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Need HDTV Help

Discussion in 'Questions and Answers' started by GARDENHEAD, Jun 27, 2009.

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  1. GARDENHEAD

    GARDENHEAD Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Looking to buy a 32" HDTV. Here's the catch:

    I'm too cheap to upgrade my cable to get all the HD channels. I'd like to watch the broadcast HD channels for free, but keep my basic cable to watch ESPN and Comedy Central and the like.

    Is there a HDTV anyone recommends that can easily switch back and forth between cable and broadcast. I've read that this move is difficult for some TVs.

    Thankyoumuch!
     
  2. azfinfanmang

    azfinfanmang Premium Member Luxury Box

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    I don't think the ability is dependant on the TV nearly as much as the way you are getting the signal to the TV.

    How are you receiving the HD channels?

    BTW: I am honestly to cheap for HD as well :up: I gave it a try and honestly don't notice much of a difference
     
  3. GARDENHEAD

    GARDENHEAD Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I would like to receive the HD channels for free via broadcast. My understanding is that some TVs are difficult to switch from broadcast to cable.
     
  4. hof13

    hof13 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    I get brighthouse. I split the cable coming in to send one cable to my cable box and a second cable directly into the tuner of my HD TVs. This way I can do split screens (half the screen is one channel and half the screen is another channel) during football season - instead of using the crappy pip built into the cable box.

    When the cable goes directly into the TV, I get the free HD channels automatically - but it's a little bit of a pain to get to them. For exmaple, I'll get regular cable channels 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. The HD channels show up on their "real" channel number with a dash-one. So I'll get cable channel 6 and HD channel 6-1.

    You can also just buy a decent TV antennae and pick the broadcast HD channels off the airways. You wold have to use your TV "input" button to switch between cable and the antennae.
     
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  5. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    Yup, that's how it will be with pretty much all tvs.

    Also, a lot of cable companies have "free HD." I know Time Warner does, you just have to ask them to upgrade your set-top box.
     
  6. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    I don't even know who you are. :no:
     
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  7. dolphan117

    dolphan117 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    He is only 14 Stitches, give him time, he will learn.

    And yeah, the easiest way to do this is to buy a TV which has both an "Air" and a "Cable" coax input. Buy a powered antenna for $40 or so and you should be able to get all of your primary local channels in HD with secondary standard definition digital stuff as well. For instance CBS is in HD for me but they also broadcast MyNetworkTV in standard def.
     
  8. dolphan117

    dolphan117 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    And keep an eye on slickdeals.net, its a deals forum where people post great prices that they find on products.... Had a very good deal on 32 inch Sharp this week.
     
  9. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    You mean 42"?
     
  10. Cosmic

    Cosmic Social Disease

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    If you're talking about the deal at BJ's, I'm PO'd because I bought the same damn TV for my bedroom in January for $100.00 more. Kicking myself.
     
  11. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    Dude, I bought my Samsung HL-61a750 from CC with a 10% coupon in early December for under $1300 (which was by far the cheapest it had been at the time), only for it to go on sale at Conn's (just as far away as CC just in the other direction) for $1k in mid January. Talk about kicking myself (normally you could price match up to 90 days at CC, but they had already went bankrupt by then). At least I got 0% interest for 36 months, and the tv since it is near impossible to find now. :lol:
     
  12. GARDENHEAD

    GARDENHEAD Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Thanks yall.
     
  13. hof13

    hof13 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Hmmm - now that I think about it there may be issue depending on the type of HDTV you buy. Maybe somebody with more knowledge can help - but I think they sell HDTVs as either with an HD Tuner or as "HD Ready".

    It's possible that the three TVs I've had that picked up the HD signals without a cable box had HD Tuners built into them. I do remember messing with an HDTV that somebody else had where it didn't pick up the HD signals - and it was probably "HD Ready".

    If the HDTV you're buying doesn't have a built-in Tuner then you might have to buy an additional tuner like this one:

    http://www.amazon.com/Coby-DTV-140-ATSC-High-Definition/dp/B000NW7A2G/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_0
     

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