I love watching TV from an OTA signal (Over The Air or broadcast, you know, rabbit ears). I do. Especially since the switch to Digital two years ago, I love it more. I love the quality of the picture. I love the consistency in aspect ratio. I LOVE that we pay nothing for it. Do I miss some of the channels that I used to flip through when I had cable? Sure, but do I miss it enough to shell out the $60 plus every month? Absolutely not. "But what if you miss an episode?" Then either we miss the episode, we watch it on Hulu, or wait 3 months and watch it on DVD when it comes out. There are OTA dvr solutions, we just haven't felt a need to purchase/build one.
Now, we haven't "cut the cord" completely. We do have a cable internet subscription. And with that, we have access to Netflix Instant, Hulu, ESPN 360, and CBS March Madness On Demand. Netflix comes through either the network connected TV (LG LE5400), network connected Bluray player (LG BD550), or one of the computers. The tv and bluray player each have a "widget" for accessing the streaming side of Netflix. Hulu comes through the HDMI enabled laptop connected to the TV. That same laptop served as the source for watching streaming broadcasts of the NCAA Men's Basketball tourney this past March when CBS wasn't broadcasting a game.
How did I get the TV and Bluray player networked? Both are already network capable (as most new tv's and bluray players are), I just had to run an ethernet cable from the router to the entertainment center. I could have gone with wifi enabled models or purchased a wifi dongle for either, but I believe in "if you can run a cable, run a cable". It's usually cheaper to buy a long cable than a wifi dongle from the TV manufacturer (monoprice.com). And I have rarely experienced a wired connection dropping like I've experienced wireless connections dropping.
When the switch to digital was initially made, we made use of the Digital Converter Box Coupon program. We registered for a $40 coupon (up to two per household) and purchased two of the converter boxes. They work with older tv's to process the new digital signal and convert it to analog. Initially we had two tv's setup with these boxes. Any tv manufactured after 2008 (I think) is already enabled for receiving the digital signal so there is no need for the converter boxes. But we still have one of our older tv's setup in another room, so we still use a converter box.
The actual antennae that we have connected to the tv is just a simple "bow-tie" antennae. It's cheap, it's not powered, and it's kinda small. But the signal in Chicago is strong enough that we have encountered little interference. I've tried different "Digital" antennae or powered antennae, and nothing increased the signal consistency that we get from the random bow tie antennae we had laying around. I have also MacGyver'd a metal coat hanger into a square shape connected to a cable that works pretty well on the second tv that still has a converter box connected.
Along with the cost savings of going with OTA, I also like that I rarely encounter a case where a channel is broadcast in the wrong aspect ratio. Have you ever seen a TV where the image is squished so everything looks short and fat? Or the opposite, everything looks tall and skinny? That is caused by the TV/cable box receiving and processing the signal incorrectly so the image appears distorted. We have our TV set to display the image received based "on the program". Meaning that encoded in the signal broadcast is the way that this image is supposed to be displayed on the TV. Then the TV recognizes that and shows the correct aspect ratio. One of my largest pet peeves in watching TV or movies happens when it is displayed incorrectly. I'm fine with black boxes on the top and bottom of the screen or on the sides of the screen as long as the image isn't squished one way or the other.
The last thing that I will mention on why I love OTA is that with OTA, I know that I am getting the purest signal possible. When a cable company sends you a signal of the locally broadcast channels, they receive the same signal that I am, compress it down in their equipment and send it over the lines to the cable box in your home. This means a level of compression/decompression where something is lost. It may not be completely noticeable, but it's still happening, I know that it's happening, and it bugs me. OTA doesn't have this.
With that, I will end this post and finally publish it.
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