If you have an old tube TV like the one shown here, or a flat screen that does not have a built-in digital tuner (made before 2006, when digital tuners were mandated), you won’t be able to watch modern broadcast TV using just an antenna. You’ll either have to buy a...
Brian Shim
Troubleshooting Your TV Antenna
Having problems getting your TV to receive digital broadcast stations using your antenna? You’ve come to the right place. Find solutions to your antenna problems below. My TV isn’t doing anything when I hook up the antenna Are you sure your TV is capable of receiving...
How to Set Up Your TV Antenna
Hooking up an indoor antenna like the Mohu Leaf to your TV is pretty easy if you have a modern flat TV (built in 2006 or later). Simply screw the antenna’s coax cable into the “ANTENNA/CABLE” plug on the back of your TV, as shown here: Back of TV showing where to plug...
Why the Mohu Leaf Is (Still) My Favorite Indoor Antenna
The Mohu Leaf was a revolutionary, nearly paper-thin, antenna that set it apart from the bulky metal antennas of the time. To give you an idea, Here is a photo of a big DB4 metal antenna next to the original laminated Mohu Leaf on the right: DB4 antenna and the...
How to Pick Your TV Antenna
One of the most common questions people ask me is “which TV antenna should I get?” There are so many on the market, it can get pretty overwhelming. In this article, I'll discuss my recommended TV antennas. Before You Buy an Antenna But before buying an...
Why a TV Antenna Might Be Your Best Friend During the Next Disaster
The easiest way to get live local news in real-time during disasters is often from broadcast TV news coverage. A TV antenna might seem like an anachronism; something no longer needed, especially with the plethora of streaming services available today. But, in the past...
What To Do If You Lost TV Channels After Re-Scanning
I've gotten lots of comments and emails from readers who've lost channels after re-scanning for channels on their TVs. And it's happened to me too! Here are some things you can try to help recover the channels you lost. 1. Manually Add Missing Channels Back The first...
Thirty Things You Could Accomplish If You Gave Up TV for Lent
While discovering free and cheap ways to watch TV is a good thing, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. In 2017, the average American spent almost four hours a day watching television! That's a HUGE amount of time to spend staring at a TV screen! What...
How to Eliminate TV Interference from Your Amazon Fire TV Stick
One of my readers told me that his Amazon Fire TV Stick was causing interference with his broadcast TV channels. When he unplugged the stick, his reception improved and his TV could receive more channels. I did a quick test with my own Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K...
Review: The Mediasonic HOMEWORX Digital Converter Box HW130STB
If you have an old tube TV or a flat-screen that does not have a digital TV tuner, then the only way you can watch free broadcast channels on that TV is to get a digital converter box, or tuner box, as it is sometimes called. You plug your TV antenna into the box,...
Amazon Fire TV Recast: a Slick DVR from Amazon (Discontinued)
2022 Update: Unfortunately, the Amazon Fire TV Recast was discontinued in August of 2022. It's too bad, because it had a slick user interface and was easy to set up, with its internal drive. You may be able to find one on eBay, but it's unclear how long Amazon will...
Should You Get the Amazon Fire TV Stick?
The Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick 4K are among the most popular streaming players out there. They're great because of their ease of use, excellent search functionality, Alexa integration, and a plethora of streaming apps. For this review, I purchased the...
Should You Upgrade Your Roku?
Roku is one of the most popular streaming media players. If you're a cord-cutter, there's a good chance you own one. But, if you have an older Roku, should you upgrade it to a newer one? I compared the features of three generations of Roku players and performed some...
Use the Roku App to Play Videos From Your Phone on Your TV
As I've mentioned elsewhere on this site, my favorite overall streaming media player is the Roku. It's got the most content and a ton of great features. One feature that you might not be aware of is the ability to stream video, music, and photos from your iOS or...
What’s Inside a Mohu Leaf Antenna?
