Comparison of DIRECTV and DISH Network HDTV

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OTA = Off The Air.

Yep, I'm referring to old fashioned broadcast TV that you receive on an antenna or rabbit ears.  Your local stations sometimes broadcast your local channels, especially in medium and larger cities.

So if you subscribe to satellite TV, either DirecTV or DISH Network, and if neither happens to carry your local channels in HD, the programming can be received, off the air, via a special HDTV "OTA" antenna.  The FCC and local stations don't yet allow the Satellite TV companies to carry the local HD channels in every city, but both DIRECTV and DISH Network are working to make this happen!  They've already rolled out "Local Channels in HD via Satellite" in most major metropolitan areas.  If you're not in one of those cities and want your local channels in HD, the good news is that the HD stations in your area are already broadcasting it, in HD, over the airwaves!  You just need a small antenna to receive the signal.

DIRECTV and Dish Network have built their satellite receivers with an OTA antenna input jack to allow OTA pick up of these channels.  So your local HD channels, received by OTA antenna, will appear on the channel guide on your TV (through the satellite box).  Since the Satellite companies don't own or control the local stations broadcasting OTA signals, it's your job to get an antenna to receive them (if your city doesn't yet have satellite broadcast of them).

Keep in mind, since the HDTV format is still somewhat new, so your local HD channels don't broadcast every show in HD - but where the HD version of a show is available, they usually do broadcast them.  As time goes by, DIRECTV and DISH Network will be rolling out more space satellites and working with the FCC and your local stations to carry your local HD channels via satellite, then you'll no longer need the OTA antenna!  But this may take several years, depending on where you live.

For those HD channels that you can receive locally (via OTA antenna), you can input them directly into the HD satellite tuner boxes supplied from either DIRECTV or DISH Network (there's really no difference between the two when it comes to local HD channels via OTA).  It'll be your antenna that you buy that makes a difference.  Unfortunately, the FCC rules make it your responsibility to pick up the HD OTA channels - so DIRECTV and DISH Network can't help you with your OTA antenna and reception issues.

Depending on where you live, the OTA HD channels you are able to receive will depend on two factors - whether they are broadcast in your area -and- whether your antenna can pick them up.

It's confusing, so let's make some categories:

1) If you have DirecTV or DISH Network, and if you don't care about getting your local HD network channels, if you're fine with the national network stations you get from satellite TV (like NBC NY or CBS Los Angeles or ABC Chicago or whatever).  No converter box needed.  No antenna of any type needed.

2) If you have DirecTV or DISH Network, and if you do like the national networks (like NBC New York or CBS Los Angeles that I get via satellite), but you also want your local network channel (like NBC Miami if you live in Miami, or like CBS Houston if you live in Houston), then there are two cases (neither needing the converter box):

As satellite continues to grows, they offer local HD channels via satellite in more and more metropolitan areas.  If you live in the metro area of a medium or large US city, satellite offers these channels as an option, via satellite.  If your city's local HD channels are available via satellite, then you don't need a converter box or local station antenna of any kind.

If your local HD channels are not available yet via satellite and if they are broadcast over the air (OTA) in your area, you'll need an antenna designed for HDTV, but you won't need a converter box because the antenna plugs right into the satellite TV box and the satellite TV box already accepts the newer digital HD antenna signals.

3) If you have cable TV and if they provide your local channels in HD via cable, you don't need a converter box or antenna of any sort.  If your local cable company doesn't offer your local HD channels, you can do one of two things: get a converter box and an antenna and connect them to your TV in tandem with your cable box -or- get a newer TV equipped with a digital antenna input and avoid having to buy an analog to digital converter box.

4) If you don't have cable TV and you don't have satellite TV, then you can do one of two things: get a converter box and use your old antenna and old TV -or- get a newer TV equipped with a digital antenna input and you won't need the converter box (if you're buying a new HDTV, please consider getting satellite TV, your antenna won't do that new HDTV any justice at all).

If 3 or 4 above apply to you and you need a converter box, find more information and apply for the $40 discount coupon for the converter box at dtv2009.gov.  And don't forget to thank your fellow taxpayers, congress set aside over $1.5 billion to fund 33.5 million converter box coupons for you folks with older TVs.

