DTV Reception on the Cheap

At the end of my discussion on getting a DTV set without breaking the bank, I mentioned that you can view these beautiful digital pictures without spending an arm and a leg, too. What’s the secret?

There are a few ways to get digital signals into your home. You desires and viewing habits will dictate the best option for you, so, I’ll just run them down for you.

If you currently have the most basic cable (local channels only), or you have no cable, then, with the addition of a cheap set of rabbit ears, you will likely be able to watch all of your local channels’ DTV transmissions. You may even be able to ditch cable entirely. If you currently have a rooftop antenna, you’ll likely be in great shape!

Oh, yeah. You very likely will not need to buy a special HDTV antenna. Here’s an example.

We live in Columbia, Maryland, which is located between Baltimore and Washington. With a set of $9.99 rabbit ears, I can easily watch the DTV signals from 7 stations, covering ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox and an independent. All but one of these channels feature multiple video streams — which is called Digital Multicasting. Our local PBS station is broadcasting 5 different programs simultaneously as I’m typing this, in a combination of standard and high definition formats.

If you want to view your digital channels in DTV modes, you’ll need to upgrade your cable or satelite service, unfortunately. And that could get pricey. In my area, Digital Cable with the HDTV upgrade is about $70 per month, about $17 more than we’re currently paying.

So, I’d suggest trying the cheap-o rabbit ears first, and don’t forget to ask for those set-top tuner vouchers when the time comes!