HD TV Antenna

[jmatkins]

Ok so I have been toying with the idea of dropping cable, we don't watch a ton and most is a lot of reruns. I have a Wii so I get Netflix thru it, so I was wondering who has used a HD TV Antenna and what did they get for the price. And then get a Apple TV or Roku box for some extra channels.

I heard there is suppose to be a way to stream your computer feed to the Wii, anyone know about this. Just started looking into this so any info you guys have would be great.

Thanks,

 

[Jfire]

I've toyed with the idea myself. One of the other guys at work killed his cable and went with the Netflix, Hd Antenna and Roku combo. I think it's market dependant on the HD over the air and also how good of a antenna and placement you have as well. This may give you some type of idea as far as channels go.
http://www.antennaweb.org/Stations.aspx?Address=&City=Shrewsbury&State=MA&ZIP=01545&Housing=S&Accuracy=4&Height=6&Obstructed=False&StationList=&Lat=42.2834603&Lon=-71.726659
This one is a easier format just place the zip code in the top and select broadcast OTA channels.
http://www.titantv.com/

 

[MoJo]

I dropped cable more than a year ago and am glad I did. I use an HD atenna and love it, but it will not work for everyone. Like Jfire said, it can depend on location and placement. That site he linked to will give you a general idea of how well the reception is in your area, but that doesn't always mean you will get those channels. I suggest buying an hd antenna and trying it out to see what your reception is like and returning it if you are not satisfied or ready to take the plunge. My attenna easily picks up fox and nbc, but was difficult to get it to pick up abc and cbs as well. But after finally getting it set properly I now get fox, nbc, abs, and cbs in crystal clear hd about 90% of the time (it is an antenna so weather and what not do cause some pixelation every now and then). I get a bunch of other channels too, but never use them. The thing that sucks the most for me is that I don't get ESPN so I miss some sporting events and bowl games (unless I go elsewhere for the game). I stream A LOT from my computer, that really helps watch the other channels that are not on basic cable. An HD Antenna, a media streamer, and some sort of streaming service (netflix, amazon prime, hulu, etc.) is typically the must have when you decide to drop cable and you still want to watch your favorite shows. works great for me

 

[Martin3203]

I just did this recently. Got a cheap indoor antenna to start and I'm picking up 17 channels. Best move I've made, paying all that money to watch 10 channels is a waste.

I can spend $300 for the year and that covers Amazon Prime, Hulu+ and Netflix. Canceled my Directv early and through credits on my bill it was only 130 bucks.

 

[Evan]

Not sure how you feel about going this route, but it is possible to jailbreak an apple tv. In addition to being able to stream a lot of free movies, there are repositories that host premium HD tv channels like HBO and Showtime, plus a lot of the basic channels like Fox, ABC, comedy central, FX, etc...

 

[Clint]

The HD antena is not such a good idea for those who have a quality TV and want a clear, consistent picture. It's kinda like buying Porsche, and then taking it off road.....Why spend the cash, and then not get your $$$'s worth?
Yes, for those who aren't so into tv and/or don't care about the quality then it is a cheaper way to go.

 

[KickinD]

We tried to drop cable a few months ago and only keep our internet service with them. They were so interested in keeping us that they dropped the cable box fee and standard cable fee for 6 months. We plan to call and cancel (again) or keep the promotion going. If not, we will get an HD antenna. I used one a few years ago that I got from RadioShack for $50. Worked great and got all the channels I needed. I tried another recently and wish I still had that first one. For now, we get most of our shows from Netflix and Hulu+, but supplement with basic cable. If I find the right antenna, through trial and error, we can ditch cable altogether and get free over the air HD.

Good luck and go for it. It saves so much money over the alternative.

 

[D Quintero]

bought a little indoor cheapie and didnt work for crap, still dropped pay tv and now view everything thru my old boxee box i.e.
netflix, eztv, ppv, etc etc.

good luck !

 

[KickinD]

The HD antena is not such a good idea for those who have a quality TV and want a clear, consistent picture. It's kinda like buying Porsche, and then taking it off road.....Why spend the cash, and then not get your $$$'s worth?
Yes, for those who aren't so into tv and/or don't care about the quality then it is a cheaper way to go.

I disagree. My old HDTV antenna was pulling 1080i signals and all digital a number of years ago. CSI Miami looked incredible with very rich and vibrant colors. The only problem was that it was antenna and not hardwire, so you might get a disruption during bad weather. Of course, DirectTV is an antenna, so what could possibly be the difference?

 

[jmatkins]

I will keep the Internet, I can them plug in computer to TV and get Watch ESPN. And NBC had aloof the football games on the Internet this year.

