With the prices of HDTV receivers dropping, we finally purchased an HD card to put into our Windows Media Center computer so we can watch high def on our Xbox 360 in the living room. Today we received our antenna in the mail, and I am glad to report that 1080i is bliss. I am saddened to say however, that The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad are all still captured in plain old NTSC and then upscaled. The result is much better than an analog transmission, but still disappointing.
ATSC is truly a sight to behold.
Now, to clarify something that many people seem to be confused about: analog broadcasts will end on February 17, 2009. Congress will be subsidizing the cost of set top boxes that allow you to receive digital signals on analog TVs. They cost a lot now, but have dropped in price drastically over the past several years and will continue to do so. I’m estimating a box will cost $50 to $100 by 2009. None of this concerns you if you are using satellite or cable television–only antenna broadcasts.
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