We've Dumped Cable TV for Free TV

You've seen the ads on Cable TV to dump the dish. We took it a bit further and dumped cable. Commercial accounts are expensive compared to residential accounts. With continuing rate increases, it was decided long ago to dump cable. However, we didn't have a converter box to watch ATSC broadcasts. With a spare HDTV converter meant for older HD monitors without a ATSC tuner, we put up an antenna and started receiving OTA (over-the-air) broadcasts. We receive stations from both Austin and Waco television markets.

Two things came up from using this tuner. The first is the forced 16:9 aspect ratio forced on the output. Even with composite outputs, it does not work on 4:3 sets without putting the squeeze on video. Resetting the aspect ratio on the box does nothing.

The other is the lack of on-screen display for use with menus and channel labels. In order to use the menus, a display with HDMI or component inputs is needed. The composite video output just isn't this tuner's best feature.

Still it works and most people don't care about the picture. I don't watch TV and this doesn't affect me. The distorted picture is a little worse on a TV than I've seen.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• samsung
• hdtv
• converter
• receiver
• tuner
• composite
• output
• 16:9
• 4:3
• tv
• television
• atsc
• digital
• channels
• free
• cable
• dumped

[Dan12Red]

Good video. I bought a TIVO premier paid lifetime on it so thats works out to around $20 a month for 2 years which is what they want for standard subscription. It works with cable or antenna. netflix, amazon, built in. New slider remote that makes searching for shows a breeze now. I shut off Direct TV at 85.00 a month. In about a 13 months I will recoup my total investment. And OTA tv does not suck imo. I get big bang, the closer, law and order etc etc. and it records them all so no commercials.

[CenTexVideo]

@Dan12Red The ability to watch that with no ads is a HUGE plus for a guy like me. You got a pretty awesome deal on Tivo.

In the Austin market, we have many channels but few choices as several channels are duplicates. The stations on the other side of Austin in the Hill Country offer even more choice, but the signal isn't strong to begin with and probably would come it, but these converter boxes are locked out of manual tuning for ease of use.

[1MaskedMexican]

Your "free tv channels" are all shit. This is only for fools that subscribe to basic cable

[CenTexVideo]

Perhaps, but he isn't paying for a rip off price for cable anymore. In fact, he probably would have cancelled the subscription soon as analog cable will become a thing of the past.

You don't need to tell me the OTA channels suck. It is why I don't watch TV anymore. There's nothing worth watching.

[naterade21]

easy fix for that old tv if you know what ur doin lol

[CenTexVideo]

@naterade21 Anything can be done! Sadly, the JVC television got rained on last week thanks to a leaky roof.

[blownup78]

Did you ever plug that big pecker into an HDTV?

[zengrenouille]

I didn't understand what most of this meant. Remember when TV was simple?

[CliveGains80s]

What man did foxtel do to vut my free to air off. it finished. they wont reconnect my free to air but they say it there foxtel is coming from the ground? they installed no leads. simply a lot of banging outside. the spare tv outlet cost $130 before foxtel with brand new rg6.there a box inside the metre box with two coax lead into it.

[1MaskedMexican]

@cadmiumblue Like 2% of what I buy I hate.

[cadmiumblue]

@1MaskedMexican A lot of cable channels are shit, too.

[1MaskedMexican]

@CenTexVideo well its pretty much how you like tv and how often you watch tv