CUTTING YOUR TV CORD - Save Money

DITCH Cable, Comcast, satellite TV, Dish, Time-Warner, U-verse,...

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COPYRIGHT 2018 thru 2022 - David R. Woodsmall

I am NOT responsbile for your situation(s)

TWEET USE ONLY RG-6 (preferably QUAD Shielded [RG6Q] COAX CABLE to carry your video signal. NOTES: 4K HDTV'S are already available. Soon we will have 8K signals - USE THE BEST CABLE YOU CAN AFFORD. Cable with a "/U" designation USUALLY means it is more weather-proof, and resistant to UV rays. the meaning of "/U" is NOT standardized - read the specifications. WHAT OTA channels can I get? REMEMBER THAT OTA will NOT SUPPLY ANY SUPERSTATIONS nor CABLE STATIONS

DAVE's SETUP - after cutting the TV cord - January 2016

I HAVE INSTALLED A DIGITAL OTA/Digital Cable "HYBRID" SYSTEM: I prefer this mixture - I have all of the superior TiVo menus and program listings. I can simultaneously record four shows on Cable channels and I can simultaneously record 4 more OTA HDTV channels. I can view any recording at any of the HDTV locations in my house. I have a ClearStream 4V OTA antenna in my main "4th" floor attic. Most of my friends are using Roku boxes - cheaper but not as versatile as the TiVos. 1) A TiVo 4-channel Premier XL4/ELITE DVR - records any mixture of 4 analog (ATSC) OR TW (any cable company's) four Digital cable Channels in my Home Office. 2) A TiVo Roamio OTA - Records EITHER 4 OTA Digital or 4 (TW/any) Digital Cable Channels - in my Family Room. TiVo Roamio OTA review: Finally, TiVo makes a DVR for CORD CUTTERS Best HD Antenna or Cable DVR from TiVo | Roamio OTA DVR (for cable or HD antennas) Records digital OTA with an OTA HDTV antenna, OR add an M-CableCARD and record digital cable channels. NOTE: The 4K-ready, commercial skipping TiVo BOLT DVR has just replaced the TiVo ROAMIO. 3) A TiVo Mini in my Exercise room - displays any TiVo Roamio or TiVo Elite Digital recorded shows. NOTE also allows you to view Live TV. Tivo Mini SPECS I have installed this Tivo Mini - I am amazed at how well it works and how easy it is to setup and network [MUCH EASIER THAN MY OLDER TiVos]. Tivi Minis do not store any programs, but they allow very fast connections (using different methods of networking) to a "Real" TiVo/DVR - in my case to either the older 4-recording channel TiVo Elite (in my home office) or my new 4-recording channel OTA or Cable Digital channel TiVo Roamio in my Family room. TiVo Minis then streams the selected content from a TiVo DVR. 4) A TiVo Mini in my Master Bedroom - displays any recorded or live shows from any networked TiVo DVR(s) - In my case either from my TiVo ELITE DVR or my TiVo ROAMIO DVR. 5) I have installed a Clearstream 4V Model: C4-V-CJM OTA HDTV indoor antenna (the attic). 6) A TiVo Mini in my 2nd Floor Spare Bedroom - displays any recorded or live shows from any networked TiVo DVR(s) - In my case either from my TiVo Premier XL4/ELITE DVR or my TiVo ROAMIO DVR. I attempted to use MoCA to transfer the TiVo recordings, but could NOT get it to work on all my floors, so I hard-wired the rest of the House with 1Gb Ethernet. While not fast enough in my house for transferring TiVo recordings, in the past, I have succesfully used Netgear Powerline AV500 Ethernet over Power networks with which to stream Netflix movies. NOTE: Powerline now (2/2017) has AV1200 models - over twice as fast as the one I tried, and they use Gigabit Ports. The "NETGEAR Powerline 500" is the same device/model as the "Powerline AV500" and the same as "Powerline 500 Nano", which is the same as the "XAVB5201" model. I found the naming/packaging confusing, because they would use them interchangeably. This allows me to send/receive ethernet signals over any household 120 VAC outlet (with/adapter). FYI - THIS TECHNIQUE DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK. NOTE: Netgear Powerline now (2/2017) has AV1200 models - over twice as fast (1200 Mbps) as the one I tried, and they use Gigabit Ethernet Ports.

