The whole idea behind HDTV is to get a better picture than analog TVs used to produce. And when the government passed out DTV Converter Box coupons, I jumped on that offer & bought 2 of them. With a Zenith DTV Converter Box & my old 24" RCA TV, I received every TV station in St. Louis very clear with excellent sound too. And on a good night, I even picked up WPXS from Mt. Vernon, IL, over 50 miles away; all on an indoor antenna! But...I finally decided to make the leap to an HDTV in a small 26" screen size for my small apartment. I'm regretting my decision. Here's why... Not being a big fan of paying for cable or satellite TV, I used the same indoor antenna & hooked up everything according to manufacturer's specs. I was shocked after the initial scan to see I was receiving about half of the channels in the St. Louis area. Half? What the ---?! My solution? Hook up the tried & true [Zenith DTV Converter Box][1] & input that into the back of the new Sharp TV using RCA audio/visual cables. Now I can again pick up every local station, but not as clear. The reason? When viewing in the "zoom" mode, one loses megapixels. Putting it back into the normal mode produces a much clearer but much smaller picture. So what's the use in an HDTV if it the TV receiver is not as good as a DTV Converter Box? On the plus side, there is a built in DVD player. The picture is very, very good while viewing a DVD. The downside? Small speakers...it produces a very "tinny" sound. I will be finding a way to hook up the TV to my home stereo & Bose speakers to get that surround sound effect again. A person can also hook up a VCR player (for those of us that still use these antiquated machines). And I did try it briefly as a PC monitor too. Excellent! Someday, I hoping to move & use this TV as an all-in-one unit for PC monitor, TV, DVD player, etc. There are plenty of inputs in the back to run most any component. But...in my book, it still comes down to receiving free over-the-air TV. This Sharp Aquos LC-26DV28UT simply doesn't "cut it". I suppose if I were to subscribe to Charter Cable or a satellite provider, the picture would be crystal clear and I would have many, many more channels. I've survived this long without cable or satellite TV. Why should I start now? [1]: http://www.viewpoints.com/Zenith-DTT900-Digital-to-Analog-Converter-Box-review-473e3

OldHippie

Saint Louis, MO