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Over the air TV reception


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#1 Ultraviolet

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Posted 20 July 2011 - 10:17 AM

We are moving to Victoria soon (very soon - 2 weeks or so!), and were thinking of not getting cable or satellite, with all of the on-line viewing available. We would still like to get over the air channels if possible. Does anyone know what you can pick up with rabbit ears/an antenna in Victoria (we'll be living in Langford)?

#2 sebberry

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Posted 20 July 2011 - 10:57 AM

Welcome to the forum!

In August (on the 31st I think) all analog OTA (over the air) broadcasting will cease and you will need a TV capable of receiving digital broadcasts and a digital OTA antenna. You can still receive basic analog cable, although Shaw is moving many channels over to digital too, for which you will need a digital cable box.

Here's a thread on another forum (if I may) discussing OTA broadcasts for this region:
http://www.digitalho...ead.php?t=68445


Good luck! :)

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#3 Baro

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Posted 20 July 2011 - 02:15 PM

I didn't even know this method of broadcasting still existed, I've never seen it in my entire life.
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#4 Sparky

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Posted 20 July 2011 - 03:30 PM

I didn't even know this method of broadcasting still existed, I've never seen it in my entire life.


You missed out on a rite of passage where the boy of the house used to have to go up on the roof and spin the antenna with your old man yelling at you from the living room window.


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#5 gumgum

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Posted 20 July 2011 - 05:01 PM

Get an old laptop and hook it up to your computer. You'll get many of the network shows on demand for free, including local news. If you're a bit more more tech savvy you can even stream network sites like BBC Iplayer for free.

#6 LJ

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 07:45 PM

^Isn't your old laptop already a computer?
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#7 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 08:11 PM

^^ That had me a bit confused to. Network them?
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#8 gumgum

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 08:11 PM

I meant hook it up to your tv.

#9 Rob Randall

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 10:02 PM

Has anyone here tried to use rabbit ear antennas to pick up HD signals?

#10 Sparky

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 10:15 PM

By JOE MILICIA, Associated Press Writer

CLEVELAND - Buying an antenna for a high-definition television seems as out of place as using a rotary phone to make a call. But some consumers are spending thousands of dollars on LCD or plasma TVs and hooking them up to $50 antennas that don't look much different from what grandpa had on top of his black-and-white picture tube.

They're not doing it for the nostalgia.

Local TV channels, broadcast in HD over-the-air, offer superior picture quality over the often-compressed signals sent by cable and satellite TV companies.

And the best part? Over-the-air HD is free.

"Eighty-year-old technology is being redesigned and rejiggered to deliver the best picture quality," said Richard Schneider, president of Antennas Direct. "It's an interesting irony."

A few years ago, Schneider started an assembly line in his garage and sold antennas out of the trunk of his car. Now his Eureka, Mo.-based company has seven employees and did $1.4 million in sales last year. He expects revenue to double in 2007.

"People thought I was nuts. They were laughing at me when I told them I was starting an antenna company," Schneider said.

Before cable and satellite existed, people relied on antennas to receive analog signals from local TV stations' broadcasting towers. Stations still send out analog signals, but most now transmit HD digital signals as well. (Congress has ordered broadcasters to shut off old-style analog TV broadcasts by Feb. 17, 2009.)

Consumers who can get a digital signal from an antenna will get an excellent picture, said Steve Wilson, principal analyst for consumer electronics at ABI Research.

One major difference with a digital over-the-air signal is it doesn't get snowy and fuzzy like the old analog signal. Instead, the picture will turn into tiny blocks and go black.

"You either get it or you don't," said Dale Cripps, founder and co-publisher of HDTV Magazine. "Some people can receive it with rabbit ears, it depends where you are."

Schneider recommends indoor antennas only for customers within 25 miles of a station's broadcast tower. An outdoor antenna will grab a signal from up to 70 miles away as long as no mountains are in the way, he said.

The Consumer Electronics Association has a Web site http://www.antennaweb.org/ that tells how far an address is from towers and recommends what type of antenna to use.

"When you're using an antenna to get an HD signal you will be able to receive true broadcast-quality HD," said Megan Pollock, spokeswoman for the group. "Some of the cable and satellite companies may choose to compress the HD signal."

