Are there lots of choices, compared to streaming? Lots of choices when you want to watch and not when the networks want to show it?
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How to Watch Super Bowl For Free Today: iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV
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Morod
macrumors 68000
No. You watch what is broadcast when it is broadcast. But with all the additional digital sub-channels, there is quite a selection. AND NO MONTHLY BILL!
I get about 50 channels do free. Sure I have to watch when it’s on. But that’s not a big deal. I can record if I wanted to set it up. I’m super content with the ways it works for me.
dmr727
macrumors G4
I use our antenna for network sports, although it's amusing all the old shows that are available. Apparently Murder She Wrote is still a thing. 😉
Mr_Ed
macrumors 65816
Yeah, it’s great for those short spans when you just want to put something on (nothing in particular) while having coffee or a snack. Some of those old shows are great!
Got to DVR it. Antenna isn't as simple as people make it sound like you are picking up FM radio stations. You have to have a real setup for it even if not in rural area(proper antenna in the attic/ or on roof) unless by dumb luck you got a good line of sight near a window.
Obviously the experience is subpar to a proper cable/streaming plan so you do it to save money. Some people don't watch much TV so works for them.
pakupakuman
macrumors regular
Morod
macrumors 68000
If you're withing 25-30 miles of the broadcast tower.antenna, an indoor antenna for your TV is fine, but look for one with an amplifier you can turn on or off. Line of sight really helps.
Plutonius
macrumors G4
I have a cheap indoor antenna (it has an amplifier) and receive broadcast from up to 35 miles away. Many of the broadcast are HD. The antennas are directional so you have to choose which stations you want to receive. In my case, it's setup to receive broadcast from MA and I'm unable to receive any broadcast stations from around me. The initial setup can also take awhile to iteratively move the antenna around to get the best reception of the stations you want. Generally, the indoor antenna also needs to be near a window to work unless you are nearby the tower.
My opinion only but I think everyone should probably invest a little money and some time getting over the air broadcast TV. Investing in a cheap antenna signal meter will save a lot of setup time.
Note: I have a Roku box that I normally use. I found that it causes interference on weaker over the air channels so I unplug the Roku (any streaming device connected to the TV) when I setup or watch over the air TV.
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Westside guy
macrumors 604
All of the main network stations here broadcast HD... I think it's a legal requirement, actually. But the eastern US is a lot flatter than western Washington state. In the valley where I live (40+ miles from the Seattle broadcast antennas), we had trouble even in the old SD days with most OTA television.
There are maps online that will show you what kind of HD television signal you can expect in your location. At my location, they all show far too little signal strength to be worthwhile. Not that it really matters to me, most of the time - we gave up cable TV several years ago when we realized we hadn't watched a single broadcast network show in something like five years! Although, with my team in the Super Bowl, I am paying for a month of NFL+. 😎
WarmWinterHat
Suspended
I live 45 miles from the broadcast towers and no problem picking them up; luckily all the towers are in same area, so direction is easy. We’re having about a dozen people over to watch, and will be utilizing OTA.
All that said, my antenna is mounted 6ft above my two story home. Can’t pick up squat with an indoor antenna.
BGPL
macrumors 65816
Imagine forgetting to cancel and getting stuck with Walmart+ for a month. This is the stuff that nightmares are made of...
I have an HD antenna on my roof and I get all the big network channels in HD for free. You can use a FireTV Recast and watch TV on your FireTV, complete with a TV guide and DVR functions. I chose to use the HDHomeRun tuner/DVR and watch on Plex, but it's all about the same.
I have an HD antenna on my roof and I get all the big network channels in HD for free. You can use a FireTV Recast and watch TV on your FireTV, complete with a TV guide and DVR functions. I chose to use the HDHomeRun tuner/DVR and watch on Plex, but it's all about the same.
fhall1
macrumors 68040
Depending on the topography of where you live in relation to the broadcast towers an antenna could be worthless unless it's on a 40 foot mast - ask me how I know.
fhall1
macrumors 68040
At least we know when the game ends....not "let's play some arbitrary amount of extra time after the clock runs out"
🙂
HouseLannister
macrumors 68040
vegetassj4
macrumors 68020
TFrank2
macrumors 6502
I have the FTV Recast, but we’ve been slowly ditching all our Amazon stuff and will be picking up the HDHomeRun soon. You’re a fan?
mrgraff
macrumors 65816
Right? We got to do all that stuff to watch something on our Apple devices, but they don’t have to offer Apple Pay?
Today, I watched the Premier League football match between Liverpool and Manchester City.
The so-called football game in the United States cannot hold a candle to the drama at Anfield Stadium. Despite the exaggerated spectacle.
The so-called football game in the United States cannot hold a candle to the drama at Anfield Stadium. Despite the exaggerated spectacle.
BGPL
macrumors 65816
Interesting, I did the same thing. I ditched the Amazon stuff because of the previews and ads on the FTV home page and even the FTV Cube wasn't great performance-wise. The HDHomeRun gives you more control, it's great. I went with the Flex 4K with ATSC 3.0 tuners but I think the Flex Duo would have been fine. I think you'll find most of the ATSC 3.0 channels are DRM protected, which is lame. I run the Nvidia Shield TV Pro (2019) which is overkill for just OTA TV but for digital movies it's licensed for every audio encoder including Atmos and TrueHD. The next best option is probably an Xbox, but I hear Plex is janky on Xbox.
TSE
macrumors 601
I'll skip greenday, and the halftime show. I've heard there is another show at halftime but cannot remember what it was.
