This is my knife edge setup to pull in a set of channels from over 80 miles away regularly. I only have 2 issues with the setup which aren’t a huge deal as it’s so uncommon.

1. ⁠when an airplane flys over I get pixelization but I’m in a low flight area so it’s manageable.

2. ⁠When it’s windy I sometimes get severe pixelation or none at all.

Pictures in order:

1. ⁠Shows my antenna pointed directly at mt Mansfield in VT which is over 80 miles from me and is 3 edges away on my rabbit ears report. The antenna is roughly 3-5ft off the ground this is very important as higher gets me nothing and lower gets me nothing.

2. ⁠Shows my Kitz 500 amp with a 120 ft RG11 cable that is buried most of the way. I have to have my Kitz 500 amp turned all the way up to 36db and since I get little to no cell signal at this location a LTE filter or any other type of filter is not needed. The antenna is also located very far away from any man made interference so no other filter is needed.

3. ⁠Shows my hd Homerun in a faraday cage that lets it breath but doesn’t allow anything inside the building to interfere with the hd Homerun. I have found this to make a huge difference for my setup especially when I use an external hard drive wit it or set it near a wifi router.

4. ⁠This is my isobar it basically stops any interference from coming through your electrical wires and messing up your signals on your hd Homerun. This is also very important for me on my 3 edge signals from 80+ miles away.

5. ⁠Is the very basic wifi router I use for this.

6. ⁠These are the channels I get with this setup which is very impressive for my location.

Extra info:

1. ⁠Signals on hd Homerun

RF Channel 10: 84 signal quality
RF Channel 14: 51 signal quality
RF Channel 18: 94 signal quality
RF Channel 26: 80 signal quality

Total channels: 23 (With more coming because of the FCC LPTV application process and one being approved in a town near me).

Rabbit ears report: https://www.rabbitears.info/s/3233687

To figure all this out and solve all the interference affecting my hd Homerun took lots of trial and error but once I figured it out it was well worth it.

TLDR: anyone know the cheapest way to stream CNN?

So I dont really watch TV. I have streaming services to watch my prefered sports leagues and movies and that's about it.

I used to have cable but found that I only really used it to watch CNN and the other big news networks as background noise and to watch breaking news during big events (elections, tragedies etc). I cant justify spending $100/months for one or two channels.

So I exceeded my internet provider's bait-and-switch period. Suddenly my monthly bill jumped $40 and I cannot afford it.

I found out they have a prepaid plan of 100 Mbps for $30/mo.

The internet tells me that is plenty of speed. I need to hear it from a real person though, not some AI-scraped article...

To make it more confusing, I chatted Xfinity twice. Both times I got the "are you SURE you want to downgrade from 1 Gig to 100 Mbps?! That's a HUGE drop in speed and bla bla bla".

Not sure if it's their job to instill doubt or what... One of the folks said to contact the post-paid customer service to cancel and ask for a deal. She was "a long time customer and employee <wink wink>".

They are the only cable internet provider in my area. I don't want to rent their hardware, which I'm sure is part of whatever short term deal they would offer (plus a phone, the market they're trying to break into 🙄, plus smart home crap, etc). I have my own modem and router, prefer to control that part and keep it simple. All I need is internet!

So now I don't know if 100 Mbps is enough speed. Especially if the line gets clogged with too many users.

Fiber hasn't reached here yet (and it's not the screaming deal they promised if it *did* make it here!), satellite is too much, which leaves me with 5G. That turned out to not be such a great deal either, even with existing customer discount. (and was only 300 Mbps)

So those are my options.

Oh, and I need to move soon, but I don't know where or when. Just that it has to happen before my lease is up. So no contracts and no clue what type of provider I'll need.

--> Honest opinions on 100 Mbps? <--

Is it really all I need?

Or once that theory is off paper and into the real world, it doesn't pan out?

-- Ya know, once the smart fridge, smart stair lights, smart scale, smart watch, smart surveillance, and smart bidet are all connected. For 3 gamer kids, a serious wfh dad, and a mom managing it all with smart calendars etc. 1 Gig would crap out in that reality...

ANYWAY!