My installation of the ClearStream 4V OTA indoor HDTV antenna

I have have done a "quick-and-dirty" job of installing my CS 4V Antenna - - cabled it up, tossed it in the attic aimed approximately in the correct direction. I did NOT adjust the antenna's pitch (nose up or down) angle, NOR did I move it as high in up in my attic as it should be. This antenna comes with a J-shaped mounting bolt, that allows a considerable up-and-down adjustment. I also did NOT connect any in-line broadband/drop-down amplifier. NO LONGER TRUE - I HAVE INSTALLED THE AMPLIFIER (10/10/2015) - IT HAS A GAIN OF ABOUT +12.5 dB and requires access to 120 VAC power. I AM GETTING 29 OVER-THE-AIR HDTV SIGNALS here in RALEIGH, NC. The capture angle is broad enough so that I even get the OTA Public TV channels (4.1, 4,2 and 4.3) fairly well - occasional picture breakup. When I have time to install the amplifier and more properly align the antenna, I will report back on how it all works. I have installed (10/10/2015) the Motorola Broadband/Dropdown/Antenna Amplifier and I now get 32 OTA stations. Signals are much improved. I have NOT yet done a thorough job of aligning the direction in which the antenna points, the vertical angle of the antenna, NOR have a raised the antenna to a higher position in the attic (which I will do sometime). Antennasdirect ClearStream [CS] 4V indoor HDTV antenna

BRIAN's ADVICE - My smart, high-tech friend - April 2015

I (Brian) cut the cord in Dec. I use a Roku3 as primary device and have a TabloTV - whole-home OTA DVR with antenna for OTA DVR. Put your address in www.antennaweb.org to see what channels you can get. I supplement with HuluPlus and an Amazon Prime account. (and Dave adds NetFlix ~ $8/mo). (Dave also dropped Amazon Prime - they changed their rules last year - now, personally, I find it very hard to find any movie for free unless it's for kids - Dave's personal opinion - still a good source from which to "buy" movies.) It’s not easy to watch TV this way. The DirectTV receiver was MUCH MUCH more convenient, as is TWC, UVerse, etc... I find myself watching less TV now, but that’s actually a good thing! TV rots your brain :-) NOTE: TiVo's OTA DVRs will also display ALL LOCAL UHF/VHF shows in an interactive listing, so you can more easily find and record what you wish. I feel TiVo has the best interactive menu of them all - DAVE. You have to get used to remembering what you want to watch, then going to find it when you are ready. It takes a while to find stuff sometimes… The paradigm changes - you are used to surfing until you find something you like (push model), but now you have to go find something (stream on-demand model). So it used to be that when you turn the TV on, there is always something coming at you. Now, you turn the TV on and it’s silent with a screen saver playing… Finding programming is not hard, but it requires action. The search engine on Roku is good, but not perfect. Overall, watching TV becomes a bit more glitchy. You get what you pay for! NO, NOT NECESSARILY, but You do NOT get what you do NOT pay for - DAVE. I’m spending about $25/month now for Hulu+, the TabloTV Guide, and a few pay-per–view movies here or there. Much better than the $100/month that I used to pay. Upfront cost was $65 for Roku3 (bought a factory refurb), $200 for Tablo (2-tuners are probably enough for ~15 channels), $100 for the USB 2TB drive, and ~$50 for an HD Antenna. Pays for itself in a few months… - Brian --- THANK YOU BRIAN - HELPS ME A LOT

