Just now · The Death of Cable TV...at our house

[harringtondav]

When we built our place 30 yrs ago I had a huge Archer TV antenna hanging here. Three channels. Six years later we got AT&T "AT Home" which became Mediacom Cable. TV became $40/mo for 40+ channels we didn't use.

Then we got a Roku streaming TV a couple years ago. We used the cable mostly for our local news. Anything else streams. Then I installed this inexpensive Yagi antenna, and we get 24 channels, 20 largely unused. The Mediacom rep. already knew the answer when she asked me "why" the disconnect.

 

[gm280]

Yes we did the same thing some years ago. I can get 24 stations over the air in HD and not one bill for them either. I built my own antennas and used one at each TV location, located in the attic. Cheap and clear. We cut our cable as well and she did ask why. My reply was I can get the exact same channels for free. Why would I pay for them. She didn't even ask how, because I think she knew and heard that many times before.

 

[alldodge]

Wish I could get more then KET where I'm at, but no good. When we lived in Louisville there was plenty channels, so no need.

Mom (lives in Louisville) was having a hard time paying more then $110 a month with ATT U-verse. Talked about OTA and a DVR, but she wants MSNBC and only way to get that is with a provider. Thought I had her ready to give it up, so ordered her a Tivo Bolt a few days ago, guess I have a DVR to put in a closet

She calls today and says she called ATT and they lowered her bill to 88 month. Says they signed her up with Direct, will have internet and no land line. Just bit my tongue and said I hope it works out, but now she has to deal with storms and TV outages. Told her when the installer comes do not install the antenna on the roof, hope she remembers

Oh well have to take care of Mom

 

[harringtondav]

but she wants MSNBC

...thinking the best thing you could for her is break her of that habit.

 

[dingbat]

Cut the cord two years ago.

100/100 fiber - $50 a month

Roku, Netflix and 40+ channels of local broadcast HDTV

 

[alldodge]

...thinking the best thing you could for her is break her of that habit.

Been trying, been really trying but no luck

 

[Scott Danforth]

Been trying, been really trying but no luck

I remember the thread on the tower

 

[alldodge]

I remember the thread on the tower

Yes, but that was for me (where I live now), and it didn't work, just to far away from the "digital" towers. If it was analog I could receive them

 

[southkogs]

That's a bummer AD, I thought you had made it work.

I haven't run broadcast TV (cable or signal) for somewhere around 20 years. For a time, that meant we caught news and important stuff reading websites or listening to the radio - and the occasional night out at the restaurant to watch a game. But when the internet started providing so much to watch, and the streaming services began to blossom, now we're back to tons of stuff we don't watch as we filter to the stuff we do.

 

[BWR1953]

I wish I could cut the cord. I really do. Costs me $200/mo for a bundle package including TV (no premium channels), internet and landline phone. The phone is only 2 bucks a month.

I've been researching a lot over the last few months and I just can't get what I want by cutting cable. Everything I watch is recorded on the DVR. I loathe watching commercials on live TV. Ugh!

We watch very few shows on local broadcast channels. Only 5 weekly shows. The rest is on regular cable. And our "local" channels are actually some 60 miles away so "local" news doesn't apply to us. I'm not even sure that I could receive those channels with an Over The Air antenna.

From what I've learned, setting up some kind of DVR which can record both OTA plus streamed channels doesn't yet exist. Plus some streaming channels prohibit recording anyway or limit storage time.

Makes it tough finding a solution. :blue:

 

[alldodge]

That's a bummer AD, I thought you had made it work.

I gave it the old collage try and then some, but still no dice. I'm about 90 miles from the antennas in one direction, and about 70 miles from the other. I can pick up the 50 some mile away, but that's the KY Education, PBS, This Old House, others

The OTA DVR I got is just for OTA and has 4 tuners
They have one which has 2 OTA tuners and a spot for a cable card (satellite and cable)

So far as recording streaming TV, it can be done
https://www.techhive.com/article/3291278/streaming-services/streaming-video-dvr-explained.html

 

[harringtondav]

I'm not even sure that I could receive those channels with an Over The Air antenna.
Makes it tough finding a solution. :blue:

Check this link "TVFool". I used it to aim my Yagi antenna. I determined the average azimuth on my four 'gotta have' OTA stations. I'm pulling in 24 stations, loud and clear. That means I'm pulling in some >70 miles away.

