4 ms·

It obviously depends on your location/line-of-sight/etc., but if you're appropriately located, a cheap antenna + network tuner like HDHomeRun or Tablo can provi

by dtparr 5y ago

It obviously depends on your location/line-of-sight/etc., but if you're appropriately located, a cheap antenna + network tuner like HDHomeRun or Tablo can provide the 'live streaming' of local channels to a variety of streaming devices, and some models do DVR as well. There's also the HTPC or NAS-based recording option as well, but that's a bit more involved.

techsupporter 5y ago
> It obviously depends on your location/line-of-sight/etc. And that’s the problem. Virtually everyone who gets Locast, including me, can’t get reliable reception. This is exactly what retransmission non-profits are supposed to help with. But in response to Locast, people say “just put up an antenna.” I would love to but I live in a city of hills and trees that eat RF for breakfast and dinner. I have paid for Locast since it arrived in my market and I’m immensely sad to see it go.
- dtparr 5y ago
  Yeah, I understand. Where I grew up and my parents still live is ~60 mi from the nearest stations, and during the digital transition they all went from high power VHF to UHF and they lost the ability to get anything even with a 40' tower with a rotating antenna. Still, I've found a lot of people who CAN get signal just grew up on cable and don't really know how to even check for OTA availability or what to do to get it if they have it, so I like to mention it for their benefit. Not trying to minimize how frustrating it is for folks who can't though.
torgoguys 5y ago
I'm always surprised that more people don't just use antennas. For truly local channels, it's generally going to work and be a one-time cost to get things going instead of a monthly one. Plus (if it matters to you) the video quality will generally exceed getting the channel via most other methods. As you mention, some situations may not have reception due to special circumstances--and for them, I understand--but I think many people just don't think of just using an antenna these days. Or maybe they just want to hit the easy button and pay the monthly fee. (?)
- Mountain_Skies 5y ago
  I've tried several times. When I lived in the middle of a big city, my condo windows faced the wrong direction and the building was mostly concrete and brick, so the signals couldn't penetrate very well. Now I live outside of the city but at the bottom of a hill that unfortunately is the direction of most of the broadcast towers, so I'm in an RF shadow. It's not too big of a loss for me since I can't stand to watch network tv with it's insane amount of advertising but for live sporting events, it would be a nice option to have.
- zinekeller 5y ago
  > I'm always surprised that more people don't just use antennas. Even with suitable antennas, the broadcasting power of the transmitters has been significantly decreased, so in some cases you really are in an unlucky spot where the transmission isn't fully good. Moreover (specifically in the US), ATSC (before the recent 3.0 standard anyway) doesn't use OFDM, so when there's a weak signal it's a lot harder to lock on it.
- toast0 5y ago
  If you've got trees and hills, you're probably going to need a roof mounted antenna, and likely a person to install it for you. It can get tricky to find someone who does that; the goto person in the bay area retired and I don't know if there's a new person. When I moved to the Seattle area, it was a challenge finding someone here.
- enzanki_ars 5y ago
  I have one, but I still use Locast because I'm in an apartment. I don't have line of sight at all, and I have a lot of issues with signal quality. And I live 3 miles away from my local NBC station, and the only window I can point my antenna has a bit of line of sight, thought it is at about 70 degrees. Yet my recording of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies had severe compression artifacts due to missed parts of the signal every 2 minutes. Locast or paying nearly $70+ for cable is the only way I could watch over the air broadcasts, and I'm not going to pay $70 for cable to watch ad filled content that's 80% reruns and barely any of the sports content I want to watch.
classichasclass 5y ago
I can't get OTA worth warm spit with an antenna where I'm located, but Locast worked great. I'd have to erect something much larger and there's just not enough content other than the occasional need to watch local news to justify it. I'd like to point out that during the analogue era, I got a fuzzy picture, but I got picture and sound. Now I get compression artifacts and stuttering and entire drop-outs.
AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
> but if you're appropriately located And therein is the problem. I'm on a ground-level apartment unit. The OTA antenna I stick on the corner of a wall in the living room can't pick up shit.
hakfoo 5y ago
I wonder if you could do a "micro-Aereo" (remember them) with a HDHomerun box and a VPN. You mount the box somewhere that allows for access to a good antenna, and something to proxy the data back to your local network. Might be feasible in places like apartment blocks where you'd want the antenna on the roof or a high story.

