Whenever I get chance, I talk about how local TV stations broadcast in high definition. All you need is an HDTV, an ASTC tuner, and any antenna. It is one of the best kept secrets in the tech world. High quality high definition programming for free with no digital rights management. The only roadblock is whether you get good reception or not. TVFool.com is a relatively new site that provides an estimation as to which broadcast stations are available near your home or apartment.
TVFool.com is much like Antennaweb.org. It provides you a list of available television stations based your address. Unlike Antennaweb.org, it provides TV coverage maps for the top 261 metro markets. From the site:
If you’re wondering what your local broadcaster’s coverage area looks like, then here’s a way to find out. The files listed here contain transmitter placemarks and coverage maps for viewing in Google Earth (available for free). Each package, organized by metro, lets you “see” the TV environment for all the local broadcasters, and lets you explore their coverage maps in a virtual 3D world.
I currently use an indoor antenna and a TV tuner card in my computer to watch high definition programming. The results from TVFool.com accurately depicted what stations I should and should not be able to receive. It also provides some suggestions to improve your reception, like mounting your antenna in your attic or second floor.
Fri, Jun 1, 2007
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