Sounds like an attempt by the antenna company to get free publicity.
3. Profit

Rain-Monkey: Sounds like a slam-dunk first amendment case to me, hope Antennas Direct farks them in the ass.

The concept that Charter can have direct control over information going into millions of homes is terrifying.

Bahahahaha, Awesome. A+

To be fair, most of the programming I watch on DirecTV is from local channels. I am almost ready to dump them at this point. It seems like half of their channels are dedicated infomercials now. And my favorite channels, like Cooking Channel are all re-runs from FoodTV channel. Not much new programming, it seems.

Sadly I cannot do broadcast. I live on the wrong side of a few transmission sites, too far from one set, on the wrong side of mountains from another. The annoying thing is most of the stations I can't get are at most a 5 minute drive away.

flemardo: Sadly I cannot do broadcast. I live on the wrong side of a few transmission sites, too far from one set, on the wrong side of mountains from another. The annoying thing is most of the stations I can't get are at most a 5 minute drive away.

Sounds like you just need a REALLLLY tall antenna.

I figure every one on Fark just builds their own antennas
<img src="http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn88/EscapeVelo/IMG_0087.jpg " border="0" alt="Youtube photo IMG_0087.jpg"/>

dammit

Is charter a common carrier? Do common carriers get to do this?

DownDaRiver: The switch to digital broadcast was nothing more than an attempt to get people off of broadcast tv an onto cable/dish so that your tv veiwing could be more easily tracked

Except that the opposite is true.  Back in the analog days, many people went with cable or minisat because it took a lot of work to get over-the-air channels without any snow, ghosts, color shift or other types of interference.  But with digital, over-the-air channels are free of interference up to the point that you lose the signal.  It is either perfect or gone (the plateau effect).

So if you live in suburbia, you can often get away with a smallish inexpensive antenna in the attic or just above the roofline as opposed the the beasts you used to see back in the 1950s and '60s.  You don't need a perfect signal because the error correction in DTV will compensate for some amount of interference in the signal.

Oh, and for early adopters such as myself, there was that whole issues regarding cable and minisat providers not carrying local channels in HD for many years.

$8 per month netflix account for the kid and for catching up on old shows. $4 per month for a VPN account to get the good stuff. $50 one time payment (this year) for Gamecenter for the Canucks. An antenna that gets me 5 free local channels from my second floor concrete condo.

I was paying $85 per month for cable for the same five channels I get from the antenna, the Canucks, and kids stuff. Never again. (Internet service paid for by my employer)

Plus, even though Shaw says they don't compress, the cable broadcasts looked flat and were filled with compression artifacts. Picture quality from the antenna is perfect.

So I've been considering ditching cable for everything except internet for a while now. So I have a question for you geeks... Is there an outdoor antennae that I can connect where the coax from the cable company enters the splitter and allows each tv to receive programming? Basically replacing the cable input with an antennae input. And will it be HD?

TIA

majestic: So I've been considering ditching cable for everything except internet for a while now. So I have a question for you geeks... Is there an outdoor antennae that I can connect where the coax from the cable company enters the splitter and allows each tv to receive programming? Basically replacing the cable input with an antennae input. And will it be HD?

TIA

Yes, you just connect the antenna feed into the same place where the cable's coax enters the house.  The TVs will need to be digitally capable or you will need some sort of STB to convert.  You can even buy a DVR from Channelmaster that uses the OTA signal or, if you have one, use a TIVO that has coax inputs.

Cord-cutting guide:  http://www.antennaweb.org/info/resources.aspx   Also use Antennaweb to find what stations are available in your location.

http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2013/03/21/charter-refu se s-ads-for-tv-antenna-maker  Better version of the article

The method I mentioned may not work if you are still using the cable for internet.  I don't know if you can combine the signals onto the same cable.

majestic: Is there an outdoor antennae that I can connect where the coax from the cable company enters the splitter and allows each tv to receive programming?

Yeah, you can do that with any antenna.  You just need to get a 300-to-75 ohm transformer so you can connect the antenna to the coax line in your house.

