Over the Air HD: Will this TV support over the air HD channels?
312434
Yes it does support HD, but you need an antenna specially made for HD. Also supports non-HD channels. Picture may not be as great though because HD comes in clear and regular non-HD channels come in fuzzy, which is normal, unless there's great reception. Where I'm at, I have 7 over the air non-HD channels. Once I have an HD antenna, I end up with 20 something channels including non-HD and HD channels.
1493316
You can get over the air channels only in HD. This does not give you any extra content.
1397088
I don't know because the whole system didn't work for me so I sent it back. My impression is though that it does work w/ HD TV.
183409
This unit has an ATSC tuner, so it should be able to record over the air HD signal. Just get a good antenna.
20907
Yes, the TV has an ATSC (digital) tuner, as all new TV's do. It will also tune in standard channels if they are available.
410289
I've heard this models great with HD. But I'm not planning on updating the box or getting a newer generation gaming system quite yet.I currently have no TV. My goal is to find the most cost efficient TV I'll be happy with for years. In other words, one that handles SD well for now, but handles HD good enough that when I switch to it I won't feel like I should buy a newer model.
125073
I don't have this card, so I can't reply to your exact question. However, broadcast HD channels are sent using QAM over digital cable, whereas this card has an ATSC (over-the-air) digital tuner. Two different ways of compressing a digital signal.
990789
As long as the provider does not require it to watch the channels you want then no. Local SD and HD channels over the air should work fine.
126740
Not an HD device. It will substitute for a second box and will bring in all the channels, but it will not be an HD picture on your second TV.
426586
You will improve your picture even more if you drop all of those and put up an antenna. Comcast, Dish, and all the others get their digital signals from the television stations. The same stations broadcast in digital over the air. The only difference is that the cable and dish companies compress the signal to get more bandwidth, so technically, the free over the air signal is your best bet. I live in a major metropolitan area and get about 40 channels for free off the air. (Not counting analog.) It was a major step up from cable. 720p is not the problem. It's doubtful that you could tell the difference on that alone. A 1080i broadcast of a 1960 sitcom will look no better on 1080i than on a 480i broadcast and a 1080i broadcast that is (re)run on a lower definition digital channel will lack resolution despite being digital. It all depends on the source and resolution, and not all digital channels are high def. The problem is that with a bad picture, your new set is very good at showing you every detail of it. When TV went color, there were still lots of black and white shows. When it became stereo, there were still lots of mono broadcasts. These days, you don't see NBC's peacock telling you that the show is in glorious living color, and the TV stations don't flash the "stereo" logo. But they might have a "now in HD" logo. In a few years, that will go away because it will be normal for things to be in HD. Then the cable companies will have to rethink all the low bandwidth channels that they throw at you. But for now, you will get your share of low def shows, shows in a square box, and letterbox within a 4*3 box leaving half the picture blank. The advantage of your Sony is that things will only get better. Having a TV that's better than the broadcast is better than the other way around.
1402191
A lot of content, particularly commercials, are 720p. Push the recall button on the remote when you are watching an HD program. Chances are, it will show 1080p
2035168
are you sure that the cable box is HD? kinda sounds like it is SD? the other thing to remember is that not all stations are being broadcast in HD and even then some local channels might not be broadcasting certain shows in HD. for example, my local stations might broadcast a golf game that is in HD, but the local news is broadcast in SD.As for the tv itself, i'm not sure. I'm waiting to get my 4053 delivered and i'm having a hard time waiting! you might want to check your connections again though.
934064
A late response but thought I'd chime in. The up-conversion can help with standard def satellite but little difference with HD channels. One of the best benefits of systems offering up-conversion besides better picture quality is that it will take the non-HDMI inputs and send them out the HDMI output. It is very awkward running audio from a device to the receiver and the video to the TV and having to switch inputs on the receiver and the TV.
436947
Hi Kathleen,I watch over the air HD all the time and my soundbar works fine. I can't think of anything that would make it not work. Possibly a setting on your TV?
838843
I don't have cable and this TV was able to pull HD-quality channels "right off the air." Some of them aren't always in HD, the signal deteriorating from time to time. Others are more consistent.
1829552
Absolutely Richard, I have a regular HD-TV and it works fine with it. The main thing you needis an internet, or WI-FI connection. Anyway, good luck with that situation, enjoy!
822835
at best you'd get the local channels by plugging in a split coaxial cable without the cable-box to decode... if they are not encrypted.alternatively you can run a coaxial cable to a standard antenna (preferably external, but some internal rabbit-ears will do) to get local stations in HD over-the-air. fyi.. if you can receive them, over-the-air channels are actually of HIGHER quality than signals "passed through" by cable companies (who compress their signals)