Yet, there are some out there that old habits like watching linear TV, just as it has been done for 70-odd years, will never change.
Too old and too difficult for some to change.
They will pass on soon enough, but they are still out there.
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Lifespan of OTA Television
- Thread starter davideduardo
- Start date
Too old and too difficult for some to change.
They will pass on soon enough, but they are still out there.
I have combo of Dish Network/OTA ( Dish box has a DTV OTA tuner that integrates Dish &OTA channels into the same program guide)
I'm an "old show" junkie.
MeTV, Antenna TV, Rewind, Charge, Start, H&I, COZI, Laff, Story, Grit and Catchy Comedy, and I would say the OTA subs account for about 80%of my viewing.
I get Louisville, Lexington and a couple of Cincinnati stations at my location.
ION and ION plus on WUPX, MeTV on WKYT and WLKY, Start, H&I, on WBNA, Rewind and Charge on WDKY.
I have plenty to watch that I like. Maybe not YOUR cup of tea, but it's mine.
I'm an "old show" junkie.
MeTV, Antenna TV, Rewind, Charge, Start, H&I, COZI, Laff, Story, Grit and Catchy Comedy, and I would say the OTA subs account for about 80%of my viewing.
I get Louisville, Lexington and a couple of Cincinnati stations at my location.
ION and ION plus on WUPX, MeTV on WKYT and WLKY, Start, H&I, on WBNA, Rewind and Charge on WDKY.
I have plenty to watch that I like. Maybe not YOUR cup of tea, but it's mine.
MeTV, Catchy Comedy (which has recently returned to Columbia), and Story TV are about all I ever have on. But as to water-cooler TV, the shows everyone wants to talk about, by and large they're not on OTA TV. My TV tastes are not exactly trendy.
Since I work in television, I try to limit my TV consumption off the clock. I will watch 60 Minutes at its regularly scheduled time, but beyond that, it is mostly YouTube clips. I don't have cable or streaming subscriptions of any kind.
As for the future, I suspect there's a reason our new OTT service is, for the moment, the call letters with a "plus" -- and no mention of a network or a channel number.
As for the future, I suspect there's a reason our new OTT service is, for the moment, the call letters with a "plus" -- and no mention of a network or a channel number.
We watch a few shows live or near live via DVR delay, including Abbott Elementary, but even that is dependent on if it’s a night we’re home on the proverbial couch. Same with that animated show with the yellow people.
I also have Dish Network and my subscription uses the Hopper and is set up to record some classic TV channels and also records Prime Time from selected channels each night. I save most of my viewing for Friday through Sunday, when I catch up on my weekly recordings, which also includes two p.m. newscasts. I scroll through the Prime Time selections each week and delete the ones I don't want and then catch up on the new episodes of my favorites. The Prime Time feature is great because it doesn't use up space needed for other recordings. Even Dish has declined in selection, as they recently killed Cozi-TV, and MeTV was deleted a few years ago. When I run out of recordings, I watch mostly British programs on Prime, where some of my favorites such as "Midsomer Murders" now have ads.
I admit it. It's been a long time since I watch OTA TV live. Yes, there's a lot less on the network prime time schedules that I want to see (and on cable channels, too, for that matter). But for the network shows I do watch, I don't watch them live. Mostly, I stream them. HDTV seems to have as many reception issues as AM radio: Pixelation, image break-up, audio break-up. Even so, whether I use streaming or record an OTA signal, I've come to strongly prefer seeing shows on my schedule and having a pause button.
Today, more than ever, spectrum has become a scarce commodity. Is OTA TV still the best use of it? Is the broadcast era ending and are we moving into the on-demand era?
Today, more than ever, spectrum has become a scarce commodity. Is OTA TV still the best use of it? Is the broadcast era ending and are we moving into the on-demand era?
I record everything. Occasionally I do this. I skip pretty much all commercials. But I do watch a few.
In motels when I go on vacation, I have no choice but to watch live and I either watch all commercials or do what I used to do during commercials. I don't watch broadcast TV since I don't (or didn't) get the other channels at home. So I watch movies on those channels. I was upgraded without my permission but so far no extra cost and I haven't taken advantage because the TiVo stays full.
One of the reasons the networks love their streaming platforms so much is people can't skip the commercials. It's like they gave everyone a futuristic DeLorean and sent them back to the 80s where the only salvation is the mute button.