If you run the antenna into a whole house coax splitter, be mindful of empty or unused outputs.  A splitter with two outputs reduces the signal strength less (-3.5db) than a four output (-7db) or an eight output (-14db) splitter.  If you have a lot of splits or have very long coax runs, you might benefit from a lower power amplifier installed just after the antenna.

And it'll be HD if the station transmits HD.

flemardo: Sadly I cannot do broadcast. I live on the wrong side of a few transmission sites, too far from one set, on the wrong side of mountains from another. The annoying thing is most of the stations I can't get are at most a 5 minute drive away.

I am in sort of the same boat....just far enough away from the major metro area, and in the shadowed valley of some just too tall hills.

DownDaRiver: In suburbs, where terainis flatter, reception is ok. But anywhere away from transmitter, over mountains and in valleys. Many channels that were ok to veiw. Are now completetly gone.

Many times, that has less to do with the switch from analog to digital as it was the move from VHF to UHF.  Most television stations in North America ditched the VHF-Lo band when they went digital because the band was really susceptible to interference.  But UHF sucks in that it doesn't travel as far as VHF and is more susceptible to line of sight issues.  So if you live in the styx and have lot of hills or trees, UHF is not your friend.

And yeah, digital television is something where it either works or doesn't.  You can't suffer with a really bad picture on poor weather days like you could with analog.

If you were using an old VHF/UHF antenna when trying to pick up stations, you might want to try it again with a newer antenna.  Old antennas were tuned for VHF-Lo (ch2-6), VHF-Hi (ch7-13) and the old UHF bloc (14-69).  Antennas before '82 had an even wider UHF bloc (14-89).  New antennas are tuned for VHF-Hi and the new UHF block (14-51).

If you're specifically having problems with UHF stations, there are plans on the net for DIY Hoverman antennas.  They're big and ugly, but they work.  You could then use a more traditional antenna for VHF-Hi and then use a special transformer to join the two antennas.

Here is a dual screen Hoverman:

DownDaRiver:
So it either switch to cable/dish. Or forget it.
They knew this would happen. And that why they did it. They want to be able to track your veiwing habits. With broadcast they can't. Cable/dish they can.

Worst.  Haiku.  Ever.

Has anyone made their own antenna, and what range do you get?

jjwars1: Has anyone made their own antenna, and what range do you get?

Yes. I started with the one in the dizzle's post, but (nameby) with working html:



I'm in New Britain, CT, and could get stations 3 miles away in Farmington. I doubled the antenna and added a reflector (wire mesh), and could consistently pick up another channel 35 miles away.

Then I bought the same thing made in an actual factory, and I suddenly could get the Springfield, MA stations and one out of New Haven (37 miles north and 21 miles south southwest, respectively). It's DEFINITELY worth the money to get a manufactured antenna if you're trying to pull in far-away stations.

Here's my antenna:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EHWCDW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i0 0 ?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Winegard HBU 22/33/44's are supposed to be really good, but I don't have the room for one on my balcony.

kittyhas1000legs: jjwars1: Has anyone made their own antenna, and what range do you get?

Yes. I started with the one in the dizzle's post, but (nameby) with working html:

[i302.photobucket.com image 640x480]

I'm in New Britain, CT, and could get stations 3 miles away in Farmington. I doubled the antenna and added a reflector (wire mesh), and could consistently pick up another channel 35 miles away.

Then I bought the same thing made in an actual factory, and I suddenly could get the Springfield, MA stations and one out of New Haven (37 miles north and 21 miles south southwest, respectively). It's DEFINITELY worth the money to get a manufactured antenna if you're trying to pull in far-away stations.

Are you in a valley or a hilly area? I can get stations 30-40 miles away with rabbit ears, but I'm in a relatively flat area of upstate NY.

I remember working on my grandmother's antenna, which was a 30 foot pole with a rotor and signal booster on it that you could use to tune in stations from 40 to 70 miles away in Kansas.