If you're not sure whether your TV is older (accepts analog inputs only) or newer (accepts digital inputs), consult your owner's manual.  If your set has an input connection labeled "digital input" or "ATSC" (for Advanced Television Systems Committee, which is the DTV format), then you will not need a converter box.  If it's an HDTV, you're set.  If it's not, the converter box let's you continue to use your regular (not HDTV) TV for years to come.  These boxes will be available in retail stores soon, if you need one, you don't need to wait to get one.  Most stations broadcast in both analog (until 2-18-09) and digital, so using the box now will give you a clearer picture.  Only full-power stations must upgrade by Feb 2009, some smaller local stations are able to continue broadcasting in analog, so if you love your little home town station that's not a full-power broadcaster (you'll have to ask them if they are), then look for converter boxes with the "analog pass-through" option so you can continue receiving analog signals.

Today, it is very likely that your local HD channels are available via satellite on both DISH Network and DirecTV.

2) If you're a do-it-yourself kind of person, the right antenna for you starts with a little research for what's working best in your area.  It may also start out with trying an inexpensive indoor HD OTA antenna as a trial and error attempt.  We suggest, BUT CANNOT GUARANTEE IN ANY WAY, that you start off with an good, yet inexpensive indoor HD OTA antenna - this does work for many people in urban and suburban areas.  If you're outside of the city and dense suburbs, skip this step and go to step 3.  After you try a basic antenna, if your HDTV OTA reception isn't good enough for you, you may need to reposition and/or upgrade your OTA antenna at your own further expense.  The Philips PHDTV1 has received very good reviews at Amazon, especially for it's price (~$23).  The Philips PHDTV1 HDTV Indoor Antenna is an excellent basic HD antenna to try.  We've posted some pictures of the PHDTV1 HDTV OTA Antenna in case you're wondering about its size and where you'll put it indoors.  Once again, the USA is a very big place - we can't know, and can't guarantee, if this antenna (or any antenna) will work well for you in your broadcast area.

3) Since DIRECTV and DISH Network don't control your local HD OTA broadcasters, they can hardly help you.  Finding the best antenna in your area isn't always easy since there's nobody to call.  See what others in your area are doing by visiting the AVSForum.

4) An outdoor OTA Antenna's reception is FAR superior than an indoor installation - install an outdoor OTA antenna if you are able to do so!  It's not an exact rule, but your reception outdoors will be roughly 8 times better than an indoor antenna.  Putting an antenna inside your attic is better than having it indoors - and an attic installation is maybe half as good as an outdoors (again, this is a rough estimate - antenna reception is a complex science).

5) Keep in mind how weak the signal at the antenna is - so keep the distance between your antenna and the satellite box as short as possible (shorter wiring is better!).  If that's not practical, consider getting a signal pre-amplifier, at the antenna, to boost the signal before it has to travel to your satellite receiver box.  The amplifier at your antenna, is called a "pre"-amp and works best.  An amplifier on the other end of the lead / wire - at the input to your satellite box - is not as good because it amplifies both the signal and the noise picked up along the wire.

First, let's cover what to buy.  When buying a flat-screen HDTV, whether it's plasma, LCD or DLP, you need to consider three things: type of TV, screen size and resolution.

There are basically 4 types of TVs: Plasma, LCD, DLP and Projector.

Plasma and LCD TVs are about 2 to 5 inches thick and are suitable for wall hanging.  Wall hanging allows you set the TV at the perfect height for your room's viewers, where cabinet mounting isn't adjustable.  In a room where people are often standing, the higher wall mount method often works out for the best.  Examples include business meeting rooms, a billiard room, a room with bar stool seating or in the kitchen.  In a bedroom, high wall mounting often is best as well, because most beds are a tad higher than your couch, plus your reclined position on a bed makes it easier to watch an HDTV that's mounted high.  Also, few bedrooms have space for a cabinet, so wall mounting works best.  If you're mounting your HDTV up over a fireplace, either an LCD or Plasma will mount to the wall and will work out great above the mantle.  Whether it's high above the mantle or high on the bedroom wall for easy viewing, get the more expensive angle mounting bracket so that you can angle your HDTV down towards the viewers eye level, like in the picture below.  Compared to an LCD HDTV, a plasma HDTV is more expensive, has slightly better picture quality and is usually thinner than an LCD HDTV by an inch or so.  So if your space is tight or your budget and taste demand only the coolest and sleekest looks, choose the plasma.  Otherwise, an LCD HDTV will be better than good.  A typical wall mounted LCD or Plasma HDTV looks like this:

