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Cutting the Cable, Looking for some advice


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Recently both of our available cable companies have sold out, Verizon Fios sold to Frontier and Brighthouse (a subsidiary of Time Warner Cable) just sold to Charter Communications. Both the wife and myself only watch a hand full of channels on cable. I am sick of paying $170 a month for 20/2 MB internet and 1 cable box that has NO added packages. I am currently with Charter, have no contact and can either swap to Frontier for internet or upgrade the internet speed and drop the cable from Charter.

 

I am looking at putting up an antenna for locals and then streaming from the internet with a Roku or a similar device. Sling TV has a package for $25.00 that we could make do if that is our only option.

 

Need advice on what hardware is best and why. Hell, any advice at all regarding this will be appreciated.

 

If it matters, we have several TV's.

 

Thanks in advance

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antennasdirect.com see what OTA (free) is available in your area. Want DVR,

 

Tivo makes a nice OTA DVR with a one time fee,then free for the lifetime of the unit. Same unit also plays Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc. Would require a broadband connection for the streaming/guide stuff though.

 

(OTA=Over The Air)

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Well I have Broghthouse for 200/20 internet. My Xbox One handles OTA, then I have Hulu. I also have a $35 package with DIRECTV Now that gets me sports and news. My antenna is small and on the wall. Everything I use comes out cheaper than when I had my internet and Bright house cable with 2 boxes

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Frontier for DSL & landline for $65/month, scrap the TV(s) in favor of exercise and a dirt bike. That's what I did YMMV.

 

I did this too.

find subscriptions on the web.

my locale is rural.. the net is still divided. A long distance call is to the only city 36 miles away.

 

still sucks.

I bet the feds come smashing down on the whole think again.

 

Some might remember the 80s and this stuff... battles never ended.

 

you can also knock 4 bucks or so off by getting your own modem.

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I just checked out antennasdirect.com and I have 20 transmitters in my area. Most of them are about 50 miles away. I had no idea that there were so many local stations available.

 

EDIT: that copy and paste turned into a jumbled mess..oh well results below:

 

WZRA-CD

Distance: 7.60 mi Band: UHF Heading: 196.69° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel Ethnic 48.1 WRMD-CD Distance: 32.14 mi Band: UHF Heading: 153.62° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WRMD CD Telemundo 49.1 WARP-CD Distance: 34.63 mi Band: UHF Heading: 172.96° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WARP D1 Infomercials 20.1 WARP D2 Infomercials 20.2 WARP D3 Infomercials 20.3 WARP D4 Infomercials 20.4 WYKE-CD Distance: 37.38 mi Band: UHF Heading: 16.10° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WYKE YouToo America 47.1 WYKE [blank] 47.2 WUSF-TV Distance: 44.28 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.58° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WUSF PBS 16.1 KIDS PBS Kids Local 16.2 CREATE Create 16.3 KNOWLED PBS Encore 16.4 WEDU Distance: 44.29 mi Band: VHF Heading: 143.65° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WEDU-HD PBS 03.1 V-Me PBS Kids 24/7 03.2 World World Channel 03.3 WEDU+ PBS Encore 03.4 WFTT-DT Distance: 44.29 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.65° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WFTT-DT UniMás 50.1 Bounce Bounce TV 50.2 getTV GetTV 50.3 Escape Escape 50.4 WXAX-CD Distance: 44.29 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.64° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel Azteca America 26.1 WFLA-TV Distance: 44.62 mi Band: VHF Heading: 143.82° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WFLA-HD NBC 08.1 Me-TV Me-TV 08.2 WFTS-TV Distance: 44.62 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.82° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WFTS-HD ABC 28.1 WFTS D2 Laff 28.2 WFTS D3 Grit 28.3 WTTA Distance: 44.62 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.82° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WTTA-MY MyN 38.1 COZI COZI TV 38.2 WSPF-CD Distance: 45.20 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.72° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel América TeVé 35.1 Biz TV 35.4 WTOG Distance: 45.20 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.72° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WTOG-CW CW 44.1 Decades Decades 44.2 WCLF Distance: 45.96 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WCLF TV CTN 22.1 CTNi CTNi 22.2 CTN CTN 22.3 Lifesty CTN Lifestyle 22.4 WMOR-TV Distance: 45.96 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WMOR-TV Independent 32.1 this TV This TV 32.2 Estrell Estrella TV 32.3 WXPX-TV Distance: 45.96 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel ION ION 66.1 qubo Qubo 66.2 IONLife ION Life 66.3 ShopTV Infomercials 66.4 QVC QVC 66.5 HSN HSN 66.6 WTSP Distance: 45.97 mi Band: VHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WTSP-HD CBS 10.1 WTSP SD Antenna TV 10.2 WTSP JN Justice Network 10.3 WVEA-TV Distance: 45.97 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WVEA-DT Univision 62.1 LATV LATV 62.2 WTVT Distance: 46.71 mi Band: VHF Heading: 143.65° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WTVT DT FOX 13.1 MOVIES! Movies! 13.2 Buzzr BUZZR 13.3 Heroes & Icons 13.4 WWSB Distance: 59.38 mi Band: UHF Heading: 160.08° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WWSB HD ABC 40.1 QVC 40.2

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My Local channels broadcast in Full HD and are free on my outside antenna, we actually do very little TV watching at my house so we do not have a need for cable etc. I know that a lot of people in the very rural areas have no choice, they have to get cable to even have the local channels....

