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HDTV is so awesome. We were in total denial. Then the TV in our master bathroom died, and we needed to replace it. We decided to put the one in the den into the bathroom and splurge for Christmas with a flat panel.

Now we are so spoiled by HDTV that watching anything else makes us feel as if we have cloudy contact lenses or have lost our eyeglasses.

We plan to move up to HD at the beach. This thread has been very informative.
 

Here4Good

Beach Fanatic
Jul 10, 2006
1,269
527
Point Washington
Has anyone gotten an HD cable box from Mediacom? Do they offer them yet? How much $ over standard service?

I'm trying to avoid getting HDTV from MediaCom - our cable service is so lousy. The lower channels are all fuzzy (with Digital Cable, no less), and their answer is, "Oh, yea, that's a problem we have". They put in a digital cable box that looks like it had been dragged behind the truck on a gravel road.

MediaCom offers something like 5 HD channels for an extra $10/month, and none of them are network. I really want the sports in HDTV, and so many of the good college games are on network.

Dish TV doesn't offer CBS, which has the SEC football games, and so I am lost - and considering some sort of antenna solution, since WTVY claims they broadcast "digital" TV - whatever that means.

Has anyone done business with the company called "Sattelite Sales and Service" on 98? Would they perhaps be able to at least get the right antenna up?
 

bennedy

Beach Lover
Dec 8, 2006
52
0
67
Isn't it $29 on top of the monthly fee. I know mediacom is about the same. My advice is wait. All stations were to have begun HD broadcasting 2 years ago only to be pushed back. And the standards are not set in stone. Is it 720p,1080i or 1380. Watch movies in HD. Most broadcasts are only upconverted to HD from standard def. which completely distorts the picture. Plus who wants to see Panama City's broadcasters in HD it'll probably crack your screen when Joe Moore comes on.
:lolabove:
I totally agree !!!
We just got HDTV and we went through mediacom.just to get channel 4 and the other local stations,but it seems that NBC in panama city doesn't broadcast in hi-def or does it ??
 

Here4Good

Beach Fanatic
Jul 10, 2006
1,269
527
Point Washington
:lolabove:
I totally agree !!!
We just got HDTV and we went through mediacom.just to get channel 4 and the other local stations,but it seems that NBC in panama city doesn't broadcast in hi-def or does it ??

I got an HDTV TV, and one of those Silver Sensor Phillips HDTV antennas ($25 at Circuit City), and Channel 4 comes in AS CLEAR AS A BELL up here in Point Washington. It is incredible - the picture is about 300 times better than the Channel 4 I get on MediaCom.

We get 4-5 other channels on the antenna also, but not the other network channels - looks like we get CW and two or three PBS stations.

I would never have dreamed that this little $25 antenna would work this well - just bought it as a lark.

Woo hoo - Super Bowl in High Def!
 

TreeFrog

Beach Fanatic
Oct 11, 2005
1,798
212
Seagrove
I got an HDTV TV, and one of those Silver Sensor Phillips HDTV antennas ($25 at Circuit City), and Channel 4 comes in AS CLEAR AS A BELL up here in Point Washington. It is incredible - the picture is about 300 times better than the Channel 4 I get on MediaCom.

Despite Googling myself silly, I can't find specs for this antenna. Which input does it use to connect to the TV? Hoping you don't say coax...
 

pennstater

Beach Comber
Jul 10, 2005
43
10
NJ/Inlet Beach
It uses coax. Connects to the digital antenna input on your TV or external digital tuner. If your TV is only HDTV ready it will not work. Also note that this is a UHF antenna only. Enter 32459 zipcode at this web site:

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

It shows NBC out of Panama City as broadcasting on VHF. I have not tried a VHF antenna at our Seagrove location.
 

Here4Good

Beach Fanatic
Jul 10, 2006
1,269
527
Point Washington
It uses coax. Connects to the digital antenna input on your TV or external digital tuner. If your TV is only HDTV ready it will not work. Also note that this is a UHF antenna only. Enter 32459 zipcode at this web site:

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

It shows NBC out of Panama City as broadcasting on VHF. I have not tried a VHF antenna at our Seagrove location.

This also says that the NBC station is not digital, but their own web site says it is. So hard to get real information sometimes, I don't know what to believe.

Anyone have local channels on DirectTV?
 

pennstater

Beach Comber
Jul 10, 2005
43
10
NJ/Inlet Beach
I believe it shows WJHG analog as VHF 7 and WJHG digital as VHF 8 mapped to 7.1. Even though it is the same distance to the tower for the Digital ABC station the table shows it as requiring a much larger antenna with preamp for proper reception. Since the tower is the same distance as the ABC tower WJHG-DT must be at very low power. I don't think I have a chance of reception with an indoor antenna. The silver sensor is definitely only good for UHF and is extremely sensitive to direction. I have rock solid reception for digital ABC and CBS.

The following is copied and pasted from the CEA web site.

DTV Antenna
Type Call Sign Channel Network City State Live
Date Compass
Orientation Miles
From Frequency
Assignment
* yellow - uhf WFSG-DT 38.1 PBS Panama City FL 74? 12.0 38
* red - uhf WMBB-DT 13.1 ABC FL-Panama City FL 88? 43.2 19
* red - uhf WBIF-DT 51 RTN MARIANNA FL TBD 72? 39.7 51
* blue - uhf WTVY-DT 4.1 CBS DOTHAN AL 30? 47.4 36
* violet - uhf WPCT-DT 47 IND PANAMA CITY BEACH FL TBD 116? 22.0 47
* violet - vhf WJHG-DT 7.1 NBC PANAMA CITY FL 80? 42.6 8
 

kdp4th

Beach Lover
Feb 8, 2006
69
3
Duluth
I have a Zenith Silver Sensor in Atlanta and get great reception. It?s an indoor antenna but we have it on the back porch. The box specifically states that it is a UHF antenna but get we all the locals: 2, 5, 11, 17, 36, and 46. Also a bunch of other channels. I used the same antenna in Seagrove beach and only got two PBS channels.
 

Destiny

Beach Lover
Dec 29, 2005
150
0
West Central Georgia
We have Direct TV in Georgia and it is the best investment we have made for the HDTV TV. Have a 50" Samsung 1080i. It also picks up some Digital channels when we have the antenna on. They are clear as a bell on it but terrible on the other 2 TVs in the house as they are not on the satellite.
 
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