so this may be a VERY stupid question, but I'm asking it anyway.

I have Comcast Cable HD service in Nashville, TN. They do not have FOX in HD, and with the Super Bowl being on FOX, that's a big problem. I can get an HD antenna for the free over-the-air fox available in Nashville...

However, I only have an hd-ready TV, not HD-built-in. so, my question is this:

Can I hook up an HD antenna to the Comcast cable box, and have that act as the tuner? Or will I have to get a HD receiver/tuner?

No, the box from Comcast cannot decode over-the-air signals.

thanks for the quick reply. i figured that was the case, but was hoping that there was a chance, so I could just buy a cheap antenna and not have to buy an expensive HD receiver.

so looks like no superbowl in hd.

It depends on the set-top box. I'm not sure what all Comcast uses, but the Motorola STB (Motorola DCT-5100) I used to have through Charter included an input for an antenna.

I take it your FOX is Sinclair owned? There was a big article in the Baltimore Sun last week (since the Baltimore FOX is a Sinclair station) about the dispute btwn Sinclair-owned FOX stations and Comcast over HD-carry.

i'll have to check it out. I saw something about that online (sinclair-fox vs. comcast). Doesn't sinclair also own cox? And that's where the debate arises from?

yep nashville fox is definitely owned by sinclair.

WZTV is owned and operated by Sinclair.

Cox does not own Sinclair or vice versa -- the issue is that Sinclair feels that cable operators should pay them for the right to distribute their digital programming. Most cable operators are balking at that; if they pay Sinclair, that'll probably set into motion every local broadcaster wanting a cut of the action.

well, some good news at last. comcast and sinclair reached an agreement on the HD programming, and my local FOX affiliate was one of the areas the agreement included. So i get to see the super bowl in HD. SWEET.

All the markets that are included in this:

Baltimore (WBFF-TV), Pittsburgh (WPGH-TV), Nashville (WZTV-TV), Richmond (WRLH-TV), Charleston, SC (WTAT-TV), and Paducah, KY (KBSI-TV).

Noticed this yesterday... when surfing after checking the setup for my new-to-me OTA HD set-top box, purchased recently so I could watch the Super Bowl in HD

aw, man... can you return the OTA box?

I heard that Sinclair has once again pulled their FOX HDs from Comcast.

I guess I could, but I decided to keep it (it was only approx. $70, so not as big a deal as it might have sounded like), see if I can pull in some other HD programming and channels not available via Comcast, using an antenna that's been sitting in its box for about a year and which I'm finally going to install in the attic. I am going to do it. I am! I mean it this time!

Good grief. Looks like that includes Richmond, according to the Sinclair website

Sinclair station listings