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[…]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 I’m still recommending the best ones. After all, what worked well in Providence might not work well in Los Angeles, right? The Antennas So, here’s what I’m calling the “great antenna shootout”. I’ve taken a representative selection of different types of indoor TV antennas and tested them in my condo. These are the ones I tested: These represent some of the most popular types of antennas from some of the leading antenna […]
[…]blocking the signals, like a mountain. Go to the antenna section to find out more. If you don’t have access to your roof (i.e., you live in an apartment), I would suggest using the Mohu Leaf antenna. It’s thin and easy to hide indoors. It’s what I use. Here are some more tips on getting better TV reception and more channels. If you’re not getting any channels at all, check out the link below: One thing I want to stress: the difference in the number of channels you can get with different indoor antennas is pretty small. If one antenna can get five channels, you are not […]
[…]mode and go do something else for 30 minutes (or you can stay and watch the progress). When it’s done, step through all of the channels using your remote, and write down all of the channels it found. Pick a channel that is coming in intermittently and adjust the antenna until it comes in consistently. Re-check your other channels to make sure they are still OK. Then do a re-scan to see if you TV can find more channels. If so, record them. Repeat steps 2-3 a few times (until you don’t get any new channels). At the end, you […]
[…]soon as I turned it off, all my stations came back… thank you again. How about this one: We figured it out… The ‘new appliance’ was the new motorized recliner! Unplugged, the channels come in fine. How ’bout that?!? Here’s a video from Channel Master demonstrating a particular LED lightbulb interfering with TV reception: If you have a lot of electronic equipment near your TV, it might be helpful to use a longer cord for your antenna to move it away and even into a different room to isolate it from interference from the equipment. Wi-Fi routers can be especially […]
[…]are, some of your TVs will get worse reception than others due to the location in your home. So, don’t go out and buy a whole bunch of antennas. Just get one, and confirm that it works with all of your TVs before getting an antenna for each TV. I recommend the Mohu Leaf. Method #2: One Antenna with Tablo or Other DVR Tablo is a whole-home DVR (digital video recorder) that works with your broadcast TV antenna. Plug your antenna in, and watch live and recorded TV on any TV in your home that is connected to a streaming […]
[…]another position, the lower channels would be good, but the upper ones would be bad. If you’ve done your own antenna experiments, you know what I’m talking about. I was getting desperate, even considering an outdoor antenna, when I tried something crazy: putting the antenna on the inside of my front door. This gave a tremendous improvement in reception! My front door is further out than my windows, so it has a more direct line of sight to the transmitters. Plus, it’s solid wood with no metal, unlike my double-paned windows with metal screens. The lesson from this is to go […]
[…]you didn’t get any green channels, and just got yellow or orange ones, you probably need an outdoor antenna (in your roof or attic), possibly with an amplifier. Skip ahead to my recommended outdoor antennas. If you didn’t get any channels at all, or just got orange ones, you are probably too far away from the transmitter towers to get good reception. Try some of these streaming TV services. An Even Better Resource Online antenna guides are great, but it’s impossible for them to be 100% accurate given the variables of location, antenna type, antenna height, local obstructions, local interference, and so […]
Here is a way to see if you can receive digital broadcast TV signals. You can do this even if you don’t have an antenna and don’t want to buy one right now. Note this is just a test, not a permanent set up! Before you start, type in your zip code into the Station Finder to see what channels are available in your area. If you got green or yellow channels, you can proceed. If you got only red channels or none, there are no broadcast TV signals in your area, and you won’t be able to use an antenna to […]
[…]radio (because that will work even if the power goes out). Cable and Internet Infrastructure is Vulnerable Cable and Internet service can be pretty flaky, even when there isn’t a disaster happening. How often does your Internet go down even when everything is normal? During a natural disaster such as a severe storm, earthquake, or flood, the Internet infrastructure is that much more vulnerable. All it takes is for the cable or optic fiber to be cut somewhere along the way to your home for you to lose Internet access. Telephone/internet poles go down all of the time during large storms. […]
