[Cialug] digital cable tv cards

[Tad Anhalt]

neal daringer wrote:
> [...] as it stands i only have the ultra-basic cable plan (network
> and local tv plus the shopping and religous channels), so if i can
> get all the same channels that i get now OTA in digital, then why
> should i stick with cable? i'm willing to shell out a few hundred
> bucks now for a good antenna and pick up everything i need in digital
> if it has its perks if catv wont be switching to digital.

Where do you live?  You may not even need a "good" antenna. Ankeny gets
both analog and digital for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PAX, ION, KCWI, KDMI and
PBS (2 digital channels) with junk rabbit ears (complete with clip-on
UHF bowtie) and the built-in tuner on a fairly low end HDTV.  I've heard
similar reports from friends in Grimes, Johnston and parts of Des Moines
as well.

There's also a few religious channels in there somewhere and a shopping
channel as well if those are an important part of the TV experience that
you feel you'd be missing by unplugging the cable...  ;)

A better indoor directional antenna would probably help with multipath
and make things less fiddly to set up and keep up, but it's worth a try
with whatever junk you've got laying around first.

Tad