DLP HDTVs (it's the mirrors) are about 8 to 17 inches thick, so they're not usually suitable for wall hanging, but you do get a truly superb picture.  For the same size HDTV, DLPs usually cost a lot less and have a better looking picture.  For the living room, where you have the space and usually have low seated viewers on couches and chairs (and where you likely need the cabinet storage too), a cabinet mounted large DLP is usually the perfect choice:

So let your mounting method and location determine the TV's type.  Bedrooms, kitchens or anywhere else you plan to mount it high, get a Plasma or LCD.  Living room, den or anywhere else that allows or demands (store satellite box, spare DVDs, etc), go for a cabinet or TV stand and get a DLP.  Personally, I have a 57 inch DLP in my living room on a wide TV stand and a 42 inch LCD in the bedroom (smaller room, smaller HDTV).  The picture quality of my DLP is outstanding!  The LCD is very, very good, but not quite as perfect as my big DLP.

There are also projector type HDTVs, but to function well, they require special screens, controlled room lighting, sound dampening to quiet the projector's fan noises, custom overhead mounting brackets, are usually professionally designed and installed in special rooms made just for watching HDTV only and are very expensive.  HD projectors are fantastic, but are also certainly out of the normal range of most people's television viewing budget.  If you can afford it, you can have a room that looks like this (notice the small projector in the middle of the room, mounted to the ceiling):

Determining what size is best takes some thinking and a little measuring.  The signal coming from either satellite provider will have a greatly detailed signal, so get the biggest size HDTV that you can afford.

You can't go too big for the signal.  However, you can be too big for your room.  Sitting too close to any TV makes your eyes unable to see the whole screen.  You can't sit 6 inches from a 8 foot wide screen without wildly gyrating your head all over the place to see what's happening.  This is referred to as field of view and it decreases as your distance to any object decreases.  Conversely, as you get farther away from your HDTV, its apparent size decreases and you lose some ability to see the details clearly.  Here's some good thumb rules, and a chart, to help you choose an HDTV screen size that fits your room:

Min Viewing Distance (in feet) = your HDTV's diagonal screen size (in inches) / 8
Optimum Viewing Distance (in feet) = your HDTV's diagonal screen size (in inches) / 6
Max Viewing Distance (in feet) = your HDTV's diagonal screen size (in inches) / 4

So if you bought a 42 inch HDTV, it's best viewed about 7 feet away (42/6), but it's no problem to view it in the range of about 5 feet (42/8) up to 10 or 11 feet (42/4) away.  Keep in mind that these are just thumb rules, so if you're 12 feet away from you 42 inch HDTV, no worries, you can still see it fine, but you'd be happier with something bigger.  On the minimum viewing distance end of things though, don't push it - your viewing can become uncomfortable once you cross below the diagonal/10 region, such as sitting 4 feet away, or less, from a 42 inch HDTV (42/10 = 4.2).  Here's a table to help you:

16:9 HDTV Size (diagonal, inches)		Minimum Viewing Distance (feet)	Optimum Viewing Distance (feet)	Maximum Viewing Distance (feet)
26		3.2	4.3	6.5
32		4	5.3	8
37		4.6	6.2	9.2
40		5	6.7	10
42		5.2	7	10.5
47		5.9	7.8	11.8
50		6.2	8.3	12.5
52		6.5	8.7	13
55		6.9	9.2	13.8
57		7.1	9.5	14.3
60		7.5	10	15
65		8.1	10.8	16.3

Take a look at your room and measure the approximate average distance that viewers will be from the TV screen.  Using the chart above, find that average distance in the column labeled "Optimum Viewing Distance (feet)" to figure out what size TV is best for you.

You can fudge it a little bit, but be careful not to exceed the Minimum and Maximum columns.  For instance, if viewers sit at average of 8 feet away, a 47" or 50" TV is best.  A 40" or 42" would be a little smaller than optimum, while a 52" or 55" would be a little larger than optimum.  If you get down to 32", you're straining to see it, it's too small.  And if you have a 65" TV and sit only 8 feet away, it's way too large and you're unable to see the whole screen in your field of view so you have to scan back and forth to see it all.