[…]necessary in some situations such as with very weak signals or long cable runs, in many cases they don’t significantly help reception and can even hurt your reception. Here are a few situations to determine whether or not an amplified TV antenna is right for you: If You Have Strong TV Signals (a few miles from transmitters)… When I lived in Providence, RI, I had a mixture of very strong signals from just a few miles away along with some weak ones. In my testing there, the amplified antennas I tested got me FEWER channels than my un-amplified Mohu Leaf! […]
[…]idea, Here is a photo of the the big DB4 metal antenna next to the Mohu Leaf on the right: The Mohu antenna itself is just a little larger than a sheet of paper, at 11″ x 9″ and feels like thin plastic (the one shown above is an older version that feels like laminated cardstock; the new version is more sturdy plastic). The connector area is a about 3/8″ thick. It is white on one side and black on the other. I also have their powered version called the Leaf 50 which looks exactly the same except that it […]
[…]the module that attaches the cable to the antenna. This was held together with four custom screws. Upon opening it, I was surprised to find a small printed circuit board! At first, I thought this was just a passive filter, but later I realized this was the actual amplifier, placed right against the antenna where it should be! Remember, I disassembled the amplified Mohu Leaf. The regular Mohu Leaf does not have this circuit board or the power module (just a passive balun), see below. Power is supplied from the USB power module further down the cable. There are only […]
[…]the Station Finder, visit https://www.disablemycable.com/station-finder/ For more information on antennas and cables, visit https://www.disablemycable.com/antennas/ For more information on amplifiers, visit https://www.disablemycable.com/blog/are-amplified-indoor-antennas-better/ Hope this was helpful! Please leave your comments and questions below. – […]
[…]of the TiVo Edge for Antenna) saying that the Edge for Antenna would no longer be manufactured: It’s indeed out of stock on the TiVo website, and no longer available on Amazon or the Best Buy website. I would recommend looking at a better-supported DVR like the Tablo Gen 4. You may still be able to get an Edge for Antenna used on eBay, so I’ll leave the original article for you, below: Original Article TiVo is known for its excellent cable TV DVRs, but they’ve also made a few models for recording broadcast TV from an antenna. The Edge […]
[…]feature analog and HDMI outputs, and DVR recording capability to a USB storage device (but if you do a 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 […]
[…]to your antenna as shown here: There is also an output for an FM antenna, but most people probably don’t even have an FM radio in their homes. More handy might be to connect that output to a Tablo or other broadcast TV DVR. It’s not super difficult to set up if you’re comfortable 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 […]
[…]But, that may not be possible if you live in an apartment (unless your landlord agrees) or just don’t want the hassle and expense of routing coax cable to the roof and installing an antenna. Could there be another alternative? I’ve been experimenting with some small metal antennas that you can mount right on your patio or outdoor wall. These don’t require routing a lot of cables, crawling on your roof or in your attic, or setting up poles. The only thing you have to do is find a way to route the antenna cable from your TV to the […]
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. Channel Call Sign HD Description 2.1 CBS Yes CBS network 2.2 Decades Oldies like “Lost in Space” 4.1 NBC Yes NBC network 4.2 COZI Oldies like “Miami Vice” 5.1 KTLA Yes CW network 5.2 Antenna TV Oldies like The Tonight Show 5.3 This Old movies 7.1 ABC Yes ABC network 7.2 LiveWell Yes Food and lifestyle 7.3 LAFF Old comedies 9.1 KCAL Yes […]
[…]once a week, once a day, or even every few hours, which is completely unacceptable! While I don’t have a magic fix for every situation, here are some tips that have helped folks with this problem. 1. Reposition Your Gateway This is easy to do and a good number of people online said this helped. Try moving your gateway to windows facing your nearest cell tower. Here’s one way to find out where your cell towers are. Or, just experiment with placement near different windows in your home. Higher up is better, so if you have multiple stories, try the […]
