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I think it's so sad that TV went digital. I could never get an antenna to work, even got the free ones, yatta yatta. The result is that most poor Americans can't get network TV anymore for free, including me.
Now, I just use Youtube and watch pre-recorded newscasts. I watch the previous day's recordings of PBS Newshour available for free on Youtube. But, of course, this means I am also paying for Internet.
Really bad, stupid decision by the FCC to basically hand over our ability to get free news to the cable companies. Scandalous.
I agree. Talk about complicating things. I'm lucky that I am in an area where a Digital Converter Box works well with an indoor antenna attached, but only have that in the bedroom, given the device for free when Analog reception was ending. (It is as many describe, regular networks, PBS and a few channels offering moldy-oldie shows and movies, if in the mood for that). It sometimes pixelates and need to adjust, have buildings interfering, but is mostly fine, just limited. But maybe that is what you are referring to having tried.
I still use Cable in the Livingroom (admittedly kind of hooked on certain shows or networks). I know the price of cable will increase, having a discount for now and would like an option ultimately, but some solutions seem even more complicated, needing to purchase more services, more gadgets. I also like being able to record with the cable-provided DVR, and those are not available to purchase I hear, as once-available TiVo units were. Geez.. things used to be simple.
There's no cable on my street.
I have an Antennacraft HBU33 antenna. It seems to be no longer available but, it's an example of a real TV antenna. It's mounted about 24 ft high on a mast on an out building. A 30 year old Winegard amplifier boosts the signal for the 100 ft cable run into the house. I'm about 36 miles from the transmitters.
Among the dozens of antenna channels received are CBS, NBC, ABC, WGN, & 3 PBS channels.
A quick run through I counted 43 channels and sub channels.
I also have a dish satellite box.
OTA HD picture quality is slightly better than satellite HD and OTA is less likely to be interrupted by weather.
So, then, Sling won't throttle if the band is too narrow, like Pluto TV will?
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey
I'm streaming Sling TV, Netflix, and Amazon Video in HD just fine on a Roku 2 with a 10-12 Mbps connection over Wi-Fi through Comcast. Unless you're going to be streaming 4k content or on multiple devices, my experience is you don't need 100 Mbps.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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About 40 miles, direct line of sight, hilltop to hilltop except for one intervening house with aluminum siding and a microwave.
We have a Wingard with highest gain/distance capability. All the stations are on the same hilltop and they are fraction of a degree apart to us. We don't have need for a rotator although I installed one 30 years ago for minor adjustments after high winds.
Seems like a strange topic for the retirement forum but I have noticed my willingness/ability/interest in adopting new technology has decreased over the past two decades. I am guessing others here may feel the same.
Anyone here use such an antenna?
How far are you located from the broadcast towers?
Are they as easy to set-up as the advertisements indicate?
We are looking to cut our cable and get TV via an over-the-air antenna if possible. We are 50 miles from the broadcast towers. I plan on placing it on a mast attached to the chimney and installing a rotator too.
Per the video it includes an on-screen channel and schedule display very similar to that the cable company provides.
Too good to be true?
I built this one, for just a few dollars. I used much heavier copper wires than it describes and it's very durable. I have it on a high stool, just inside my big picture window and it picks up all the local stations, even though they come from two different directions.
I think it's so sad that TV went digital. I could never get an antenna to work, even got the free ones, yatta yatta. The result is that most poor Americans can't get network TV anymore for free, including me.
Now, I just use Youtube and watch pre-recorded newscasts. I watch the previous day's recordings of PBS Newshour available for free on Youtube. But, of course, this means I am also paying for Internet.
Really bad, stupid decision by the FCC to basically hand over our ability to get free news to the cable companies. Scandalous.
Have you ever tried an outdoor antenna? Indoor antennas only netted me a handful of stations. I put one up outside above my roofline, along with an amplifier, and get 40+ now. I could get even more if I had a mast rotator, but I don't want to bother with it.
Have you ever tried an outdoor antenna? Indoor antennas only netted me a handful of stations. I put one up outside above my roofline, along with an amplifier, and get 40+ now. I could get even more if I had a mast rotator, but I don't want to bother with it.
I've also found that tuner quality can make a material difference. I had trouble when I relied on the built-in tuner of one TV, but with my free digital converter box I was able to get several channels even before connecting a real antenna (I suppose the coaxial cable in the wall was sufficient).
With an antenna, you won't automatically have any fancy on-demand or built-in-recording features, like with a cable/satellite subscription. But this DVR will allow you to record shows with approximately the same functionality as a 1980s VCR, as well as pause live shows. It costs $33 + the price of a USB memory stick. It's not as "smart" as a TiVO, but substantially cheaper.
Broadcast TV Stations in the Albuquerque area. I got the channels from https://titantv.com/ There are actually more stations. These are which I initially used.
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