Is HDTV a monthly fee?

Question

I just bought an HDTV and this is a dumb question but do i hafta buy the service like a monthly fee for it to come in hi def?

Answer 1

HDTV is free, the United State Government REQUIRED all local station to broadcast both in standard and HDTV (many smaller cities got exemptions) . But if you are in a major city all your local channels should be simulcast in HDTV.

BUT: HDTV format sucks. All digital transmission have the same problem, you either get 100% or you get 0% there is no 80%, if analog. If you watch TV using analog "rabbit ears" you might get some static, but the show is still watchable, with HDTV you either get a perfect image or you get NO image (sometimes you get a freeze frame of the last "perfect image" So if you want to watch HDTV you will NEED to purchase it from your cable company or live VERY close to the broadcast antenna

The main source of HD signals are either cable or digital Satellite.

With satellite you will need two dishes, so I would suggest sticking with cable. Also my parents have lots of trouble with DirectTV during storms and cloudy weather, since the HD Satellite is much farther away then their regular satellite I would assume (don't know) that they are even more affected by environmental conditions.


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One more thing, did you buy a HDTV or an HDTV compatible TV? If you only purchased an HDTV compatible TV, you might still have to purchase a TUNER.

Answer 2

Well i used to work for comcast if ur tv has a tuner and u only want to pick up stations broadcast in hi def no. if you channels that are scrambled that come in hi def or ones that are converted to hi def (not true hi def) then yes you pay a monthly fee for the hdtv box (which includes the service. thought you still have to subscribe to standard and usually a basic digital package to get the channels that come in the 800's now this if for comcast only.

Answer 3

According to the FCC all public broadcasting will be required to broadcast in digital (not necessarily HD). This includes cable and satellites. Presumably those companies will pass on HD content eventually at no extra cost, but please dont hold your breath.

As part of that FCC ruling TV stations are to make every effort to make the signals as accesable as the ananlog signals were. In other words they might go with transponders that pass on the signal to increase the range. Right now most digital Over The Air (OTA) is broadcast on the UHF band. Probably because most of the VHF band is already used up. It is presumed that when analog stops, most stations will begin transmitting on VHF in digital. VHF signals travel at least twice as far. So the previous answer of living very close to the towers will eventually not have a reason to be upset. Although having to buy new equipment to watch regular TV and not have to pay for it really sucks.

Answer 4

If you have cable TV service, you will obviously need to pay them to receive HDTV through cable.

Depending on your location (are you in a major metropolitan area?), however, you can probably receive over-the-air (OTA) HDTV signals for free. This will likely entail attaching rabbit ears or a dish antenna to your TV depending on your line of sight to the broadcast towers.

Answer 5

Yes, no company, either satellite or cable offer free HD, the y only way you will be able to get HD locals in your area if they are available is with a HD capable Off-air antenna. hooked up to your TV

Answer 6

I stay in ny and have Verizon Fios. we've one hi-def dvr container it extremely is loose each and each month and we pay $9.ninety 9 a moth for the 2d hi-def dvr container. i think of it extremely is one extra $2.ninety 9 for each of our non hi-def containers.

Answer 7

No but yes if you have cable on it but its free to have local tv

Answer 8

yes