I have cable, but our provider switched to a cloud based service so it all goes through the wifi. If I watch anything live, it is sports and the local news. My wife and I usually watch Survivor live when a season is ongoing, but we watch enough shows that we record most of them and watch at our convenience. Sometimes I'll flip through stations and watch part of a show like the Tonight Show or SNL.
My market I barely watch anything outside of live sporting events and maybe a few local newscasts. Let's Make a Deal on select weekdays and Price is Right. Local news here is mostly filler outside of the major newscasts each day. Lot of cheap national stories and weather every five minutes. They have been trying to air more local sports on a few stations but it's a tall task. Most people don't even know they can watch television via an antenna.
I have an ipTV service and I can get stations from all over. My parents watch television all day. Mostly Fox News, the Yankees, HGTV, and select games here and there.
I have an ipTV service and I can get stations from all over. My parents watch television all day. Mostly Fox News, the Yankees, HGTV, and select games here and there.
I don't want to deal with an antenna when so many of the stations are so far away and outdoor antennas can have problems. I like being able to rely on a signal.
I don't have any issues watching tv OTA. Now that Mavericks and soon Wings basketball will be on KFAA, I just turn on my TV and tune into 29.
Is that the one with the curmudgeonly old grandpa?
Could be.
I've never once been tempted to watch any of the original shows on streaming platforms. The plots just seem too complex and built more for binging than for watching to be entertained for an hour. I've never been much for sitcoms/dramas/procedurals/reality TV either. All I really watch is news, news magazines. true crime, and sports.
As such maybe I'm overpaying to get Spectrum basic cable plus 600 MBit internet, but 1) the service is reliable, 2) my HOA forbids new installations of cable, satellite dishes or external TV antennas 3) my wife is tech challenged and can't figure out smart TVs.
As such maybe I'm overpaying to get Spectrum basic cable plus 600 MBit internet, but 1) the service is reliable, 2) my HOA forbids new installations of cable, satellite dishes or external TV antennas 3) my wife is tech challenged and can't figure out smart TVs.
Your HOA can't prohibit the installation of an antenna or satellite dish, it's a protected right.
Installing Consumer-Owned Antennas and Satellite Dishes
The FCC rules for Over-the-Air-Reception Devices – OTARD – protect a property owner or tenant’s right to install, maintain or use an antenna to receive video programming from direct broadcast satellites, broadband radio services and television broadcast stations.
Yes they can, for safety or historical preservation reasons, like both those links say. Plus fighting an HOA with the FCC is going to take a large amount of time and possibly attorney’s fees. Also your HOA dues are going to partly go to the HOA’s attorney.Your HOA can't prohibit the installation of an antenna or satellite dish, it's a protected right.
Installing Consumer-Owned Antennas and Satellite Dishes
The FCC rules for Over-the-Air-Reception Devices – OTARD – protect a property owner or tenant’s right to install, maintain or use an antenna to receive video programming from direct broadcast satellites, broadband radio services and television broadcast stations.www.fcc.gov
You could install an attic antenna and your HOA would never be the wiser.
Relatively few people live in areas where historic preservation would be a factor, and unless one gets really intrepid, an antenna shouldn't pose a safety hazard. Confronted with OTARD, I would say that the HOA would know they couldn't win, and would not go so far as to hire an attorney. At worst, they'd take the OTARD regulations to an attorney, be told "I can't fight this", and would only spend money on an initial consultation.
I have an HOA which is, all in all, fairly easy to deal with, and I've had my DATBOSS on the chimney for a year and nobody has said anything. The type of DATBOSS I have is cut for low-VHF (I got this feature for DX), but it would be the rare HOA functionary that would comprehend full-power low-VHF stations being in relatively few markets (mine doesn't have one), and what the different elements are designed to pick up (or, for that matter, what low-VHF even is). And there are always LPTVs that are on low-VHF (my market doesn't have any of those either), and your right to receive them is legally unassailable.
Attic antennas tend to be suboptimal compared to roof antennas. And I always have the excuse that WZRB is hard to pick up where I am, because WJZY plants a big heat blob right on top of my house (I can prove that with a Longley-Rice map) and I need a high-performance directional antenna to overcome this and get WZRB. I can get a couple of miles away from home, where the terrain blocks out WJZY, and WZRB comes in easily with just rabbit ears, but alas, that's not where I live.
Can you use an amplifier with your DATBOSS to try to get that station, or not?
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