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(<< Return to HDTV
Setup Center)
Over-the-air HDTV
Setup Center
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OTA HDTV is a
free digital (ATSC) signal that is broadcast over the airwaves. Tuning
and capturing an OTA HD signal with
Beyond TV requires an antenna to pick up the
signal and any standard ATSC TV Tuner card. |
Table of Contents
Is it available where
you live?
Check to see if your area receives over-the-air digital
/ HDTV programming using the Beyond
TV Lineup Wizard.
Most areas in the United States receive over-the-air digital TV, but it's
worth checking
to be sure.
Getting the Right
Equipment
SnapStream Store HDTV Bundles
The SnapStream Store (http://store.snapstream.com/)
sells a number of HDTV bundles. Our HDTV bundles include everything you need
to get started with HDTV in Beyond TV starting at $99, including:
- HDTV Tuner Card
- HDTV Antenna
- RG-6 Interconnect Cable
Go
to the HDTV
TV tuner cards section of the SnapStream Store to learn more.
HDTV Antenna
 There are many different types of antennas that can capture
an HD signal.
For most users, a simple indoor, directional "silver
sensor antenna" (such as the one shown on the right) will work to
receive some,
if not
all, digital over-the-air stations broadcast in your area.
The type of antenna that is ideal for you is
determined by your location in relation to the source of the HD signal,
your
terrain,
and
the
distance
to the broadcast tower. To determine which type of
antenna you will need, visit the Antenna Guide at www.checkhd.com,
and follow these directions:
- Input your location
- Use the color-coded chart to choose the right antenna type.
The color codes provided by checkhd.com are standardized
for antennae approved by the Consumer Electronics Association.
Whether
shopping
in a store
at Circuit City or online
at Crutchfield,
you should see these
colors indicated on the packaging for all antennae.)
| Yellow |
Small Multidirectional Antenna |
|
| Green |
Medium Multidirectional Antenna |
|
| Light Green |
Multidirectional Antenna or Small Directional Antenna
with pre-amp |
|
| Red |
Medium Directional Antenna |
|
| Blue |
Medium Directional Antenna with pre-amp |
|
| Violet |
Large Directional Antenna with pre-amp |
|
 RG-6
Interconnect Cable
To connect your antenna to your HDTV tuner card, you will
need an interconnect cable. To receive the best signal, use RG6-style coax
cable and connectors. This style is available at most local electronics stores
like Radio Shack. Failure to use this grade of cable will result in reduced
or no signal.
 Splitter
(optional)
If you need to split the signal, use an HDTV-compliant
splitter of at least 5 - 1100Mhz. Be sure that you are not getting a combiner.
Though combiners and splitters look very similar, if not identical, a combiner
will not properly split the signal.
HDTV Tuner Card
 It
is important to get a compatible HDTV/Digital ATSC tuner card. To capture
high-definition content with Beyond TV, your TV tuner card needs to support
BDA drivers. Ask your manufacturer if you are unsure if your card does.
Most BDA-compliant cards will work with Beyond TV. We suggest the
following HDTV
tuner cards for use with Beyond TV:
- ADSTech InstantHDTV PCI
- ATI HDTV Wonder
- ATI Theater 650 chipset based TV tuners
- AverMedia AVerTVHD MCE A180
- Dvico FusionHDTV5 Lite
- Dvico FusionHDTV3 Gold
- Dvico FusionHDTV5 Gold
- Dvico FusionHDTV5 Gold Plus
- Dvico FusionHDTV5 Gold USB
- Hauppauge HVR-950 (USB stick)
- Hauppauge HVR-1600 (PCI)
- Kworld ATSC-TV 310U USB
- Kworld ATSC-110
- Pinnacle Systems PCTV HD Pro Stick (USB Stick)
- VBox Cat's Eye DTA-151
- VBox Cat's Eye USB-A 3560
PC (with the right specs)
You will need an up-to-date computer with recent hardware
to decode the HD signal. Make sure your computer meets or exceeds these specifications:
- Intel® Pentium®, AMD Athlon™ processor
at 1.7 GHz or higher
- 512 MB Ram
- ATI Radeon 9550 or NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 or Higher
- 40 GB of available
hard drive space (this will allow 5 hours of HD Recording)
- BDA
Compliant ATSC Capture Card
- Windows XP Home or Pro w/ Service Pack 2
- DirectX 9.0c
Putting it
all together
Step 1: Install the Antenna
Follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer to
install your antenna. The most common HDTV antennas, silver sensor HDTV antennas,
do not require any special setup.
Step
2: Install HDTV Tuner Card
Install your HDTV tuner card into a free PCI slot in your
PC, per the tuner card manufacturer's instructions.
Step 3: Connect your Antenna
to your HDTV Tuner Card
Connect your antenna to
your HDTV Tuner card using a RG-6 coaxial cable.
Step 4: Configure Beyond TV
Once you have assembled all of the hardware components,
you are ready to configure Beyond TV to work with your HD setup. Read the
"Digital / HDTV" setup section of the Beyond TV Help File for detailed instructions
on configuring Beyond TV.
You’re all set to watch your favorite programs
with Beyond TV 4 in HD!
Need help troubleshooting your HDTV setup? See our HDTV
troubleshooting knowledgebase article.
Questions and Comments
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