Again, by "cable," I mean cable, satellite, U-Verse, etc.
There are several sources for alternatives to cable TV. The three major sources are:
Broadcast (free, OTA) TV.
Streaming TV.
"Over the Top" streaming services.
WHAT'S ON THE AIR?
The first stop to cutting cable is to find out what you can watch on freely-available OTA (broadcast) TV. To start with go here:
TITAN TV: http://www.titantv.com
There are other service providers, but TitanTV has the most robust user interface (GUI) and also is the only major TV listing service that currently offers Sling TV listings, which you may want to add down the road.
Make an account -- it's free, and it will allow you to keep your settings. TitanTV won't sell your email address or bug you with sponsor offers. Now create a new channel lineup. Choose "Broadcast" and enter your zip code. Sometimes there will be more than one city/area listed; choose the one that applies to you. You'll then get a grid of stations in your area that are freely available. In major urban areas that could be over 50 stations --- yes, 50 free stations. In smaller areas, it might be less than a dozen. In my medium-sized area, I get 18 stations.
TV is different nowadays than it used to be. The digital conversion means that your local network station can offer more than just its affiliated network (i.e. NBC). Through substations, it can -- and probably does -- offer other networks. Some of these include: ME-TV, Antenna TV, Cozi, MyNet, ION, THIS, GetTV, MyNet, Retro TV, etc. Many of these offer what's known as "vintage" programming: movies and TV series from the 1950s, through 1990s.
After you've seen what stations are available, the next step is to decide what stations you actually want to watch. For example, I have no use for Home & Garden TV (HDTV), the Food Netword (FOOD) or the many many shopping channels. TitanTV has an edit feature that allows you to "hide" channels that you won't be watching. You can also have multiple lineups; one can list every channel, while another can list only the channels you want.
WHAT STATIONS CAN I ACTUALLY RECEIVE?
Once you see what stations are nearby, and you've determined which you actually may want to watch. the next step is to see which of the desired stations you can actually receive. That's usually not the same thing as what's actually in the area. It will depend on how good of an antenna setup you have, the terrain where you live, how far above level ground you are, the frequencies/bands that the channels operate on, and other things. But fear not: there's a way to get a good idea of what will be available BEFORE you plug in your antenna or go out to find one.
Before deciding on an antenna, you should first go to this site:
http://www.tvfool.com
Again, there are similar sites; I prefer this one, because it explains everything without trying to sell you anything else. Once there, click on "TV Signal Locator" on the left. On the next page, fill in your information. Enter the physical address (you don't need to put the unit or apartment number in) and the zip code. This is desired, because TV Fool needs to geolocate your position in order to give you the most accurate information. Don't worry; they won't keep your address on file, nor is it listed on the report that's generated. Don't put in a value for Antenna height yet; leave that blank. After you click on "Find Local Channels, a report will generate. Before reading it, you should bookmark that page so you can return to it later when needed.
On the report that's generated, skip down to the graphic that lists the columns, station call signs and many numbers. Don't be afraid: I'll explain how to use them.
The stations are sorted by a column called NM(/Db). Put simply, that's the strength of the signal from that station that you'll receive. Note that only --.1 is shown for the virtual channel (the one you'll be entering on your remote control; this is also known as a "re map"). That's the base station. The other stations will have the same transmitter and same signal strength: for example, if you can get 4.1, you'll also get 4.2, 4.3, etc. if they're offered.
What you're looking for under NM/Db is a number at least 35 or higher. Sometimes a lower number will work, and sometimgs a higher one won't, but as a rule of thumb, you'll want 35 or higher. These are colored green. If all of the stations that you want are in the "green zone," then you can probably get by with a good indoor antenna. If any are in the yellow zone, you may want to use or buy a good attic or outdoor antenna. Channels in the "red zone" are probably not going to be available without a strong antenna. Note that many channels that you find in the lower yellow and the red zones may be redundant, meaning that their equivalent channels can be found higher up in the graph.
If everything you want to watch is in the "green zone," then the next step is to determine if any of these channels are on the VHF frequency. There are three major frequencies used in digital televsion: Low-VHF, High-VHF, and UHF. Most stations, including those that used to operate on VHF in the analog days, have moved to the UHF frequency, although for familiarity's sake they use the same virtual channel, i.e. channel 4 would use 4.1, 4.2, etc., even though it may be moved to frequency band 38. This is relevant to you if any of the stations you want are on frequency bands 2 to 6 (low VHF) or 7 to 13 (high VHF). The way to find this is to go to your TVFool report and look at the second column, titled "Real". That's the band the station operates on. As you'll see most are 14 or higher.
If all the stations you want are on band 14 or higher, you can get by with a simple indoor antenna. I've tested several, and the one that does as well as any of the others on the UHF (14+) and High VHF (7 - 13) bands is the Channel Master Flatenna. This costs a mere $10 , with free shipping, from the Channelmaster site. You can find it at:
http://www.channelmaster.com
As a bonus, the Flatenna also supports bands 7 to 13 (High VHF).
Low VHF (bands 2 to 6) is where almost all indoor antennas fail. Only about 2% of all stations still operate on this spectrum. If one of the stations you must have is on band 2 through 6, then you'll probably want an outdoor antenna. If an outdoor antenna is out of the question you can buy the Flatenna, an inexpensive set of "rabbit ears," and a splitter (these can be bought at many stores such as Radio Shack or Home Depot).
Even though your stations are in the "green zone," that doesn't mean you'll always get all of those stations. Unfortunately, the only way to be sure is to plug antenna and try it. Trial and error will tell you what position is best for the antenna. Since the Flatenna only comes with a short cord, you may want to buy a coaxial cable (again, Home Depot and Radio Shack sell these); a 15 foot one will cost about $7.
When your antenna arrives, the next step is to position it so that it pulls in as many stations as it can. The best place is usually right near a window, and if you have the option, it's a good idea to have it facing the broadcast towers. You can find out where they are from the TVFool report, with north being 0 and 360 degrees, south being 180 degrees, etc. Positioning the antenna is a matter of trial and error. If the antenna doesn't get the channels you want, you may need a stronger one. There are several websites that discuss antennas in detail.
Once you know what channels you can get on broadcast TV, and what programming those channels will give you, it's time to check out other options, which are covered in subsequent posts.
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