[Jeffhs]

Originally posted by wa2ise
{quote] It'd be better than most of the rubbish on British TV... Plus I can only get 4 channels (not even Channel 5) as we can't have satellite dishes installed and there's no cable in our street. On top of that there's no "Freeview" digital TV

I find it unusual that you cannot have a satellite dish and that there is no cable available in your area (at least, as you mention, not on your street). Do you live in an apartment building or some other antenna-restricted environment, such as a condominium complex? Also, what is the problem with cable in your area? I live in a small town that has cable everywhere, although we need it here as the reception is extremely poor on most VHF channels from Cleveland. I am about 45 miles southwest of the transmitters for the VHF stations; ironically, I get all four of the city's UHF channels--19, 43, 55 and 61--just great, even with rabbit ears. I think the reason I get 19, which is the CBS affiliate for Cleveland and northeastern Ohio, so well on an antenna is that its transmitter is just about 15 miles southwest of here, in a suburb of Cleveland called Shaker Heights. Channel 43 is UPN in Cleveland and has a 5-megawatt [ERP] transmitter, which explains why it comes in here so well. Channels 55 and 61 are also very high-power stations; the picture on 61 is like a picture postcard even on rabbit ears. The PBS channel in Cleveland, channel 25, is very poor on rabbit ears and probaly not much better on an outdoor antenna. On cable, of course, every station looks great, especially since the cable company in this area (Comcast) rebuilt and upgraded its entire system. The upgrade and rebuild for this area was completed about a week ago; as I said, now the reception is great.

I wouldn't go back to an antenna now even if I could, because the reception is so good now and I get more channels than I ever could get before. Like yourself, however, I am in a situation where outdoor TV antennas are not allowed, although one of my neighbors in the apartment building where I live has installed a satellite dish (DirecPC, which I think is tied in with DirecTV) for Internet access.



And I thought that TV in Europe was supposed to be better than American TV. Do you still have to pay a TV tax there? Something about having to have a license just to receive TV, much less transmit it. [/QUOTE]