CaptSacto: The downside is that a lot of things like sporting events are only available on cable channels.
I only get to see a few Giants games broadcast every season, for example.
I don't miss the monthly bill, though.

I couldn't help but notice how fast NBC Sports Network disappeared from the broadcast subchannel once Comcast got its mitts on NBC.

Third Leg:
Are you in a valley or a hilly area? I can get stations 30-40 miles away with rabbit ears, but I'm in a relatively flat area of upstate NY.

It's a fairly hilly part of town. I've never gotten New Haven until recently. I always had intermittent blips of the Springfield stations, and finally broke down and bought an antenna. I still only get 59 out of New Haven on good days, but Springfield, MA comes in loud and clear. I even get a few low-power analog channels now.

This (pops) can give you a pretty good idea of how well channels come in.

TVFool is an awesome resource.  There are DOZENS of choices on amazon in terms of antenna purchase.  Do your research, learn about diferntly DTVs work, and you may find its time to cut the cord.  We did. I pick up stations as far as 70 miles away, in1080.

23FPB23: TVFool is an awesome resource.  There are DOZENS of choices on amazon in terms of antenna purchase.  Do your research, learn about diferntly DTVs work, and you may find its time to cut the cord.  We did. I pick up stations as far as 70 miles away, in1080.

Much better info than AntennaWeb (the industry-supported one).  AntennaWeb is extremely conservative on what you can get with an outdoor antenna.

I'm in a town 25-40 miles from its nearest network transmitters.  Before the digital changeover, you could get slightly-ghosty but okay analog signal on VHF with rabbit ears (although most people just paid for cable, especially when it was still under $50/month).   Post-transition, you really need an outdoor UHF antenna.  It's been gratifying to walk around the last few years and see them sprouting up by the dozen in my neighborhood alone.

Lawnchair: It's been gratifying to walk around the last few years and see them sprouting up by the dozen in my neighborhood alone.

And relieving too. People opting for OTA reception are no longer seen as luddites or cheapskates/poor. In fact, (when combined with Internet choices) it's becoming almost the opposite.

My setup would boggle the mind of most people:

Antenna -> HDHomeRun -> 2 raspberry pis -> PS3 Media Server = easy access to OTA broadcasts to any tablet, PC, phone or TV in my condo.

I can't wait to move to a house where I can install a proper outdoor antenna and increase my channel selection from 5 to 20.

dittybopper: Third Leg: kittyhas1000legs: jjwars1: Has anyone made their own antenna, and what range do you get?

,,,,,,|
Then I bought the same thing made in an actual factory, and I suddenly could get the Springfield, MA stations and one out of New Haven (37 miles north and 21 miles south southwest, respectively). It's   If I were to go to the trouble of an outside antenna, I'd get all of them, but as it stands now I get the 4 major networks (ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS) plus the local TV station, The CW, and when I adjust the antenna just right, Fox network.

I assume the adjustment is turning it to the far right?

sdd2000: dittybopper: Third Leg: kittyhas1000legs: jjwars1: Has anyone made their own antenna, and what range do you get?

,,,,,,|
Then I bought the same thing made in an actual factory, and I suddenly could get the Springfield, MA stations and one out of New Haven (37 miles north and 21 miles south southwest, respectively). It's   If I were to go to the trouble of an outside antenna, I'd get all of them, but as it stands now I get the 4 major networks (ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS) plus the local TV station, The CW, and when I adjust the antenna just right, Fox network.

I assume the adjustment is turning it to the far right?

Nice. Fist bump.

dittybopper: f I were to go to the trouble of an outside antenna, I'd get all of them, but as it stands now I get the 4 major networks (ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS) plus the local TV station, The CW, and when I adjust the antenna just right, Fox network.

Throw an antenna up in the attic.  At the last house, I used nylon fishing line to hang my antenna from the underside of the roof.  No need to deal with poles or grounding.  Also gets around nasty HOA restrictions (you are restricted to 1 meter or smaller antennas outdoors in HOAs, as protected by federal law).