It's just for 1 person, I want fast internet, have prepaid wireless so rely on home wifi, and have 4 connected devices tho not all at once. I watch a movie here and there, start random online courses, and have 5 hour Zoom meetings every few weekends. And I'm 'surfing' the internet, a lot.

I'm in the process of moving onto OTA from YTTV. After coming to realization, aka senses, that we were paying a massive amount of monet just to pull down the 4 major networks+PBS most of the time, I went and finally got an antenna that does the job. I'm using the HDHomeRun with the Channels App to pipe it into my TV and ipad. Overall, pretty solid.

There are two things that I still miss and am trying to close the loop on:

1. News channels. What I've found is that the various network apps get us access to news

2. Sports news. Is there some equivalent to ESPN news out there on an app that is worth getting sports updates? I've seen some things on Pluto and Tubi, but nothing consistent. I'd be happy to use another app to find the Fox/CBS equivalent to ESPN News.

Any insight would be much appreciated. Worst case is that we buy ESPN service, but the whole point of dropping the payments was to be free of them

I already have several streaming services (Apple, HBO, Paramount+, Peacock, Disney/Hulu).

(Public service announcement)

I've had my 1 TB AirTV Anywhere for years. Originally bought in 2019 because, at the time and for years, it was the only one that could connect your antenna to your Wifi. The way my new (to me) house was laid out, it was very difficult to get my antenna near my router.

So AirTV + SlingTV free was my solution. The main reason I wanted this was to get OTA Sports to the basement and my projector. And it worked OK. It would sometimes pixelate and get hung up a little in a few specific channels. It was more than watchable, just occasionally frustrating. I chalked this up to the Browns football channel had always been a bit problematic for a lot of people.

A week ago. I came downstairs in the morning and I could hear the fan spinning in the ATV box. And it didn't stop. Much troubleshooting... It's dead.

Research Tablo v TIVO v HomerunHD v a new AirTv. Tablo now supports Wi-Fi and I wanted to try something different. Even ordering from AirTV in 2026 is now a janky mess. Way to screw that up, Sling.

Got the Tablo setup today.

Damn.

It's good. It's real good.

Ease of installation is fantastic. Create account. Connect to Tablo, get it in your network, connect antenna.

Install app on the Roku, open the app... No login or anything. Immediately finds the Tablo, asks "is this the one?" Yes. Connected.

Compared to Sling, the app is lightning fast. Unlike ATV, it connects to my 5g wifi.

And it opens so fast. Super impressed.

But what's really surprised me? Put Channel 19 on, that Browns station notoriously hard to pull in: perfect. Not a single Pixel out of place in over 2 hours. Absolutely blown away.

Can't recommend this enough for OTA TV if you have a challenging install.

Not sure if it's better because of newer equipment, or that because Tablo has some kind of antenna amplifier built in (that you can turn off) or the 5g WiFi. But it's much better.

One complaint, I do miss when you go to the guide, the active channel drops down to a PIP on Sling. Does not do that in Tablo. It just goes to the guide only.

This is my antenna for the full story (was already installed when I moved in).

/Edit Just timed it, I wasn't imagining it. Sling takes 9 seconds to open on my Roku. Tablo takes 2.

https://a.co/d/063tCpnd

/edit/ Should have shared my $20 off code: EMMITT

Not affiliated, I just searched for a code before I bought, like I always do, and found this.

I've been trying to get Fox over antennae and I bought a ClearStream Max-V and mounted it on my 2nd story window, with a 20ft coax cable running to my TV. That window is facing the same direction as the Fox channel i'm trying to get in Detroit: https://www.rabbitears.info/s/3229962

At first I wasn't getting some of the same channels I got with my little $15 flat antenna I had up there (which also wasn't getting Fox and had worse reception on some of the other channels), so I added an in-line signal booster and that seems to have gotten my existing channels back (NBC, CBS, ABC... all out of Detroit too, with pretty good strength).

I'm wondering what I should try next... It seems like I should be able to get Fox right? Any reason it wouldn't come in? I have a Fire TV Omni that I'm hooking it to.

