With Chromecast (or something similar to connect your computer to TV), and a decent Antenna, you do not really need anything else. Plus, most of the things that we watch are on-demand anyway - we don't have patience to sit through commercials for 1 hour to watch 20 minutes of a Sci-Fi episode.
I've been using Chromecast since it came out, and prior to that I had a similar setup that I configured myself. Never really needed/wanted an antenna, as I don't really watch much T.V. anyways. What's interesting, is that when my parents saw my setup they immediately canceled their T.V. subscription with Comcast and bought 3 Chromcasts (one for each room) & a Netflix subscription, and switched to an antenna for their…
The TV antenna is making a comeback
181–190 of 254 posts
Re: The TV antenna is making a comeback
#182Re: The TV antenna is making a comeback
#183Earlier quoted context omitted.
> With Chromecast (or something similar to connect your computer to TV), and a decent Antenna, you do not really need anything else. Unless you want to watch a lot of sports.
Pretty much all of the MLB stuff (except for playoffs) is cable only. NFL will at least of the either Monday or Thursday game along with your local on Sunday.
Re: The TV antenna is making a comeback
#184With Chromecast (or something similar to connect your computer to TV), and a decent Antenna, you do not really need anything else. Plus, most of the things that we watch are on-demand anyway - we don't have patience to sit through commercials for 1 hour to watch 20 minutes of a Sci-Fi episode.
Re: The TV antenna is making a comeback
#185I'm 24 and I have never had cable in my life. Frankly, I'm surprised it's not more common. You get a LOT of TV for free. I grew up watching PBS and Simpsons and etc. I remember at superbowl some of my friends were amazed that I was able to watch the football game without cable. I was floored. They didn't even know that channels came in over the air. I showed them the antenna, where it installs in the TV, how cheap th…
Re: The TV antenna is making a comeback
#186Earlier quoted context omitted.
At the UHF frequencies digital TV is using, antenna location and direction matter more than antenna design. If you have line of sight to the transmitter, almost anything will work. The article talks about antennas having become an exotic product. That's just not true. WalMart has a good selection of outdoor TV antennas, starting from $20.[1] Home Depot also has a selection, but many of theirs still have the VHF eleme…
There are many areas where digital is still broadcast over VHF.
I just got finished building a folded dipole specifically for this channel (6 foot half-wavelength). It works great beside the TV, it's not really doing great in my attic. I'm going to try and re-position it more than a wavelength off of the roofline and see if that helps.
Re: The TV antenna is making a comeback
#187Re: The TV antenna is making a comeback
#188I'm 24 and I have never had cable in my life. Frankly, I'm surprised it's not more common. You get a LOT of TV for free. I grew up watching PBS and Simpsons and etc. I remember at superbowl some of my friends were amazed that I was able to watch the football game without cable. I was floored. They didn't even know that channels came in over the air. I showed them the antenna, where it installs in the TV, how cheap th…
I get about 50 free over-the-air channels ... most are HD.
Re: The TV antenna is making a comeback
#189I took a look at a relative’s cable bill last year. He lives in a town with three competing cable/ISP services. Here is how the monthly costs broke down: Expanded basic service: $60 High definition converter box: $10 Digital converter rental: $3 HBO Cinemax package: $18 Premiere Total Pack: $16 Showtime/TMC: $5 Starz: $5 Franchise fee: $7 Broadcast TV surcharge: $4 Sports programming surcharge: $2 Total monthly cost:…
I don't know about that last point. I live about 45 miles from Philly and 55 miles from NYC. I get pretty much all of the stations from both with minimal drop and I have a $35 antenna inside in my attic.
Re: The TV antenna is making a comeback
#190The tech is great. I bought a "COLOR TV ANTENNA" from Radio Shack, when they were still open a few years back. Amazingly, it came in the same looking box I recall from the late 70's. (upgrading mom 'n pops old antenna as a kid to get UHF channels) Took an hour to get a good orientation. Mostly problem free, and there are some 30 channels here in PDX, maybe 10 of them offer something I might watch. And that's the only…
PDX is the airport code for the Portland airport just in case you don't keep up with the airport code for the 19th largest US metro area.