HD Over The Air (OTA) Info Needed

[MmusicM]

I've 'cut the cord,' meaning I've ditched DirecTV. I now receive local broadcast channels via an HD OTA antenna. It's working well, in my rural area - I get 25 local St. Louis MO., (USA) HD channels. Has anyone else done this, & what are you using to replace the Sat./Cable stations? I have a ChannelMaster DVR+ for the local channels, & am using Chromecast to 'cast' Internet streams. I use Netflix, Amazon Prime, & Crackle, but I'm sure there are other 'free' options I'm not aware of. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone that can suggest other options that I should try, & would like to hear about your similar experience. Thanks!

[Poisoned Youth]

Have you tried checking out forums dedicated to that subject for information?

[MmusicM]

I have, somewhat, but thought I could gain some good, if not better, info from the tech folks here. If I'm out of line, I apologize, & you may delete my post.

[Poisoned Youth]

I have, somewhat, but thought I could gain some good, if not better, info from the tech folks here. If I'm out of line, I apologize, & you may delete my post.

Nah, don't worry about it.

Just keep in mind, you're asking a bunch of guys that can't even get over vinyl.

Anyway, there will be more comprehensive steaming packages in the future that will bunch up certain traditional cable channels.

http://www.theverge.com/a/online-tv-stream-price-guide

[MmusicM]

Ha! Thanks, Poisoned Youth!

"Just keep in mind, you're asking a bunch of guys that can't even get over vinyl."

That's a boon!! And that's why I wanted to post this subject here!! It's the "old school" mentality I'm looking for!

Thanks for the link! My journey has begun!

[Brian Griffin]

I'm surprised how few people I know seem to utilize OTA in addition to cable or DirecTV

Where I live, D only provides the Baltimore stations, I need a roof antenna to get DC as well

Some great retro shows on the OTA sub channels, (Bewitched, Superman, Mr Ed, Green Acres, etc), which I typically record and watch when nothing else new is on

I need DirecTV for the sports, but if I wasn't such a big sports fan I could see going OTA only - the signal is as good if not better than satellite

BG

[JKL2000]

Just read something about the XboxOne being a good HD OTA device.

[Flightwave]

I ditched Time Warner Cable about a year ago and haven't looked back.

I picked up an RCA OTA HD antenna from Amazon for about $20 and a Roku for $70. I get about 16 channels locally, all in HD, better picture than the cable reception ever gave me. I also have Netflix and Amazon Prime. For sports I use the "Watch ESPN App" and use my cousin's password, or visit ILEMI and watch online while streaming to the Roku. And I can always visit network websites or KATorrents to watch TV episodes I may have missed.

My cable bill used to be $135 a month. Now I only pay for Netflix and Amazon Prime, which average out to around $16 total, and my internet which is $40. So that's $56 a month vs. $135 and I watch what I want, when I want.

Yes I'm cheap I know. But That $80 savings a month adds up.

[Rael]

Is there a way of knowing in advance how many channels you would get if you get an HD antenna from Amazon or a Best Buy for "local" channels? The reason I ask is that I live in northern New England and most of the regular network stations come out of Boston. As far as I know, we have only have one "major" station in NH that is for ABC, but stuff like NBC, CBS and FOX all come up from Boston. Would I still get those channels if I cut the cable and got an antenna? I could actually live without most TV stations nearly year round but I'd be lost without being able to watch football come September.

[Brian Griffin]

Is there a way of knowing in advance how many channels you would get if you get an HD antenna from Amazon or a Best Buy for "local" channels? The reason I ask is that I live in northern New England and most of the regular network stations come out of Boston. As far as I know, we have only have one "major" station in NH that is for ABC, but stuff like NBC, CBS and FOX all come up from Boston. Would I still get those channels if I cut the cable and got an antenna? I could actually live without most TV stations nearly year round but I'd be lost without being able to watch football come September.

No way to be 100% till you are hooked up but this site should give you an idea of what is possible

http://tvfool.com/

I'm assuming you are willing to go with a roof antenna?

I happen to live on a hill, so even with a fairly small, (and inexpensive) roof antenna I'm getting about 30 channels between Baltimore and DC

BG

[WHORG]

http://www.antennaweb.org/

That site above will determine your OTA channel reception and antenna recommendations by location/zip code.

We got a Flatwave 5500 indoor antenna - and receive 26 channels OTA (over 1/2 in HD). Dropped the cable TV portion of our Time Warner service - and upgraded our broadband portion of the existing service. Hulu and Netflix are delivered via the XBox One - along with several other (included) streaming news/sports offerings.

It works for us - - -