[theorem painter]

We are moving in our new home tomorrow and will only be here for the month of March before we return to Rochester. We did not bother to contact a cable provider because of the short time we will be here. My husband is already going thru ESPN and Fox News withdrawal. Does anyone use just an antenna to access local stations?

[OldManTime]

I have a HDTV antenna, but just the major channels, no cable channels

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by OldManTime

I have a HDTV antenna, but just the major channels, no cable channels

Can you pick up the villages channel on that

[Villager Audio Video]

You can get lots of High Definition channels over the air from anywhere in the Villages but ESPN and Fox news are not on that list. Those are pay to play.

[Villager Audio Video]

[dewilson58]

I went to Best Buy and spent $100 on an antenna. I was a non-believer, so I wanted to make sure I could return it. I did not return it.

I get 46 channels. About 1/2 are HD. Some in Spanish. I'm loving it. I get the network channels, no Fox News, but I do get a Fox channel.

Aim towards Orlando.

For $100, it's worth it.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Golfingnut

Can you pick up the villages channel on that

I can not.

[Villager Audio Video]

The Villages does not broadcast and it's an old school analog 4:3 480i signal carried over cable. You cant broadcast analog anymore, digital only...

[UpNorth]

Originally Posted by theorem painter

We are moving in our new home tomorrow and will only be here for the month of March before we return to Rochester. We did not bother to contact a cable provider because of the short time we will be here. My husband is already going thru ESPN and Fox News withdrawal. Does anyone use just an antenna to access local stations?

I have a Slingbox 500 hooked up to my att Uverse system in Connecticut. When I come to The Villages, I can watch and control all my tv stations and DVR recordings on a tablet, a laptop, or on a large screen TV through a Roku box. All you need is decent upload speed at the Slingbox location, and a decent internet connection down here at The Villages. It works, and it is pretty amazing. If you have cable at home, you can stream it down here with a Slingbox. A hard-wired Slingbox costs about $160, the WiFi version is about $280. Get one, and you can watch your home TV anywhere you have an internet connection.

[shawano1]

We are also part-timers and have an outdoor antenna and receive PBS, ABC, NBC, CBS & Fox along with METV and a host of Hispanic and Religious channels, all in HDTV.

We also have basic internet service on a six month trial for $20/mo and installed a wi-fi router with OB-I box, that we connected to an analog terminal adapter. With Google voice, we now have telephone, wi-fi internet access and basic TV for the $20/mo rate plus the investment of the above boxes all totaling around $250-300. We than connected a small and inexpensive ($100 on open box sale at Best Buy), Samsung home theater system to our tv (via HDMI cable) and router, and have access to Netflix and Pandora and a number of other providers. There are many options for those who don't want big cable/satellite tv bills.

[Ecuadog]

Originally Posted by shawano1

... with OB-I box, ... With Google voice, we now have telephone, ...

Be aware of the OBi/Google changes coming May 15, 2014.

Obihai Technology

[Monkei]

Originally Posted by TheVillagesAV.com

The Villages does not broadcast and it's an old school analog 4:3 480i signal carried over cable. You cant broadcast analog anymore, digital only...

Do you guys sell the attic antenna and do the installations? Please PM me costs and particulars, thanks.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

You can put your cable and internet on vacation hold for up to 9 months for about $15 a month! Brighthousr or Comcast both offer it.

[SantaClaus]

We are not at TV yet but have begun our transition to the "fixed income lifestyle". One of the first things we axed was our satellite tv. My biggest concern was that we had become so accustomed to watching our shows off PVR rather than live. Then I discovered that many (most?) TiVo units can record in HDTV over the air and offers all the PVR convenience we are used to. We got a TiVo Premiere for $100 and we are delighted with the change. The guide subscription (required) is $15 a month, but that's a whole lot better than the $60 we were paying for satellite. It's a great option if you mostly watch network shows. For about $8 a month, assuming you have good internet, you can add either Netflix (for mostly movies) or Hulu (for mostly cable tv). We are doing Netflix right now and bingeing on House of Cards and The Following, but will probably trim that too once our binge is over ;-) All that to say there are lots of options other than "cable".