There are so many streaming TV services out there like Hulu, YouTube TV, Philo, Sling TV, Fubo, etc. It can be pretty intimidating to find the one that has all of the channels you want for the lowest price So, I’ve partnered with Suppose to bring you the tool below that gives you a personalized list of streaming services based on what channels you want. This tool is best used on a large desktop monitor. This page contains affiliate links. When you purchase streaming services through the affiliate links on this page, Suppose receives compensation from the service provider at […]
[…]cheap antenna, if you live in or near a big city. Check it out and forward it to your friends who don’t know about free broadcast digital TV! I hope you found this helpful. – […]
[…]between the 4K stick and the regular stick, I would recommend the Fire Stick 4K even if you don’t have a 4K TV. Getting the power and volume controls on the remote alone is worth $10. The Stick 4K also has a more powerful processor and is faster. And if you ever upgrade your TV to 4K, you’ll be all set. What You Get The Amazon Fire TV Stick comes with a surprising amount of stuff: remote control with batteries, power adapter and USB cable, quick start guide, and short HDMI extender cable so you can mount the stick behind […]
[…]quality than DISH, which is supported by this Reddit thread. On the other hand, reader Wolf found this AVS Forum thread that says DISH has better picture quality than DirecTV! I have not compared DISH vs. DirecTV picture quality myself. My point was to say that broadcast was better than DISH. Conclusion In any case, I still find it amusing that the picture quality for a FREE TV service is better than one that you pay thousands for every few years. Granted, satellite TV offers a ton of channels, but, you might be able to get the channels you need […]
[…]will support ATSC1.0 TV at least through 2027 and likely as much as a decade after that. So, don’t worry about ATSC1.0 going away any time soon. The Tablo 4th Gen comes in a small box with Apple-like elegant packaging. It comes with instructions, power supply, Ethernet cable, and wall-mounting screws. See my unboxing video for details. Setup Using iPhone An Internet connection is required to use Tablo. You can set it up either using an Ethernet cable connected to your router, or Wi-Fi. I chose Wi-Fi setup using my iPhone. Note, there are now two Tablo apps in the […]
[…]actually talked to the head of engineering at KCBS and he told me that some older Sony TVs don’t have the ability to map the RF channel to a different displayed channel. So, on my TV I need to now find KCBS on channel 31.1 instead of channel 2.1. To figure out if this is happening in your case, go to the Station Finder and enter your zip code. Click the call letters of the station you lost and look for the RF channel. Try tuning your TV to that channel plus .1 or .3. or other tenths in that channel. […]
[…]initialize it first. After I did that, it worked fine. Pausing and Recording Live TV Even if you don’t plan to use your converter box as a DVR, it might be nice to plug in a USB drive anyway so that you can pause live TV. After I formatted the drive, I tried searching backward while watching live TV, but it wouldn’t let me. I had to first pause to enter recording mode, then resume play. Then, it would let me rewind to the point at which I hit the pause button, or forward to the current time. Not the […]
[…]the remote and on-unit buttons. Even the unit’s volume buttons didn’t work. I went online and found that other Sony Bravia users had experienced this, but I didn’t see any confirmed solutions. I tried everything, including different kinds of resets and unplugging my HDMI devices. Nothing worked. I thought maybe it was time for a new TV; after all, mine was over ten years old. But, I was hesitant about dumping my Sony because so much of it was still working: the screen, the audio, the signal processing, the tuner. Only the control section seemed to be blown. The Amazingly […]
[…]for a firmware upgrade for your TV. This might allow it to recognize virtual channels. If these don’t work, then you’ll just have to use the new channel number instead of the original one. That is my situation with my 2008 Sony Bravia. Kind of a pain, but I’m happy that I’ve got that channel back! 2. The TV Transmitter Tower Changed Location In the FCC re-pack, some transmitters might move temporarily to an auxiliary tower while the main tower is upgraded. So, try to orient your antenna in different directions to find it. Enter your zip code into the […]
[…]in your home. For example, you could stick your antenna in your attic and attach it to a Roku one foot away. Otherwise, you’d have to run a long cable to your TV from your attic. Or, put your antenna closer to your TV, which might not be optimal for reception. 3. Discovering New Content The channel guides in the Tablo and HDHomeRun apps show you a beautiful grid of upcoming TV shows and movies. This is a great way to discover old classic movies to record. Now, this feature does have a price. Both the Tablo and HDHomeRun have […]