If you follow my site, you know that I'm a big fan of the Mohu Leaf flat indoor antenna. It gives me over one hundred channels here in Los Angeles. One day, reader Philip asked me what was inside the Mohu Leaf antenna. Hmmm, good question! From all of my antenna...
How to Fix Your Sony Bravia TV When It’s Stuck on a Channel or Frozen
Last night I was surfing through channels on my TV and encountered a bizarre problem. My trusty 26-inch Sony flat-screen Bravia KDL-46V4100 TV froze and would not respond to any controls. The picture and sound still worked, but the controls were frozen. I tried both...
How I Watch TV for About Zero Dollars Per Month
When it comes to watching TV, I'm a cheapskate. I remember when TV was totally free and I don't want to pay for it now, especially if I'm watching commercials! So, I usually pay zero dollars per month for TV. Occasionally I'll splurge and get a streaming service like...
Video: Ten Tips to Get More Channels with Your TV Antenna
One of the most frequent questions I get on this site is, "how can I get more channels with my TV antenna?" I have a blog post with my most effective tips, and now I have a video with my top ten tips to get more channels:...
Tablo Dual Lite Broadcast TV DVR Review
UPDATE: See this article for a review of the latest Tablo Generation 4 DVR. I'm keeping this older article up for those who have the previous generation Tablo. Original Article The Tablo records broadcast TV from your TV antenna; it won't record cable TV or streaming...
Proof That Broadcast TV Picture Quality is Better Than Satellite
I was at my parents' home with the TV on in the background when I noticed something interesting: their "HD" picture quality was terrible compared to my own TV with a broadcast TV antenna. They had satellite TV from DISH Network. I have always said on my site that...
Why Did My Broadcast TV Channels Disappear?
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...
My Free Broadcast TV Channels in Santa Monica, CA
These are the free broadcast channels that I receive and watch in Santa Monica, CA using my indoor antenna. I'm not including foreign language channels, duplicate channels, home shopping channels, and other stations I'm not interested in. ChannelCall...
My Personal TV Antenna Setup
I wanted to share with you the details of my personal living room antenna setup. Over the years, I've tried many different indoor antennas, amplifiers, splitters, and configurations to squeeze out as many free TV channels as possible. I've finally gotten it to where...
The Best Indoor TV Antenna – The Great Antenna Shootout
I started using indoor TV antennas in 2010 when I first canceled my cable service in Providence, RI. Since then, I've moved to Los Angeles and have amassed a collection of different types of indoor antennas. I figured it was time to re-test my TV antennas to make sure...
The Number One Mistake to Avoid When Buying a New TV
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...
Parental Controls on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Chromecast
A reader recently asked me what type of parental controls the major set-top boxes have. So I decided to do some research and write an article about it. The bottom line is that all of the major set-top streaming boxes have some degree of parental controls, but some are...
How To Get More Channels with Your Indoor Antenna
Getting the ideal reception using your indoor digital TV antenna can be a challenging task. It can be like playing "whack-a-mole": when you have the antenna in one position, you get certain channels; move it to another position and different channels come in and the...
Google Chromecast: Stream Video from Your Computer Browser to Your TV
2024 UPDATE: The Google Chromecast is being discontinued and will be replaced by the Google TV Streamer (4K). At $99.99, it's at a higher price point, sort of like a Chromecast with Google TV on steroids. Stay tuned for a full review. If you still want to know about...
How to Transfer Your Videotapes to Your Computer
Do you have a pile of videotapes taking up space in your home? Or, do you want to archive your VHS/Beta videos for posterity or easier viewing on a computer or tablet? There are many reasons why you might want to convert your videotapes to a digital format. Here's how...
Why I Don’t Use Illegal TV Streaming Services
Do you use a streaming service that allows you to get tons of newly-released movies and TV shows for an amazingly low price? If you're using a streaming service on your computer, Android-based set-top box, tablet, or another Internet-connected device that seems too...
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