Antennas Direct
Last week, I ordered an antenna to improve reception from over-the-air TV signals from local broadcast stations. We dropped our cable TV last month because it was too expensive and not flexible enough for our watching habits. The Apple TV has certainly been a welcome addition and makes it a breeze to get free IPTV content, like podcasts, and a la carte content from the iTunes store. I love the idea of paying for TV to lose commercials. And I also love the idea of watching free television, even though I have to sit through 18 to 22 minutes of commercials per hour show. But I can no longer stand the idea of paying for television and being subjected to advertisements. So cable TV is bye-bye.
Until now, I’ve used a very simple RCA-brand antenna for OTA TV. (I have no idea where I picked it up from. It’s just been around in our “stuff” for awhile.) It worked okay since we live in the city, about two to three miles from the broadcast antennas. But it really wasn’t perfect and dropped out intermittently, especially when the sun was out.
Dave told me about a great company, Antennas Direct, who sells high-end antennas. I did some research on their website. Because of our proximity to local stations, I realized I wouldn’t really need to spend a ton of money on a super-powerful antenna (though they do sell that if you are in the market for one.) So I called up to confirm what our needs would be. A very kind saleswoman named Susan took the call and confirmed that we’d be just right for the ClearStream1 (C1) antenna. My concerns were two-fold: whether I could use an outdoor antenna inside our house and whether or not I’d need any sort of amplifier. Susan said she has had plenty of customers use the C1 indoors, including an employee of Antennas Direct, with few issues. She also felt like our proximity was really good and that an amplifier should be the least of my concerns. In fact, Susan said I might need an attenuator instead! Super. I love overhead.
On Tuesday night, I finally got my hands on the C1 and installed it at home. My setup is really simple as I have a westerly facing window (toward broadcast towers) just a few feet from my TV. No mounts, no amplifiers, just coax straight from the antenna in the window to my TV. The result is superb! There is very, very little loss and the HD picture is astounding. Honestly, if you’ve never experienced the difference between highly compressed cable HD signal and the direct-to-TV OTA signal, you really should. I think it will surprise you.
While I am very impressed with the out-of-the-box stick-it-in-the-window approach that I used, I do believe I’ll try a little tweaking to get it just right. We have a house right across the street from us that is likely blocking a solid direct signal, so I am hoping to either transfer the C1 to the upstairs window on the same side of the house and run coax down or look into roof-mounted options. It’s not something I feel I have to do as I am very pleased with the improvements just in the antenna itself. But every hour or so there is just a very quick bump or jitter of loss and I’d like to see that completely gone. It is a good possibility that I’m dealing with multi-path distortion and will need to lower the antenna’s strength with an attenuator.
The antenna also shipped with an excellent illustration of cable vs. satellite vs. over the air reception options. (Download PDF - 397kb)
Next up, I may look to converting one of my PCs into an HTPC to get DVR functionality rolling along with better on-screen TV guides.
If you are hunting for a solid solution for absolutely free television, I would highly recommend Antennas Direct. Their gear is quality and their service is superb. What else in the world could you possibly ask for?
Antennas Direct
Antenna Selector
ClearStream1
There is also an excellent resource on improving television reception at http://www.antennaweb.org/.
Tagged: antenna, over the air, ota, tv, hd, reception, antennas direct
CableTechTalk
2008-08-14 0937hrs
I assume by the phrase “not flexible enough for our watching habits,” that you mean you don’t watch that much TV and so you’d like an “a la carte” option. If you truly watch very little TV, then over-the-air and iTunes may be the perfect option for you, but as I pointed out recently, if you watch more than a little, than that doesn’t work.
“I love the idea of paying for TV to lose commercials.” But that’s not what’s happening. The content producers depend on those commercials for revenue. If you buy it on iTunes, you’re just replacing a part of that revenue.
I know you don’t like paying for cable reception and having commercials, but most cable networks depend on a dual-revenue stream; it’s how they make a living without the mass audiences of broadcast television. If they had to rely solely on subscription fees without also getting revenue from advertising, they’d have less money to produce programming.
David Russell
2008-08-14 1759hrs
CableTechTalk First and foremost, this article is really less about the argument against cable and more against the argument in favor of over-the-air TV. Perhaps I’ll make a clearer case specifically addressing that topic in the future. But I did make some points against cable and I’ll respond to the points you raised issue against.
I truly watch very little cable TV. So losing cable really didn’t hurt. I have found simple replacements through iTunes and streaming web providers, like Comedy Central, for the few shows I do enjoy. To me, the best content on TV appears on the major networks. So that’s where my focus is.
I understand the point you make in your article when you argue the numbers of cable vs. a la carte. But anyone who is doing the numbers will know which case works for them. I am not here to argue that someone who depends on TV as a 24-hour-a-day entertainment and information source will love an alternative to cable. But for someone who is a moderate viewer of a few select shows, it is important to realize that cable can often be the most expensive way to receive media and that there are alternatives that can eliminate the monthly expense of cable.
In response to the issue of commercials on cable TV, I do realize that there is a dual income model for cable television stations. I simply disagree with it; or to be more specific I disagree with the choice not to release a pricing option for consumers who really, really hate commercials (as I do.)
There are two models of TV broadcasting that I think have proven that good content can be produced without one-third of a show’s time slot being slated for advertisements: public television and British television. I’m likely far less researched on these models than you probably are, so feel free to strike back on this if you feel more informed. But how do they do it? What do these broadcasting models have that everyone else has given up on in favor of the advertising plus subscription model?
Thanks for the conversation.