Need an antenna for HD

[vav]

Hi forum, just cut the cable. Need an antenna for whatever HD channels are available in my area over the air.

Any recommendations?
TIA

[zap]

Metal coat hanger(s) and a cable with proper connection to your tv mounted in your attic or some other place up high.

Make sure you know where your local stations are located. If the path is clear from station to your antenna you are good to go.

If you don't want to go the dyi route, purchase any antenna you want at Sears, etc.

[eippo1]

I used a Leaf antenna for a while. Worked well for me. Current price wars in my area, however, are working to my advantage so have Fios now.

http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110598/dp/B00HSMK580

[Curve_in]

I used a Leaf antenna for a while. Worked well for me. Current price wars in my area, however, are working to my advantage so have Fios now.

http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Paper-thin-Reversible-Performance-MH-110598/dp/B00HSMK580

+1 for the Leaf.

[Nooch]

Curious, and not to hijack, but what is the recommended internet speed if you're cutting the cable, so that you can stream and do light browsing at the same time?

[SpokeValley]

We cut the cord about 5 months ago.

I wanted a good outdoor antenna so I picked up one from Channelmaster.

A bit more expensive but works great. http://www.channelmaster.com/SMARTenna_HD_Antenna_p/cm-3000hd.htm

Next purchase: Tablo for recording. https://www.tablotv.com/

[drewellison]

Do your research on your location and reception and type of antenna you need.

Good thread and advice here:
http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=177200

I cut the cable a while ago and went with Apple TV. I intend to someday put in an antenna but I may not ever get around to it.

I tried a Leaf antenna and it didn't do nothin' for me. So then I did a lot of research and if I ever get around to putting one in, I'll use this guy here:

www.dennysantennaservice.com

He's got a lot of info on his site.

[staggerwing]

Visit the following painfully slow site first and punch in your particulars.

http://www.antennaweb.org/Address

It will provide some help to to strength and directionallity required. There is no real magic. You can have broader radial coverage, with reduced ability to pull in distant outliers, or trade off and have greater pull, albeit more directional. Outside and high are more important than exact antenna type.

Best case scenario is all in the same general direction and less than 20 miles away. Next best case is similar, with a second major cluster of stations 180 degrees apart from the first. Worst case is to have them coming in from all directions.

For actual antennas and supplies, I've used SolidSignal.com, in Novi, MI. Of course, depending upon location, it might be cheaper to use something closer to you.

[dave thompson]

Curious, and not to hijack, but what is the recommended internet speed if you're cutting the cable, so that you can stream and do light browsing at the same time?

According to Comcast; 10mbs. You may need more if you want to stream and have a couple of devices (tablets, iPads, etc.) operating simultaneously.

[bikinchris]

Radio Shack used to have several antenna. I had one propped up in my attic and it received stations from over 50 miles away. The higher you place it, of course, the better the reception.

[commonguy001]

I connected to the old VHF/UHF antenna (from the 60s) in the attic of our house and it worked great for the newer HD signals. If you currently have something that's pre-HD give it a shot before spending $$$ on something new.

For our streaming needs our internet usually pulls around 45gb down and the connection is never an issue even when you run two TVs. Side note, I've been on the Playstation Vue service for about a month and it's pretty good for what it costs. Before that tried Sling TV for a few months and gave up as the quality wasn't great. Pre Vue, Pre Sling was a Netflix/Amazon only streamer for 3 years.

[staggerwing]

Yes, nothing special about digital HD signals. They are broadcast in the same UHF/VHF spectrum that was previously used for analog broadcasts. If you had an antenna that worked well in the analog era, then it will work just fine today.

Anything else is snake oil.

[Tony T]

Curious, and not to hijack, but what is the recommended internet speed if you're cutting the cable, so that you can stream and do light browsing at the same time?

Depends on how many TV's / Computers / Tablets would be streaming simultaneously. If only one, you can get by with lower speeds.
Start low, and increase if needed (your cable/telco will always try to sell you their most expensive package when you ask. My provider said I had to have 50mbs. I just chuckled and got a lower speed)

[deechee]

Another leaf user, the "metro" is pretty tiny. We just hang it up on the wall behind the tv and it picks up all the local channels.

[oldpotatoe]

+1 for the Leaf.

+2 for a leaf.

[jh_on_the_cape]

Stop watching TV.

[johnniecakes]

I currently have Comcast and it costs me $over 200 month for the triple play (TV, internet and land line). My hand hurts each month when I have to write the check. So if I get and antenna as described in this thread what could I do for the internet? Is there any way to get that "off the airwaves" or do I need to find an internet provider. The land line I could do without. Sorry I don't really keep up with this kind of stuff.....

[shovelhd]

I had a Channel Master 8-way array but it was overkill. I now have a standard 5 foot yagi in the attic. I use it for cable backup.

You can tap into any open wifi in your neighborhood, but anyone with any sense has it protected. You can guess default passwords or run a crack program, but then you can go to jail. Your choice.

[paredown]

Our contract with FIOS is up in a couple of months, so we picked up an open box Leaf on Amazon for cheap to try out.

We used antennaweb.org to check what direction our signals were coming from (mostly south), plugged the Leaf into the cable connector on the TV and tried it out.

