Will this work: HDTV Wonder out to SDTV

[winbetaman]

At the present time, my viewing device is limited to the family SDTV or the 19" LCD monitor connected to my MCE.  Also, I do not have the funds to pay the monthly fees associated with cable or satellite.  So at the moment, my family's TV viewing is limited to using an rabbit-ear antenna to our SDTV.  I also live in an apartment complex which does not have any central rooftop antenna, nor can I or do I want to install an external antenna on a pole in my "backyard".

So, I got to thinking about how I can (on the cheap) improve my family's TV viewing experience.

Here's my question.

If I install an ATI HDTV Wonder card in my MCE, grabbing OTA HDTV signals via a Zenith Silver Sensor/Gemini ZHDTV1 antenna (which, based on feedback from Gregg, should work reasonably well), output via the S-Video on the video card, then composite (that's all my TV has) in to my SDTV, what will the picture look like?  Is this even do-able?  Are there tricks or hacks, say, using Powerstrip or TVTool, that would let me do this?

Any thoughts, tricks, or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[StarvingForHDTV]

I don't know what an MCE is, but you should be able to watch the HD signal on your 19" LCD.  As far as sending your signal to the analog TV, that would clear up any ghosting or other reception issues.  Although the HD programs are rectangular and your TV is squarish.  HD material would be squished between two bars on the top and bottom I would think.

I don't know how much this card costs.  You might be able to get a used set top box cheaper.  You should also check to make sure the ATI card outputs SD signals.  I would think it should, but it would be wise to look at an owners manual just to be sure.

Good luck.

[winbetaman]

MCE is an acronym for (Windows) Media Center Edition (2005).   I know that I could watch TV on the LCD but eventually the 19' unit will be removed and downsided to a 15" LCD.  The LCD will only be used when the MCE PC is being used in Windows XP mode for system changes and maintenance.  Regular TV viewing will be on the TV.

As for HDTV being rectangular (16:9) versus the usual SDTV square (4:3), I can live with the black bars on the top and bottom.  It's no different than watching a wide screen DVD (or letterboxed movie) on the SDTV.

The card itself is strictly used for input.  The video card in the PC is what has S-Video output port that is then converted to composite and plugged into the TV.

Thanks for the feedback.

If anyone else has comments, that would be great.

[audiopile]

While you may still have to do some fooling around with antenna location/orientation - the 480i output from a HDTV source is really quite stunning - yah it ain't h def - but getting rid of all the miserable accumulated far from subtle analog artifacts that are just gonna be there if you have to deal with the reality of apartment antenna living is    
definitly  worth while. Plus you get some extra programing on 10-1 thru 10-4 and 36-1 that actually might be of some interest.
       i would second the proposal that a set top box may be not much more expensive than a card and you won't have to deal with any of bill's built in problems 'cause it ain't hooked into your puter.
        OTA SD into 480i  is very noticably superior to almost all  OTA analog TV sources in the real world. My 5 year old panasonic TV has never displayed a picture close to what I'm getting from downconverted  HD signals.

[winbetaman]

audiophile,

Thanks for the input.

Perhaps I'm dense but, if I were to get a used (or new) STB, doesn't that imply I would be subscribing to cable or satellite for an ongoing monthly fee?   My gut tells me that you are both trying to tell me I can somehow get an STB, not subscibe to pay TV, hook it to my SDTV, pull in OTA HDTV and display it on my TV.  Is that right?  If so, educate me please?  I want to know more about this approach.

However, I may still do the HDTV Wonder with my MCE PC.  Call me a geek but, I am having fun with the MCE PC and learning yet more things.  Plus it makes for great payback for all my stored digital video, photos, music, plus I can so TIVO-type stuff.

Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Thanks again.

[audiopile]

Basically you don't need to subscribe to get the Off The Air (OTA) signal. Samsung,Eagle Aspin and United Digital? all make so called set-top boxes which are capable of receiving the OTA signal and down converting to 480I and feeding this to all but the oldest TV's - anything with a composite video,S-video or even just a 75ohm RF input can get this downconverted signal and display it.
     The Hughes HIRD E-8 and HIRD E-86 are pretty comonly available on E-bay. While these are also capable of receiving the SAT signal - they work just fine as OTA boxes and you don't pay a subscription fee because you aren't using their content.
All the local stations now have fully functional HD transmitters. Most of these are broadcasting the same programs in Standard definition (SD) digital ( not high def) that they are sending out on their analog transmitters. MPTV is the execption - go to their web site for details.  Everybodies transmitters are located roughly in the area of Capitol drive -running North along the River - figure Capitol Dr. and Humboldt and you are close enough. Makes orienting  your antenna somewhat easier.
      If your going to buy a used OTA or SAT/OTA box - make sure that it is not locked out  and a manual is a very important accesory. In the case of the Hughes boxes all buttons  -but one- are easily cloneable to any universal remote.
     Again - the SD picture is very very good on a standard 480i set - the lack of transmission artifacts is realy noticable. There are some digital artifacts that do show up - but they are essentially the same sort of crap you see on DVD's - fast vertical pans with strong Horizontal lines will show wavering of those hard horizontal lines. This is there no matter how you show it or what you show it on.

[StarvingForHDTV]

I use an older version of this:

http://product.samsung.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2c_product_detail.jsp?eUser=&prod_id=SIR-T451%2fXAA

[winbetaman]

audiophile and Starving,

Thanks for the info.  I was completely unaware that OTA HDTV STB's (how's that for acronyms) were available.

What's the best place for me to go to get more indepth info on this (STB's that are available, tips&tricks, etc.).  I'm sure that here at MilwaukeeHDTV there's plenty available.  I'm looking for the beginning of the "yellow brick road".

Thanks.

[StarvingForHDTV]

I would say the first brick of the road is here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=179095

Scroll down a bit to get to your desired acronyms.

Have fun.

[Nels Harvey]

I bought a Samsung SIR-T151 off of eBay in 2003, for $200.00  It was a refurbished STB, and let me see the local digital offerings without a HDTV.  That model doesn't interface with a satellite receiver, however.

I have E* along with a large HDTV now, and the Samsung is still on the SDTV.  Sometimes the Samsung does a beter job pulling in the locals than the E* 811 receiver!

Nels....

[winbetaman]

Thanks.  I briefly checked out the web site.  I'll have to go back to spend more time.