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I just checked out antennasdirect.com and I have 20 transmitters in my area. Most of them are about 50 miles away. I had no idea that there were so many local stations available.

 

EDIT: that copy and paste turned into a jumbled mess..oh well results below:

 

WZRA-CD

Distance: 7.60 mi Band: UHF Heading: 196.69° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel Ethnic 48.1 WRMD-CD Distance: 32.14 mi Band: UHF Heading: 153.62° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WRMD CD Telemundo 49.1 WARP-CD Distance: 34.63 mi Band: UHF Heading: 172.96° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WARP D1 Infomercials 20.1 WARP D2 Infomercials 20.2 WARP D3 Infomercials 20.3 WARP D4 Infomercials 20.4 WYKE-CD Distance: 37.38 mi Band: UHF Heading: 16.10° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WYKE YouToo America 47.1 WYKE [blank] 47.2 WUSF-TV Distance: 44.28 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.58° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WUSF PBS 16.1 KIDS PBS Kids Local 16.2 CREATE Create 16.3 KNOWLED PBS Encore 16.4 WEDU Distance: 44.29 mi Band: VHF Heading: 143.65° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WEDU-HD PBS 03.1 V-Me PBS Kids 24/7 03.2 World World Channel 03.3 WEDU+ PBS Encore 03.4 WFTT-DT Distance: 44.29 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.65° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WFTT-DT UniMás 50.1 Bounce Bounce TV 50.2 getTV GetTV 50.3 Escape Escape 50.4 WXAX-CD Distance: 44.29 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.64° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel Azteca America 26.1 WFLA-TV Distance: 44.62 mi Band: VHF Heading: 143.82° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WFLA-HD NBC 08.1 Me-TV Me-TV 08.2 WFTS-TV Distance: 44.62 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.82° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WFTS-HD ABC 28.1 WFTS D2 Laff 28.2 WFTS D3 Grit 28.3 WTTA Distance: 44.62 mi Band: UHF Heading: 143.82° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WTTA-MY MyN 38.1 COZI COZI TV 38.2 WSPF-CD Distance: 45.20 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.72° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel América TeVé 35.1 Biz TV 35.4 WTOG Distance: 45.20 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.72° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WTOG-CW CW 44.1 Decades Decades 44.2 WCLF Distance: 45.96 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WCLF TV CTN 22.1 CTNi CTNi 22.2 CTN CTN 22.3 Lifesty CTN Lifestyle 22.4 WMOR-TV Distance: 45.96 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WMOR-TV Independent 32.1 this TV This TV 32.2 Estrell Estrella TV 32.3 WXPX-TV Distance: 45.96 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel ION ION 66.1 qubo Qubo 66.2 IONLife ION Life 66.3 ShopTV Infomercials 66.4 QVC QVC 66.5 HSN HSN 66.6 WTSP Distance: 45.97 mi Band: VHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WTSP-HD CBS 10.1 WTSP SD Antenna TV 10.2 WTSP JN Justice Network 10.3 WVEA-TV Distance: 45.97 mi Band: UHF Heading: 144.87° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WVEA-DT Univision 62.1 LATV LATV 62.2 WTVT Distance: 46.71 mi Band: VHF Heading: 143.65° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WTVT DT FOX 13.1 MOVIES! Movies! 13.2 Buzzr BUZZR 13.3 Heroes & Icons 13.4 WWSB Distance: 59.38 mi Band: UHF Heading: 160.08° Call Sign Affiliate Virtual Channel WWSB HD ABC 40.1 QVC 40.2

If you have an Xbox one at your house there is an adapter you can get and use with an antenna. Pretty much on that you can get everything you need. I also have an Apple TV, but that was free from DIRECTV Now

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No Xbox in the house, the kids took it when they moved out. This stuff is kinda overwhelming with all the choices. I think all that I need to decide is what hardware to purchase besides an OTA antenna.

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i ditched cable and use a fire stick with kodi and also picked up an HD antenna.

 

also have a roku, but if you get an android box or something with kodi on it, you won't need hulu or any of that. I do have amazon prime though, so will watch stuff from that.

 

also look into ooma for your landline. my phone bill is now only $5/month compared to $25 before

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No Xbox in the house, the kids took it when they moved out. This stuff is kinda overwhelming with all the choices. I think all that I need to decide is what hardware to purchase besides an OTA antenna.

 

what do you want to keep doing that you're currently doing? live TV, HBO, etc?

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We still have cable but I installed an OTA antenna last summer for a back up. Most of our local channels come from a tower field about 40 miles away. We have both UHF and VHF stations. I bought the stacker antenna from these guys. It's basically a UHF and VHF antenna stacked on top of one another.

http://dennysantennaservice.com/hd_stacker_tv_antenna-html.html. BTW, these seem to be on sale now at $30 less than I paid. I installed the antenna in the attic and just hung it from the rafters. We receive everything just fine.

Even if you buy your antenna elsewhere, they have some good info about different types of antennas, amplifiers and installation.

 

Mike

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I'm confused, I grew up with antennas they sucked big time. I now have whole home DIRECTV for 80$ per month with most everything except movie channels, they do free every couple months and I record then. I down load tons of stuff free anytime. Don't get it.

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