It's funny that most people forget OTA TV still exists and that you don't need to pay to see a lot of shows. For the cost of one month's service fees you can get a decent amplified antenna, but if you're near any large cities that broadcast you can get a cheap cardboard-sandwiched antenna for less than $10 and requires no installation. It's cool to see some people are taking advantage of the open spectrum and newer technologies.
this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2024
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I've been running a Tivo OTA since 2017. Haven't paid for local channels since then. Paid once for the box and a good outdoor antenna. Now I only have Disney/Hulu bundle for free with my cell phone data package.
I've been OTA for 11 years. My last TiVo croaked on me last September.
I cannot get a new one. They're not available... Anywhere! I even tried to bid on one on E-bay.
WTF!
Just grab an old PC, slap a TV tuner in it and record away. Dirt cheap.
They’re not available… Anywhere! I even tried to bid on one on E-bay.
We just sold a Tivo Premiere (ATSC 1.0 OTA Tivo) last month on ebay, so they are out there.
Ha, yeah... I'm not paying $300+ for a unit in unknown condition.
Sorry for the stupid thumbnail. It's not my video.
Lol, that's just how Antenna man has always done thumbnails. As a semi-regular viewer, I can say the interview with the small broadcaster really elevates this video above most of his other content. It's a pretty fantastic and informative video.
He kind of looks like a discount Tobuscus, which would probably be better than regular Tobuscus
This is interesting. I use OTA antenna tv everyday, almost exclusively. I almost forgot OTA HDTV still uses the mpeg2-ts, similar to the dvd codec. Newer tv hardwares (>2010-ish) all can decode mpeg4, theoretically, since they utilize internet streaming apps and services.
I smell a new format war a comin'.
I say, go right for mpeg4 h.265, or higher. Instead of mixing mpeg2 and mpeg4, like the video demonstrated. Because no way am i going to "buy" a DRM-protected thing for every broadcaster.... I'm currently pulling-in 20+ stations.
And that may be the other format war... to pay or not to pay.
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I am not really sure what ATSC3.0 brings that 1.0 doesn't have besides the codec features. I doubt it adds much on the bandwidth side.
What I Think its adding is additional broadcast streams over the internet but integrated into the TV experience. This also means that all ATSC 3.0 TVs require a live internet connection, I think. So think the worst invasive monitoring and control of smart TVs forced on you just to watch broadcast television.
I have zero interest in ATSC 3.0.
What about the intrinsic quality of the broadcast programs? Shit stays shit even at 8k resolution
Yeah I get it. But it could be so much more than that.