DON's SETUP - My smart, high-tech friend - April, 2015

I have a Antennas Direct Clearstream 2 mounted on a mast in the attic. I have only over the air service and I get about 45 channels with our main antenna and 20 something with the “stick it on the window” antenna. Just like cable, there are many channels that are either duplicates or that I never watch. I get 7 Spanish language channels. There is a lot of hype over a “digital HD” antenna. A TV antenna is a TV antenna; I have used rabbit ears I saved from TVs with a rotary channel selector circa 1980s. The rabbit ears worked just as well as did the RCA Digital HD antenna. I took the RCA antenna back for a refund. Then I did some internet work and found the Clearstream. It works well for me. I had need for another antenna and found a small (Approximately 5 inch by 8 inch) external unit that I mounted on the peak of the roof just outside the upstairs TV. It works well and not quite as sensitive as the Clearstream. All the above took place when digital TV became the norm. I even used the conversion boxes for the analog TVs I had at the time. There are some oddities regarding over the air digital signals. Trees do not seem to trouble reception. However, clear and cloudless days seem to attenuate the signals from distant stations. Heavy rain causes issues at times as well. THANK YOU DON

ED's SETUP - My smart, high-tech friend - April, 2015

I use OTA, never paid for cable TV in my life. I also have a Roku 3 box – very nice for pay for view. At your location (Dave's House) you should be able to get all the local channels that you can get if you pay for them from TW (Time-Warner). I have this in my attic: ClearStream 2 Digital HDTV Antenna My hill behind my house on the south side is about that (30 feet) tall or taller. You can buy the clearstream antennas from Ebay at a substantial discount. They have been tuned to pick up VHF to some degree. Mine is in my attic because I’m too lazy to mount it outside and it seems to be working as well as I need it. I have taller trees and more trees near my home than you. When airplanes fly by or it rains, the reception is tainted. I will probably add a second antenna and point toward WUNC as this is the station I want the most.

Brian Mahony's cord cutting experience - August 19, 2009

One person's (Brian Mahony) experiences with "cutting the Cable": Part 1: Why do we want to "cut the cord"? Part 2: What device options are we considering? Cutting the Cord from Pay TV Part 3: Over the Air Channels Part 4 (Cutting the Cable Cord on Pay TV)- Wife's thougts - But Not Just Yet Part 5 (Cutting the Cable Cord on Pay TV)- on Pay TV Sports and News

CLARK HOWARD's ADVICE

10 ways to watch awesome TV without a cable bill Your smart TV may be spying on you: Here's how to stop it! Best and cheapest alternatives to cable or satellite TV Clark’s take: Here’s why I canceled DirecTV Now HBO and Cinemax now on Amazon Channels for Prime members AT&T/DirecTV launch 3 new ways to stream premium video content Taxes on Netflix? A look at the new trend hitting streaming services

I HAVE CREATED EIGHT (8) WEB PAGES ON THIS SUBJECT at htpp://www.woodsmall.com

Cable, Dish, Fibre Content Provider Companies - Ratings, Comparisons, Complaints and Reviews Cut Your Cable TV Cord Complete NETFLIX / HULU & YouTube Information Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, required internet speeds MoCA - Using MoCA to connect OTA TiVo DVRs to TiVo Minis OTA (Over the Air) HDTV Antennas motorola broadband amplifiers, sling tv, Antennas Direct, HDTV Guide, OTA forums, preamplifiers, frequencies, directions, clearstream, ClearStream 2, ClearStream JUICE UHF/VHF AMPLIFIER, ClearStream 2V, ClearStream 4, ClearStream 4V, ClearStream 5, DB4e, DB8e, ClearStream Eclipse, where to buy antennas, DIY, build your own. ROKU Version Differences ROKU STREAMING STICK, ROKU, ROKU 2, ROKU 3, ROKU 4 Streaming HDTV Video Media Players amazon fire stick, apple tv, google chromecast, roku 1, 2, 3 & streaming stick, tivo, ASUS cube, Roku LT, vizio co-star LT, tivo roamio plus & pro, philips hmp2000, Matricom G-Box Midnight MX2, PLAiR 2, Google Nexus Player, Slingbox M1, TiVo Roamio OTA, Razer Forge TV, SONY Playstation 4, WD TV Play, Now TV, Prestigio MultiCenter, Xtreamer Multi-Console, tivo mini. Sony Playstation 3, Samsung Smart 3D Blu-ray Disc Player. Streaming Services / Devices - NEW INFORMATION Amazon 4K Fire TV Media player, Crackle, Rabbit TV Lite, ROKU 4, Rolu OS 7, tivo's Bolt - ultra HD 4K, comcast's watchable, hulu live. CES - Consumer Electronics Show - 2017 DirectTV Now, Dish, DOLBY Vision on Ultra Blu-Ray, DRONES (Photography with), FIRE TV Edition, GOOGLE PLAY, GUIDES, HDMI Version 2.1, HULU, LG, Mohu's AIRWAVE, NETFLIX, ROKU, SAMSUNG, SLING TV, STAR TREK DISCOVERY, MISC TECH,... POINTERS TO ALL MY OTA/STREAMING WEB PAGES: Streaming Services - Netflix, Hulu,...

WHAT TO DO FIRST

I suggest that you make up two lists of Television Channels: 1) The ones you can't live without. 2) The ones you would really like if you could get them at a reasonable price. Then figure out how you could get these channels. What is the cheapest, most reliable method of receiving these stations. If you live in/near a decent sized city, you can probably get all of the major Network channels via OTA (Over The Air [antennae]) tuner/receiver (requires a Digital TV and an HDTV antennae): ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX,PBS,...

TIME WARNER CABLE CHANNEL LINEUP - 5/4/2015 (still shows analog)

NOTE: TIME WARNER DROPPING ALL ANLOG TV STATIONS FOR IT'S RALEIGH CABLE TV SUBSCRIBERS ON 5/5/2015. Time-Warner Channel Lineup Finder

IN CASE THE TW NO LONGER LISTS THE ANALOG TV STATIONS AFTER 5/5/2015:

Time Warner's Raleigh Cable Channel Lineup 5/4/2015 - Courtesy of TW - Copyright Time-Warner RALEIGH over the Air TV STATIONS - 27615 ZIP ANALOG CHANNELS WE WOULD LIKE TO GET (AS DIGITAL CHANNELS)

OTHER ARTICLES / TIPS

Should You Cut the Cord? - CALCULATOR - SLATE Use Slate’s calculator to see if dropping cable TV and paying for streaming services will really save you money. A Cord Cutter Tells All: 6 Steps to TV Freedom Video streaming options for cutting the cable cord - gizmag - MAR 2015 Cord-cutting accelerates in first three months of 2015 - usatoday Top 21 Reasons to Get Rid of Cable Once and For All - cutcabletoday.com The golden age of cord-cutting is upon us. Don't let scare tactics tell you otherwise Killing the cable bundle won't destroy television How to get the best of cable TV without the cost - USA Today Is it finally time to cut cable? - Fortune Internet TV services would get a massive boost from FCC's proposed rule changes FCC MAY require Broadcast TV stations to supply their shows on the Internet. (NOT that they would have to be for Free). Should you cut the cord? See how much you can save - April 12, 2015 Best Streaming Players: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and More - 4/11/2015 Cord cutting 101: How to quit cable for online streaming video - 2/2015 Cutting cable? Which streaming service is best? - 9/23/2014 $49 TiVo OTA and streaming DVR targets cordcutters - AUG 2014 Streaming Media Player Comparison Chart - Kim Komando's Buying a streaming video gadget - OCT 2013 - oldish

INTERNET MOVIE SITES

NETFLIX Below are the Internet download speed recommendations per stream for playing movies and TV shows through Netflix: 0.5 Megabits per second - Required broadband connection speed 1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed 3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality 5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality 10.0 Megabits per second - "AT&T U-Verse DSL = They advertise 18-20 Mbps. In reality, I get about 12-14 at the end of my wire. The DSL modem throttles it to 10 Mbps so it does not matter how fast the service is." - Don 25 Megabits per second - Recommended for Ultra HD quality" - Netflix "We have VoIP, two Netflix sessions going most of the evenings, YouTube, Xbox Live, and several streaming sessions going. The only time I see buffering messages is when I am using WatchESPN on my Roku devices. I have seen the buffering when the network is fully loaded as well as when I am the only one on and have come to believe the buffering issue is on the ESPN side of the feed." - Don SPEED TESTS / INTERNET THROUGHPUT - TEST YOURS ENSURE that you check your QoS (Quality of Service) to see if your sytem can support a Good VoIP phone service and/or streaming video.

RATINGS /COSTS INTERNET COMPANIES (BIG)

COMPLAINTS / SERVICE RATINGS INTERNET COMPANIES (BIG)

COMPLAINTS and REVIEWS 17 Best Places to Watch Free Movies Online 1) Crackle Crackle tops my list because through their partnership with Sony Pictures. 2) Hulu It really is one of the best places out there to watch free movies online. 3) Popcornflix Constant flow of new movies from Screen Media Ventures. 4) Viewster Fairly large collection of free movies online & some TV Series. 5) Yidio One such category is designed specifically for free online movies. 6) YouTube They now have movies you can rent and movies that you can watch for free. 7) Watch Documentary Nearly 10,000 documentary videos. 8) SnagFilms SnagFilms is one of my new favorite places to watch 10,000 free movies online. 9) Top Documentary Films Public domain streaming documentaries for free. 10) MoviesFoundOnline.net Organizes public domain movies from all over the Internet. 11) Classic Cinema Online Handful of free movies at a time - also have a wonderful collection of silent films. 12) Retrovision Visit Retrovision for the free movies online and you'll find a ton of adventure, comedy, crime, drama, horror, science fiction, Western, war, and film noir movies that are all free. 13) Free Movies Cinema A collection of independent and public domain movies in categories. 14) Internet Archive Movie Archive Another place you can go to find free movies online - Public Domain. 15) myLifetime Around 20 to 40 free movies at myLifetime. 16) Veoh Millions of free videos, and hundreds of free movies. 17) Public Domain Torrents Classic movies and B-movies for free online - Public Domain

RESOURCES

4K Resolution 8K Resolution 4x3 - Old style, NTSC TV screen proportions, 4x wide by 3x high Also called: 1.33:1 = 4x3 = FULL SCREEN = NTSC (older, analog) screen aspect ratios. 480i - 480 vertical lines of inter-laced video content - NOT an HDTV format. Standard (Definition) TV (SD) has 480 lines of vertical resolution and is named "480i" (at its very best - typical over-the-air SD signals are about 330 lines of vertical resolution. "480i" is also referred to as component video quality. The best source of 480i video is the DVD. With other 480i sources, results may vary. The trouble with 480i is that it was not designed for TVs larger than 19 inches. 480p - 480 vertical lines of progressive-scan video content. Some DVD players can upconvert to 480p. 960x540 - If AACS Digital Rights Management (DRM) is used to force downresolution (down-rezz) of HD signals carried by non-HDMI cables, 960x540 is the expected result, but you could also get a blank screen. Earlier rumors stated that down-rezz would result in 480p, 480i, or a blank screen (on some monitors). 720p - 720 vertical lines of Progressive (NON-interlaced) video content. 720p is the lowest quality, true HDTV format. 1080i - 1080 lines of inter-laced vertical video resolution - this IS an HDTV format. 1080i and/or 5.1 audio needs closer to a 3GHz. CPU - 1080p - 1080 lines of Progressive vertical (NON-laced video content - this exceeds an HDTV format. HDTVs with 1080p are now available, 1080p computer monitors are (5/2007) now at Costco (in the mainstream). Currently, 5/2007, there is no method of creating true 1080p TV (without upscaling, also known as upconverting / up-converting), although this situation will change. 1080p Prosumer video cameras are becoming (5/2007) available. 1080p - is 1920 horizontal lines by 1080 progressive lines of video display. If you get 1080p, ensure that you are getting 1920 horizontal lines of resolution. Click for more info on Scalers Some 1080p sets actually process the signal as 1080i, drop half the input data, and re-generate this data by computer interpolation, then outputing the picture at twice normal speed (see the next paragraph). Texas Instruments current (12/2005) crop of 1080p light engines don't actually have a grid of 1920 x 1080. Instead they use half that many. Each frame is interlaced horizonatally. The TV displays alternate columns of pixels at a time, but twice as quickly as the original frame so that your eyes don't notice (Digital TV and Sound, Winter, 2005. 16x9 - HDTV's 1.78 aspect ratio. See also 1.78 aspect ration 21:9 aspect ratio - Cinema 21:9 aspect ratio Complete NETFLIX / HULU & YouTube Information Complete DIGITAL Information and Resources - TERMS, AUDIO, VIDEO HDTV and related subjects Other ACRONYMS, DEFINITIONS,... Complete Ethernet, Cloud, 802.xx & Related Information Current internet / ISP problems, slowness & attacks INTERNET SPEED - CHECK YOURS NOW IP / TCP/IP and releated subjects MHL - Mobile High-Definition Link MoCA - Multimedia over Coaxial Alliance "Like Ethernet, MoCA transfers digital content and information, but uses a coaxial cable to do so. So if you cannot access an Ethernet port near your DVR, you can use the same coaxial cable that brings the cable signal to your DVR to connect to your home network." - TiVo SATA I, II, III and eSATA Information - complete TiVo WiFi

OTA TV stations obtainable in the Raleigh/Cary/RTP, NC Area

My Friend Don, lives South of Raleigh (Cary, NC?): Here is a list of the channels that I found with a duckduckgo search: RALEIGH over the Air TV STATIONS - 27612 ZIP I have not rescanned in some time and did not get anything above 50.2.

Recommended OTA ANTENNAES

[CS2] ClearStream 2 Indoor/Outdoor DTV Antenna - ED uses this one [CS4] Antennas Direct ClearStream4 HDTV Antenna It has a 65+ mile range and is the ideal antenna for suburban installations challenged with receiving signals through heavy foliage outdoors or roofing materials in attic installations. [CS4V] Antennas Direct ClearStream4V HDTV Antenna It has a 65+ mile range and is the ideal antenna for suburban installations challenged with receiving signals through heavy foliage outdoors or roofing materials in attic installations. [CS5] ClearStream 5 UHF/VHF Ultra Long Range Outdoor DTV Antenna DOES BOTH UHF and VHF The ClearStream 5 Ultra Long Range VHF Antenna represents a breakthrough in VHF antenna performance. With the uniquely tuned element, the ClearStream™ 5 takes on the challenge of combining VHF and UHF signals. With a range of 65+ miles for High-VHF stations and a 35+ mile range for UHF stations, this is the ideal antenna for rural or suburban installations challenged with receiving signals through heavy foliage outdoors or roofing materials in attic applications. The ClearStream 5 comes with a UHF/VHF signal combiner with a weatherproof housing, heavy duty u-bolts, mounting clamps, and hardware (coaxial cable and mount sold separately). Range 65+ Miles for VHF and 35+ Miles for UHF [DB8e] DB8e Ultra Long Range Outdoor TV Antenna The specially designed brackets allow the antenna panels to turn in a 180º loop to target broadcast towers in two directions extended ultra long range of 70+ miles and unsurpassed gain of 17.4 dBi!

OTHER INFORMATION

I created these websites ONLY to provide free information to help other people. You do or do NOT do these things AT YOUR OWN RISK - I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE for ANYTHING. I am NOT a business of any kind, and make NO money providing this information. There is NOTHING for sale here - Feel free to link to any of my web pages.