[…]These are often not publicized. If you only stream on one computer or TV at a time you probably don’t need 50Mbps. You might be fine with 3Mbps. For reference, Netflix requires a minimum speed of 0.5Mbps. 5. Buy Your Own Modem (Don’t Rent) Some Internet providers charge a monthly “rental fee” for the modem. This is really outrageous and you should protest and threaten to buy your own if they don’t waive this fee. Cable Modems cost around $60 so after a few years of rental fees, they will be making pure profit at your expense. So, go to your […]
[…]than plastic, so as long as there isn’t an air gap between the plastic case and the foil, I don’t think heat will be a problem (the foil might even act as a heatsink of sorts). But, it’s another thing to keep an eye out for. 2. Use a Long Male-to-Female HDMI Extender Cable A less “hacky” solution is to get a long HDMI extender cable (like six or ten feet) and use that to plug your Stick into your TV. That will allow you to place it far away from your antenna. You will need to experiment with position […]
[…]Dead but you’ll have to pay for a service such as Sling TV❯❯ or YouTube TV. And, you don’t get the network stations on your Roku for free either. You have to pay for a service such as CBS All Access (or use an antenna connected directly to your TV). At the end of the day, many people can find the content they are happy with using a Roku or other Internet-connected device, for much less than the cost of cable TV, but there may be some shows that can only be seen live on cable/satellite. Q: Does a Roku require an […]
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 support it. I’ll leave my review up in case you’re looking for a used model. Original Article The Amazon Fire TV Recast is Amazon’s broadcast TV DVR solution which lets you record live TV using your TV antenna. Unlike the Tablo, the Recast has its mass storage included inside the […]
[…]That’s even better than an indoor antenna, and you can use it to get modern digital TV! If you don’t have an antenna, and don’t want to spend $40 for one, you can improvise one. A length of wire or any metal object can serve as a temporary primitive antenna. While it might not bring in as many channels as a real antenna, it’s enough to test with. Your Game Console Do you have an Xbox 360, Wii, or Playstation 3? You can use any of these devices to watch Netflix and Hulu Plus on your TV. Check for other […]
[…]so you’ll be able to watch whatever you find on your TV. So, in your quest for free TV, don’t forget about YouTube, the streaming service, paid or free, that I watch the most! Here are the best types of content to find: Movies While you won’t find the latest hit movies on YouTube, you’ll occasionally find some great oldies. Check out Flick Vault. My favorite movie on there is Capricorn One, about a faked landing on Mars: Keep an eye out for special releases, like when they showed 2001: A Space Odyssey ad-free. How-To Videos Instead of watching TV […]
[…]a new logo. I did eventually make a spec for it, but I never did find a designer. So, I figured I’d give it a try myself. My first sketch was this rather ambitious retro-inspired design: In retrospect, this was too complicated and busy. I realized that and gave up for a few months. The New Logo Evolution Then one day, I started playing with Google Fonts and found one called “Audiowide”. I typed in “DisableMyCable” and got this look: I kinda liked it. It was more futuristic than my existing logo. And, the letters themselves kinda looked like they were made of […]
[…]first time you do this, you’ll need to enter a 4-digit code from your Roku screen. After that is done, you should see your iPhone’s screen on your TV! How to Use AirPlay on iPad On your iPad, swipe down from the upper right corner to reveal the Control Center, then click on Screen Mirroring and follow the same steps as above. How to Use AirPlay on Mac On Macs with OS Catalina or older, there will be an Airplay icon in the top menu bar when an Airplay device is detected. Simply click that icon. On Macs running Big […]
[…](the Hi-V) channels. More info here. If you got just a few green and some yellow channels, an outdoor antenna is best, but you will get some channels with an indoor antenna. Check out my article on amplified antennas. If you go all yellow and orange channels, you’ll need an outdoor antenna If you got all orange or red channels or no channels, you’ll need to use Internet streaming services for TV. How to See Which Direction to Point Your Antenna To see which direction the TV signal is coming from, click on the station’s call letters on the left side of the map. […]
[…]required network-attached storage, or a running PC, to make recordings. Thankfully, these devices don’t. Stated very simply, the FLEX DUO and 4K have two and four tuners respectively, and a USB port to connect your own DVR storage. The SCRIBE 4K has four tuners and includes 1TB (“150 Hours”) of internal storage and one year of DVR service included (a $35 value). I chose the cheapest model, the FLEX DUO because I have lots of USB hard drives lying around, so why pay for internal storage? The downside of this model is that it does not come with the first […]
