Thinking of Cutting the Cord? (Part 1)

In 2012, for the first time ever, the number of cable & satellite subscribers in the US actually declined over the previous year. The number of channels available on cable/satellite continues to increase...but so does the cost. Many people stare at a guide with hundreds of channels and realize that there isn't anything on they are interested in. An increase in channels does not equal an increase in value if you don't watch most of them. Sure most of us have some regular shows we record and watch with our DVR but we are getting an increasing amount of the content we watch on our TV via streaming services such as Netflix. This is causing many people to "cut the cord" and rely on streaming services and over the air broadcasts for their TV content. We plan to join them. While there can be some serious savings associated with "cutting the cord" it isn't for everyone and there are plenty of things to consider.

The first is availability of content. While streaming services such as Netflix & Hulu+ have an amazing amount of movies and popular shows you can stream, as well as shows they produce, chances are they don't have current seasons of the shows you watch right now. Hulu+ is the exception and has many recent episodes from the broadcast networks but you are unlikely to find current seasons from cable channels like TNT, Discovery, History, etc. The good news is there is an alternative. You can purchase episodes of most cable network shows on Amazon (and iTunes) for $1.99 an episode. We watch several shows we will have to purchase from Amazon, but will still be far less than our current satellite bill.

If you are like us, you like to watch your local news and/or other live TV like sports from the major networks. For most people, "cutting the cord" doesn't have to mean giving this up. The major networks are still broadcasting their programming and as long as you are within range of their signal, you can get a crystal clear digital picture for FREE, which in many cases is in HD. To get an idea what channels you can get at your house, visit antennaweb.org and plug in your address. You can also get similar information from tvfool.com.

We are just over 50 miles north of the primary broadcast towers for the Sacramento area. It was clear from the research that we would need an outdoor antenna and one that could get both UHF and VHF stations. This is because in the Sacramento area both PBS (6.x) and ABC (10.x) are still broadcasting on VHF frequencies.  Something confusing about the digital transition is that broadcast stations now have virtual channels, such as 3.1, and an associated RF broadcast channel.  For example, KCRA 3.1 (NBC) actually broadcasts on RF 35.  If you want to pick up stations that broadcast on RF channels < 14 you will need an antenna that supports VHF as well UHF.  Otherwise, a standard UHF antenna will meet your needs.

Given our distance and need for both UHF & VHF, I went with the Clearstream 2V from Antenna's Direct. I've hooked up the antenna to test it out and I'm able to pick up ALL the major Sacramento stations crystal clear [3.1 (NBC), 3.2 (MeTV), 6.1 (PBS), 6.2 (PBS2), 6.3 (vME), 10.1 (ABC), 10.2 (ABC2), 13.1 (CBS), 29.1 (ION), 29.2 (Qubo), 29.3 (ION Life), 29.4 (Shop TV), 31.1 (CW), 40.1 (FOX), 40.2 (AntennaTV), 58.1 (MyTV), 58.2 (ThisTV)].

Yuba County is the northern boundary of the Sacramento TV market and by getting a multidirectional antenna, I hopped to pull in a few stations from the north of us as well.  Chico news sometimes provides more coverage of our area than do Sacramento stations.  I expected to get CBS 12.1 and possibly FOX 20.1 from Chico, but was unable to do so.  While the Clearstream 2V is able to pick up signals from the back side of the antenna, it can't do that with the same strength as the side I have pointed toward Sacramento...not to mention my roof is likely blocking the signal from the north.  This goes to show that your mileage may vary from what antennaweb.org says.  It depends on antenna placement, design, and what might be between you and the broadcast tower.

In a follow-up post, I talk about some devices you can use to stream your content and which one I plan to use.