If you are planning to get most of your HDTV programming over-the-air, it makes sense to shop around for an HDTV with a built-in (ATSC) tuner. Many HDTVs (and almost all video projectors) do not have a built-in tuner. If you are building your home theater around a video projector, or plan to buy an HDTV without a built in tuner, you will have to invest in an HDTV (ATSC) tuner (like the Samsung SIR-T451) to access over-the-air broadcasts.

Once you have worked out the tuner issues, you need an antenna to get the broadcast out of the air and into your HDTV. The distance between your house and your local TV stations broadcast transmitter, and the power of the transmission they send out, will determine whether an old fashioned pair of 'rabbit ears' will work or whether you need a more robust antenna up on the roof. AntennaWeb's antenna mapping program (www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.asp) is a resource that will help you find where the local broadcast transmitters are in your area and point you to the type of antenna you'll need to put on the roof.

Check with your local tv stations to determine what over-the-air HDTV programming they offer. This will vary station by station and market by market, but the number of channels available is steadily growing. You may get a better mix of network HD broadcasts over-the-air than through your cable or satellite provider - and they're free!

Getting HDTV Through Cable

To get HDTV programming from your local cable company you will need an HD compatible cable box (usually your cable provider will provide this for a small monthly fee) and a subscription to HD programming.

The amount of HDTV content broadcast over cable channels is growing every day. Check with your local cable company to determine what channels they offer in HD. They will likely have several different packages available.