I bought an HDTV the other day and although I have DirecTV I wanted to see what the over the air signal quality was like. I picked up an antenna from RadioShack and connected my TV to it.

 

I was able to receive all the local digital channels as well as some from more than 40 miles away. I was very impressed with the quality of the picture. If digital tv was available before cable became popular I don't think as many people would be getting cable today.

 

Two of the local channels use HD widescreen for their news programs the other does not and it is evident that they have older equipment. One channel uses 720p the other two use 1080i. I'd be interested to find out why they use the resolution they do.  I also notice that the weather maps do not use the best quality of text for the temps. The fonts are a bit jagged.

 

The shows that use the 16:9 format seem to have a much more open feel to them - even Jepordy looks better in widescreen.

 

Now the only question is should I wait for Verizon to offer TV in the area or go with DirecTV's HD offerings.