Says:
February 14th, 2007 at 3:51 am
[...] 6 Tips to receive HDTV over-the-air on a PC - Learn more about the steps needed to get HD reception for a computer. [...]
Over the Air HD Reaching Mainstream Press » Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers Says:
May 5th, 2007 at 1:22 am
[...] Outdoor antennas are making a comeback according to CNN.com. I am not too surprised by this. This blog frequently talks about how local television stations broadcast their channels in HD for free, with such posts titled 6 Tips to watch HDTV over the air on a PC. Two things are need to receive high definition television broadcasts: a HDTV with a built-in tuner and an antenna. Any old antenna will do though you can buy a new indoor antenna for around $20 from Amazon.com. [...]
TVFool.com: Find local digital broadcast stations » Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers Says:
June 1st, 2007 at 12:59 am
[...] Whenever I get chance, I talk about how local TV stations broadcast in high definition. All you need is an HDTV, an ASTC tuner, and any antenna. It is one of the best kept secrets in the tech world. High quality high definition programming for free with no digital rights management. The only roadblock is whether you get good reception or not. TVFool.com is a relatively new site that provides an estimation as to which broadcast stations are available near your home or apartment. [...]
Over the Air HD Broadcasts | Snapstream Gets Rid of Cable » Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers Says:
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:20 pm
[...] I frequently talk about how over the air high definition broadcasts of network TV are free. A media center is a great way to watch these broadcasts. Not only can you ditch your cable company, but you can record anything you want in high definition. [...]
autonomy's status on Tuesday, 27-Oct-09 20:14:06 UTC - Identi.ca Says:
October 27th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
[...] http://www.floppyhead.com/2006/10/07/6-tips-to-receive-hdtv-over-the-air-on-a-pc/ [...]

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