said by Snowcat:The picture quality should be equal. Most cable companies do not modify their HD streams, unlike the satellite companies.
I have had both in the past year, and I can't tell a difference.
I wasn't aware that Satellite carried local HD over the birds yet. Don't you get the locals via an antenna?
If you are talkinga bout channels like Discovery HD, HBOHD and others over the birds, that's a different.
I have run OTA and Cocmast HD side by side and I can't tell the difference what so ever.