[Mr. X]

I plan on buying the Sony 34" Direct View XBR Wega when I move. I also am ready to keep as many monthly bills out of my budget as possible, so I'd like to go with an antenna-only system.

What do I need for that TV to have good HDTV broadcasts from an antenna? What kind of antenna is best? Also, what about a VCR? Is there a way to hook up a VCR without having to run the antenna signal through the VCR and then into the TV? I want the signal to go straight into the TV, yet I still want to record when needed. (I plan on purchasing the Marantz DVHS for HDTV recording).....anyone with a little expertise on this?

 

[Nospam]

There's a ton of good info here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=6

You need to figure out where your OTA HDTV signals are coming from, your distance to the transmitters, and a bit of the topography of the area. Start here:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

This is also good to read:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/sizing.html

In my case, I can get away with this antenna for most of the channels, although there are a few I can't seem to tune in:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=UTF8&v=glance

If you can, I'd recommend going with a good outdoor antenna (I live in an apartment, so indoor is easier to deal with).

BTW, does your Sony have an HDTV tuner built-in? Even if it does, you may want to consider getting an external HDTV tuner. That way, you can record the HDTV signals from the tuner, directly into the VCR (obviously, you won't get anything close to HDTV quality).

Rat Shack had one on sale for $90, which got good reviews on avs. I managed to find a display model that was still in good shape. Otherwise, the good ones will put you back around $200-$300.

 

[Mr. X]

Thanks, those links are excellent!