Finally, regarding resolution, most HDTVs are either 720 or 1080 horizontal lines of picture information being displayed.  Most sets today are progressive scanning (the p in 720p or 1080p) meaning they paint all the lines each time they repaint the HDTV picture that you see.  This is usually done at a rate of 30 times a second.  Interlaced scanning means your HDTV paints half of the lines on each refresh (or paint) pass - meaning 30 times a second they paint half the lines on your HDTV, alternating every other line on each successive pass.  So a 720i HDTV will paint 360 lines (out of 720 that fit on the HDTV screen) during each pass.  Then on the next pass, it'll paint the other half of the lines.  But on a 720p HDTV, all 720 lines are painted on each pass.  This means that a 720p is better than a 720i, and that a 1080p is better than 1080i - but in each case, the human eye can hardly tell the difference.  Go down to the TV store and look to see if you can see the differences between 720i, 720p, 1080i and 1080p.  It takes a keen eye and controlled side-by-side conditions to see the difference, so buy whatever you can afford to buy, and if that's a 720i HDTV, it'll still look amazing!  And know that both DirecTV and DISH Network provide satellite boxes or satellite DVRs can output a 1080 signal, so go ahead and spend the extra money if you're a techno-person and you'd like to brag about your 1080 lines of resolution (I bought two 1080p HDTVs) even though most people can't tell from looking whether they are 720i or 1080p HDTV display screens.  If your budget calls for 720 horizontal lines on the screen, don't worry, it's still far better than non-HDTV (which is only 480 lines).

Now, where to buy.  Two quick facts here first:

Local Store Buying Doesn't Mean Local Shipping: When you buy an HDTV from your local superstore, they usually ship your HDTV in a truck from a regional or national warehouse, so there's a delivery charge and a delay for you while you wait for the scheduled delivery date, usually 4-10 days.

Local Store Buying Doesn't Mean Local Store Warranty: When you buy an HDTV from your local superstore, the warranty is through the manufacturer (like Mitsubishi or Samsung), not through the local superstore.  The superstore may have repair technicians, but you must contact the manufacturer for service and warranty repairs and they choose who will be dispatched to repair your TV, since they're the people paying for the repair labor and the parts.  If you should have to return an HDTV, it doesn't go back to the superstore, it goes back to the manufacturer.  All of them have warranty centers located around the US and Canada for exactly this purpose.

So give some thought as to exactly what value shopping locally, at your local superstore, adds to your purchase...  You do get the convenience of seeing all those TVs in person, but that's all you get, and you can do that without buying a thing.  There are no experts working in your local superstore - go talk to them and see.  There's no walking out the door with a brand new 57 inch DLP HDTV either, you schedule your delivery and it comes on a truck.  There's just no added value to the service and support you'll get from them either, because that comes from the manufacturer.  So go visit them and see all the TVs, then go home and order it online!  You'll save a bundle, get the same delivery and service and warranty and you'll get the exact same HDTV set, for hundreds of dollars less!

The best online HDTV store we've found is Vanns.com.  They're a smaller regional superstore, but they only have stores in Montana, which has no state sales tax, so no matter where you live, they don't charge you sales tax!  It depends on your state and local tax rates, but this alone can save you more than $100 when you buy.  Vanns also has free shipping and handling, so you don't pay anything to get your new HDTV home.  Visit Vanns and you'll see the prices there, they are terrific!  HDTV manufacturers have lots of dealers - your local superstore, Vanns, specialty home theater stores - none want others to undercut their prices, so the manufacturers have rules about what prices can be advertised.  This is a hint, a strong one, for you to go to Vanns and see their prices for yourself - check out the ones marked special, sale or add-to-cart and compare and save.  No sales tax, free shipping and handling, same warranty and service as the local superstore and the very best prices we've found anywhere on the Internet or elsewhere.

DISH Network: Depending on the non-HD channels you want (determined automatically by the programming package you choose) to have with your HD channels, you'll likely need the DISH 500 antenna (picture).  It's 20" in diameter (versus 18" for regular DISH Network antenna) and it has two heads so it can receive signals from more than one DISH Network satellite in the sky.  It's also possible to install two separate, standard 18" dishes to accomplish the same thing, but new customers are usually getting a single DISH 500 satellite dish.  DISH Network installs more than 2,000 per day in the US, so no worries, they've done this before.