vtchris
vermont
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Lots of information here, thanks, I think I am beginning to see the picture (pun intended). Question: Do I HAVE to have a HD ready set? What would I get if I just had a new LCD flat screen?
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Kemahsabe
Kemah, TX
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vtchris wrote:Lots of information here, thanks, I think I am beginning to see the picture (pun intended). Question: Do I HAVE to have a HD ready set? What would I get if I just had a new LCD flat screen?
As I understand the law, all new TVs must have a digital tuner. They don't have to be HD, but essentially all of them are. What make and model of TV are you thinking about?
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vtchris
vermont
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A 15" LCD Magnavox the 15MF400T/37 Series. Another RVer has it for sale at $65. I have never used my rig's antenna (actually, I sealed it down when I was sealing everything up there looking for an elusive leak), maybe I can get rabbit ears for it. My cable works.
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Kemahsabe
Kemah, TX
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That's an analog TV still listed at Walmart.com for $198, but it's not available. It does NOT have a digital (ATSC) tuner. You'd need a $40 - $50 converter to use it with an antenna, which brings your cost up to $110. There's a wide selection of 17" or 19" digital sets for well under $200.
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HobbyTalk
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vtchris wrote:Lots of information here, thanks, I think I am beginning to see the picture (pun intended). Question: Do I HAVE to have a HD ready set? What would I get if I just had a new LCD flat screen? 99.9% of all new TVs will be digital ready and you will be able to pull in and watch the new digital channels. The vast majority of the major network stations (CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox) will transmit at least one HD channel and one or more standard def sub-channels. Where you may have only been able to get 3 channels before it is not uncommon to get 8 or more channels now (some HD and some SD). A majority of PBS stations are still SD (but can still be viewed) but they now have 3 or more channels instead of only one. Not all programming is in HD even when on a HD channel, mostly local news and some non-primetime broadcasts. But this is quickly changing with over 50% of local news now in HD. Older programming (think classic TV serials) will also not be in HD as it was created before there was HD.
Sold the RV, bought a house in North Fort Myers
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vtchris
vermont
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I just saw this usb TV tuner
and am wondering if that would be a good route for me. I have two laptops and maybe I can get away from actually purchasing a TV. Or is this too good to be true?
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HobbyTalk
NFM
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That should work. It can be a bit of a pain to use. You have plug it in to the computer, start the computer, attach the antenna cable, put it someplace to watch it, scan the channels and then use your track pad to change channels. You might find that the 15 minutes it takes to set up just to watch the news is more trouble then it is worth and just end up not using it. But for only 30 bucks you aren't out much if you don't use it and it is always there just in case.
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