My great OTA TV experiment may be ending soon...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

At the end of April I moved to a new place, and decided it was an opportunity to try life without cable TV. I bought an amplified indoor antenna, signed up for Hulu+, and got an Apple TV to cover all of my streaming options (my Blu-ray player gives me access to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu+, etc., but Apple TV gives me iTunes – and a much better Hulu+ interface). I figured out how/where to watch most of the cable shows I like, and told myself that I wouldn’t mind being a season behind all of my HBO and Showtime original programs. (Note: I watch a lot of TV. It’s my main form of entertainment at home.) My internet got a little more expensive when it was no longer bundled with anything, but all told my monthly bill went down by $100/mo.

Just a month and a half later, though, I’m seriously considering going back to cable. :frowning:

For the most part, I love the antenna: it looks great, and works well (partly because I live very close to DC). Much of the time, the major networks are crystal clear. I get about 40 channels with it, including the network “alternates” and stations like PBS, the CW, etc. But reception is unreliable, and in bad weather it’s super unreliable. I find that I sometimes miss critical lines/moments because of momentary signal glitches, and it’s particularly frustrating when I’m trying to watch a performance (like during the Tony awards, or So You Think You Can Dance).

I’m also less willing to track shows down than I thought I’d be, even though $100/mo is pretty good motivation. I realize this is sheer laziness/habit, and that I’m probably just spoiled from years of cable viewing (my family first got it in '85), but I find that I’m not so happy about, for example, not being able to finish the recent season of Game of Thrones until it’s available on DVD/iTunes. (And before anyone says something, I’m not interested in illegal/unauthorized ways to watch things.) I watch a lot of HBO/Showtime stuff, and a few new seasons are about to start, and I’m sad about the idea of falling behind all of it.

I’m making myself wait another week or two in case I’m just going through some kind of cable withdrawal, but I have a feeling I’ll be calling Comcast soon enough. And I’m feeling oddly guilty about it – like I failed at something.

Has anyone cut the cord but then reverted to their old ways?

2

go to

http://www.tvfool.com/

then on

Check Your Address for Free TV

it will tell you what type of antenna and where to point it.

to optimize digital OTA tv you need enough signal but also not too much. so antenna, direction, amplifier (or not) all matter.

3

Here’s the thing: An amplified antenna does nothing to increase sensitivity. It just amplifies the signal that it picks up so you can split it and display it on more than one TV set. Antenna sensitivity is the result of design and location. Any claims to the contrary are made by the marketing department, not the engineers. The first means that the more it looks like a TV antenna, the better. The second means that you really need to put it outside.

As you generally only need to pick up the much higher frequency UHF channels these days, you can use much smaller antennas - the higher the broadcast frequency, the smaller the antenna elements. So you can get something like this Winegard antenna to get excellent results. They do make an excellent indoor one, but getting it out of your house is vital if you are marginal, and losing signal with bad weather means your signal is marginal. The indoor one has only really worked well for me when I put it in a window facing the signal source.

ETA: If you live in some fascist suburb plagued with a Homeowner’s Association and you’re not willing to fight them, one trick is to use the cable TV wire already in your home to re-locate the indoor antenna higher in your home. Often, the extraneous signals produced by your TV and other electronics can cause enough interference to push a marginal signal over the cliff. An indoor antenna in a closet on the second floor will outperform one behind the TV on the first. Just replace any splitters with double female F adapters.

4

Sorry, guys, I should have specified that I’ve already done all the research on HD antennas and how to get the best signal from them; I only included a link to the one I bought as an FYI. I’m a renter and way not inclined to mess with mounting anything outside, and I’m getting as good as I can get with the indoor antenna (it’s in the optimal location, etc.). Which, like I said, is great most of the time. But even if I got crystal clear reception on 100% of the channels 100% of the time, there’d still be the “less willing to track down shows” part.

So, I’m not looking for tips on making the OTA any better. Just wondering if I’m the only one who has cut the cord only to reconnect it.

5

You’re not alone.

I canceled cable in like 2008 because it was getting too expensive and I could get DVD sets of anything I missed (or forgot to record with my VCR) for free from the library.

The original plan was to stream most of my favorite shows through my PC or Xbox 360, but Hulu wasn’t quite as stable as I’d hoped and a lot of shows were eventually pulled from the service because streaming isn’t as profitable as we’d all like it to be. So yeah, the VCR became very handy. And DVD sets to supplement the rest.

Eventually, I got sick of this arrangement and re-signed up for cable last Fall. Obviously, streaming options are better nowadays, but I’m not really interested in the hassle.

6

:cool:

I think Hulu is pretty stable these days, but it seems to be best for keeping up with network shows: new episodes of cable shows (on USA, TNT, etc.) aren’t usually available for a while. I’ve been using it mostly as a kind of antenna backup: if I go to watch a network show that I recorded and it turns out that the reception was bad during it, I’ll watch it on Hulu. When I reconnect the cable, I’ll most likely cancel my Hulu+ subscription.

Something I forgot to mention is that not all of the shows that are available on Hulu+ are available for watching via Apple TV/Roku/etc.: for several of the shows I’m interested in, either (a) they’re only viewable using a web browser or (b) the newest episodes are only viewable using a web browser. I don’t watch TV shows or movies on my computer – sure, I could connect my laptop to the TV via HDMI cable, but I don’t want to (and I got an Apple TV and a Netflix/Amazon/Hulu-enabled Blu-ray player so I wouldn’t have to) – which means there are shows that I still can’t watch on Hulu even though technically they’re available.