[…]next to your TV. This might be really appealing if you have your antenna in your attic, and you don’t want to run coax all the way to your TV. Instead, you can just put your Tablo in your attic, the watch it using Rokus (or other devices) on your TVs! A Network-Connected Tablo also lets you watch your recordings on your mobile device from anywhere, as long as you subscribe to the Tablo TV Guide Data Service. For these reasons, I would recommend a Network-Connected Tablo for most people. Personally, I like watching TV from my computer browser and […]
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If you love watching sports but don’t want to pay the exorbitant cost of cable TV, there are some great solutions now for watching ESPN, major league baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, and other sports for less than the cost of cable. Scaled-down TV subscription services like Sling TV give you a few channels for a fraction of the cost of full cable TV and with less hassle. So, here’s the rundown of how to watch sports without spending an arm and a leg for full-blown cable TV. Watch Local and Network Sports on Free Broadcast TV I always start with the free […]
[…]contract, and no dealing with the cable company! If you can’t get the networks using an antenna, don’t fret, there are services that offer live TV channels for you. For more information on all of the options, check out my page on streaming services. How to Record Broadcast (Over-the-Air) TV Shows If you want to record shows that you watching using your antenna, you’ll need a broadcast TV DVR. There are many on the market. Read my DVR guide for the one that is best for you! If you want to cut to the chase, my current #1 recommended DVR for […]
[…]you to record up to four shows at once. AirTV works in conjunction with the Sling app, but you don’t need a paid Sling subscription to use it; you can sign in for free. Note that SLING TV L.L.C. and AirTV L.L.C. are wholly owned subsidiaries of DISH Network Corporation. Although the AirTV 2 is a capable product, overall I recommend the Tablo Gen 4 for most people. If you want to be able to watch your recordings away from home, however, the AirTV 2 does that while the Tablo Gen 4 does not. Physical Design The AirTV 2 is […]
[…]then plug in the drive. You may need to wait a few minutes for the app to recognize your drive, so don’t panic if it doesn’t work immediately. That should do it! How to Avoid this Problem in the Future To avoid this problem, it might help to eject your drive before disconnecting it (something I definitely didn’t know to do). To eject a drive, follow these steps: Conclusion Did this solve the problem for you? Any questions? Please leave a comment below! – […]
[…]home network. There is no option for Wi-Fi. For some people, this is a show-stopper because they don’t want to run CAT-5 cable through their homes. If you’re OK with this requirement, then keep reading! You can watch live TV and your recordings using the HDHomeRun app, available for Windows, Mac, and most streaming TV platforms and mobile devices. However, you are not able to watch live TV or your recordings outside of your home network using the HDHomeRun app. So, this unit is not a good choice if you want to watch away from home. The Scribe 4K has […]
[…]dots and 4G towers like this: If you’re looking for 4G towers, you’re basically done. If you click on a tower, you can see the area covered by its cells: Finding 5G Towers If you’re looking for 5G towers, there are a few more steps. Close the popup and go back to the Provider menu popup. You’ll notice there is a pulldown labeled “Network” where the choices include “4G – LTE” or “5G NR”. If you choose “5G NR” for T-Mobile, you’ll see their 5G towers. However, Verizon and AT&T currently do not have a lot of dedicated 5G towers, […]
[…]check any station in your area. Find the call letters of the station you want to check. If you don’t know them off hand, go to the Station Finder, or Antennas Direct’s Transmitter Locator and enter your location to see a list of stations and their call letters. Next, go to TV Fool’s Online Coverage Map Browser Tool and enter the call letters of the station. Click “Search”, and a colored “heat map” will appear showing signal strength. You can zoom in to find your exact location. What Kind of Antenna to Get The colors in the map will tell you […]
