Are we going back to the use of antennas for HDTV and perhaps in the future for internet and cable-like tv?

Answer 1

Actually Antenna Installs are on the rise....

But it's mostly due to the novelty of Local Hi-definition reception that is causing this.....

People can afford to hook up a $20 to $100 antenna system so they can compare the Local Hi-Def signal against their Lo-Def Satellite or Cable Signal.

I did....and yes, you can see the difference....and using your PIP in side-by-side mode is a great tool for comparing....and if it's on LOCAL, you watch it on Local stations.

With that said, will I actually mount an antenna to my roof?
If Dish Network drops the price of their $200 upgrade to $50, I'll stay with Dish. If not, then I'll switch to Verizon-TV when it comes to our market. A rooftop antenna is a great backup system, but it is not the Main system.

Man is always looking for the BEST deal.....

Answer 2

In the cable business new technologies are arising everyday. I'm a cable guy and I have talked with people that have been in this business a long time. They have mentioned that in the future, you will probably be able to have internet, phone, and HD tv, blasted from the poles to your house eliminating the line to your house. All you need from the cable company is the recievers in your home. We already put all three services on one line throughout a system, so now the next development would be placing the transmitters in strategic locations throughout a system. But we are getting way ahead talking about this, give it about 20 or 30 years to come about.

I could see why they would do it, in the long run it would be cost effective, and less wires and materials in the air to the house. Most service problems would probably be eliminated regarding splitters, cabling, and fittings

Answer 3

I think some people are using over-the-air HD antennas because most cable HD services don't have local stations on HD. In Canada, Bell ExpressVu satellite system has local programming, but not in HD. You can access some local channels(depending on where you live) in HD with outside antennas.( HDTV ones that is) The signal needs to be strong for these to work with good resolution. Eventually, local stations will cave into the demand to have their signal in HD & feed it to the cable & satellite networks.

Answer 4

no chance on antennae. HDTV costs a lot of money to construct and operate, and this will not be passed on to advertisers, i am sure. You can expect any future developments to be entirely fee based on a controllable transmission, IE Cable or satellite, or phone wire. As advertisers are offered cheaper ads and larger markets due to subscribers paying the bills, less and less will advertise on broadcast, until they are no longer profitable, and they will all dissapear in a year in one fell swoop.

Answer 5

I would think there's greater reliability in using wired networking within the home vs strictly using wireless. Whether we're talking office spaces or private homes, indoor RF propagation is an issue, esp if you're talking about setting up micro or pico cells in neighborhoods for providing from-the-curb RF service.

And even with the wideband spectrum that could be made available to deliver highspeed network services, twisted pair, coax, and fiber can provide even wider bandwidth, and greater reliability, than RF ever could.

Practically, I have problems finding the right spot to put my wireless router to get whole-house coverage. I also have problems dropping cell phone calls from one end of the house to another.