Digital antenna/Cablevision problems

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 7:43pm

I'm looking into getting a digital antenna so I don't have to pay Cablevision $7 a month for a cable box, but I have no experience with digital antennas.

Long story short, when I went back to school, I dropped down to basic cable and returned my cable box to Cablevision to save money. When the whole "everything is going digital" thing happened, they said that if we got TV through Cablevision (which I did), then we wouldn't have to worry about it, so I didn't. I get home last week and suddenly I have a message on my TV screen saying I now need a digital box in order to watch even basic cable. First they said that I could use any digital converter box, so I bought one online, plugged it in today, and it doesn't work. I called Cablevision and this time they told me that it has to be a Cablevision box. I'm pretty fed up with them and don't want to pay an extra $7 a month indefinitely.

I live in a third floor apartment in Brooklyn. Would a digital antenna get decent reception? When I first moved in I had traditional rabbit ears and the picture was awful, very grainy and static-y. I can't stick it out the window or put it on my roof. Does a digital antenna give you a better picture than analog?

Second question, does anyone have any brands or models they recommend? Cheap is a priority, but I also want it to work.

Any other thoughts on digital antennas?

Anyone go through anything similar with Cablevision?

Thanks for the help! Much appreciated!

(Also, before anyone suggests it, I looked into Fios. Not available in my area.)

Updated On: 3/10/10 at 07:43 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 7:58pm

Here's a good resource to help you choose the right antenna for your needs and specific location.
Antenna Web

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 8:19pm

Just to be clear, "basic cable channels" aren't free to the public. (At least not legally.)

You have to pay for their box or their service or both, etc.

Your local network-affilicated channels and your local PBS stations ARE free to the public. All you need is a digital converter box, plus an antenna (either rabbit ears or something on your roof, etc., whatever is necessary to pick up the signal).

So if your cable company is telling you that you must buy their converter box to get your "free" local channels, that's not true.

But if you're trying to get "basic cable," which has more channels than just ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN and PBS. Then, yes, you'll need their box.

Hope that helps.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 8:33pm

Besty, I know that. Before, I was paying Cablevision $15 a month for those four channels, plus a handful of others that I never watch. The reason I was paying Cablevision for channels I could get for free is because, as I said, I started with plain old rabbit ears and the picture was nearly unwatchable. However, because they now want to charge me even more for those, I am looking into a digital antenna. I just don't know how the picture compares with traditional rabbit ears (pre-DTV conversion).

Now, if I buy a digital antenna, do I also need a digital converter box? Or does the digital antenna do the work of both? Is it digital antenna, plug into TV, good to go?

[DAME]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 8:59pm

Oh lord. You have me so confused. Shouldn't you be able to get a free box included with your service? Maybe if you cancel and then re-sign up as a new customer they will throw it in for free and you will get a better deal? Or call them up and tell them your switching to directv unless they can give you a better deal. I have satellite. So I really don't know. But I am fascinated with your dilema. You should be able to get a digital box for about $39.00. They look good.. but they are a pain in the ass . You need to reprogram them every once in a while. There is also the option of connecting your computer to your tv ( which is the way of the future).

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 9:19pm

The signal for local channels through a standard digital converter box (connected to either rabbit ears or a roof antenna) isn't much better than the old analog signal using an antenna.

Sorry to disappoint, Yero.

It might be marginally better at best. I helped hook up an elderly friend of my dad's up. She refused to get cable, since she never watched TV that much. She had two small TVs and got the converter boxes for each. I saw a slight improvement in picture over her old rabbit ears, but not much.

If you want cable-quality channels, you'll have to pay the cable company for them.

Do you have a roof antenna you could connect to? Then the converter box might work. But if the signal is already weak where you are, then cable may be the best bet.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 3/10/10 at 9:29pm

I need to ask my super if there is an antenna on the roof. There might be.

So the digital converter box hooked up to an analog antenna didn't improve the picture. What about a digital antenna? Any idea about those?

DAME, if I get my channels through Cablevision, then the only box that will read the signal is a Cablevision box. You rent the box from Cablevision, so they tack on an extra $7 per month to your bill. Up until now, I haven't needed the box to get the basic channels.