Newbie needs ur expert advice

[76tano]

Hi everyone I've been debating for awhile my choices on tv provider !! Right now I have dish but between the monthly price less then satisfactory customer service it's time for a change !! Direct tv , cable and fios r out of question had them all I liked fios the best , but all their charges r insane !! Since things r tight money wise and I'm the only one working I need to tighten the belt !! My current expenses for tv , phone , Internet r over $400 a month so back to the tv !! My bluray as both netflix & hulu + but I would like to have local and sports so any helpful information on the best option is appreciated !! I would like to have HD too
Thanks

 

[hd fan]

NJ, Do you live close to a major city? How about an outdoor antenna to get the OTA free HD channels available in your major city?.

 

[76tano]

Yes i leave by a major city !! But what type of antenna !? Can I use my dish antenna !? Box !?? Thanks

 

[jayn_j]

You need an antenna capable of receiving UHF and possibly VHF over the air signals. This is the traditional TV antenna you used to see on everyone's roof. For the rest of it, we would need to get more details.

First, ho old is your TV. Specifically, is it capable of receiving the new signals without a converter box? If the TV is more than 4 years old, it likely will need a converter box. They are still available. If the TV is newer, congratulations, you will be able to plug the antenna in directly and receive high definition programming.

Next, you need to figure out which channels you can receive and how big of an antenna you will need. There are a pair of sites that can help. TV Fool and www.antennaweb.com . Both provide detailed antenna info, but it may be a bit hard to read. If you are having issues, feel free to paste a ciopy of the report here, and we can help you interpret it.

 

[boba]

Yes i leave by a major city !! But what type of antenna !? Can I use my dish antenna !? Box !?? Thanks

Please a little more information. Where do you live at least zip code? What eaxct equipment do you have you may know but we can't see your setup?

 

[IBID]

...! My current expenses for tv , phone , Internet r over $400 a month ...
Thanks

$400 ! That is an insane amount.... I bet most of it is for the phone ... I switched to OOMA phone service, and my bill for unlimited local and long distance calls is $0 for the last 18 months. All I had to pay for is to buy the equipment ($200)... today they charge slightly more for taxes for new customers... about $4 a month + Equipment!

 

[76tano]

First I wanna thank everyone for taking time to help me !! My setup is a 42" Sony Bravia LED , bluray , 1st gen apple tv everything is running on wi-fi but I'll have to change my set up to cat5 !! My dish bill is over $200 a month cause of a international channel and sport channels , phone bill is a waste of $100 monthly cause all my calls go to my cell or the wifes so the house phone just sits there , for international calls I use Skype but been contemplating magic jack and Internet is $60 monthly !! I would like to have local channels and some sport channels !! My zip is 07730 !!

 

[jayn_j]

It looks like you have a good chance of receiving most of the NYC stations with an indoor antenna or a small outdoor one. Omnidirectional would be fine. The stations are mostly to the north. Do you have a balcony view in that direction?

The TV is fine and you should just be able to hook the antenna to the TV input.

OK, now...

How are you receiving internet access? If it is from a cable company, then adding basic cable services is essentially free in most places. Just tell them that you want the most basic lifeline services available. That will get you the digital broadcast channels and a few analog cable channels. You still hook in to the antenna jack of the set directly from the cable. You would add a high bandwidth splitter before the cable modem. However, you do need to tell them and get it added. We are talking $10/mo or less for no hassle.

There is no reason for a fixed phone anymore. Many of us have cut that line. Again, if your internet access is DSL, you may be stuck and have it bundled.

Finally, you can easily drop that DISH bill by $150/mo by dropping everything but the most basic package and still have more than you would by cutting the cable entirely. Apples to apples and all that.

I think you need to do some more research as t appears you have a lot of options here.

 

[76tano]

How are you receiving internet access? If it is from a cable company, then adding basic cable services is essentially free in most places. Just tell them that you want the most basic lifeline services available. That will get you the digital broadcast channels and a few analog cable channels. You still hook in to the antenna jack of the set directly from the cable. You would add a high bandwidth splitter before the cable modem. However, you do need to tell them and get it added. We are talking $10/mo or less for no hassle.

There is no reason for a fixed phone anymore. Many of us have cut that line. Again, if your internet access is DSL, you may be stuck and have it bundled.

Finally, you can easily drop that DISH bill by $150/mo by dropping everything but the most basic package and still have more than you would by cutting the cable entirely. Apples to apples and all that.

I think you need to do some more research as t appears you have a lot of options here.[/QUOTE]

I have optimum as my Internet provider !!

 

[jayn_j]

Optimum is Cablevision wired internet through a cable modem. This means that you already have cable service installed and you should call cablevision and see about basic service. Tell them you currently have DISH, and they may very well offer a deal you can't refuse.

To be perfectly frank, setting up an antenna for OTA requires some tinkering. If you just want something basic that works, a basic cable hookup is the path of least hassle.

 

[Larobpra]

To be perfectly frank, setting up an antenna for OTA requires some tinkering. If you just want something basic that works, a basic cable hookup is the path of least hassle.

Once you get the OTA set up - and it doesn't require THAT much "tinkering", the programming is FREE! You don't get free from any cable or pay dish provider!

 

[76tano]

Ok what do I need for the OTA setup !? Any advice on a which setup !?

 

[jayn_j]

Already said it. You need a modest omnidirectional, or low gain yagi type antenna mounted on a north facing roof or balcony. It needs to be able to receive UHF and VHF hi. You have one VHF-lo channel you might want to get, but it may not be worth having the added size of the antenna. You will need a mast and some sort of mount, wall, chimney or tripod depending on your circumstances. Can't really advise there.

You run a good piece of coax like RG-6 from the antenna to the TV antenna jack. That's pretty much it.

 

[76tano]

Thanks !!