Fiesta Bowl HD

[GenoG]

I am currently a Time Warner customer, and I would like to watch the Fiesta Bowl in High Def. I have been spoiled all week long by the games on ESPN in HD, and I want to see this big game in HD!

I am looking for the most affordable option as to how to go about doing this. My two options would be:

1. Switch to WoW for a day and then cancel (not very ethical)
2. Buy OTA equiptment. How much would I have to spend to get ABC HD?

[GenoG]

here is a the info that I found for my zip code on antaneweb
What is the minimum I would have to spend to get an OTA signal?
http://static.flickr.com/40/79585467_af3e50f273.jpg?v=0

[zelig2]

Fairly cheap for the most part. All you really need is an ATSC tuner. If you can find that one receiver at Walmart you can spend something like $100 and then at most $20 for an antenna. I can't remember the name of the brand but it's like "US Direct" or something like that. It was meant for something different. There's also a dvd player with an ATSC tuner built in that you could try hunting for. No idea on the price of that one.

[whitllam]

The box that Zelig2 refers to is by US Digital. I couldn't find a mention of it on walmart.com, but I picked it up for $199 over a year ago, with about 20 for a vhf/uhf antenna (you'll need a vhf-capable antenna to receive WSYX-DT on channel 13) and whatever you want to spend on component (rgb) cables. I think it does a pretty darn good job once you get the antenna aimed correctly.

[GenoG]

would this from best buy be a "best buy" ?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7259245&type=product&id=1117178265456
It says that it includes the indoor antenna. Would that give me a good reception for WSYX?

[whitllam]

Before I bought my US Digital box, I was looking at a closeout Sylvania (Funai) box at Sears, but couldn't find one locally. It had gotten some good reviews from users despite the fact that it was a year or two old. With this newer box and supposedly newer generation tuner hardware, it should work just fine. It has component video outputs and both optical and coax 5.1 outputs, so it seems like you'd be able to hook it up however you wanted (can't expect HDMI or DVI from a box this cheap). I say go for it.

[whitllam]

Oh, also...two more things.

If you find that it doesn't work that well, you can always return it within 30 days (I don't think there's a restocking fee on HDTV tuners at BB).

Also, if your family or neighbors won't complain and you don't have any big trees in the way, it might be worthwhile (at least for the Fiesta Bowl) to put up a temporary outdoor antenna so you'll get better reception. Try the indoor antenna first, but if you're going to have guests over to watch the game, it's something to think about.

[GenoG]

thanks for the input. I don't know where to find an outdoor antenna on such short notice though.

[whitllam]

After looking at your second post again (the one with the results you grabbed from antennaweb.org), the indoor antenna should be fine as long as the rabbit ears on your indoor antenna are positioned correctly since you're only 8 miles from the tower. Somewhere online, I forget where though, there is a site that helps you determine the distance between the dipoles (tips) of the rabbit ears - and for channel 13 (WSYX's digital channel), that is about 24-26 inches. Try orienting the antenna perpendicularly to the path from the tower and work from there, making sure to move around the room to see if there are any disruptions to the signal.