Had to move it fairly high on the wall and a little bit away from the TV, (so permanent attachment will be a little bit of a challenge), but we picked up about 30 channels (a bunch of junk, plus most of the majors).

Only problem was no PBS--not sure why, but that is mainly what we watch, so we will have to try a different antenna if we want lose the Triple Play, and go internet only. We are almost in the boonies, about 30+ miles north of NYC.

[dave thompson]

I currently have Comcast and it costs me $over 200 month for the triple play (TV, internet and land line). My hand hurts each month when I have to write the check. So if I get and antenna as described in this thread what could I do for the internet? Is there any way to get that "off the airwaves" or do I need to find an internet provider. The land line I could do without. Sorry I don't really keep up with this kind of stuff.....
Comcast internet only is about $75 mo for 20mbs, which should be more than enough for internet plus streaming anything you may want on TV. Bag your landline and use your cellphone instead. Get the aforementioned over the air HD antenna.

There, I just saved you $120. Buy me a beer.

[vav]

I currently have Comcast and it costs me $over 200 month for the triple play (TV, internet and land line). My hand hurts each month when I have to write the check. So if I get and antenna as described in this thread what could I do for the internet? Is there any way to get that "off the airwaves" or do I need to find an internet provider. The land line I could do without. Sorry I don't really keep up with this kind of stuff.....

I should have been a bit more specific. I had Verizon FIOS for the last couple of years. Nothing crazy but the reality is the TV in my house is cover with dust as we don't watch much if anything at all. Internet we need for work both my wife and I so I went with FIOS internet only for 44.99 per month (month to month)
The antenna is just to have there for PBS and a couple of other channels. I think you do need an internet provider and FIOS 50/50 is more than enough for our needs. In Boston and Providence I have had Comcast and Cox in the past and the Internet/routers needed occasional resetting. Ever since I put FIOS, not once I had to do a reset or anything. Its very reliable in my own personal experience.

[oldpotatoe]

I currently have Comcast and it costs me $over 200 month for the triple play (TV, internet and land line). My hand hurts each month when I have to write the check. So if I get and antenna as described in this thread what could I do for the internet? Is there any way to get that "off the airwaves" or do I need to find an internet provider. The land line I could do without. Sorry I don't really keep up with this kind of stuff.....

Use Comcast internet via cable..only. Then get a thingy like an Apple TV and most of the stuff you may watch now, is streamed. Some live, most 'recorded'.
Then get an antenna, and get 'local' stuff, like news, PBS.

What I did, and went from $160 to about $80..

[Tony T]

For streaming, look into Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku (http://www.cnet.com/news/chromecast-vs-apple-tv-vs-roku-3-which-media-streamer-should-you-buy/). (I use Roku)

[EPIC! Stratton]

For streaming, look into Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku (http://www.cnet.com/news/chromecast-vs-apple-tv-vs-roku-3-which-media-streamer-should-you-buy/). (I use Roku)

Then look into Kodi (https://kodi.tv/).
Re HD antenna - Amazon Basics 35mi (http://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Ultra-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B00X4RA74A?ie=UTF8&keywords=hd%20antenna&qid=1461673862&ref_=sr_1_3&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_89%3AAmazonBasic s&rps=1&sr=8-3) is my preferred antenna. No extra power supply needed, and gets pretty much everything that broadcasts in HD around me.

Between it and an Amazon Fire TV Stick w/ Netflix, I can basically watch whatever I want. Also would recommend AirPlay/DLNA Receiver Pro (http://smile.amazon.com/x5434-x6C5D-AirPlay-DLNA-Receiver/dp/B00LAT7QV6/ref=sr_1_1?s=mobile-apps&ie=UTF8&qid=1461673965&sr=1-1) in order to use "AirPlay" function with the Fire Stick. That said I don't bother with any kind of DVR (as I can watch pretty much any TV/Movie w/ Kodi)

[tlittlefield]

If you do need cable (I own a condo so putting an antenna outside is not an option for me) you can always negotiate with your cable company.

A couple of months ago my "introductory rate" with Comcast was coming to an end and my bill shot up to over $180, that was just for TV and internet.

Went down to the local Comcast location worked with a customer service rep and he got my bill down to $120 plus he gave me free HBO for a year.

They don't want to loose you as a customer and are always willing to give you current specials etc.

[old fat man]

If you do need cable (I own a condo so putting an antenna outside is not an option for me) you can always negotiate with your cable company.

A couple of months ago my "introductory rate" with Comcast was coming to an end and my bill shot up to over $180, that was just for TV and internet.

Went down to the local Comcast location worked with a customer service rep and he got my bill down to $120 plus he gave me free HBO for a year.

They don't want to loose you as a customer and are always willing to give you current specials etc.

This. We pay $80/month for Comcast 25 mbps internet and a decent array of channels including HD options and Showtime. This is better than our introductory rate that expired a few months ago.

We supplement with Netflix and Amazon Prime (The Americans!!!) and share HBOGO login for things like Game of Thrones.

In Boston we had cut the cord and shared a wifi signal with our neighbor, but that's no longer feasible as I work from home and we're in a single family house now. I'm ok with $80/month for what we get.