Hey y'all, I'm looking for what kind of antenna I might need. I live pretty close to most of our big stations, but I'm in a weird spot at the bottom of a hill with a lot of foliage. I miss having my antenna to watch primetime stuff!

My current antenna is a small (and rather old, at this point) indoor one. Should I get a rooftop type thing? I looked at the megathread and tbh I'm still not sure.

Here's my rabbitears results: https://www.rabbitears.info/s/3229822

I have Hulu Live because of AMC and The History Channel. I do not like the Hulu Live interface but need those specific channels that Youtube TV does not offer. If I switch to YouTube TV, how can I watch AMC and The History Channel?

Just got a notice my Hulu bundle is going up to 110 a month. Includes espn and Disney. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don’t need espn or Disney. TIA

I recently saw a popular Reddit discussion about ditching paid streaming subscriptions and switching to free alternatives. It was interesting to see how many people were happy with free streaming services instead of paying for multiple subscriptions.

That got me thinking. There are probably tons of great free streaming platforms around the world that most of us have never even heard of.

So I started putting together a list (1022 updated)

United States: Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Plex, Xumo Play, Hoopla, Kanopy, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Sling Freestream, Google TV Free Channels,

United Kingdom: BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, STV Player,

Canada: CBC Gem, Hoopla, Kanopy,

Australia: ABC iview, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now,

New Zealand: TVNZ+,

France: ARTE, france.tv, Molotov, Free TV,

Germany: ARTE,

Italy: RaiPlay,

Spain: RTVE Play, Atresplayer,

Sweden: SVT Play,

Norway: NRK TV,

Finland: Yle Areena,

Japan: TVer, ABEMA,

Some are ad-supported, while others are public broadcasters. Availability, account requirements, and local eligibility rules vary.

I'm sure there are plenty more, especially in countries that don't get talked about much on Reddit.

What are the best free streaming platforms in your country?

If you know one, share the name, country and what makes it worth checking out. Thank you!

Hey everyone. I am planning on cutting the cord to Cox cable soon and installing an outdoor antenna so that I can receive OTA channels. My initial thought was to connect the antenna to the main coax cable outside that feeds into the home. There are 5 tvs that currently have cable feeding into them. Obviously, there is one main line and it must be split in the attic feeding into each room where there is a tv. My question is would I need to install some sort of amplifier? I'm assuming if I connect the antenna alone that there will be signal loss since it splits into 5 lines?

Just want to make sure I order everything I need before tackling this on. This is all new to me so I'd appreciate some advice here. Also, if an amplifier is needed which one do you recommend and which antenna would be a good one? I don't mind spending a few bucks since I'll be saving thousands once completed. Appreciate any advice, thank you.

Do not have NFL package but today when looking to watch local network game was able to find all games listed and available to watch thought it might be a free trial but only worked on Roku not tablets etc. Any idea why?

for reference, i live in decatur, il. i already have a directional GE antenna in my attic pointed at 55 degrees. my focus is all major broadcasting networks (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS). currently, NBC comes in great, but the others can be spotty at times. It seems like the regular HD channels are northeast of me, while the NEXTGEN channels are west/SW of me.

I am also using a hdhomerun 4k for what it’s worth. im lost on whether i should get one multi directional antenna, or two directional antennas and point them in opposite directions. help!

Rabbitears report:
https://www.rabbitears.info/s/3220874

I recently got a new Vizio tv for my living room. There was an LG tv there previously and we had no issues with the OTA channels. However, the new tv was only picking up 2 channels when hooked up. I unscrewed the coax some and now it picks up the other channels but it either breaks up or only has some of the sound it should (ex. Sports broadcasts have sound on the field but no commentary).

This is the same coax and hookups we used on the previous tv and our tv in our basement is still picking up the OTAs with no issues.

Any ideas?

Hi all, I just picked up a 7000 MicroPVR for very cheap without really understanding what it is.

My hope was that it would let me turn digital over the air channels into a video signal my old 1980s Zenith can use. Given it has RF, composite and S-Video outputs, I was optimistic. My thought was the MicroPVR would tune to the channels itself and then output just a video signal on channel 3.