 

[Jfire]

Just talked to my buddy from the firehouse. Here's his Antenna...... Radio Shack ANT 751 off Amazon
He pays 29.99 for internet and 7.99 for netflix. His old bill was expanded basic cable and internet of 129.00 now just 38.00. Yes he doesn't have Espn for himself and Hgtv for the wife but he says with family obligations he doesn't have the time right now. I'm seriously thinking about this as well considering I don't watch that much tv right now as well.
And Clint I hate to break the bad new but over the air HD( at full signal) is SUPERIOR to a compressed hd cable signal.......

 

[Clint]

The antena is just that....A device to pull in signals from the air, but not nearly as sophisticated and efficient as a dish and still subject to weather, weak signals, etc.
Again, for some areas it works great, but for some the antena is inconsistent.
...great that it works for you!

 

[MoJo]

The HD antena is not such a good idea for those who have a quality TV and want a clear, consistent picture. It's kinda like buying Porsche, and then taking it off road.....Why spend the cash, and then not get your $$$'s worth?
Yes, for those who aren't so into tv and/or don't care about the quality then it is a cheaper way to go.

I disagree. My old HDTV antenna was pulling 1080i signals and all digital a number of years ago. CSI Miami looked incredible with very rich and vibrant colors. The only problem was that it was antenna and not hardwire, so you might get a disruption during bad weather. Of course, DirectTV is an antenna, so what could possibly be the difference?

same here, I get full crystal clear HD from my antenna, sometimes you do a little pixelation, but I rarely get that (disclaimer: that depends on signal strenght, type of antenna, location, placement, etc)

 

[milhouse]

The HD antena is not such a good idea for those who have a quality TV and want a clear, consistent picture. It's kinda like buying Porsche, and then taking it off road.....Why spend the cash, and then not get your $$$'s worth?
Yes, for those who aren't so into tv and/or don't care about the quality then it is a cheaper way to go.

I would imagine an OTA signale would be less compressed than that coming from cable or satelitte.

Either way, I have FIOS and couldn't be happier. I would think it would be a burden to have 3 different streaming services, and having your laptop running through your wii or tv.

 

[Monsterdg]

Very timely post, I've been seriously considering canceling Directv for a few weeks now. Only had it to see the bears; but any kind of decent channel package is $80 for me, plus the $200/year for the NFL package. It's just too much for how much I use it; we very rarely watch tv "live" but through DVR, and most of the stuff we watch consistently is reruns anyway.

We have a Roku and xbox, and get Netflix and Hulu+; so i'm going to get a cheapie antenna and see if I can pull the local network stations.

 

[Jfire]

For guys running the Antenna, having it on a outside mount is key. The antenna I posted has the exact same base mount as your dish unit. Pop the dish off its base, place the OTA on its old base and run RG6 cable to it. Done!

 

[Cigary43]

For guys running the Antenna, having it on a outside mount is key. The antenna I posted has the exact same base mount as your dish unit. Pop the dish off its base, place the OTA on its old base and run RG6 cable to it. Done!

Exactly..outside placement is best and it's all about location location and location. Even the best outside placement with the best equipment won't work if you are in a bad area.

 

[MoJo]

here is a very good antenna that can be placed indoor or outdoors (obviously works better outdoors). Works for both UHF and VHF.

http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-C2-V-CJM-ClearStream-Outdoor/dp/B007RH5GZI/ref=sr_1_15?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358446384&sr=1-15&keywords=hd+antenna

Not the cheapest at 75 though. I went with a cheaper one (http://www.amazon.com/Terk-FDTV1A-Directional-Amplified-Antenna-Black/dp/B001UE8KUW/ref=sr_1_31?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358446633&sr=1-31&keywords=hd+antenna, or some model similar to that one, dont remember got it awhile ago) since I live in an apt and can't mount an antenna outside, but when I get a house I plan on getting that $75 antenna

 

[MoJo]

you can also build your own hd antenna if you would like, http://lifehacker.com/5919128/build-your-own-paper+thin-super+powerful-hd-antenna

 

[themoneycollector]

I also ditched the satellite bill in favor of an OTA antenna and couldn't be happier.

It can be dependent on the market, but I expect most will get the major networks, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX. Usually if you look at show ratings, around 20 out of the 25 most of the popular shows are on these 4 public networks. I still miss espn and struggle here and there with watching mnf or many college games. That's still a hassle. Also the great shows (for me) are on the premium channels, so netflix covers a good portion of those and the rest can be downloaded online if that's ok with you.

The trade off is saving over $100-150 per month on satellite bills, which means about an extra box of cigars for me.