[…]are many converter boxes on the market today with almost the same feature set. At just $30, the Mediasonic HOMEWORX HW130STB is one of the lower-cost units out there, but it has pretty much the same features as more expensive boxes. Setup and Channel Search I found the setup for the Mediasonic HOMEWORX box to be very easy. I never consulted the manual. I plugged in an antenna, plugged in power, then plugged it into my flat-screen Sony TV using an HDMI cable. Note that if you’re using it with an old tube TV, you’d use the included analog cables […]
[…]lot of recording, I would recommend more refined DVR solutions). Check out my full review of the Mediasonic HOMEWORX converter box. Antennas Once you have the converter box, you’ll need a broadcast TV antenna. Before buying anything, enter your zip code into the Station Finder and make sure there are signals in your area. If there are, here are some low-cost indoor antennas that I recommend. Can You Use a Roku With a Tube TV? Yes, but you’ll have to use the 2018 Roku Express+. It’s the one with the three RCA cables on the box: On Amazon, you’ll have to look under “other sellers” […]
[…]connecting coax cables and following instructions. My Testing For my testing, I used the Mediasonic HOMEWORX Digital Converter Box HW130STB as my tuner because it has a handy signal strength meter. The first thing I did was pit the HD Smart Bar against my Mohu Leaf (with RG-6 cable, not the included cable!). I checked the signal strength of my local Los Angeles ABC station, channel 7.1, because it is a Hi-VHF station which is sometimes tricky to pick up. On my signal strength meter, my Mohu Leaf registered 4 purple dots of strength, while the Antop HD Smart Bar […]
[…]and you know exactly what you want to record and when it airs, then a generic solution like the Mediasonic Homeworx DVR might be best for you. What Happened to the Amazon Fire TV Recast? Amazon’s DVR, the Fire TV Recast, was discontinued in August 2022 unfortunately. It’s too bad because it had a polished user interface and was easy to set up with its internal drive. You might still be able to find one on eBay, but it’s unclear how long Amazon will continue to support it, so I would not recommend buying one used at this […]
When you think of a “DVR”, or “Digital Video Recorder”, you might think they’re mainly used for time shifting. That is, recording a show or sporting event so that you can watch it later, kinda like what we old-schoolers used to use a VCR for. While you can definitely use a DVR for time shifting, today’s DVRs can do so much more. In fact, some of their other features are way more important and useful than time-shifting TV programs. Here are my top ten reasons that I think you should get a DVR if you watch broadcast TV, along with […]
Since 2006, the Federal government has mandated that all TVs include a digital tuner to allow you to receive free broadcast TV using a cheap antenna. This is one of the main ways that I promote on DisableMyCable.com to save money! But recently, I’ve been getting messages from readers who claimed that their TVs did not come with a built-in tuner! So, I looked up the specs of one of these: the Vizio E55u-D2 SmartCast E-Series 55″ Class Ultra HD Home Theater Display. Sure enough – this TV had no coax antenna input, nor did it have a tuner!! “TV” vs. […]
A very common question I get on DisableMyCable.com is “why did some of my broadcast TV channels disappear?” Usually, people think something is wrong with their antenna, but TV antennas are pretty simple devices, just a piece of metal basically (unless it is amplified). Usually, the antenna isn’t broken and it’s some other issue. If your channels disappeared after doing a re-scan, check out this article. 1. The TV Station’s Frequency Changed During the FCC “Re-Pack”. Here’s What to Do. The most likely culprit for losing a channel in 2020’s FCC “re-pack” is that the channel’s broadcast frequency changed. If […]
