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Last week we got our TV antenna up and running in our new house, and I thought I'd share some info for anyone who's interested.
The antenna we installed is an Antennas Direct 8-element Bowtie with VHF kit.
Even though we get strong signals where we live (20 miles from a major city), because we were going to be installing the antenna in our attic rather than outside, I decided to go for a "good" antenna.*
I checked TV reception for our area on the FCC web site, and found that NBC, PBS, and Fox are all "Hi-V" (high VHF rather than UHF) which is why I added the VHF kit.
I also bought a splitter so we have the ability to watch TVs in multiple rooms.
We hired someone to install the antenna for us.
For the antenna, VHF kit & splitter, and installation, we paid $504.
At our apartment, we were paying $28 per month (tax included) for the cheapest level of cable available. We had an internet & cable bundle. The $28 is what we paid on top of what we would have paid for internet alone. We get many more channels with the antenna than we did with cable. And the picture quality is better! And now our monthly cost is $0.
In exactly 18 months, the antenna will have paid for itself.
We have 2 Samsung TVs: an "older" (10 years+) one, and a brand new "smart" one. Here's something that I think is interesting: We get more OTA (over the air) channels on the older TV than the new one. In fact, there are 2 major networks (ABC and CBS) that the new TV isn't getting. Our antenna installer theorizes that the older TV might have a better tuner. He says that the older the TV, the better the tuner probably is. That's a bummer because I'm an Amazing Race (CBS) fan, and I'd like to be able to watch it in the great room (where the new TV is). I'll be contacting Samsung to see if there is an update for the tuner that we can install. For now, I'll have to watch The Amazing Race in the bedroom, or delayed online.
The newer "smart" TV comes with a bunch of channels from "Samsung TV Plus" ... there are a lot that I won't watch, but there are a couple that I probably will.
We don't currently subscribe to any streaming services. In addition to regular old TV, I watch DVDs that I borrow from the library and use Hoopla Digital (also from the library). DH likes YouTube because he can watch things from his homeland. I would like to subscribe to Disney+ eventually but am holding off on that until I run out of "fresh" DVD and Hoopla material --- that probably will be awhile. But now that we have the new "smart" TV I won't need to buy a Chromecast when I subscribe.
*Edit to add: We had an antenna in our last house too. I know from experience that getting reception from an attic install isn't easy; in fact we ended up mounting our antenna outside at the old place.
The antenna we installed is an Antennas Direct 8-element Bowtie with VHF kit.
Even though we get strong signals where we live (20 miles from a major city), because we were going to be installing the antenna in our attic rather than outside, I decided to go for a "good" antenna.*
I checked TV reception for our area on the FCC web site, and found that NBC, PBS, and Fox are all "Hi-V" (high VHF rather than UHF) which is why I added the VHF kit.
I also bought a splitter so we have the ability to watch TVs in multiple rooms.
We hired someone to install the antenna for us.
For the antenna, VHF kit & splitter, and installation, we paid $504.
At our apartment, we were paying $28 per month (tax included) for the cheapest level of cable available. We had an internet & cable bundle. The $28 is what we paid on top of what we would have paid for internet alone. We get many more channels with the antenna than we did with cable. And the picture quality is better! And now our monthly cost is $0.
In exactly 18 months, the antenna will have paid for itself.
We have 2 Samsung TVs: an "older" (10 years+) one, and a brand new "smart" one. Here's something that I think is interesting: We get more OTA (over the air) channels on the older TV than the new one. In fact, there are 2 major networks (ABC and CBS) that the new TV isn't getting. Our antenna installer theorizes that the older TV might have a better tuner. He says that the older the TV, the better the tuner probably is. That's a bummer because I'm an Amazing Race (CBS) fan, and I'd like to be able to watch it in the great room (where the new TV is). I'll be contacting Samsung to see if there is an update for the tuner that we can install. For now, I'll have to watch The Amazing Race in the bedroom, or delayed online.
The newer "smart" TV comes with a bunch of channels from "Samsung TV Plus" ... there are a lot that I won't watch, but there are a couple that I probably will.
We don't currently subscribe to any streaming services. In addition to regular old TV, I watch DVDs that I borrow from the library and use Hoopla Digital (also from the library). DH likes YouTube because he can watch things from his homeland. I would like to subscribe to Disney+ eventually but am holding off on that until I run out of "fresh" DVD and Hoopla material --- that probably will be awhile. But now that we have the new "smart" TV I won't need to buy a Chromecast when I subscribe.
*Edit to add: We had an antenna in our last house too. I know from experience that getting reception from an attic install isn't easy; in fact we ended up mounting our antenna outside at the old place.
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