Help me cut the cord!

2244 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by ncbill, Dec 30, 2011

1QWK510

Discussion Starter · Dec 26, 2011

I've always had pay tv, I'm ready to cut the cord. I'm looking to put up and outdoor ota antenna running to a tivo unit. Then use my xbox 360 for streaming. From a little research it looks like the tivo HD is a better choice than the premier for ota. What's a good antenna? Antenna web.org suggested a yellow to get all the stations I want which are about 40mi from me. Thanks for any advice, I'm trying to do this on a budget since I was recently laidoff from the satellite provider I worked for.

Save

1 - 14 of 14 Posts

Chris Gerhard

· #2 · Dec 26, 2011

Although there is nothing wrong with picking up a used TiVoHD, I would not be afraid to buy a Premiere for OTA use either. Both work well for OTA. As far as the antenna, I think Antenna Web.org is good so find specific antennas you think will work based on the recommendation and ask about those here, we may have experience. I am using a modified Eagle Aspen DTV2Buhf Directv 2-Bay UHF Antenna, I modified to pick up the one VHF station in Little Rock and it works great for me in my situation but probably wouldn't work for many others.

You are right to want additional sources and although I don't own an XBox 360, I do own the PS3, other disc players and Google TV for internet streaming access. I dropped DirecTV over 2 years ago and I am happy. After the purchase of a TiVo and antenna, your investment won't be small and it will take some time to recover it depending on how much you are saving but you will get there and in time be ahead. Most important advice I can give, get lifetime service if economics are the reason for the switch.

See less See more

Save

1QWK510

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 26, 2011

All the stations I'm interested in are uhf, I was looking at the antennas direct db4 on amazon. I will probably add a roku player as well if needed. But I'm not sure if ill need it between the 360 and the streaming on the premier unit. I will probably get netflix and hulu plus subscriptions as even if I spend 30-40 on streaming services and the monthly tivo subscription ill be better off than the $130 I'm looking at with satellite.

Save

ThAbtO

· #4 · Dec 26, 2011

FYI, Tivo subscription price for the Premiere is 19.99/month and 12.95 for earlier models. Lifetime has increased as well, 499.99 when it was 399 over a yr ago.

Save

mr.unnatural

· #5 · Dec 27, 2011

stevieleej said:
Just do it.

We pulled the plug on Dish a little over a year ago. Made our own antenna similar to this. Put it in the attic with an antenna booster. We get 19 channels (3 are weather). Glad we made the switch.

It's best to get an antenna that has sufficient gain for your location. Antenna boosters tend to cause more problems than they fix and are best avoided altogether. If you can put one on your roof then you'll get the best signal.

Save

1QWK510

Discussion Starter · #6 · Dec 27, 2011

I'm gonna pick up a clearstream2 tomorrow , found someone local seling then for $35 nib. Gonna hook it up straight to the tvs for now. Then decide on the which tv unit. I would like to POP for a lifetime upfront but not really in the budget right now. Thanks for all the replys. Oh I can split the antenna feed to 2 tvs and a 3rd to the tivo unit right?

Save

mr.unnatural

· #7 · Dec 27, 2011

That's a great deal. I just hope the Clearstream2 has enough gain for your distance. A Clearstream4 may be better suited for your location, but at that price it's worth giving it a try. It's probably going to depend on how many times you split the feed to route the antenna to TVs in your household. If it's just one TV then it will probably be fine.

I'm using two different Clearstream models on my roof aimed in opposite directions. I've got a Clearstream2 aimed at Baltimore and a Clearstream4 aimed at Washington, D.C. I've got them joined together with a standard VHF/UHF splitter/combiner and they work great.

Save

unitron

· #8 · Dec 27, 2011

1QWK510 said:
I've always had pay tv, I'm ready to cut the cord. I'm looking to put up and outdoor ota antenna running to a tivo unit. Then use my xbox 360 for streaming. From a little research it looks like the tivo HD is a better choice than the premier for ota. What's a good antenna? Antenna web.org suggested a yellow to get all the stations I want which are about 40mi from me. Thanks for any advice, I'm trying to do this on a budget since I was recently laidoff from the satellite provider I worked for.

Not to appear unsympathetic to your employment situation, but I wonder if people cutting the cord and going exclusively OTA accounts for your layoff.

Save

unitron

· #9 · Dec 27, 2011

Today, 02:04 PM #10
Enrique
TiVo Forum Special Member

Join Date: May 2006
Location: San Antonio,Tx
Posts: 4,581
TC CLUB MEMBER

There are a lot of meanings to the title "satellite provider" and it may not have anything to do with Pay TV.
__________________
"To tolerate does not mean to forget that what we tolerate does not deserve anything more."

#FreeTNT

So he got laid off from NASA?

Save

mr.unnatural

· #10 · Dec 27, 2011

unitron said:
So he got laid of from NASA?

NASA only puts them in orbit. Companies like Lockheed Martin, Space Systems/Loral, and Boeing actually provide them.

Save

1QWK510

Discussion Starter · #11 · Dec 27, 2011

You guys got me I'm an astronaut. Lol let's just say I was a technician for a pay tv provider and no it was not due to people cutting the cord.

Save

unitron

· #12 · Dec 27, 2011

1QWK510 said:
You guys got me I'm an astronaut. Lol let's just say I was a technician for a pay tv provider and no it was not due to people cutting the cord.

So you got laid off because the equipment is so much more reliable now that they need fewer technicians?

Save

Series3Sub

· #13 · Dec 30, 2011

Consider the higher monthly rate for the Premieres while S3, HD, HDXL are still at the old legacy monthly rates. the S3 platform TiVo's pencil out much better, especially if you want more than ONE TiVo.

Save

ncbill

· #14 · Dec 30, 2011

I'm using a Clearstream 2, mounted on the side of my entertainment center, pointing out the window, to get my locals (35 miles away).

I also use an amplifier because I split the signal between two Tivos.

With this setup I can also get 4 out-of-market channels (transmitters 60 miles away) on the HDTVs, though the Tivos' ATSC tuners are not as good (they usually can see only 1 or 2 out-of-market channels)

This setup has let me avoid the hassles of an outdoor installation.

mr.unnatural said:
That's a great deal. I just hope the Clearstream2 has enough gain for your distance. A Clearstream4 may be better suited for your location, but at that price it's worth giving it a try. It's probably going to depend on how many times you split the feed to route the antenna to TVs in your household. If it's just one TV then it will probably be fine.

I'm using two different Clearstream models on my roof aimed in opposite directions. I've got a Clearstream2 aimed at Baltimore and a Clearstream4 aimed at Washington, D.C. I've got them joined together with a standard VHF/UHF splitter/combiner and they work great.

Save

1 - 14 of 14 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month