HD antenna reccomendations

[puckhead]

It's funny how you reminded me of when I went through all of this back in the early 2000's when HD started being broadcast OTA in Phoenix. I think I paid like a $1,000 for the Mitsubishi Sat/OTA tuner to connect to my $2,800 rear projection monitor. I was definitely on the bleeding edge back then! Just a couple of channels to watch at the time, most not even running around the clock. PBS had the same HD demo loop running over and over but the picture was incredible. No sub-channels at all, just max'd bitrate on 8.1. Come to think of it, I believe it was Chandler Mike at the time, who I met on an old HDTV message board, and he eventually turned me on to this place!

And here we are, twenty years into the future and I'm thinking about antennae and tuners again.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Looks like a cool service. I hadn't seen it before. Unfortunately it looks like it won't work for the use case. They don't carry yet the major stations so channel 3 and 15 are not available through it yet.

That sucks! It used too. (or at least I remember it doing it. It is possible I only did it for NFL, so 5, 10, and 12 were all I needed) The fact that you use a DVR on it too, made it really handy.

 

[puckhead]

After about 4 channel scans and some tweaking of the antenna, I was able to solidly lock on to 15.2. Picture looks like ass, which isn't surprising because they clearly haven't gotten around to re-balancing the bit rates with the main and other sub-channels. If this is what they're going with for games, the fans using OTA are in for a very big disappointment.

The box I bought is trash. Even at 35 bucks or whatever, I expected a little better. The remote sucks bad. I still need to futz with the audio settings, because the sound drops constantly. I'll try a better HDMI cable than the one they included. Perhaps that will help. That isn't a huge deal to me because I'll often watch with Sirius on or a CD playing instead of listening to the dopes blather on about how "The Coyotes need to score more goals than their opponent and play good defense to have a chance to win this game." Wow, thanks for that brilliant and analytical insight into the complexities of the game.

Nash can accidently be entertaining sometimes with lines like, "There's a lot of sausage out on the ice right now!" and "He got that one in hard between the legs."

 

[Devilmaycare]

After about 4 channel scans and some tweaking of the antenna, I was able to solidly lock on to 15.2. Picture looks like ass, which isn't surprising because they clearly haven't gotten around to re-balancing the bit rates with the main and other sub-channels. If this is what they're going with for games, the fans using OTA are in for a very big disappointment.

The box I bought is trash. Even at 35 bucks or whatever, I expected a little better. The remote sucks bad. I still need to futz with the audio settings, because the sound drops constantly. I'll try a better HDMI cable than the one they included. Perhaps that will help. That isn't a huge deal to me because I'll often watch with Sirius on or a CD playing instead of listening to the dopes blather on about how "The Coyotes need to score more goals than their opponent and play good defense to have a chance to win this game." Wow, thanks for that brilliant and analytical insight into the complexities of the game.

Nash can accidently be entertaining sometimes with lines like, "There's a lot of sausage out on the ice right now!" and "He got that one in hard between the legs."

On tip, mount your antenna as high as you can. Some of what you're describing could be a poor signal. For a bit I had mine at about 4' off the ground because I was being lazy. When it was there I could barely get channel 10. It would stutter, get blocky, audio cut, etc. It's in the same location now but about 9' off the ground and everything is perfect. That extra 5' of high made a world of difference in allowing it to get around whatever was blocking the signal.

 

[puckhead]

On tip, mount your antenna as high as you can. Some of what you're describing could be a poor signal. For a bit I had mine at about 4' off the ground because I was being lazy. When it was there I could barely get channel 10. It would stutter, get blocky, audio cut, etc. It's in the same location now but about 9' off the ground and everything is perfect. That extra 5' of high made a world of difference in allowing it to get around whatever was blocking the signal.

Yeah, raising the antenna's location is what helped me eventually lock in the video signal. When it was behind my tv, I couldn't even scan the channel. Luckily my tower speakers are tall enough!

 

[Folster]

So here's what it's looking like:

HD Homerun= $200

DVR service fee for guide= ~$35/year

Antenna (if my indoor antenna can't tune 15.2)= $59

USB hard drive (luckily I have a spare 500Gb that should work)

So much for my $150 budget, lol.


That's nearly $300 and the time to install everything for Yotes games of unknown picture quality and the reality is we don't even know if they're staying here long term. The money isn't that big of a deal, but man, they really can't make it easy to be a fan of this team.

Why'd you settle on the HDHomerun? Have you checked out the Tablo? You get 50 hours of onboard storage and a free guide with the $99 device purchase.

From their website:
Tablo (4th gen) DVR & streaming device with 50+ hours of onboard storage
Dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity for optimal antenna placement
Power supply and optional Ethernet cable
Rolling 14 days of TV Guide Data, no subscription required
Indoor TV antenna (35-mile) & coaxial cable (Tablo Total System only)

 

[Devilmaycare]

Why'd you settle on the HDHomerun? Have you checked out the Tablo? You get 50 hours of onboard storage and a free guide with the $99 device purchase.

From their website:
Tablo (4th gen) DVR & streaming device with 50+ hours of onboard storage
Dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity for optimal antenna placement
Power supply and optional Ethernet cable
Rolling 14 days of TV Guide Data, no subscription required
Indoor TV antenna (35-mile) & coaxial cable (Tablo Total System only)

There's a $109 HDHomerun so it's sort of a wash price wise.

As for why I went HDHomeRun there are a couple of reasons. First off I've had it for like 7 years and things were a little different back then. The HDHomerun was night and day better from a tech standpoint back then. I'm trying to remember the specifics but there were tech limits back then that swayed me.

Until the 4th gen Tablo (current) they had a monthly fee for the TV guide service. This was a big negative for me since I only have been using it for Cards games. The $5/month was a waste.

Interoperability. This is a huge one for me. Tablo works with the Tablo app. HDHomeRun works with almost everything. There's multiple AppleTV and Shield apps (Channels is the best), Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin's Live TV options work with it, Kodi support, etc.

The final thing now is, ATSC 3.0 support. Tablo doesn't support it and neither does the entry level HDHomerun. HDHomerun's higher end models do though and it's how I'd go if I was buying right now. I've actually been tempted to buy a new one to have this for the future. Phoenix is a trial market for it and we have 11 stations broadcasting on it including the Suns and Cards. I don't think 15.2 is on it yet for the Yotes.

 

[Folster]

There's a $109 HDHomerun so it's sort of a wash price wise.

As for why I went HDHomeRun there are a couple of reasons. First off I've had it for like 7 years and things were a little different back then. The HDHomerun was night and day better from a tech standpoint back then. I'm trying to remember the specifics but there were tech limits back then that swayed me.

Until the 4th gen Tablo (current) they had a monthly fee for the TV guide service. This was a big negative for me since I only have been using it for Cards games. The $5/month was a waste.

Interoperability. This is a huge one for me. Tablo works with the Tablo app. HDHomeRun works with almost everything. There's multiple AppleTV and Shield apps (Channels is the best), Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin's Live TV options work with it, Kodi support, etc.

The final thing now is, ATSC 3.0 support. Tablo doesn't support it and neither does the entry level HDHomerun. HDHomerun's higher end models do though and it's how I'd go if I was buying right now. I've actually been tempted to buy a new one to have this for the future. Phoenix is a trial market for it and we have 11 stations broadcasting on it including the Suns and Cards. I don't think 15.2 is on it yet for the Yotes.

Yeah. I wouldn't buy a box with that required a subscription fee. I was pleased to see that the 4th Gen Tablo provided the guide without additional cost.

I think ATSC 3.0 has been overhyped based on its potential, but adoption remains glacial. There is no 4K content and most if not all broadcasters are just broadcasting the same quality available on 1.0. Even TV/device manufacturers are starting to drop the 3.0 tuners from new products. Right now the only benefits to 3.0 are better reception and the ability to broadcast subchannels at a higher resolution, but that currently isn't happening from what I've read.

I did a lot of research a number of years ago and ended up going with the AirTV. I liked it's integration with Sling with or without a sub to Sling, but the main factor was the ability to easily stream my local channels outside of my home network. It does reduce the quality to 720p, but that doesn't bother me as I'm just happy to be able to watch a Cards game if I'm away from my house or on vacation.

I also ran my antenna to my cable box and then split it to all of the coax outlets in my house so all of my TVs get signal from my roof mounted Yagi.

 

[Devilmaycare]

Yeah. I wouldn't buy a box with that required a subscription fee. I was pleased to see that the 4th Gen Tablo provided the guide without additional cost.

I think ATSC 3.0 has been overhyped based on its potential, but adoption remains glacial. There is no 4K content and most if not all broadcasters are just broadcasting the same quality available on 1.0. Even TV/device manufacturers are starting to drop the 3.0 tuners from new products. Right now the only benefits to 3.0 are better reception and the ability to broadcast subchannels at a higher resolution, but that currently isn't happening from what I've read.

I did a lot of research a number of years ago and ended up going with the AirTV. I liked it's integration with Sling with or without a sub to Sling, but the main factor was the ability to easily stream my local channels outside of my home network. It does reduce the quality to 720p, but that doesn't bother me as I'm just happy to be able to watch a Cards game if I'm away from my house or on vacation.

I also ran my antenna to my cable box and then split it to all of the coax outlets in my house so all of my TVs get signal from my roof mounted Yagi.

ATSC 3.0 has been overhyped and has some greed issue with the DRM BS. I'm looking at maybe upgrading my hardware for it mainly for the better reception. Channel 10.1 is my most difficult one to receive. I get random stutters and pixelization only on it.

I have an adjustment I'm going to try on my antenna first though. I think I can go a hair higher and better angled. Last adjustment like that made a huge improvement for me.

 

[Folster]

ATSC 3.0 has been overhyped and has some greed issue with the DRM BS. I'm looking at maybe upgrading my hardware for it mainly for the better reception. Channel 10.1 is my most difficult one to receive. I get random stutters and pixelization only on it.

I have an adjustment I'm going to try on my antenna first though. I think I can go a hair higher and better angled. Last adjustment like that made a huge improvement for me.

I was having issues with 10.1 where it would randomly refresh and the channel info would pop up constantly. I finally traced it to a bad tap splitter as it only impacted the TV that was connected to the tap line. Check all of your splitters and connections, but getting the antenna higher is never a bad idea.

I mounted mine to the roof of my two story house and I am only 15 miles away from South Mountain. I was positioning my antenna at dusk, I could see the red lights from South Mountain and pointed my antenna right at them. I think I get 120 or so channels, but most are trash content. I'm not sure who watches some of those channels.

 

[Devilmaycare]

I was having issues with 10.1 where it would randomly refresh and the channel info would pop up constantly. I finally traced it to a bad tap splitter as it only impacted the TV that was connected to the tap line. Check all of your splitters and connections, but getting the antenna higher is never a bad idea.

I mounted mine to the roof of my two story house and I am only 15 miles away from South Mountain. I was positioning my antenna at dusk, I could see the red lights from South Mountain and pointed my antenna right at them. I think I get 120 or so channels, but most are trash content. I'm not sure who watches some of those channels.

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately that's not the case with mine. I'm wired directly from the antenna to my HDHomeRun. No splitters or anything. My main issue is that I'm out by WestWorld. So I'm about 22 miles and threading the needle between the mountains. That's why I'm going higher today. It's really the only solution. Going from 4' to 9' made a huge difference. Hoping that getting up to about 13' (highest I can go without building a tower ) will give another boost in performance.

For positioning your antenna check out the RCA Signal Finder app. You enter a location into it and which channels to aim for. It then gives you a map of you and the TV towers. The green line is the direct line between. The red line is the direction your phone is aimed. So you just hold your phone to the antenna and rotate it so that the red line turns green.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Folster]

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately that's not the case with mine. I'm wired directly from the antenna to my HDHomeRun. No splitters or anything. My main issue is that I'm out by WestWorld. So I'm about 22 miles and threading the needle between the mountains. That's why I'm going higher today. It's really the only solution. Going from 4' to 9' made a huge difference. Hoping that getting up to about 13' (highest I can go without building a tower ) will give another boost in performance.