The link for the antenna follows. They claim 70 mi range. Apparently a true claim.

http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024R4B5C/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[alldodge]

I've run that one before and just run the cal again, and it shows the channels I can get now, all others are to far, same as before

My antenna is on a rotor and up about 35 feet. The antenna is larger (higher gain) then the one in your link, and have also installed a amp, but no more channels. Digital just doesn't travel as far as analog, and is all or nothing

Thanks for trying

 

[legalfee]

Check this link "TVFool". I used it to aim my Yagi antenna. I determined the average azimuth on my four 'gotta have' OTA stations. I'm pulling in 24 stations, loud and clear. That means I'm pulling in some >70 miles away.

The link for the antenna follows. They claim 70 mi range. Apparently a true claim.

http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024R4B5C/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is a more up to date antennae with 150 mile range: https://www.amazon.com/Antenna-Vansky-Outdoor-Amplified-Digital/dp/B07GSCCJ9Y

 

[alldodge]

IMO you will never get much beyond 70 and that's pushing it with digital. The claims are it will pick up a signal 150 miles away IF it can make it that far. The only issue is digital just won't make, it degrades to fast

Maybe it can do it but my guess is conditions have to be perfect

Here is a 200 mile antenna
https://www.amazon.com/FiveStar-Strongest-Motorized-Rotation-Installation/dp/B076TPD1KT

 

[alldodge]

Here is a ok read
https://www.solidsignal.com/t.asp?tag=100-to-200-mile-tv-antennas

 

[harringtondav]

We've been struggling with TV at our river place since we bought it 8 yrs ago. We have 200' Mississippi river bluffs between us and the transmitters. I put our original home antenna 40' up on our tower. Nada. Then we went with Dish for a few years. Then I got PO'd at them. Then I purchased a "Sure Call" cell phone signal booster and caught a good signal 2.3 miles away in East Dubuque. The cost of the booster and Verizon "unlimited" data paid for itself w/in a year. Roku Express and we were streaming fine.

But "unlimited data" means 15 gig of the 4G stuff. Then it chokes down to a few hundred mbps. Even with two smart phones, it didn't take much streaming before the stream became a trickle.

This spring we're going with our local REC's fiber optic internet. $60/mo, $10/mo off season. We saved enough at home with the antenna to cover this. Our local news streams through our computer. A long HDMI cable to the TV and we're covered there.

 

[alldodge]

Ever think of Roku? Its a streamer unit and can be hard wired or Wifi. I can stream some local news, and can also bet CBSN, NBC (not msnbc), abc, Reuters, PBS and others. Way more channels then I'll ever make it thru and all free.

Some of the channels are not worth watching because way to many commercials to view time

 

[harringtondav]

Ever think of Roku?

Yes. We have a "roku express" at our river place. Little smaller than wallet sized device that HMDIs into our TV. We liked it so much we have two Roku TVs at home. Roku offers free 'Newson' channel that gets a close-enough local news channel.

I omitted the cost of our monthly subscriptions for HBO Now and PBS Passport. ($20 total). We share these with our kids who contribute Netflix and Hulu+ to the commune. Hulu includes Showtime at a lower cost than stand alone Showtime. Streaming is killing cable TV. OK with me. Cell phones have put Quest land lines on its knees. Survival of the fittest.

 

[fishrdan]

We dumped cable about 7 years ago, don't miss it one bit. Netflix,Hulu and an OTA antenna for the off chance we need to watch something from a network.

I loathe watching commercials on live TV. Ugh!

Same here! Every time we go to someone's house and commercials come on, I know why we ditched cable. Our Netflix and Hulu are commercial free. Hulu we pay something like $3/month for no commercials, money well spent! Don't remember if we pay anything for commercial free Netflix, or if it's just commercial free.