Compression involves removing some data from the digital signal. This is done so that the providers will have enough room to send hundreds of other channels through the same cable line or satellite transmission.

The difference in picture quality is a matter of opinion, said Robert Mercer, spokesman for satellite provider DirecTV Inc.

"We believe the DirecTV HD signal is superior to any source, whether it's over-the-air or from your friendly neighborhood cable company," Mercer said.

Others disagree.

Self-described TV fanatic Kevin Holtz, of suburban Cleveland, chose an antenna because he didn't want to pay his satellite provider extra for local broadcast channels.

Holtz, 30, can't get the signal from one local network affiliate or a public broadcasting station but said the rest of the stations come in clearer than they would through satellite. He uses a $60 antenna for a 40-inch Sony LCD, which retails for about $3,000.

"Over-the-air everything is perfect," Holtz said.

Another downside to using just an antenna is that only local channels are available, meaning no ESPN, TNT, CNN or Discovery Channel. Some consumers partner an antenna with cable or satellite service.

Many people aren't aware that they can get HD over the airwaves, Wilson said. He estimates there are 10 million households with HDTVs and that fewer than 2 million of them use antennas. Including homes with analog sets, 15 million of the 110 million households in the United States use antennas.

HD antenna prices range from $20 to $150 for indoor and outdoor versions. The many models of available indoor antennas look more like a fleet of spaceships than the rabbit ears of old. Brand names include Terk, Philips, Audiovox, Jensen and Magnavox.

Those really interested in saving a buck and who have a little MacGyver in them could make their own antenna. Steve Mezick of Portland, Ore., created one out of cardboard and tinfoil.

"I decided to build it because the design looked exceedingly simple. I scrounged up stuff around the house and put one together," said Mezick, a bowling alley mechanic who repairs pin spotters.

The 30-year-old has since upgraded his original design using a wire baking sheet, clothes hanger and wood. He mounted it to the side of his house and gets all of his local stations.

"It works brilliantly," he said.

#11 sebberry

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 10:33 PM

The only problem with Victoria is our lack of local TV broadcasters. Don't think for a minute you'll be picking up all the fancy HD channels with an antenna here.

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#12 sebberry

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 10:35 PM

http://www.digitalho...t=134648&page=6

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#13 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 10:40 PM

Love the prices in that old article $3000 for the 40-inch Sony lcd
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#14 Rob Randall

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Posted 22 July 2011 - 06:42 AM

I laugh because this is such a guy thing. No woman would tolerate endless hours of experimenting, fiddling and wire and sticks nailed to the house in order to get free TV.

#15 Rob Randall

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Posted 20 August 2011 - 11:17 PM

Enthusiasts point out that, because they are not compressed to be carried by cable or satellite, the over-the-air digital signals offer the highest definition images.


http://www.theglobea...article2134220/

#16 LJ

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Posted 21 August 2011 - 06:57 PM

For Shaw customers they get a free digital box but only the "basic" channels are now going to be included. If you want CNN or Discovery that used to be included in the basic analog tier are now bumped up to the second tier and you will have to pay for it.
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#17 Bernard

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Posted 22 August 2011 - 10:42 AM

Why is anyone interested in over the air when you can get it all online and on demand?

#18 Holden West

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Posted 22 August 2011 - 12:18 PM

Why is anyone interested in over the air when you can get it all online and on demand?


I'll turn that question back at you: why go to the trouble to grow and can your own preserves when you can buy a huge jar of jam at Cosco for a couple of dollars?

I think these guys get off on tinkering with simple gadgetry and the challenge of getting free HD programming. It's like a melding of ham radio-type noodling and 21st century digital technology.

I find over-the-air experimentation more intriguing than the bother of hooking up my computer to the TV and paying for Netflix or sleazing around in the dubious world of illegal torrents.
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#19 Bernard

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Posted 22 August 2011 - 12:22 PM

If it is about the tinkering, then I get it, but I missed that was the focus.

#20 gumgum

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Posted 22 August 2011 - 02:13 PM

You don't need to mess around with torrents to get tv. Every station website broadcasts their shows for free. It's sometimes a challenge to find them, but...it's free.

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