[…]people are cutting cable TV. This alone is a valid reason to get a TV with a tuner, even if you don’t use it. Vizio’s Explanation Here’s what Vizio’s website says about this: The VIZIO SmartCast™ E-Series Ultra HD Home Theater Display is now tuner-free. Most households commonly stream or watch live TV from cable and satellite boxes – neither of which requires a tuner, so you shouldn’t notice any differences in setup. Now if you use an external antenna to watch free local channels, you will need to get a separate tuner adapter to connect your antenna to your […]
[…]for multiple months at a time to get that rate. And, they have no retail locations. All service is done over the phone. But the savings is insane! I use them and have saved hundreds of dollars! If you prefer to have physical stores, try Metro by T-Mobile. Metro works with the latest unlocked iPhones and Android phones. Individual service starts at $30/month, pre-paid, for unlimited calling and texting and 2GB of data on the T-Mobile cell network. I moved my mom to Metro and it’s been great! She now pays $36/month (including $6 phone insurance) saving her over $40/month compared to […]
[…]still get a large number of questions from people who own older tube-type TV’s like the one pictured here. If you are one of those people, I’ll describe your options for free and cheap TV in this article. Some of these options will require some money up front, but it’s usually less than the cost of one month of cable TV. 1. Broadcast TV Using an Antenna and Converter Box The most common question I get is “how can I watch broadcast TV on my old tube TV”? Well, you’ll need to purchase a converter box and an antenna. But […]
[…]streaming services that I recommend are Sling TV and Philo TV, the latter being great if you don’t need sports. 2. Use an antenna for live network channels If you use the Streaming TV Service Finder tool above, you might notice that streaming services start to get really expensive when you add live TV channels like ABC, NBC, CBS, and so forth. But, if you live in or near a big city, you might be able to get those channels for free using an antenna! Enter your zip code into the Station Finder to see how many channels are in […]
[…]2010, I moved to Providence, RI, where the cost was $52/month for basic cable. I paid it and figured, “well, that’s just the cost of getting TV”. More and more, however, I realized that I wasn’t getting good TV. I was surfing through the channels over and over looking for good TV. Then, my 6-month “introductory cable rate” went up to $57/month. Sure, it was only a few dollars more, but it ticked me off; it was almost a 10% increase in six months! After a few months of putting up with the higher cost and lack of good shows, I decided to […]
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[…]gaming, VPN connections, etc. If you just do regular web browsing from home, you probably don’t need to do this. Here are some things that happen on your Gateway in Passthrough mode: If you want to proceed, here’s how to enable Passthrough mode on your gateway. Log Into Your Gateway The ideal way to do this setup is to access the Gateway through the LAN1 port. You could do it through the LAN2 port or even the Gateway’s Wi-Fi, but as soon as you enable Passthrough mode, you’ll immediately lose access to the control panel. So plug your computer’s Ethernet […]
[…]so I installed the drivers from the CD first, BEFORE ever inserting the USB stick. That insured that the proper drivers would be loaded. Note, the Amazon description says the product includes video editing software. It does not! But for this price, I wouldn’t really expect it to. After the drivers are installed, the connections are pretty easy. Connect the RCA cables to the dangling female cables on the USB stick. Connect the other end to the audio and video OUTs on your VCR. Alternatively, you can use a single S-Video cable if your VCR supports it. Then plug the […]
[…]and get a streaming service like Disney+ for a month, but I’ll immediately cancel it after I’m done watching the shows I want to watch. This works for me but I’m not saying it will work for everyone. For example, if you’re not able to get free broadcast TV using an antenna, I can totally understand subscribing to a streaming service for TV. Same thing if you love sports or Game of Thrones (or other streaming-only shows). I do pay for Internet access, but I’m not counting that as part of my TV viewing cost because I need Internet access […]
[…]hadn’t expected TV manufacturers to put much effort into improving broadcast TV tuners. I figured that they had already maxed out in reception quality, or that getting more broadcast channels wasn’t a super high priority with TV manufacturers. I’m glad I was wrong! Newer TVs, especially Samsung TVs, tend to have better TV tuners which bring in more channels than ones made before, say, 2014. This is actually great news for folks who are using an antenna to watch TV but have some marginal stations. A quality new TV might bring those in better than your old TV, especially a […]
