2011-07-07
Cable TV = Gone
Got rid of Cable TV a couple weeks ago. Started using Hulu on the XBox 360, and got last night I turned in all the local channels via "rabbit ears". Forty-six channels (12 marked as Favorites for daily use). Not bad, so far. Will look forward to either my main, or one of the unused, computer(s) in the house moving to the TV, with the old cable tuner card I have somewhere, to give me DVR capabilities, plus full web-video access.
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What antenna are you using? I never bothered with an antenna because antennaweb told me I'd need a 50 foot antenna on top of my house to get anything decent.
ReplyDeleteI just checked it again and it tells me I can get one channel with a medium directional, and another 10 with a medium directional plus pre-amp.
I checked your address and it says you can get 5 channels in two antenna categories smaller than the smallest one it lists for me.
So apparently you're in a better spot, but it's still only listing 15 channels for you.
I wonder if it's worth trying it out. I have a built-in QAM tuner, so I think all I would need is the actual antenna. Is that something you can pick up at best buy for tryout purposes?
At Target, bought the "most expensive rabbit ears" (3-panel with a VHF antenna sticking out of it). $39.95 by my recall. Works great AFTER you've randomly tried multiple placements. But again, pulling in channels is CHALLENGING as you try to find that magic position. Adjusting the antenna by 10 degrees up, down or around (it's basically an analog joystick) makes this appear and that disappear.
ReplyDeleteI liken it to an episode of STTNG where 1701-D is being "towed" by Picard who is in a shuttle, through a field of random blobs of distortion. :-P
I tried it where my TV is (mid living room, surrounded by the house itself) and got 40 channels (eventually). Tried about 40-50 adjusted positions.
Put it on a lengthy cable to the window by my computer, tried many positions, ended up with 46 channels when I was done. I do NOT GET all 46 at once. I do not get ABC or WMFE (which is like 5 channels total) but all others. If I shift the antenna appx 10-15 degrees UP, I get those 5, but I LOSE NBC (2 channels). It's laughable. :-P
Funnily enough, you will scan for new channels, and find more. Then scan again, find more. Then an hour later, find more. I eventually checked TV Guide Mobile on my 'Touch and see that I "have it all" now.
Given what I get with THIS device, an antenna should yield GREAT results, I'd say (but that's a guess). This device is powered, so supposedly that is helping matters, and I'm not "losing data" by using a length of cable to move it to the window (since this is all digital). I'm tempted to perhaps put it OUTSIDE the window high enough to hopefully not be played with - we'll see.
(my point about not losing "data" with the length of cable is... since it's digital, I was concerned that adding 25 feet of coax between this device and the TV might make it worse, but it did not seem to - again, not sure if it's due to it being POWERED or not - we aren't talking twisted-pair or anything here) (smirk)
ReplyDeleteThe fact that I'm saving $95 a month now by making this adjustment, and then paying $8 a month for Hulu (which I'm still up in the air about continuing) makes this effort easily justified, that's for sure. YES, I will not get SciFi/etc, but frankly, once the computer is on the TV, that's a moot point.
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