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By "non-OTA sources" I mean cable and streaming packages that include local stations, yes. People by and large don't want to spend time getting their antenna s

by LocalH 4y ago

By "non-OTA sources" I mean cable and streaming packages that include local stations, yes. People by and large don't want to spend time getting their antenna setup just right, if I'm honest. It was always a bit of a pain in the rear, but the way digital OTA falls off means that marginal reception results in no viewable image, instead of a highly snowy but still quite functional signal (the brain can usually pick through even a huge amount of analog noise and still understand what is going on and being said). They'd much rather pay a service that will provide them the signal hassle-free. The inherent need to orient your antenna correctly (or even move the rotation between channels), and the huge glut of extremely poorly made antenna equipment, is probably what heavily results in "I can't get any reception where I live". I understand 8VSB is also not the best form of encoding that the US could have chosen, and that COFDM (as used in Europe) is technically a better solution. Regardless, the channels are still counted as OTA for the discussion. I only brought this up for awareness that TV stations, and by extension the networks, do make money directly from OTA broadcasting, besides that which comes from advertising revenue.

AlbertCory 4y ago
You're right, not everyone will have the experience I had, which was: I hired a guy on TaskRabbit who attached the antenna to my already-existing old pole on the roof, and ran coax in the crawl space. All the stations in the Bay Area one cares about come from Twin Peaks in SF, and nothing's in the way for me. It never needs rotating. Many people in a suburban, flat area probably have a similar geography. The antenna cost around $70. The TV has a coax connector on the back. That's it. The picture is perfect. YMMV. I guess the takeaway is that OTA is NOT going away soon. It may well be a loss leader, but you can still go into a Safeway, buy their loss leader items, and leave without buying anything else.
- LocalH 4y ago
  Agreed, OTA isn't going away. The OP at the beginning of the thread stated that "broadcast" couldn't "afford sports" and I was merely countering that opinion. It's clear that for numerous reasons, the networks do have a vested interest in OTA broadcasting's continued existence. I myself use an antenna, in mountainous Tennessee, and it's a little bit annoying to get a good signal sometimes. However, I handle it all myself, and I use an indoor antenna with all the downsides that brings to the table. Fortunately, all of the relevant transmitters are in roughly the same direction from where I'm located. You're fortunate to be in a situation where the geography favors OTA reception.
  - AlbertCory 4y ago
    All this was enlightening, thanks. I already had an old antenna on the roof that was guy-wired down, so I was all set.

by LocalH 4y ago

AlbertCory 4y ago

You're right, not everyone will have the experience I had, which was: I hired a guy on TaskRabbit who attached the antenna to my already-existing old pole on the roof, and ran coax in the crawl space. All the stations in the Bay Area one cares about come from Twin Peaks in SF, and nothing's in the way for me. It never needs rotating. Many people in a suburban, flat area probably have a similar geography. The antenna cost around $70. The TV has a coax connector on the back. That's it. The picture is perfect. YMMV. I guess the takeaway is that OTA is NOT going away soon. It may well be a loss leader, but you can still go into a Safeway, buy their loss leader items, and leave without buying anything else.

LocalH 4y ago
Agreed, OTA isn't going away. The OP at the beginning of the thread stated that "broadcast" couldn't "afford sports" and I was merely countering that opinion. It's clear that for numerous reasons, the networks do have a vested interest in OTA broadcasting's continued existence. I myself use an antenna, in mountainous Tennessee, and it's a little bit annoying to get a good signal sometimes. However, I handle it all myself, and I use an indoor antenna with all the downsides that brings to the table. Fortunately, all of the relevant transmitters are in roughly the same direction from where I'm located. You're fortunate to be in a situation where the geography favors OTA reception.
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  All this was enlightening, thanks. I already had an old antenna on the roof that was guy-wired down, so I was all set.