[…]an Internet streaming service like Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, etc. Please also note that these boxes don’t record. If you want recording capability, check out my page on DVRs that you can use with an antenna. My Quick Recommendation: Roku These are all good boxes, but my recommendation for most folks is Roku. It has the most channels, a handy voice search feature, and headphone output on the remote. Amazon Fire TV is also good, and a lot of folks swear by it. Chromecast is good for more geeky folks who don’t mind using their computer with their TVs. I no longer recommend Apple TV since you […]
[…]I thought, maybe this is a good time to write about my thoughts on illegal streaming services. I don’t use illegal services and I advise my readers not to as well. I don’t want to get sued, I don’t want you to get sued, and I like to sleep at night knowing I’m doing the right thing. Starting with this, I’ll run down some reasons why you shouldn’t use illegal streaming services. 1. You Could Lose Your Payment As illegal services become identified and shut down by Hollywood due to copyright infringement, it’s pretty unlikely that any subscribers will get […]
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[…]free streaming services offer. There are commercials of course. 2. YouTube (the free version) Don’t forget about plain old free YouTube.com! It’s a great source of free older TV shows, concerts, documentaries, and quality original content. My Mom keeps it on all day. For free movies, click the “FREE WITH ADS” link. I was able to watch a good number of older episodes from the Discovery Channel just by searching. All of the episodes of the vintage sci-fi series, “Space:1999” are on YouTube. For product reviews and “how-to” videos, I turn to YouTube. For more hints on what to find […]
[…]especially on an OLED TV. But when you’re watching your favorite movie, the “blacker blacks” don’t really make a difference. After a few months of owning my new Samsung QLED TV, I appreciate the increased screen size, but the picture quality honestly doesn’t make me enjoy shows any more than I did with my old LCD screen. My new TV has 4K resolution, while my old LCD was “just” 1080p. The images on my new TV look great. But then again, they looked pretty awesome at 1080p as well. When I’m viewing my TV from my couch, I can’t really […]
[…]is $6 while cost to buy is around $20. Other Options 1. DVDs from Thrift Stores and Used CD Stores Don’t forget about thrift stores and used CD stores – you can find some good DVD’s at these places, if you don’t mind watching older movies and TV shows. One example is FYE. Once you view DVDs, you can trade them with friends. 2. Sports bars If you want sports, why not watch the occasional game at your local sports bar? It’s true that you have to spend money on food or drink at a sports bar, but if you […]
[…](movie channels, DVR, etc.) First, scan your bill and look for any premium services that you don’t need like movie channels, DVR, and so forth. If you can live without these, cut ‘em. Are you paying to get cable on additional TVs in your home that could be using an antenna? Do you really still need a landline when you are also paying for a cell phone? See if eliminating it will lower your bill (on the other hand, sometimes keeping services will actually result in a lower bill, see below). With Internet access, there are often unpublicized cheaper plans […]
[…]was stupidly easy. I plugged in power and waited for it to boot up and configure. When it was done, I connected an Ethernet cable from the gateway to my computer and used the web app to set up my Wi-Fi network name and password. Voila! I was up and running in minutes! Wow! You can also set up the box via Wi-Fi using the settings printed at the bottom of the unit. Aside from the quick start card, no manual was included with the unit. But you can download the manual for the ARC model or for the ASK […]
[…]that you can see in a computer’s browser window (but not a phone or tablet, more later). You don’t have to worry about whether there is an app provided by Roku or Apple. You can watch almost anything from the Internet on your TV, if you are using a laptop or desktop computer. A lot of video content (for example, the network sites and the free Hulu Plus site) are blocked for phones and tablets, so if you mirror your iPad to your TV using Apple TV, you don’t get that content. Oh, and I should mention that while you are […]
[…]home doesn’t fix the problem, you should just return the unit within the 30-day trial period. Don’t try to debug it with their customer service; it probably won’t help. Do not cancel your previous Internet provider when you order Verizon 5G Home Internet. Keep it for at least the first 30 days of having 5G. Are there any hidden fees? I have not encountered any. I pay exactly $50/month for my plan (which is grandfathered in at 300 Mbps), with auto-pay. I didn’t have any activation fees either. Is it a good deal? For me, it was a lot cheaper […]