7

I think you need to give it a little longer. I remember a loooooooooong adjustment period when I cut the cord. You’re basically trying to change the way you’ve been doing things your whole life… It’s not going to be without bumps.

Course football season is around the corner and that’s when you have to lash me to the mast because ESPN is calling to me like a siren…

8

Yeah, that’s why I said, “I realize this is sheer laziness/habit, and that I’m probably just spoiled from years of cable viewing” and “I’m making myself wait another week or two in case I’m just going through some kind of cable withdrawal.” :slight_smile: (Though it hasn’t been my whole life; just since high school.)

But how long was “loooooooooong”? I think I’ll be ready to cave by the end of June, which will be the 2-month mark.

Your ESPN is my HBO: it was hard enough missing the end of Game of Thrones, but I’m about to miss the start of True Blood and at the end of the month Dexter comes back and next month The Newsroom comes back…etc.

9

Any objection to just dropping $1.99 a show through Amazon on your Roku? It’s the price of a cup of coffee.

And there’s no set time for looooong - you just have to cycle through denial, anger, bargaining, and depression to get to acceptance! :wink:

10

Also: I used to purchase a fair number of shows (enough to make me question if what I was doing was cost effective) but then that tapered off as I got used to (1) actually watching the content available for cheap (Netflix et al) and (2) waiting.

I don’t bat an eye now at waiting until something comes available through Netflix, Hulu, or the local library.

11

Said like a man who doesn’t watch any HBO original shows. :wink: They don’t offer episodes for purchase like other networks do: you have to wait for the entire season to be released on DVD, and typically that doesn’t happen until right before the next season starts. So, if I stick with OTA I’ll always be a season behind on all of my HBO (and Showtime) originals. And I watch a lot of them.
(Nitpicks: HD episodes are $2.99, I don’t have a Roku, and I don’t drink coffee. :D)

12

I caved two days ago: Comcast is coming out on Saturday morning. I lasted two whole months. :smiley:

At least I’ll still be saving some money compared to what I was paying before the move: my new cable + internet bill will only be $30/mo more than I’m currently paying for just internet, and will be $70/mo less than I was paying before. I think I can live with that, especially if it means being able to watch network shows without constant digital signal glitches (watching FOX on Tuesday night was painful).

13

I guess you’ll be happy but poorer. I really like not having as much TV that’s constantly streaming into my house, I feel like I need to watch it to keep up. Netflix and Hulu are just always there and there is no particular urgency in watching anything. Their titles do expire after a certain number of years, but even then there are a dozen other things I can watch when the mood strikes.

14

Can I ask why you caved in June? Are there any particular summer shows you won’t be able to deal with not seeing? I was a full cable cutter until I got married in December - and I agree with you, the unreliability of the OTA signal was extremely frustrating, and downright rage-inducing at times.

15

I have to agree. HD TV is beautiful when it works but it sure is harder to receive than SD TV. And it seems to be getting worse. Maybe stations aren’t using enough transmitter power.

16

An extra $30/mo isn’t going to bust my budget. :slight_smile:

It’s good that you know that about yourself. I have no need to watch anything, I just want to.

I don’t think there’s been any urgency to watch anything since VCRs became ubiquitous. :wink: I have no idea what day/time most shows are on: when I feel like watching TV, I look at my TiVo “Now Playing List” and pick something.

Seriously? Are there really people who “can’t deal” with not being able to watch a particular TV show?

I didn’t cave in June. I caved two months after I cut the cord; it just happened to be in June. :slight_smile: Two months is how long it took for me to get tired of the unreliable signal, and the work it took to watch some of the shows I enjoy.

17

One thing I love about just having rabbit ears is that I’m getting so much more done in the analog world. Imagine how much more time I have NOT watching Game of Thrones or True Blood. If a series is really worth it, I’ll watch it in a month or a year… or when I retire. (The shows’ll still be there, unchanged… I mean, they’re not going to pull a George Lucas and edit “Real Bounty Hunters of the Jersey Shore” to have Guido shoot first).

Now, I just have to be careful not to get addicted to a network show, but I think Lost cured me of that…

(Hmm… if I was really serious about “Let’s not make television too much fun or the real world can’t compete”, then I’d buy a tiny Black and White TV…)

18

See, I’ve never understood statements like that. If someone is watching so much TV that they’re not getting enough done in the real world, they have a problem! :eek: I don’t see watching Game of Thrones or True Blood as time I could be spending doing other things: one of my hobbies is watching TV, and those are two of the shows I like to watch. If I’m having a particularly busy spell a bunch of shows might sit on my TiVo for a while, but generally my life just isn’t that hectic.

No part of my life suffers because I like to watch TV: I’m good at my job (which sometimes includes evenings/weekends), I’m making progress as a working musician (which takes up the vast majority of my spare time), my dog is happy and gets plenty of exercise, I spend time with friends and family, etc.

Maybe I’m just better at time management than you are? :wink:

19

Well gosh, if you’re really “working” at watching shows you enjoy, you must have some sort of time management problem. I would never consider idle entertainment consumption to be “work”. :rolleyes:

20

I think you misunderstood what **Misnomer **meant there. He was (I think) referring to the problems he had w/ the OTA signals giving him shitty reception during storms and whatnot. From the OP: