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Cable TV vs Free Antena TV

Discussion in 'Living in Sin (City that is)' started by tominiowa, Jul 29, 2019.

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  1. tominiowa

    tominiowa High-Roller

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    Cox is getting out of control with their rates. Esp since we only use TV 4 months a year there. Has anyone in Vegas hooked up those free TV antennas and if so how is the signal and do you get the local stations? We are not big TV watchers and think we could adjust to using Netflex once cable is cut.

    Thanks for the input
     
  2. Las Vegan Cajun

    Las Vegan Cajun High-Roller

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    I have a digital antenna connected to one of my TV’s, although we still have COX. There’s dozens of channels available, including all the local channels.

    The signals are great, in fact you’ll be amazed at the difference in picture quality, much better with a digital antenna than cable.

    There are various different ranges for digital antenna’s, you’ll need to pick the one that will receive the signal depending how far away you live from the transmitters.

    I bought mine at Fry’s and they have a map of the entire Las Vegas valley showing the location of all the transmitters, which happen to be up on Black Mountain. Look at where your place is located on the map to see how far away you are from the transmitters and that will show you which antenna you’ll need.
     
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  3. JJLV

    JJLV High-Roller

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    Not a direct answer to your question but sharing that we are snowbirds and live in 2 different places half the year. We suspend our 2 different cable/internet providers and just pay a nominal monthly fee to do so. Here is your Cox info on suspending for 1-9 months. Cox fee is higher... https://www.cox.com/residential/special-offers/seasonal.html
     
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  4. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    I have used multiple different ones and they all seem to work good. Do you know you can SOMETIMES just put a metal paper clip in the hole and pick up local stations? Make sure it is metal.
     
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  5. Glenn357M

    Glenn357M High-Roller

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    I have been hijacking my Daughters comcast cable account for TV channels since we moved out here. Still have COX as a provider 111 bucks a mo for basic tv and fast internet speed.
     
  6. SMG

    SMG VIP Whale

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    I have a table top digital antenna as a back up when my cable goes down. LOL It works pretty good where I'm located, here in Chicago.

    Speaking of cable, I have Xfinity's triple play service (cable/internet/VoIP) and my bill went up another $40/month, since the promo I was on had ended. I stopped by my local Comcast/Xfinity store and had to threaten to switch to their competitor in order to get my rates lowered. Apparently, the promo I was on had ended, but I was able to switch over to another promo, with a better rate then I had before. It's really mind boggling that you have to threaten to pull the plug or move to their competitor in order to get a discount each time they raise their rates or each time a promo ends.:bang:
     
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  7. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Do you have cable at your primary residence during those 4 months? If so, you can get a ROKU TV or adaptor and stream many of your “home” channels.
     
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  8. Las Vegan Cajun

    Las Vegan Cajun High-Roller

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    That’s what I do with the TV I mentioned above. It’s in a room where there is no cable connection. I use an Apple TV module plus the digital antenna. Get quite a few of the channels through it that we have on COX.
     
  9. Kisby

    Kisby High-Roller

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  10. SMG

    SMG VIP Whale

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    Cutting the cord can be almost as costly as staying with cable depending on your data usage/internet speed plan and the types of streaming content that you require. It might be a cost saver for some, but not for everyone. Not all streaming services provided the same content, so one might be subscribing to multiple streaming services which can add to your cost. Also, some internet providers are placing data caps in some regions and they are charging a premium for unlimited data, as well as for higher download/upload speeds.
     
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  11. Kisby

    Kisby High-Roller

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    Actually, cord cutting saves money for almost everyone, especially if you do it correctly. Sometimes, a lot of money.

    You're probably already paying for internet at home, so no need to factor in that cost. As long as you have decent speed, you're good. No need to over-pay for internet. I'm paying the same price for internet now as I was before streaming. My family uses Hulu Live for our TV. about $55 per month. We were paying about $200 per month previously with cable or satellite. We still get all the channels we want. We gave up nothing. Actually, we added a lot of on-demand content which is very nice.

    I suggest people educate themselves. There are several good providers of streaming services. No contracts required. You don't need to wait all day for a cable guy to come to your home. You don't have to rent multiple cable boxes. Check out the link I provided above. That is one good place to start learning, but not the only one.
     
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  12. skybank

    skybank High-Roller

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    Disclaimer, I do not live in Vegas:

    But I became a cord cutter last year and have not missed it!
    To get an idea of your local channels and the direction to point your antenna towards for the best reception check out
    https://antennaweb.org/

    I use a flat window antenna for both of the TV's in my house and I live about 40 miles from the broadcast locations in Chicago.
    I get somewhere between 40 to 60 channels, but in truth only watch a handful.
    If you still want some of the "cable channels" check out Philo it's a streaming app for your smart tv, roku, amazon fire products, apple tv etc and is only $20 a month.
    There is a lot of info out there for cord cutters, enjoy saving some money!
     
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  13. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    The real problem is that cord-cutting by using online services is becoming increasingly untenable due to fragmentation. If you just want to watch local live TV, then an antenna is an excellent way to go. But now that every single media company is starting up their own streaming service, things like Netflix are becoming less useful unless you just want to watch their original programming.
     
  14. Viva Las Vegas

    Viva Las Vegas Elvis has left the building

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    I cut the cord after the final episode of The Larry Sanders Show, haven't missed it since. I don't have any internet add ons, watch you tube or sometimes movies I can find on line, that's all I need.
     
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  15. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    Cable TV rates have been creeping up, ditto with Internet access, but these are luxuries I enjoy and I am willing to pay for them as long as the rates do not absolutely skyrocket.
     
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  16. Ten_On_The_End

    Ten_On_The_End VIP Whale

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    If you do decide to get an antenna the digital tv reception is very sensitive to where you aim it. I use the antennaweb (mentioned previously) website to aim mine and use a good compass but you may be able to use an inside antenna if you don't have aluminum siding but I think that's rare in Vegas.
     
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  17. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    I supposedly have an antenna in the attic, that's what Mistah Land Lawd (C.I.L.L.) said, anyway, but have no clue how to hook it up or if it even works with the new digital channels.
     
  18. Mitkraft

    Mitkraft VIP Whale

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    A couple of points:

    There is no such thing as a "digital antenna" in regards to American broadcast TV. HD Broadcast TV (ATSC) is carried on the same waves as the original analog (NTSC) counterpart. That means all antenna that originally worked with analog TV will still work with digital. The only difference is whatever that antenna is connected to has to have a digital tuner instead of an analog one. I point that out because companies like to try and sell you on a digital specific antenna when there is no such thing.

    With that said, the best antenna are still the old school arrow shaped Channel Master types that people used to hoist above their roofs. I have a 2 story house with a high pitched roof and was able to hoist one up on the rafters of my attic and can get all of my local stations. Like any antenna the larger and higher the better. The arrow types have the benefit of having individually adjustable tines for fine tuning.

    If you still want a DVR for local shows you can get Tivo for like $15 a month or buy one second hand with lifetime service and avoid the monthly fee. I've been a Tivo user since their original model and will keep using mine for recording local over the air shows. Your Tivo can also act as an easy interface for most all of the streaming services so you can access all of your content from one box as well as share recordings to other Tivos in the house (although each requires a monthly or lifetime subscription).

    I've personally been tied to cable for quite some time but with rates getting higher and my budget getting tighter I will be trimming that as well. I am probably stuck in a contract for another year and a half but I'm thinking I'll get my service reduced to the bare minimum required for my contract (plus I still use them for internet and voice).
     
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  19. Glenn357M

    Glenn357M High-Roller

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    Just checked with COX because I want to watch the A&E channel. To add the package that has that channel is an extra 78 bucks a month 140 channels... probably only use 12 of them .... but come with free phone which I will never use lol. No thanks.
     
  20. Glenn357M

    Glenn357M High-Roller

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    If you are currently stuck in a contract you can call and tell them you are moving to an area they don't cover. They will let you out of it. You will have to find an area they don't cover before you call them of course.
     
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