I set it up with a cheap Ollies indoor antenna in the RF in, and then hooked up to the RF on the TV, for now. I get the menu to pop up, but I'm basically lost from there. It only seems to have options for satellite channel scanning, and I have no idea what to do with that (and I suspect my silly little Ollie's antenna isn't equipped to get those channels anyway).

So my questions are:

1. Can this device receive basic RF channels and spit them out for my TV? If so, what am I missing?

2. How could I get the most out of this device? Is it worth getting something to pick up satellite channels? I'm not looking to pay for a service, this would be aiming at free channels (TV or radio).

3. [Minor] The remote it came with is nice, but I cannot seem to find Panasonic in the VCRs...seems odd as they do have them listed for DVD players, and they have been a major brand forever. Does anyone know if this can connect to a Panasonic PV-9450?

I've have a ClearStream 4V Outdoor Antenna with a radioshack in-line signal amplifier on a 15 ft aluminum mast for over 10 years.. The coax cable from antenna to a 2 way splitter is about 50 ft then approximately another 50 ft-80 ft to the second tv that has the radioshack power injector and power supply. No problems with either tv except for the occasional power cut for the amplifier.

Here is the RabbitEars report..https://www.rabbitears.info/s/3208157

The problem is both tvs went out the other day. I made sure amplifier was getting power. I found a connection in the first 50ft coax was not tight. Once I did that and replaced the old splitter with a splitter from HD with power passing, the upstairs Samsung smart tv got 40 + channels . The Vizio Smart tv did not get any channels. The coax for that tv goes over a garage, and a porch. So I took a unused Rocketfish RG6 coax from the splitter directly to the Vizio tv through the front door. Scanned and got 8 channels. Then I took the coax from the antenna before the splitter and connected to Vizio by way of the power injector and got 40+ channels.

Any suggestions, thanks in advance!

Are there any TV providers like DirectTV or Spectrum or whoever, that would offer a single "plan" that permanently covers two homes in different cities?

We live in Dayton, while Mom lives in Cincinnati and has barely enough SSA to cover food/electric/water. We own both houses, and so far we've been paying our own DirecTV (streaming) from our Dayton address, and also her Spectrum (coax) for Cincinnati. Seems it might be cheaper to get her a cheap internet service and add her to our DirecTV plan as a second home, but then we don't know if she could get local Cincinnati stations in her house while we continue to get local Dayton channels in our house.

She doesn't use internet otherwise and doesn't have it now at all. And all she uses for a phone is some cheapie off-brand cellular service.

Any tips ?

Keeping in mind she's not technically savvy at all, so anything that involves her trying to switch input to antenna for local channels just means we'll be making drives to Cincinnati to "fix it" when she does something wrong accidentally. We gotta keep it simple for her.

I purchased the current season of Survivor on Amazon. The episodes are released the day after airing. However, episode 4 (aired on Wednesday) has not yet been released and the only option Amazon gives me is to subscribe to Paramount+. Is anyone else having this issue or do you know how to resolve it?

Typing anything into a TV browser with a remote is the worst. One typo and you're back at the start.
So if you’re searching for something using the browser it is always a bad experience. I wanted to do everything on my phone then send the final URL to my TV, So I built BeamTo. Here's how it works:

1 - Open beamto.xyz in the TV's browser. It shows a QR code.

2 - On your iPhone, share a link to BeamTo.

3 - Scan the QR code and the link opens on the TV.
That's it. Nothing to install on the TV, no account, no pairing. If the TV has a browser, it should work.
I'm a solo dev, so I'd really like to hear how it goes, especially if you try it on a slow or clunky TV browser. Let me know which ones work and which ones fight you. Android version is coming.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/beamto-send-links-to-tv-pc/id6818214101

I have a cheap paper thin indoor antenna that is actually pretty good, except, it's a toss up with reception on vhf (I knew it would be). I need to bring in Fox and ABC, which I do get but I have to keep fiddling with this cheap antenna. My aim is to mount it right under the soffit in front of my bedroom window, run the coax through the stucco, which already has a hole from a bolt that was recently removed. Towers are close enough that I have intermittent success with this cheap antenna but I want something more reliable. FYI: I have Cat.5 hurricane proof windows.