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Been cut off from my favorite TV programming

76.126.254.2

Posted on January 22, 2018 at 22:18:39
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15154
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
PBS - KQED

They've changed antenna's in my area and I have no hope of receiving over the air.

Now it appears that I have to get cable.

For Comcast, should I rent or buy their box? I hope they've gotten smaller as my space is already taken up with home theater stuff.

What is this Roku stuff about not requiring a cable box? It's a BOX, isn't it?

Wife is overjoyed. I've always hated 200+ channels and still NOTHING worth watching.

 

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Another question, posted on January 22, 2018 at 22:44:19
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15154
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
If I want to transport the decoded signal to a TV in another room -- that is also wired with RG-6?, I think, is the TV signal out from these set top boxes in HDTV format? You would think it is a programmable option as no one really has old style TVs anymore. This would work as the main TV often gets co-opted by the teenagers hooked on chain watching serials on NetFlix, and as I've already stated, I don't care for station flipping, so I don't need two boxes and two remotes.

 

Have you tried this?, posted on January 23, 2018 at 05:08:15
RadioWonder
Audiophile

Posts: 1236
Location: Arizona
Joined: March 16, 2003
KQED will be removing the KQEH over-the-air television signal from the Monument Peak Tower, located in the San Jose area, on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 (Note: this maintenance was previously scheduled for December 15, 2017). We will now broadcast our full suite of channels (KQED 9, KQED Plus, KQED World and PBS Kids) on Channels 9 and 54 from Sutro Tower in San Francisco, and on Channel 25 from Fremont Peak Tower in the Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz area. This change will affect a small number of households, predominately located in the eastern Bay Area, that still depend on antenna reception. It has no impact on residents who receive their television via cable, satellite or the Internet.

If you're using an antenna and are experiencing reception problems, you may need to rescan your television.

Additionally, you may also have a rescan option on the remote for your converter box or digital TV. Select "scan" or "autotune" from your TV or converter box control menu to start the scanning process. You can usually find instructions by pressing the "set-up" or "menu" buttons on your television or digital antenna remote control. If you have difficulty, consult the owner's manual for more detailed instructions on how to run a channel scan, or contact customer service for your TV or converter box manufacturer.
If that fails, direct your antenna towards the San Francisco (Sutro) or Salinas (Fremont Peak) towers, if possible.
If you have a roof antenna, we recommend hiring an antenna installer to make these adjustments to your antenna....


More Help...
https://www.kqed.org/tv/help/tunein.jsp

 

YES, posted on January 23, 2018 at 08:13:06
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15154
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
I'm in blackout area to receive a signal straight from San Francisco. While I'm not far, I'm in a valley that allowed me through to their previous Fremont antenna.

Too bad they can't put repeaters in locations like mine. I did send them an email.

 

RE: Been cut off from my favorite TV programming, posted on January 23, 2018 at 11:02:29
6bq5
Audiophile

Posts: 4366
Location: SF Bay
Joined: August 16, 2001
I would look at Roku-
We were given one for x-mass - haven't played with it yet-
But my understanding is that it will - with Internet access - bring you some of the previously available broadcast programing-

Of course w/ KQED - if you pay, Ahhh I mean Donate, you can have unlimited internet access (or at least till the money runs out-)

Happy Listening

 

Really?, posted on January 23, 2018 at 11:08:20
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15154
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
I'll buy a Roku device in an instant!

Why is it only Roku that has it? I don't quite understand why Roku only, BUT I have no problem with that actually.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

RE: Really?, posted on January 23, 2018 at 11:16:40
6bq5
Audiophile

Posts: 4366
Location: SF Bay
Joined: August 16, 2001
I have not paid attention to the broadcast wars too much - and until my son won a TV in a team raffle- we have not had a TV for many years-
A friend gave us the Roku - mostly for a home on the north coast (even less over the air reception) - and it appears to work -

Happy Listening

 

An idea!, posted on January 23, 2018 at 15:08:18
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15154
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
I'm curious how high up I need to go. Easier to get high if I'm no longer on my own property, though. I'm ready to purchase a laptop HDTV receiver so I can see how high up I need to go.

I know: Just buy the cable subscription!

 

RE: Been cut off from my favorite TV programming, posted on February 2, 2018 at 09:19:04
robert.weatherman
Audiophile

Posts: 10
Location: Florida
Joined: February 2, 2018
you can try this to see where TV towers are in your area and how far away they are.

https://www.antennaweb.org/Address


--Go Cats!

 

Not true?, posted on February 7, 2018 at 18:41:57
Doublej
Audiophile

Posts: 674
Location: Boston
Joined: January 11, 2009
A few more options besides Roku

http://www.pbs.org/anywhere/connected-tv/

 

Antenna Amplifier, posted on February 25, 2018 at 02:10:19
Carl G
Audiophile

Posts: 710
Joined: July 4, 2000
have you considered use of an amplifier for the antenna.
if there is a signal available but is too weak, a Winguard amp of the correct gain may do the trick. I have one and can get stations i originally figured were out of my reach. Also, I am quite pleased with the Amazon Fire TV, which is similar to the Roku.

 

RE: Been cut off from my favorite TV programming, posted on March 5, 2018 at 13:44:36
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15486
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
Amen! when Spectrum took over BrightHouse, dozens of my fave channels were dropped from standard the standard package. Of course the company will add them back into programming for an up charge (read: rip off).

Reminds me of Springsten's "57 Channels"

 

go to pbs.org to stream, posted on May 8, 2018 at 09:40:05
I believe you can stream for free, go to pbs.org

 

RE: go to pbs.org to stream, posted on May 11, 2018 at 14:07:49
slbenz
Audiophile

Posts: 541
Location: CA
Joined: October 11, 2003
Also as a resident in Northern California and specifically in the SF Bay Area, I used to have Xfinity (Comcast) and used their DVR. I didn't like their DVR because the fan almost never turns off and is somewhat noisy. It also uses 43 watts of energy all day/night long. I am fortunate to be living in the East Bay and easily receive their signal with an inexpensive set of rabbit ears. I also have a 4K Roku which I really enjoy and use every day. I cut the cord and went with over-the-air and with Roku. More than enough for me. The Roku has sharper images than Xfinity or over-the-air.

 

RE: go to pbs.org to stream, posted on May 12, 2018 at 13:49:37
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15154
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
Really? That's good to know. Actually, that I can stream direct from PBS and use Roku.

Well, I got into the one year contract and I'm going to stick it out, but make note of when the contract expires (and they hike the rate).

My wife wanted the 200 stations, but we STILL only watch PBS, and NetFlix appears to be popular, too. So, we miss the Academy Awards and the Olympics every 2 years. I think over-the-air was better quality than Comcast through their scrambler box. So, if Roku is even better than that, I'm all for that (and I will need ammunition when convincing my wife ;-)

Still, wish I could figure out how to get the signal. I have to play around with the antenna, maybe. I may not be able to get it high enough because I don't know what height I need. Maybe, I'll purchase a USB digital TV stick and go find the best location by walking uphill with a laptop.

Thanks for the suggestions to all.

 

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