Television without cable?

[Patf]

Does anyone in The Villages watch television without cable? Can you get any channels with rabbit ears or an antenna in the attic?

[LvmyPug2]

we were unsuccessful in our attempt to get any channels without cable or satellite Comcast does have a limited basic pkg that was about $20/mo

[Lbmb24101]

we also were unsuccessful w rabbit ears
We won't be permanent in TV till late spring so we did not want to hire a service yet....have been w/o television since Dec 26th!
Thank goodness for our ipad and snpmartphones, and books and friends....

[gmcneill]

I suggest that you Google "clothes hanger HDTV antenna".

You will receive a selection of many sites that will show you how to make a do-it-yourself, low-cost antenna. It's a rather easy, simple, and kind of fun project.

We made one a few years back just for something to do. It worked quite well. Really!

[readmore]

External antennas, indoors or outdoors, do not work in the Villages. The closest tower is over 60 miles away. Nearest towers are in Gainesville and Orlando. You can Google all the information you need or go to Best Buy and they will share their info as well.

[OldManTime]

Does anyone in The Villages watch television without cable? Can you get any channels with rabbit ears or an antenna in the attic?

I had a small portable battery operated TV that got one channel

[kathy and al]

Take a look at RabbitTV.com. A small USB device that plugs into your computer and apparently is able to connect you to over 5,000 TV stations throughout the country. Believe it is approx $10 a year. May be an option for you.

[gmcneill]

A word of caution about rabbit tv.

Google rabbit tv and judge for yourself.

[EdV]

If you have a high speed internet connection, here�s a great low cost solution for basic entertainment. You can purchase an $80 Roku 2 XD box (http://shop.roku.com/). Then for $8/month get a Netflix account (https://signup.netflix.com/)and configure your Roku box for your Netflix account.

You will then have on demand access to thousands of movies and selected hit TV series. What�s more, if you head north in the summer, take the tiny Roku box with you and connect it to your TV up there.

[Arctic Fox]

If you have a high speed internet connection, here�s a great low cost solution for basic entertainment. You can purchase an $80 Roku 2 XD box (http://shop.roku.com/). Then for $8/month get a Netflix account (https://signup.netflix.com/)and configure your Roku box for your Netflix account.

You will then have on demand access to thousands of movies and selected hit TV series. What�s more, if you head north in the summer, take the tiny Roku box with you and connect it to your TV up there.

What sold you on the ROKU XD over their cheaper (LT or HD) or more expensive (XS) models?

Do you have a link showing the free TV channels the ROKU can access?

Thanks

[EdV]

The XD model adds support for the higher resolution HD at 1080p that all new TV�s support and is backward compatible with TV�s that have the lower 720p in older HD TV�s. The XS adds gaming support which I have no use for.

See the links on the Roku and Netflix sites for specific channel info. Note that the Roku unit will work with several different content providers but I have found Netflix the best for my tastes.

[dude175]

Does anyone in The Villages watch television without cable? Can you get any channels with rabbit ears or an antenna in the attic?

For TV viewing in the Villages you can get a small remote controlled HDTV outside antenna. Coverage ranges up to 80 miles in any direction. You will receive over 30 channels in this surrounding area. This will not give you Satellite TV or Cable TV but you will get all network (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) TV plus other extras, including PBS, education channels, old time TV series channel, and Christian. There is also TWO movie channels. Total one time cost, installed is about $150-$180. Or buy unit for $80.00 and install yourself. You must have the converter box if you have a old analog TV. Ideal for the person or couple that watches mostly network TV or is only here part time, or that is tired of paying $80-$100 per month. No monthly fee, this will save you $100's per year. If you have WI-FI, like myself, you can also sign-up to Netflix, (I use ROKU 2 to access Netflix) which I watch just about every night, gives you a choice of so many movies, it is hard to make a decision on which one to watch. PM me for more info on who to contact. Dave 352 450 4009

[UpNorth]

I tried a scan with rabbit ears on my HDTV today and came up with nothing. Perhaps a more sophisticated antenna could pick up one or 2. Roku is a good alternative if you can be satisfied with mostly "in demand" internet programs. I have experienced Dish, Direct TV and the local cable here in TV and they all stink. I wish I could have my ATT U-Verse system down here, but that would be impossible since it is an above-ground system with VRad boxes mounted on telephone poles. Far superior to anything available in TV. Hopefully, something will come along that will be better than what's currently available.

[Virtual Geezer]

It will also depend on where you live in TV. If up north you can forget about getting anything from Orlando. The further south you go the better your chances. I know of one individual that put up an external antenna just north of See Breeze. He can get the network channels from Orlando but at times it is spotty and he cannot watch anything. He also has a pre amp installed in line. For the amount of tv he watches it works for him and it is not loss if things may be out for that evening. Another thing not that all over the air transmissions are digital what you could watch perfectly well in the analog world will not work in the digital. Sun spots also have an impact on the signals.

VG

[UpNorth]

Considering the lack of "free" over-the-air TV channels and the limited AM and FM radio options, I think my future options will be limited to internet TV and XM/Serius radio.

[LyndaS]

I bought a DB8 antenna from Amazon which I placed in my attic. It is important to know that off air antennas are very directional. If you change the direction the antenna is facing, you must rescan the channels. As it is sitting right now, I have 28 channels with a good picture, 4 channels that are pixelated and 2 that are poor. 10 of the channels are not in English.
Prior to purchasing the DB8, I had a small digital antenna but I was only able to get 3 channels and they were all in Spanish.

[Villageshooter]

my big thing is ESPN have you found a way to get the either off the air or via web?

[UpNorth]

my big thing is ESPN have you found a way to get the either off the air or via web?

Not 100% sure, but I think you can watch some ESPN broadcasts live, but you have to get an app and pay for it. Unfortunately, not "free".

[Radioman41]

We are seasonal residents so we hated to go the cable or dish route. We were able to get the Fox channel out of Ocala with an indoor antenna and a high quality amplifier. With digital TV you either have a good or nothing. There is not much in between. Atmospheric conditions will govern when it works in a fringe area. We finally went with a seasonal package with Comcast for cable and internet.

[Joey D]

I know you can purchase what is called a HD TV antenna. You can go online and Google HD antennas and read all about them. They are not big and can mount very easily outside of your home. Not sure about in the attic though. You can get all of your local channels plus more. Radio Shack may even carry them.

[mecarr542]

we also were unsuccessful w rabbit ears
We won't be permanent in TV till late spring so we did not want to hire a service yet....have been w/o television since Dec 26th!
Thank goodness for our ipad and snpmartphones, and books and friends....

Direct TV lets you turn off service twice a year with no penalty.

[Patf]

Wow! Thanks for all the great feedback. I think I am going to like it in The Villages

[JeffAVEWS]

This may work, it's what I have for my RV. I got a antenna (rabbit ears for digital TV) from the Pilot gas station, the kind that truckers use. I bought a digital TV preamplifier from Amazon.com and I built a pole out of PVC from Lowe's. I use tie-wraps and stick on mounts on the side of the RV to hold the pole steady. It works well, and it's easy to set up. I haven't tried it in The Villages, but I'll bet I can get some reception. Total investment is under $75.00.
To use a Roku or Sony media box you will have to have internet.

[Arctic Fox]

Direct TV lets you turn off service twice a year with no penalty.

...for a maximum of six months a year (unless you are lucky enough to get a sympathetic agent on the phone)