Ditching Cable Television

[skysidhe]

I almost, almost got satellite but they wanted to put a huge HD disk in my yard area. I went pale, got the shakes and I backed out. I couldn't commit to a monstrosity so I reverted to my original idea of dumping cable and getting an antenna. I may do an outdoor if possible but thinking indoor antenna for now.

My reasons are that I spend 50 dollars on tv I hardly ever watch. Maybe 2 hours a week.
I can get tv programs on the internet, if I so desire.

I pulled in three stations with rabbit ears one Sunday but lost them.
The HD quality over antenna was actually better via rabbit ears than it was cable oddly. Crystal clear and sharp.

The antenna I have chosen is the Terk HDTVA antenna. Does anyone here use an antenna and if so what do you use?

The best thing is I am going to save 600 dollars in the next year on eliminating cable television. My car will be paid off next month. The savings next eliminating those two bills will be 3000 dollars in the next year. The discipline is if I can put that money away as if I were still paying them.

[glatt]

We have a rooftop antenna. No idea what it is. It came with the house 15 years ago. It pulls in about 30 channels.

Go to antennaweb and plug in you address to learn what kind of antenna you need at your location, and where to point it.

[skysidhe]

Thanks. The site said I needed an outdoor antenna. I saw some small non-descript outdoor antennas. I am 48 miles away from towers.

wow 30 channels huh? I envy your rooftop antenna! I remember those days when every house had one. waayy back.

[Pete Zicato]

Even now, no one notices a tv antenna on the roof. And there are some good small ones these days.

[Pico and ME]

I was considering a digital antenna, then I caved and got att U-verse with dvr. Im so hooked its sad.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Pico and ME

I was considering a digital antenna, then I caved and got att U-verse with dvr. Im so hooked its sad.

There is no such thing as a digital antenna. It is the same antenna used when TV were analog. But if your information source is a retail saleman, then you can be told to believe anything. Amazing what the Geek Squad tells people - and they believe it.

[Pico and ME]

LOL. I meant the digital converter type antenna thingy thing....or something.

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by tw

There is no such thing as a digital antenna.

I know that HD still carries on uhf and vhf frequencies, but aren't the newer antennas more directional? That's the impression I get from various websites (not commercial sites) anyway.

[Happy Monkey]

There are antennas with a connection that allows a compatible tuner to aim them based on the channel.

[glatt]

Aim them by physically rotating them?

[Happy Monkey]

Maybe some do, but according to recent googling, they usually do it by favoring certain antenna elements to boost gain in a particular direction.

[Rhianne]

There actually is a difference between 'digital' and old analogue antennae, over here at least (we're encroaching my old job here!). Although they'll both work to a greater or lesser degree the newer antennae will operate over a necessarily wider band than was ever needed by analogue systems.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Rhianne

Although they'll both work to a greater or lesser degree the newer antennae will operate over a necessarily wider band than was ever needed by analogue systems.

Total and absolute nonsense. Shoot the salesman. He is lying.

Old analog channel was 6 Mhz wide. New digital channel is 6 Mhz wide. See that antenna that cost twice as much as the one you bought? They are now telling you that you need that more expensive antenna - and charging three times as much because they called it digital.

Analog and digital TV are both broadcast as analog signals. Instead of speaking in plain language, the transmitter now talks in code. On the same radio waves using the same electromagnetic waves.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Pete Zicato

I know that HD still carries on uhf and vhf frequencies, but aren't the newer antennas more directional?

Everyone should know what Congress did to protect companies such as Zenith.

Did you see an NTSC TV with ghosts? The same picture is repeated lighter and off to the right. A ghost image. Your TV is getting a signal directly from the transmitter. And another from a reflection. You are now watching radar. If the ghost is from an airplane, then you watch the ghost move. (NTSC is a TV standard defined before WWII.)

But digital cannot have two signal sources. A signal and its ghost confuses the TV's computer.

To protect Zenith, et al, Congress ordered America to use a code called 8VSB. 8VSB cannot easily reject the ghost. So you need a better antenna that will receive a stronger signal and (more directional) a lesser ghost image.

Meanwhile, all other nations went to a standard that also makes WiFi and cell phones so flexible - COFDM. This standard can better ignore ghosts. Can even be used reliably in moving vehicles.

Rather than explain this, retail sales wants you to be dumb. And Congress hopes you stay dumb. They hype a mythical 'digital' antenna rather than admit to total 'loss of signal' due to ghosting and the inferior 8VSB format.

In a move to eliminate big brother government, the party in power imposed an 8VSB standard in 1997. All TV stations were to convert to digital by 2003. Politics rather than science and technology choose the standard and timeline. You now must buy a more expensive analog antenna.

No problem. A salesman hypes it as new technology. He must be honest. He makes you feel good. So many will believe even Saddam had WMDs - liars use the same techniques. There are digital antennas and were WMDs - except where people ask simple damning questions.

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by tw

Everyone should know what Congress did to protect companies such as Zenith.

[snip]

No problem. A salesman hypes it as new technology. He must be honest. He makes you feel good. So many will believe even Saddam had WMDs - liars use the same techniques. There are digital antennas and were WMDs - except where people ask simple damning questions.

So is that a yes or a no?