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WSJ: Millennials Unearth Amazing Hack to Get Free TV, the Antenna (Not The Onion)

C

CazTGG

Member
Dougald said:
I thought Millennials were killing broadcast media?
Click to expand...

Millennials are:
-Killing buffalo wing joints
-Killing the golf industry
-Unable to identify cows
-Killing the diamond industry
-Killing satisfying sex (Yes, seriously. That was a thing)
-Killing chocolate
-Killing radio
-Enjoy avocado toast
-Exposing people to what avocado toast is
-Cares more about dogs than marriage
-Something something moochers
 
R

_Ryo_

Member
OTA digital TV via Antenna is great. How do people not know about it? Unfortunately, it doesnt work well where I am in a rural area, even with an electric rooftop Antenna.
 
R

Rhete

Banned
Much of the confusion dates to federal legislation that required broadcasters to stop sending analog signals in 2009 and shift to high-definition digital transmissions. The change meant old TVs wouldn’t get the broadcasts, forcing consumers to buy new televisions or converter boxes to pick up the free signals.
Click to expand...

This is what happened to me. In 2009 I didn't have an HD TV and got one of those converter boxes and it was terrible so I just stopped watching TV altogether.

Now it's 8 years later and I do have an HD TV so I may as well try getting one of the new antennas if they really work better.
 
NekoFever

NekoFever

Member
I can remember at least a couple of threads on here where people were surprised that you could get free OTA channels, as if not getting TV through cable was unthinkable. The snake oil around "HD antennas" (hint: they're the same as any other antenna) muddies the waters a bit.

I didn't realise it was down to confusion over the turning off of the analogue signal. They did a really good campaign over here for explaining what was happening during the switchover and our OTA system (Freeview) is great. HD channels in 1080p versus the 720p/1080i that the satellite and cable providers are selling.
 
D

DeadTrees

Member
NOLA_Gaffer said:
This article is kind of amazing. How dense does one have to be to not know that broadcast television channels are...well, broadcast over the airwaves for free? Jeez.
Click to expand...
Part of it is the confusion/disinformation during the phasing out of NTSC. Part of it is the perception (prior to the cord-cutting movement) that paying for cable is a sign that you've made it in life. And part of it is that the old "big three" OTA networks don't matter that much anymore.

Marty Chinn said:
Terrible first post given that it's the better quality than cable, satellite, and any streaming service on top of being free.
Click to expand...

Netflix and YouTube have supported 4K content for a while now.

The good news is that ATSC 3.0 is being rolled out in South Korea like, right now. The bad news is that ATSC 3.0 supports encrypted (read: paywalled) OTA broadcasts.
 
B

bill0527

Member
While I've known about the digital transition years before it even happened, I did not know that recent OTA converter boxes would allow you to plug in a USB storage device and use it as a DVR. I have an old 27" Sony Trinitron 2002 4:3 box TV in a spare bedroom. Only thing I ever used it for was plugging in and playing my classic game systems. It's not a digital TV so the only way to watch anything would be to buy an antenna and OVer-the-air converter box which I did not mess with until recently. I bought a cheap converter box from Wal-Mart for $40 and imagine my surprise when I discovered that if I bring my own storage it will also act as a DVR. I also discovered in more expensive boxes you can even install Kodi and other media players.
 
A

ascii42

Member
TheCochese said:
If you live two miles from the antenna, sure.

I bought a 50 mile antenna, and we're 20 miles from the antennas. Trees, hills, etc kill the reception. I get the shit channels fine, but the networks are shit except for CBS. I can't even get NBC, because they broadcast in VHF.
Click to expand...

Yeah, need rabbit ears if you want to get VHF with an indoor antenna.
 
E

Earthbound64

Banned
Lifehack:

old-tv-rabbit-ears-antenna.png
 
Pilgrimzero

Pilgrimzero

Member
_Ryo_ said:
OTA digital TV via Antenna is great. How do people not know about it? Unfortunately, it doesnt work well where I am in a rural area, even with an electric rooftop Antenna.
Click to expand...

CazTGG said:
Millennials are:
-Killing buffalo wing joints
-Killing the golf industry
-Unable to identify cows
-Killing the diamond industry
-Killing satisfying sex (Yes, seriously. That was a thing)
-Killing chocolate
-Killing radio
-Enjoy avocado toast
-Exposing people to what avocado toast is
-Cares more about dogs than marriage
-Something something moochers
Click to expand...

-Would rather watch someone play a video game via Twitch/YouTube instead of play a game themselves.
 
A

Adam_Vania

Banned
real dumb article but we all know "lol millenials" gets the clicks

i'm a cusp GenX/late millenial (born 1981) and i use an antenna to pick up OTA tv. fuck paying for tv when i can get it for free.

there are stations that play reruns of MacGuyver and 60s Star Trek. there are stations that play old sci fi movies and MST3K. there are stations that play old Johnny Carsons and Family Feuds. imo OTA tv is a goldmine and just barely worse than cable (in many cases it is better).
 
I

Ionic

Member
Digital antenna is pretty great. None of that noisy image from analog anymore. I have no desire for TV cable, but sometimes tune in to the news OTA.
 
V

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
HellforLeather said:
Really depends on where you are. I get perfect HD reception for my local channels.
Click to expand...

This.

TV quality via antenna can vary wildly from place to place. Depends on where you live, the kind of antenna you have, and what signal you can get started your place.

Sometimes it can be better than cable. By like a rather noticable amount. Other times you'll struggle to get even a hazy picture come through.
 
H

HomerSimpson-Man

Member
Yeah, if you get good signal the picture quality for NBC, FOX, ABC, and CBS are better than cable/FiOS for the same channels, especially NBC and CBS.

I had Fiostv for reference a few months ago til I cut the cord.
 
S

Shauni

Member
It entirely depends on your area. Where I'm at all I can pick really up is PBS with an OTA antenna. And yeah, article is stupid and condescending, but most of these Millennial articles are.
 
D

DizzyCaffeine

Member
Vanillalite said:
This.

TV quality via antenna can vary wildly from place to place. Depends on where you live, the kind of antenna you have, and what signal you can get started your place.

Sometimes it can be better than cable. By like a rather noticable amount. Other times you'll struggle to get even a hazy picture come through.
Click to expand...

You're correct except for the hazy picture bit.

Part of the beauty, and frustration, of HD OTA broadcasts is that you either get it or you don't. Now, a signal might come and go, but the actual picture quality doesn't get worse or better. And if you got it, it's beautiful.
 
J

Junior Mint

Member
OTA is great. I can watch local news and most prime time shows without getting ripped off by cable companies. I wouldn't even pay $5 for cable thanks to OTA TV. I'm actually shocked most people don't know about it and any time I tell someone I use an antenna they think I'm watching black and white TV or some shit.

Also, what a garbage first post in this thread lmao. Dude should be ashamed.
 
S

SpecX

Member
Slate Soda said:
Most millennials grew up on antenna tv. The article's premise is ridiculous.
Click to expand...

I was going to say this. Most people I knew had rabbit ears on their sets and started to transition to cable by the mid 90's. I remember the old school cable boxes where you got scramble/static on the PPV channels. Some content came in watchable at that time where I could watch WWF and sometime the naughty channels.
 
H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
KillLaCam said:
Antenna TV is awful though
Click to expand...
nah, it's a very good budget TV setup

the best thing is that you often don't just get the six local channels you expect. since it's all digital there are like 3 or 4 channels per station
 
D

dafortune

Member
Hmm I thought cable cutters having an hd antenna was the norm? I get all the major stations in perfect quality plus like 20 other random stations. One of them (escape) shows nothing but crime mini docs, that shit is pretty much permanently on in my house.
 
T

TheCochese

Banned
DizzyCaffeine said:
You're correct except for the hazy picture bit.

Part of the beauty, and frustration, of HD OTA broadcasts is that you either get it or you don't. Now, a signal might come and go, but the actual picture quality doesn't get worse or better. And if you got it, it's beautiful.
Click to expand...

Probably talking about artifacts, which are a big problem. Stuttering, too.
 
A

Addi

Member
"Look at this, millennials are stupid!" -> interviews a 39 year old woman.
Maybe they thought she could pass as a hipster since she's a photographer
 
H

HomerSimpson-Man

Member
People didn't realize that because most tvs have a TV tuner built in standard, you didn't need some fancy HD antenna. You could literally just plug in your old rabbit ears to the coax and it will work.

I just plugged in a decade old rabbit ears antenna.
 
R

Robdraggoo

Member
HomerSimpson-Man said:
People didn't realize that because most tvs have a TV tuner built in standard, you didn't need some fancy HD antenna. You could literally just plug in your old rabbit ears to the coax and it will work.

I just plugged in a decade old rabbit ears antenna.
Click to expand...
I thought you had to have a digital converter box or something now.
 
S

StoneFox

Member
I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the idea of paying for TV was to avoid commercials until the commercials invaded every channel? TV has had free broadcast channels since like... ever.
 
A

Alfredo

Member
I had a TV with an antenna when I was a kid, and I didn't even know how to use it back then. I just remember it taking up the port that I needed to hook up my Super Nintendo to.
 
H

Herr Schwarz

Banned
lol old school tv was awful quality, but that shit smear filter they had added a lair of ambiance to the show you were watching.

nightmare on elm street the first one i watched via an antenna, the shit smear made it better!
 
H

HomerSimpson-Man

Member
Robdraggoo said:
I thought you had to have a digital converter box or something now.
Click to expand...

Thats if you have a old tube tv, especially during the digital transition period. There are a few HDTVs that didn't have it built in, but most tvs have it built in standard now so you just need the antenna. My old Samsung hdtv I still have from 2007 took my old rabbit ears without issues.
 
J

jotun?

Member
mreddie said:
If you can't see it because it's paywalled, here's the greatest hits.
DGPQh2NUwAAFcvv.jpg
Click to expand...

39-year-olds are millenials now?

I think it's still fairly common knowledge that old TVs could get free broadcasts over antenna, but with poor quality and some hassle. Getting digital HD broadcasts over antenna is probably not common knowledge in any age group, at least not in the US.
 
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