Posted on 01/15/2019 2:40:05 PM PST by Openurmind
About one in seven American households is watching old-fashioned, over-the-air television broadcasts, an increasingly appealing choice for former cable customers who have “cut the cord” but still want to catch up with their local news and network stations.
The new data from market research firm Nielsen shows that over-the-air viewing increased to 14% of all homes last year from 9% in 2010. At the same time, the percentage of households subscribing to cable or satellite TV peaked at 88% in 2010 and has since sunk to 79%, according to surveys by the Leichtman Research Group. Catching free over-the-air broadcasts simply by adding an antenna that cost $50 or less likely appeals to many cord cutters who dropped cable TV because it was too expensive.
“Outfits like H&I and METV are great for Boomers. If tou can deal with the ads for catheters, final disposition insurance, and Consumer Cellular you can get a pretty good movie selection on Movies ThisTV, and Grit which are available as digital add ons”
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Get all those channels on OTA free-tv, so it’s pretty cool. But yeah, if you’re watching classic tv channels, the ads do assume ya got one foot in the grave, lol!
“The only things I really use fios for is sports.”
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“fios”?
If you’re just killing some time online there are also sites like this one to pass some time in casual watching -
https://pluto.tv/tv/nasa-tv
Yep, all they did was convert the signal from analog to digital. The same old analog C band feedhorns work just as they did before. Just have to get a digital receiver for about $50 if you already have the dish and feedhorn and you are good to go. :)
[2019 Latest] Amplified HD Digital TV Antenna Long 65-80 Miles Range – Support 4K 1080p & All Older TV’s Indoor Powerful HDTV Amplifier Signal Booster - 18ft Coax Cable/USB Power Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FVLXHYV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_I8MpCb4HHT6E3
This one works great for me at 50+ miles.
The content isn't that much better, but at least there are more choices.
Audie Murphy movies. Combat. The Avengers.
What’s not to like?
You must live in a deep dark valley.
There's no such thing as a "digital" antenna. Radio waves are still analog. You was hustled.
Antennas are not one-size fits all, particularly because the transmitters for the new OTA stations are much lower powered than the ones they used in the pre-"digital" days. You need to hand-pick an antenna based on your circumstances, particlarly three factors:
1. The distance to the one station that's furthest away but that you HAVE TO have.
2. How many "bands" are included among all the stations that are on your HAVE TO have list (the choices are Low VHF, High VHF and UHF).*
3. What is the width of the arc (how many degrees apart is the compass heading) between the HAVE TO have station furthest to your left versus the one that's furthest to your right (this is known as "beam width").
You can get most of this information from TV Fools dot Com
Once you have that information, you need a comprehensive list of antennas available by manufacturer and model. The best one I know of is at Digital Home dot Canada. Search the thread I linked to for a decision chart posted by user name 'Stampede.'
*The channel you select on your TV dial is the "virtual" channel, which has absolutely nothing to do with the "broadcast" channel number, although in some cases (particularly the historic "broadcast" stations) they are the same. Which band a given station is transmitting in depends on the broadcast channel, not the virtual channel. The TV Fools chart will tell you both.
Broadcast channels 2 thru 6 are Low VHF. 7 thru 13 are high VHF and 14-82 are UHF. Not all antennas are rated for all three bands so you need one that will bring in at least all of your HAVE TO have stations.
Regarding "beam width," I usually had to go to the antenna manufacturer's website to find out this detail. And it is entirely possible you could have antennas that are too far apart --- say, one due north and the other due south -- for any one antenna to cover. Joining signal from more than one antenna is tricky so you might have to make a choice to the exclusion of some channels you wish you could get.
Labeling an antenna "digital" is pure hype and depending on your circumstance, a 50-year old antenna from the analog days could be entirely adequate.
I’m rural and don’t get much with my antennae that’s supposed to be good for 150 miles - local Atlanta channel 2 comes in clear but that’s all.
Any idea where I could get an old school big dish? If I can find the dish, what kind of receiver would I need?
We use air to get Masterpiece Theater. Aside from that Prime and Netflix fill the bill. And Youtube. Lots of good movies on Youtube. An antenna and a Roku box fills the bill. Not a nickel to the cable companies.
“Pluto TV, what a disappointment that was. I was expecting”
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LOl, but it does have a coupla cartoonsy channels.
That sounds like either the tuner or the cables are internally degrading in some way. Or even the antenna, depending on what it is. A small outdoor antenna, if you can find a way to rig it up inside in some unobtrusive manner, will last almost forever. Of course, it will do better somewhat higher, outside, if the cable run is not long. Cables last longer indoors, too.
I’m overdue to replace my cabling, myself. Granted it’s been outdoors over 10 years.
Tree growth, new buildings (sometimes even at a bit of a distance), etc., can increase multipath (multiple signal reflections) problems, also.
For antennas, see Newark 30-2485. $25 plus shipping. 4.5 stars out of almost 5k ratings. Amazon has an RCA (brand) version for $41.74 including shipping. You could lay it on the floor of the attic, hang it just below the ceiling of a large closet or storage room, etc., as it is “flat”, if not using the wall mount. I have one 15 ft. above ground level and get stations 50-60 miles away IF it is pointed at them, 20-50 if not. (The latter will vary, as a strong multipath reflection coming in “on axis” may disrupt an otherwise usable off axis signal.) Experiment.
Simple yagi styles often work better than really fancy looking jobs. If you have room or will mount outdoors, both Newark 30-2370 and 30-2415 are good. Other models that mount at the rear of the antenna are easily damaged in high winds (but fine in attics if you have room.) “Bowties” are good in situations where you need good gain and less directivity, but are more subject to multipath distortions — in digital meaning the image will pixelate or drop out.
What model # is THAT?
A simple modified yagi style (see my post #92) will probably stomp it.
See my post # 92.
“Besides being free, how are the programs on broadcast television any better than cable?”
Exactly what I’m thinking. These people bragging about getting tv stations for free. Yet these stations are ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, etc. Big deal. Nothing on those stations I want to watch. Cable tv provides me with the movies and tv shows I grew up with and love.
I’ve been digging Danger Man on Charge during the weekends. The production and writing still holds up after 55 years.
The folks that are trying to sell you new antennas are trying to make you believe that, but they really aren't.
Tivo Bolt OTA. 1TB HD/150hrs of storage DVR. Coming soon, an app for Roku, Android and AppleTV to access live TV and DVR recordings. Not to mention the same capabilities from your devices, anywhere.
Pretty good deal.
Yes... and no.
Many analog channels were on VHF, plus many were on UHF. Now, almost all digital signals are on a part of the old UHF spectrum, meaning an old wide-band UHF antenna in good shape will likely work fine for most digital signals. But we still have one OTA channel on high band VHF (it's actually moving DOWN one channel, soon.)
I'm watching "digital" Channel 34 on an old UHF antenna (actually the front section of an old combo "analog" antenna) tonight. (I sometimes use the VHF section for that one VHF digital channel I mentioned above, and occasionally for FM. Very occasionally - FM audio quality has gone to heck due to over-compression, mostly.)
At any rate, the carrier frequency itself, the antenna, and the front end of the tuner, don't much care if the carrier frequency is carrying analog or "digital" information.
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