Cord cutting is nothing new, but folks like me like $$, or keeping as much of it as they can. I do find it ironic that many now pay close to cable costs with the multiple streaming services. I am not one of those, currently just holding onto Netflix (even with their ridiculous regular increases) and antenna over the air (OTA) connections for most of our digital media consumption. Sharing a login for others channels or paying Apple for something specific from time to time is nice.
After having acquired a newer 75” 4k television, I decided that the tuner wasn’t important enough to seek out since it was lacking one anyway. The wife thought otherwise.
Thus my new quest to find:
- Digital TV Tuner
- Antenna connection for free local basic channels
- Easy to use
- Low cost
- Quality software that doesn’t feel dated like those crummy cable interfaces that have been near unusable for so long
For about $30 more than a standard digital tuner box I was able to get these Bonuses:
- DVR Recording of shows (commercial skipping coming)
- Antenna cable doesn’t have to connect to the television!
- Streamable to any device: Can play anywhere in the house (or outside our WiFi network with subscription)
- Works with Roku or preferably my Apple TV 4k
- Works on multiple televisions in the house (ours having Apple TVs) with no physical antenna connection to TV required
Summary: $140 new or $80 used, I’ve been able to rock a truly digital experience with DVR functionality using an app on my Apple TV.
- https://www.tablotv.com
- https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-4k/
- https://www.amazon.com/ClearStream-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna-Mount/dp/B008PBTPOI/ (Not sure which is best and current)
Buy an Antenna, Roku or Apple TV and Tablo for capturing OTA (Over The Air) channels to complete this great experience.
The alternative, if budget allows and you don’t mind a bit more geekery and cost, would consist of:
- NVidia Shield running Plex
- Subscription to Plex for the show schedules
- AntennaHDHomeRun or other digital tuner (Tablo dual-tuner USB adapter) to capture the signals and interface with the Shield
To complete the cord cutting experience, feel free to research these popular services:
- Netflix
- YouTube TV
- Sony Vue
- Sling
- Hulu
- DirecTV Now
Just a few of the helpful resources:
