Anyone using an HD antenna instead of cable?

sgip

sgip

Well-known member
If so, how do you like it? Any drop outs, issues? We're considering cord cutting, but still want local HD (2, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11) It also means getting some kind of stand alone DVR which is perhaps best answered in a separate thread.

Thanks!
 
We have one in a bathroom since there is no coax there and the small TV isn't a Smart TV. It's one of those flat antennas you can buy from Amazon. It works fine, it's mainly for channel 4, the Today Show, for getting ready for work in the morning.

I notice that channel 2 probably has the spottiest signal and I barely can get channel 13.

We rarely watch live TV nowadays.. and NBA is usually on cable/satellite channels.
 
Is the antenna inside the home or a wire to the outside? If inside, do you feel a wire to the outside, or placement near a window would help with reception?

Do you have a separate DVR for any shows you missed?
 
At my old house, i ran a cable from my TV all the way outside to my patio. 
I got 150 channels of antenna tv and 90% of the time, it was perfect.  ABC7 was the weakest signal, and NBC4 was very strong.
Wind and rain causes a bit of interference...mostly wind.


I used an RCA indoor/outdoor antenna.  I bet I would have gotten a stronger signal if I actually used one of those massive tv antennas.
 
Soylent Green Is People said:
Is the antenna inside the home or a wire to the outside? If inside, do you feel a wire to the outside, or placement near a window would help with reception?
Click to expand...
Inside next to window. When it was not next to a window, reception was worse.

Do you have a separate DVR for any shows you missed?
Click to expand...

Haven't quite cut the cord yet but I will use a streaming service for that. Most streamers like YouTubeTV, AT&T TV (used to be DirecTV Now) have DVR capabilities. Hulu (the non-live version) also has most network shows next day (and without commercials if you paid for that plan).

There are only a few shows we watch when they actually air, most I will just catch up via Netflix or something else.

There are also OTA DVRs so you can record off an antenna.
 
Indoors. Placement aimed towards LA. we find that if we stick it in the window, it works a lot better (and the only way to get ABC). No DVR. Use the free CBS app to watch the 5 latest eps of shows and Hulu to watch the rest. 

ETA: we use the antenna sparingly. Mainly for sports. Last time was to watch the LLWS on ABC but turns out we could just stream it on espn app because we have sling. The time before that was probably tiger at the masters. And the time before that was the oscars?
 
Soylent Green Is People said:
If so, how do you like it? Any drop outs, issues? We're considering cord cutting, but still want local HD (2, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11) It also means getting some kind of stand alone DVR which is perhaps best answered in a separate thread.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
We cut the cord back in 2011 and start using this antenna:https://www.terk.com/indoor-antennas/?sku=LOGTVAZ
We can receive from 2,4,5,7,9,11,13 but 7 is the weakest.  Use this link to check signal strength at street level:https://antennaweb.org/Address.As an added bonus there are A LOT OF ota Asian channels which made me felt so dumb about having the cables all these year on the first day we converted to ota.  I will assume outdoor antenna work much better but for now in door ones suffices.  Don't have DVR but considering getting one but most of my favorite ota programs don't start later during evening.  And there are so many PBS and other public channels(like KCET, KOCE and etc) which we really enjoy as well. 
 
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