Regarding questions about an OTA DVR, Dish has a new receiver/DVR that is called the DTV DVR PAL and is capable of receiving and recording Digital format signals via the UHF band and can be purchased for about $249.99 after a $50 discount. This DTV DVR is capable of recording about 30 hours of High Definition programming or 200+ hours of standard definition programming.

In order to receive these signals, a number of UHF antennas are available. Since the transition to DTV will also include some upper VHF channels, it is good to select an antenna (and coax cable, IE RG-6) that receives both the upper VHF and core-band UHF channels up to and including channel 51 UHF.

A highly recommended antenna for this application is the ClearStream C4 Outdoor Long-Range Digital offered by Antennas Direct that has a range of 65 miles and a gain of 14.8 dBi (each 3-db increment accounts for doubling of signal strength power compared to a simple isotropic antenna).

Transmission of all channels are scheduled for June 2009 based upon Congressional approval. I suggest that you go to Antenna Search to determine the line of site distance from your place of installation to the TV transmitter site. For example, for my application, South Mountain serves me well since it is only 33 miles from my home in Apache Junction, AZ that offers a clear view of the transmitter site during the day and night. Many other places in the country may not offer a clear line of site of the transmitter site requiring one to elevate their antenna to receive adequate signal to receive DTV stations.