What do i NEED to do to get channels....please help :) ???

Question

i have a 42" plasma HDTV and i am cutting off my cable today. what do i need to do to get channels. can i put an antenna on the roof of my home to get signals?? what kind of antenna and where can i get it??

Answer 1

You cannot just cut off the cable and get your normal channels, or soon any at all.  In a few months the analog signal that is being broadcast will not pick up channels (like the rabbit ears or antenas) if you still want channels and don't want to get cable then you will have to get a digital converter box which will convert the analog signal to digital and you should be able to get the select channels that are offered.

Answer 2

Yes, you need a good quality, properly installed TV antenna.  Look for a VHF/UHF antenna because not all DTV stations will be in the UHF band.

This is a good resource for choosing and aiming an antenna:

http://www.antennaweb.org.  Simply put in your ZIP code and it will tell you what over the air channels you can expect to see, suggest antenna types and tell you where to aim it.

EDIT: Yes, if you have a HDTV with a digital tuner (you seem to know what you have), then you don't need a converter box.

I hope this helps.