For positioning your antenna check out the RCA Signal Finder app. You enter a location into it and which channels to aim for. It then gives you a map of you and the TV towers. The green line is the direct line between. The red line is the direction your phone is aimed. So you just hold your phone to the antenna and rotate it so that the red line turns green.

You must be registered for see images attach

That's a cool app. I used something similar while positioning mine but it was a bit silly as it was pointing directly at the red lights I could see on South Mountain. I'm just south of Downtown Gilbert so the broadcast towers are due west of me.

 

[puckhead]

Why'd you settle on the HDHomerun? Have you checked out the Tablo? You get 50 hours of onboard storage and a free guide with the $99 device purchase.

From their website:
Tablo (4th gen) DVR & streaming device with 50+ hours of onboard storage
Dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity for optimal antenna placement
Power supply and optional Ethernet cable
Rolling 14 days of TV Guide Data, no subscription required
Indoor TV antenna (35-mile) & coaxial cable (Tablo Total System only)

For about the same reasons DMC laid out. The most recent Tablo looks pretty good as an option too, no doubt.

But, I have decided to hold off as my temp $35 solution seems to be able to handle what I need for now. I'll go a little while like this in the hopes that the Yotes eventually get their DTC option ready and then I can move on from antenna installs and even more stuff in the A/V rack.

 

[puckhead]

I figured out the audio issue I had. Was a setting in the TV's audio return channel. Now it's solid.

The box is still trash, but it's getting the job done for minimal cost and hassle. I'm just lucky that it is only for this particular usage, because there is no way I could put up with this thing for daily viewing.

 

[Devilmaycare]

BTW guys, if you setup, move, reaim, basically look at your antenna then do a channel scan. It can help get the stationed tuned in again. Try it if you have a station that had been working correctly but started having issues too. They've tweaked frequencies in the past.

 

[Dan H]

There's a $109 HDHomerun so it's sort of a wash price wise.

As for why I went HDHomeRun there are a couple of reasons. First off I've had it for like 7 years and things were a little different back then. The HDHomerun was night and day better from a tech standpoint back then. I'm trying to remember the specifics but there were tech limits back then that swayed me.

Until the 4th gen Tablo (current) they had a monthly fee for the TV guide service. This was a big negative for me since I only have been using it for Cards games. The $5/month was a waste.

Interoperability. This is a huge one for me. Tablo works with the Tablo app. HDHomeRun works with almost everything. There's multiple AppleTV and Shield apps (Channels is the best), Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin's Live TV options work with it, Kodi support, etc.

The final thing now is, ATSC 3.0 support. Tablo doesn't support it and neither does the entry level HDHomerun. HDHomerun's higher end models do though and it's how I'd go if I was buying right now. I've actually been tempted to buy a new one to have this for the future. Phoenix is a trial market for it and we have 11 stations broadcasting on it including the Suns and Cards. I don't think 15.2 is on it yet for the Yotes.

I’ve got a HDHomeRun tied into my Plex server for DVR, it’s great.

Are you doing any DVR functions? I’d like to move my father in law to an HDHomeRun/Roku setup. He’s currently on Windows 8 Media Center, and I’d like to eliminate that and simplify as much as possible for him. If I can do it without setting him up with a Plex box that would be fantastic.

The next-gen Tablio would work if they had four tuner options.

 

[Devilmaycare]

I’ve got a HDHomeRun tied into my Plex server for DVR, it’s great.

Are you doing any DVR functions? I’d like to move my father in law to an HDHomeRun/Roku setup. He’s currently on Windows 8 Media Center, and I’d like to eliminate that and simplify as much as possible for him. If I can do it without setting him up with a Plex box that would be fantastic.

The next-gen Tablio would work if they had four tuner options.

I don't really do DVR with it. May main use is for live sports. I do have an Emby server with the capability though if I needed to. I know both HDHomeRun and Channels have DVR solutions but I haven't really looked into what's required for either since I don't have the need and have Emby.

On 4 turner Tablio, search on it. I think I read that they have one in the pipeline when I was reading about the gen 4 Tablio.

 

[Dan H]

I ended up e-mailing the company to ask, all the search results point to the older version.