Recommendations for Central NJ Samsung DLP

[njwaves]

Hello,

I live in Allentown, NJ. The zip code is 08501.

I recently canceled my cable television service with Cablevision and I am wondering what I need to get HDTV reception.

I have a Samsung HL-S5086W DLP HDTV.

From what I read on this forum so far, an indoor antenna probably won't help me since I am between Philly and NY.

I can put an antenna on my roof. My immediate area is free from obstructions. I'm not too from exit 8 off 195.

What basic components, if any, do I need in addition to the antenna? Do I end up with coaxial cable (round with pin) going into the TV or maybe a box that connects via HDMI?

Can you provide a parts list or 2 - maybe a budget and deluxe version?

Is it possible to see the basics like ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and PBS in high-def in similar quality to what I got from Cablevision?

Thanks!

Jim

PS: Sorry, I originally posted this in the wrong section.

[tigerbangs]

Jim, you are in the enviable position of being within reception range of both NYC and Philadelphia if you use the right antenna equipment. You are correct in your assumption that an indoor antenna won't do much for you in your location. You will need an outdoor VHF-UHF antenna mounted on your roof along with an antenna rotator and possibly a preamplifier, however, all of the major stations from both cities should be received easily enough at your house, with picture quality that will rival or even exceed what you got with your subscription service.

First of all, you'll need to determine if your Samsung Tv has an HDTV capable tuner in it: your owner's manual should be able to tell you, or you can post the model number here, and we can research it and find out for you. Without a built-in HDTV digital tuner, you won't see anything, and will have to find an outboard HDTV TUNER, and not a converter, as HDTV tuners have high definition output capability, and converters do not.

Since WPVI, your ABC station in Philly is on a low-band VHF channel, you will need an all-channel deep-fringe antenna to see all of your network stations from Philadelphia. The major NYC stations do not have low-band VHF stations, but still have ABC, PBS and WPIX operating on VHF high-band.

The two best antenna choices for your situation are a Winegard HD8200U or a Channel Master Crossfire 3671, which are comparable antennas: both are quite large, at roughly 170" long, and weight about 15 to 17 lbs once installed. Since they are very directional, you will need an antenna rotator to turn the antenna between NYC and Philadelphia. I would use a Channel Master 9521a, which is a fully automatic, programmable rotator that will remember up to 10different antenna positions in memory, and will recall them at the touch of a remote-control button. If you plan to run long cable lengths (greater than 75') or more than 2 TV sets, you may want to consider using a high-input preamplifier like a Winegard HDP-269, which will overcome line and splitting losses inherent in long cable runs and multiple signal splits. This preamplifier will allow you to run up to 4 TV sets from your antenna without signal loss.

If you want to economize, you can forgo NYC reception and just go for the Philly stations, which are closer and stronger. This will require a smaller antenna, and no antenna rotator, as all of the Philly transmitters lie due west of your location. In that case, you can scale down your antenna to a Winegard HD-7082P or a Channel Master Crossfire 3679. With that antenna system, you will see all of the major Philly stations; your networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, CW, MyTV and some independent stations. The larger system with the rotator and preamp, however, will pull more than twice the number of stations, including all of the NYC and NJ stations.

Yes, you can use the abandoned RG-6u coaxial cable from CableVision, but you will also have to purchase additional cable to connect the antenna and preamplifier to the existing cable from the cable TV company.

http://www.channelmaster.com/HD_televis ... a_s/24.htm
http://www.channelmaster.com/HD_televis ... a_s/42.htm
http://www.channelmaster.com/Best_Anten ... A_s/63.htm
http://www.winegard.com/kbase/upload/HD8200U.pdf
http://www.winegard.com/kbase/upload/HD7082P.pdf
http://www.winegard.com/kbase/upload/WC ... DP-269.pdf

And here is a good installation guide to help you:
http://manuals.solidsignal.com/AntInstallGuide.pdf

[njwaves]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I'll take a look at prices and content to determine whether to go "Philly only" or get the rotator to see NY/NJ as well.

Initially it looks like about a $200+ difference.

Any additional thoughts on content (what additional shows/channels do I get?) and cost are appreciated.

My tv is a Samsung HL-S5086W DLP HDTV. Any info. on whether it has an HDTV tuner would be great.

Finally, does anyone have any recommendations for an installer in central NJ?

Thanks again.

- Jim