Free HDTV


If you haven't seen HDTV yet, I don't know where you have been!! The picture clarity is amazing! Watching football, prime time television, movies, and PBS nature specials will never be the same.


HD Tuner and HD Antennas


On a very high level, you need a TV (duh!), an HD Tuner, and an HDTV Antenna. A lot of new TV's come with HD tuners built-in, but that's one thing to look out for. Sometimes they are $100-200 cheaper, and you come home to realize that it's only HD-Ready, and does not have an built in HD-tuner. If you don't have one built in, it's time to look one at our HDTV Tuner section.


Even if you have an HD-tuner, you still need to find the right antenna.

As noted on Antennas Direct, the benefits of getting your HDTV over the air are:

  • The best picture quality - Cable and satellite providers have bandwidth limitations. Because of this, they must often resort to data compression or other techniques that compromise the image quality and don't provide the full benefit of HD programming. Off air antennas are the only method for receiving HDTV in the resolution that the network intended it to be broadcast.
  • Full carriage of all your local channels - The bandwidth limitations also limit the number of HDTV channels that cable and satellite providers can carry and many do not offer the local channels that their customers desire. Also contract disagreements between local cable operators and local broadcasters can mean that major networks may not be available in your area.
  • The Lowest Cost - Aside from the costs to purchase and install the over the air antenna, receiving HDTV is totally free. There will never be a fee for local off air channels. In many communities, cable companies often force customers into their top programming tier at the cost of up to $100 a month just for the "privilege" of getting your HD locals.

Here are few good resources for additional reading: