how is your digital tv over the air signal?

[flojocabron]

I live in Mexico, on the border with the US. And I have not seen any of the local TV stations for a few years now. No NBC, ABC, FOX!

Ever since the digital transition of a few years ago came into effect I have lost the chance to see many Tv shows that would have been free for all.

The signal strength is no longer viable where I live. Back in the day even with the cheapest bunny ear antennas or even with a coat hanger, you can still get a decent signal. Now you need to spend money on huge antennas and powered indoor antennas (that take away a plug for one of my consoles ) to even try to get a decent signal if any.

I've asked friends that live on the US side of the border and they also have a weak signal. So whats the point? Is the only way to get anything is to have Cable or Satelite service?

Mexicali (where I live) has some HD channels and there's still over the air channels so There are still watchable stuff. I have mexican cable so I do get to see some things. But what about average joe in middle america? Do you get a complete signal?

The point is.... How is your local Tv signal? If you turned off your cable/satelite and went "over the air", do you get a whole signal or just some choppy pixels that are unwatchable?

would you care about TV if you lived in a rural area far away from anything or lived up in the mountains?

Supposedly this whole digital Tv stuff freed up radio airwaves that TV signals were hogging. So the FTC had more air/banwith to sell off to companies. Has there really been any changes in this time or is this all just a scam?

thanks for reading my rant. Please feel free to disagree with me.

[o.pwuaioc]

I thought TVs were for me to play games? You mean you can watch other stuff on that? (Movies don't count, since they're played through the XBOX. )

[gtmtnbiker]

Personally, I have cable (Verizon FIOS) and have had some form of it ever since I was a kid so it's been over 30+ years.

There are people who are ditching cable in order to use the internet for their TV viewing.

[ZenErik]

I probably get about the same amount of channels, but they cut out way more than they used to. Even with this signal enhancer I got from Monoprice. The signal enhancer is the only thing to make my TV experience tolerable. Luckily i usually just play games, watch anime, or watch movies.

[Croooow!]

I get the same number of channels but our antenna is more finicky than it used to be. To get all of the channels to come in without any hiccups we either have to put the antenna out on the deck or put it on top of our bookcase.

[fastbilly1]

Supposedly this whole digital Tv stuff freed up radio airwaves that TV signals were hogging. So the FTC had more air/banwith to sell off to companies. Has there really been any changes in this time or is this all just a scam?

I believe they are going to use those former Analog TV bands for cell phone traffic. Specifically the higher ends of 4g and 5g.

Personally, I am trying to not watch TV anymore. I use to come home from work, plop on the couch, and then not move until bedtime. Working on odd projects on the coffee table. When I didnt have TV I did alot more gaming and other projects. So when I do move into the mountains (mid next year), I am not getting a TV service for that reason. That and sites like Netflix, Hulu, HRTV, and freetv can fill any gap in what my girl or I could ever want to watch.

[CRTGAMER]

Where is the vote box for a better signal?
I voted the cable TV option, the main source for TV. Digital box in the main room and the other TVs can still use their analog tuners off the cable. I did get a digital box for when we go on trips with a small TV, "roughing it" by renting out a camping trailer.

Same rabbit ear antennae, no need for a special "HD" antennae
In testing the local broadcast, the digital signal seemed to pull in better with a clear pic. The older analog signal usually was a snowy image. Seemed the newer digital signal has a better signal, maybe has a wider mile range?

[Majors]

Since all my tube TV's do not have DTV capabilities I bought three boxes, two freebie-coupon ones and a HD box. I get 7 networks with a total of 17 channels, for the money its great. I do have to move my in-house antenna to get a clean PBS but that is because of broadcast tower locations. I have noticed that cars passing my house will cause some stations to drop for a sec if the signal is weak. I'm not a big TV watcher plus I have internet, so it's really just background noise for me.

You get what you pay for...the local cable company sells "Broadcast" cable for about $10/mo and it's all SD with less channels I get now, so I figure I win.

[Inazuma]

I watch all of my TV and movies from internet based download and streaming websites. On the rare occasion that I want to watch regular TV, I have a digital antenna hooked up to my TV so I can watch over the air stuff.

I don't get that many channels but the video quality is fantastic. Better than cable quality.

[Hatta]

It's pretty bad here. I live within walking distance of downtown Omaha. I used to get 3 watchable PBS stations, two NE stations and one IA station. Now one of the stations never comes in, and the other two break up every time a car drives by. This is after I built a UHF antenna and bought a UHF amplifier.

If it's rainy and windy, I essentially get no TV service. This is particularly bad in the plain states, where severe weather is common. If I want to see radar during a storm, I have to use the internet.

I don't know how network TV service is. There's nothing worth watching on Network TV. I watch almost all my TV on Icefilms these days. All that really amounts to is the Daily Show/Colbert, Conan, and Dr. Who. There's not much else on TV that doesn't insult your intelligence. And for that matter, Conan is stupid too, but he cops to it so it's ok.