Free over the air digital TV

[Hebburn]

Just wondering if some would like to share their experience/knowledge with ATSC or other over the air TV. By coincidence, I bought a TV tuner card for my PC that happened to have ATSC capability. I was amazed that I could get 1600 x 900 HD on just a short wire! Later I built the equivalent of a $40 DB4 antenna, with spare parts material, and hung it inside as high as I could. Get 7 crystal clear (except during a storm) stations. All capable of HD. Free!

Would love to see conversation on this.

[Dude111]

I dont really like it........ Its flat and sterile and it just doesnt look like GOOD tv I watched in the 70s and 80s over analogue cable or just analogue TV!!

Its just really sad........ Nothing good worth watching on "TV" anymore because its all flat garbage which to me means nothing.......

[Coffeecup]

I bought a over the air antenna last December. Hooked it up thinking wonder if I will get anything. I do. Only problem I have to rescan every so often for I hang the antenna on a window and now it is summer and I move the window.
One nice thing is when I rescan I sometimes pick up new stations, Mostly I get Court tv, PBS, several of those. then sometimes, Get TV, Charge, Bounce, TDB, Comet, a few state of Maine network stations. I live in Mass.
I like the antenna for I get stations that I don't receive on Comcast. One show I see a lot,although I first saw the show in 2004 , is Fear Factor. Some days I was able to scan 31 stations although many were a bit shaky in picture quality but 15 or so not bad.

[GentlemanJim]

I've been "pulling free HDTV out of thin air" for over a year now, and am glad that I decided to try.

Its the only way I can get MeTv, Comet, Cozi, and This networks, since none of those is carried by my local Comcast franchise. From time to time I also enjoy those offerings on the marketing channels where they bait the audience with the "Timeless TV" bit, but that is strictly hit or miss.

I've found MeTV reception very reliable, but Cozi is sometimes a challenge, and Comet and This are unpredictable.

I've noticed that my reception of the latter two is improved by placing my antenna in an upstairs window and parking my van (large metal roof) in just a certain spot in front of it. Sometimes moving the van a foot or two makes a considerable improvement

[Dude111]

But its hard watching it Jimmy when we remember how beautiful Welcome back Kotter was for example and now its flat and lifeless

[GentlemanJim]

Originally Posted by Dude111

But its hard watching it Jimmy when we remember how beautiful Welcome back Kotter was for example and now its flat and lifeless

I don't think what we are discussing here, "over the air vs from a cable network" makes much difference in terms of "flatness", does it?

MY first HDTV (early 2000s) was a 34" Philips with a glass picture tube, and the blacks were better then than on the LCD's popular today....but I'd be hard pressed to say that my 1980s era NEC standard-def tv was superior to today's.

[Dude111]

Yes im sure they were!! (And are)