GS37

Sorry if this question has been posted before---I have a rooftop antenna that brings in HD-capable channels on my ancient TV, but of course, I don't see HD. Will I see HD channels in HD when I buy a plasma soon? Or do I need some sort of converter box? Thanks in advance.

1inxs

Welcome to the DTVUSA Forum. If you are currently receiving a good DTV signal through your rooftop antenna and you purchase a new TV, you will not need a converter box.

staticMHZ

The government converter boxes do not output HD quality on regular televisions. You only get standard definition. (480i).

If you want HD quality you'll have to get a high def set with a built in tuner, highest you can get right now on OTA is 1080i.

Aaron62

To get HDTV, you need either of the following

1. an HDTV with a ATSC tuner (LCD, Plasma, and some CRT's have ATSC tuners)

2. an HD Ready TV with a ATSC HD converter box

If you're using a CECB (which is a digital-to-analog converter box), you will not be able to receive watch HD programming because the converter downgrades the signals to 480i.

divxhacker

Close.

You CAN get HD programming, but it will not be viewed in true HD. Depending on the converter's zoom modes, you can view it in the original aspect with black bars on top and bottom, zoomed in and cropped, or squeezed, making the picture real skinny (like what was done for Panavision - use a wide mirror tilted at an angle to view the image from the TV placed at a 45-degree angle.) Yeah, all at 480i output.