Mallette Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Having the EYC (Episcopal Youth) from my parish over for a Superbowl party. I'm totally not in touch with paid athletics and don't even have a clue who is playing...but what the heck. I'll retreat to the library with my Frazier system. Anyway, the music room has a 40" monitor on the wall, but no cable to it as I don't watch TV in there. It does have Netflix and such built in, but no game there. So, bopped down to Rat Shack and picked up a 25.00 HD antenna. Crikey...obviously superior to cable or satellite! Not sure why I am so surprised since we all know from audio that the signal going through the least processing is always the best. It's more comparable to BluRay than to anything else. And the monitor in there is just yer basic Vizio 400.00 variety. Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted February 1, 2015 Moderators Share Posted February 1, 2015 Hey Dave, I don't have cable or satellite because we rarely watch TV programming. I had an analog converter box that always looked horrible then a friend asked me why I didn't have a digital box.. I guess I didn't realize they made one with HDMI out. Amazing quality for over the air FEE programming. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Got an outside Winegard near fringe off air. Since we lost our dish to a falling tree on the deck during Dennis(2005) I never bothered putting the Dish network system back up. Closest thing to studio quality broadcast local since analog especially with HDMI. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 My 32" LG on my back porch is hooked to an OTA antenna. Clearest picture in the house. Bill 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 Who knew? Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 We get enough channels to make it worth while for everything we are interested in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avguytx Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I dropped a $125/month satellite bill and went to only an OTA antenna for picking up Little Rock stations plus we have Netflix over the DSL. Best money I've ever saved since no one in the house really cares about TV or at least too much. Picture quality is definitely superior to satellite or cable. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vondy Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 We ditched the dish a couple of years ago. Got tired of them raising our rates every year for a bunch of crappy channels with nothing on. Got an antenna and TiVo for DVR and never looked back. If there is a cable show we must see we can stream through Hulu or Amazon prime. In all pay maybe $20 a month rather than $100. My understanding is the over the air signal is higher in quality because it's not compressed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vital Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) Same here, we cut the cable so to say a year ago and the pic quality of our OTA antenna is just amazing. We are saving probably $2000 a year by getting rid of our Directv. The bill with all channels and then a few UFC fights here and there was just getting beyond ridiculous. Now we watch Netflix and Hulu Plus and OTA channels for a fraction of the cost and better PQ. Edited February 2, 2015 by Vital Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Crikey...obviously superior to cable or satellite! I've been preaching that for years. Superior audio and video with OTA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Well, I need to re-outfit a PC with record or get a commercial PVR...I haven't seen commercials in years and not ready to start now. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 In my area I get the following OTA: 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2, 8.1, 8.2, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3, 17.4, 17.5, 19.1, 19.2, 23.1, 23.2, 23.3, 23.4, 23.5, 23.6, 25.1, 25.2, 25.3, 25.4, 25.9, 35 analog, 43.1, 43.2, 43.3, 47.1, 47.2, 47.3, 47.4, 49.1, 49.2, 49.3, 49.4, 53.1, 55.1, 55.2, 55.3, 61.1, 61.2, 61.3, 61.4 and sometimes 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 20.1, 21.1, 24.3, 24.4, 45.1, 45.2, 45.3, 45.4. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhetor Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) "We cut the cord" last May when we both go iPhone 5s. I already had a 3rd gen AppleTV and a Roku 3. Bought a $65 outdoor antenna, and I attached it to the porch. I bought R6 cable and ran it to the amplified cable junction box in the basement (we have 5 TVs in the house). Unhooked the cable company cable from the amplified junction box and screwed in my new OTA antenna cable in. Then ran the cable company's R6 cable from the outside box connection to my cable modem and WAP for Internet service. Cancelled everything (cable TV and Internet phone) and saved $200 a month, $2400 a year. With OTA, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime (total about $25 a month) and some direct free programming that many broadcast or cable programs offer after an episode airs (e.g., CBS), we have more TV options than we could ever imagine. And . . . it can all be controlled from an iPhine, iPad, or an LG Pad. The only bad part? Wished I had done it a couple of years earlier and saved more money, especially since the OTA broadcasts look and sound amazing in HD. Next step is to use some of the monthly savings to buy and install a large, homebrew media server. I get about 25 channels and I am 40 miles from most of the stations with a lot of hills and hollers in between. Edited February 2, 2015 by Rhetor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted February 2, 2015 Moderators Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) Rhetor, on 02 Feb 2015 - 07:38 AM, said: I get about 25 channels and I am 40 miles from most of the stations with a lot of hills and hollers in between. That's what I was wondering, how many miles are most of you from a station, I looked into this a couple of years ago and we are on the very fringe of reception and kind of afraid to buy everything and have it not work. Edited February 2, 2015 by dtel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-D Rider Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I just did it in the garage because of this post . 35 channels works great. Thanks Mallette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBPK402 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 We dumped cable last year when I purchased (2) HDHomerun dual tuners, and a rooftop antenna and rotator. The picture is much better than cable or sat when we have a good signal. Our problem is we are in an absolutely horrible situation for antennae... We have mountains all the way around us. Remarkably we actually get our HD signal from about 100 miles away... When there are towers in the opposite direction about 30 miles away, and is not receivable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I'd love to do that, but I love watching History channel, and channels like that. Plus 4 kids makes it extremely hard due to the cartoon networks they like to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 (edited) Question for those on streaming services (Amazon, Hulu, Roku, Netflix, etc): How is the picture quality on these streaming services compared to cable or satellite? My limited experience with online streaming video isn't very impressive - Netflix standard def stinks for PQ, and even HD stuff via online services is visibly inferior to cable. Also: does online material and OTA broadcasts offer 5.1 sound? Are there certain hardwares used for these services that improve picture quality or maximize it? Online streaming seems an attractive idea, but again my limited experience - using my recent Win7 computer with HDMI out to the TV is visibly inferior to my cable. Am I just not taking advantage of available hardware or is the picture I'm getting with streaming video online subject to bandwidth limitations that inhibit PQ? Edited February 3, 2015 by Audible Nectar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 does online material and OTA broadcasts offer 5.1 sound? I don't stream but there is some 5.1 programing broadcast OTA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Online does. Some excellent sound with Netflix and Amazon Prime. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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