by dtparr 5y ago

techsupporter 5y ago

> It obviously depends on your location/line-of-sight/etc. And that’s the problem. Virtually everyone who gets Locast, including me, can’t get reliable reception. This is exactly what retransmission non-profits are supposed to help with. But in response to Locast, people say “just put up an antenna.” I would love to but I live in a city of hills and trees that eat RF for breakfast and dinner. I have paid for Locast since it arrived in my market and I’m immensely sad to see it go.

dtparr 5y ago
Yeah, I understand. Where I grew up and my parents still live is ~60 mi from the nearest stations, and during the digital transition they all went from high power VHF to UHF and they lost the ability to get anything even with a 40' tower with a rotating antenna. Still, I've found a lot of people who CAN get signal just grew up on cable and don't really know how to even check for OTA availability or what to do to get it if they have it, so I like to mention it for their benefit. Not trying to minimize how frustrating it is for folks who can't though.

torgoguys 5y ago

I'm always surprised that more people don't just use antennas. For truly local channels, it's generally going to work and be a one-time cost to get things going instead of a monthly one. Plus (if it matters to you) the video quality will generally exceed getting the channel via most other methods. As you mention, some situations may not have reception due to special circumstances--and for them, I understand--but I think many people just don't think of just using an antenna these days. Or maybe they just want to hit the easy button and pay the monthly fee. (?)

Mountain_Skies 5y ago
I've tried several times. When I lived in the middle of a big city, my condo windows faced the wrong direction and the building was mostly concrete and brick, so the signals couldn't penetrate very well. Now I live outside of the city but at the bottom of a hill that unfortunately is the direction of most of the broadcast towers, so I'm in an RF shadow. It's not too big of a loss for me since I can't stand to watch network tv with it's insane amount of advertising but for live sporting events, it would be a nice option to have.
zinekeller 5y ago
> I'm always surprised that more people don't just use antennas. Even with suitable antennas, the broadcasting power of the transmitters has been significantly decreased, so in some cases you really are in an unlucky spot where the transmission isn't fully good. Moreover (specifically in the US), ATSC (before the recent 3.0 standard anyway) doesn't use OFDM, so when there's a weak signal it's a lot harder to lock on it.
toast0 5y ago
If you've got trees and hills, you're probably going to need a roof mounted antenna, and likely a person to install it for you. It can get tricky to find someone who does that; the goto person in the bay area retired and I don't know if there's a new person. When I moved to the Seattle area, it was a challenge finding someone here.
enzanki_ars 5y ago
I have one, but I still use Locast because I'm in an apartment. I don't have line of sight at all, and I have a lot of issues with signal quality. And I live 3 miles away from my local NBC station, and the only window I can point my antenna has a bit of line of sight, thought it is at about 70 degrees. Yet my recording of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies had severe compression artifacts due to missed parts of the signal every 2 minutes. Locast or paying nearly $70+ for cable is the only way I could watch over the air broadcasts, and I'm not going to pay $70 for cable to watch ad filled content that's 80% reruns and barely any of the sports content I want to watch.

classichasclass 5y ago

I can't get OTA worth warm spit with an antenna where I'm located, but Locast worked great. I'd have to erect something much larger and there's just not enough content other than the occasional need to watch local news to justify it. I'd like to point out that during the analogue era, I got a fuzzy picture, but I got picture and sound. Now I get compression artifacts and stuttering and entire drop-outs.

AdmiralAsshat 5y ago

> but if you're appropriately located And therein is the problem. I'm on a ground-level apartment unit. The OTA antenna I stick on the corner of a wall in the living room can't pick up shit.

hakfoo 5y ago

I wonder if you could do a "micro-Aereo" (remember them) with a HDHomerun box and a VPN. You mount the box somewhere that allows for access to a good antenna, and something to proxy the data back to your local network. Might be feasible in places like apartment blocks where you'd want the antenna on the roof or a high story.