[GTALUG] ot: sort of, is it really impossible to get real cable anymore?

Wed Nov 29 12:50:05 EST 2023

Note that over the air OTA TV also provides the Buffalo FM classical
station sans picture. You can listen to classical music through your TV.

https://www.wikihow.com/Build-Antennas "
- Create a simple TV antenna using a coaxial cable and tinfoil or a
jumbo-sized paperclip.
- Make a HDTV antenna using copper wires and a wooden board. Avoid using
insulated wire."

On Wed, 29 Nov 2023 at 12:44, Karen Lewellen via talk <talk at gtalug.org>
wrote:

> Hi Evan,
> granted as said, the watching over  my DOS computer, or my flip phone is a
> firm  no.
> While I do have personal and professional interest in Boston and Detroit,
> that you are getting Buffalo might make this a worth while experiment,
> even
> if it just gets me through the Holidays..I am quite isolated here, and all
> the  mayhem around  how i reach the world is weighing quite heavily.
> Can you give me a specific loop model, and a from where?
> There is a co-worker with cSI who has been a divine gift, putting together
> my DOS machine and working with my spare talking scanners.
> If I get this swiftly, I can discover if it is workable, there is a window
> with a ledge right out behind my set.  In fact I have a garden shelf it
> can be attached to, so ling as  it does not have to run through the window
> itself.
> Kare
>
>
>
> On Wed, 29 Nov 2023, Evan Leibovitch wrote:
>
> > One option available to some cord cutters is going back to the antenna.
> >
> > I have one on my rooftop and it does quite a good job of picking up
> Toronto
> > and Buffalo channels, which I find preferable to the Robellus options for
> > two reasons:
> >
> >   - The off-air signal is not compressed so it can be noticeably sharper
> >   than cable or satellite
> >   - The cable/dish options usually get their US feeds from Detroit or
> >   Boston or some such; Buffalo local news and weather will be more
> relevant
> >   to me
> >
> > This isn't just limited to people with their own houses. A good small UHF
> > antenna can also work well from an apartment building, especially if
> you're
> > south-facing. I once lived on an upper floor in a St. Jamestown tower
> > (Wellesley/Parliament) and my reception was outstanding with just a
> simple
> > loop. A really good website for determining what you can get at your
> > location is tvfool.com.
> >
> > I use these channels mainly for local news, sports and weather. Most
> actual
> > programming can be found on the web, either through a subscription to a
> > service like Crave or ... there are other paths
> > <
> https://www.howtogeek.com/71315/the-how-to-geek-guide-to-getting-started-with-usenet/
> >.
> > I also have a tuner called an HDHomerun that takes antenna input and
> > provides it through your home network (ie, accessible to your PCs and
> > phones) so you don't even need a coax-input TV.
> >
> > Of course you can in theory receive over the air channels using an
> antenna
> >> and an ATSC tuner, but if you are in a basement that seems unlikely to
> work.
> >>
> >
> > For the expense of a simple loop
> > <
> https://www.amazon.ca/Antenna-Indoor-Amplified-Digital-Miles-Support/dp/B0BWDSXVLG/ref=sr_1_20
> >
> > -- some are available for under $25, and you can return it if it doesn't
> > work -- if you're close enough to the CN Tower you might be surprised.
> >
> > - Evan
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Nov 29, 2023 at 12:23 AM Karen Lewellen via talk <
> talk at gtalug.org>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Hi,
> >> If I could get the digital box, without having to use a modem, I would
> >> likely  be fine, because the digital box would tap into the existing
> >> blanket internet  wireless wise would it not?
> >> In fact that was my landlord's idea adding an extra receiver to his
> >> account, for which I would pay the rental, as it is just on another
> floor.
> >> I am curious how the antenna idea works, I am above ground for the area
> >> where   my television sits, so perhaps?  what do I need?
> >> Oh  boy does my television have optical outs..in spades
> >> The DVD player  has an HDMI port, I imagined connecting the cable box to
> >> this, and since the set is connected to the  player it would be enough.
> >> I still have my old Roger's  digital cable box, the one they provided
> for
> >> older televisions as well.
> >> wish I had fewer trees, not only is satellite less complex, from bell
> >> there
> >> are   channels automatically provided with audio description for the
> blind
> >> enabled..they do not provide this for Fibe.
> >> Kare
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Wed, 29 Nov 2023, Lennart Sorensen wrote:
> >>
> >>> On Tue, Nov 28, 2023 at 08:09:47PM -0500, Karen Lewellen via talk
> wrote:
> >>>> Hi folks,
> >>>> before simply saying you avoid television, Part of what I do
> >> professionally
> >>>> means accessing  a great deal, news channels and other things for
> >> example.
> >>>> And for me, the, I will just watch it on my computer is a nailed shut
> >> door.
> >>>> This entire property is Bell fibe saturated which  while it might
> >> translate
> >>>> to one of their fibe TV boxes working for me, its almost December and
> I
> >> am
> >>>> no closer to my land line solution..even with photographs of the
> >> existing
> >>>> jacks.
> >>>> So,I am wondering if at all, it is still possible from anyone to
> simply
> >> find
> >>>> old fashioned cable box cable.
> >>>> I have all the rest of the equipment, and it all works..even my VCR.
> >>>> I am even wondering if, since the place is so saturated for wireless,
> >> if I
> >>>> got an older apple TV, third gen still had optical connectors, or a
> >> rocku, I
> >>>> could come up with something. not as good as regular cable, but I am
> >>>> grasping for ideas.
> >>>> thoughts?
> >>>
> >>> Bell's Fibe service has only ever worked with their boxes.  Rogers
> cable
> >>> has been moving to all digital over the last quite a few years, and
> >>> analog cable (that a VCR could directly tune) has been gone for a
> while,
> >>> with everything going digital.  They even gave people free little boxes
> >>> for a while to connect to older TVs that could tune the basic digital
> >>> channels but I don't think they even do that anymore.  I think
> everything
> >>> now involves a digital cable box.  On top of that they have been moving
> >>> to IP based systems (Rogers Ignite) for a number of years and I doubt
> >>> they would install the legacy digital cable anymore for new accounts.
> >>> Definitely no analog cable left anymore.
> >>>
> >>> Of course you can in theory receive over the air channels using an
> >>> attenna and an ATSC tuner, but if you are in a basement that seems
> >>> unlikely to work.
> >>>
> >>> So unfortunately as far as I can see, the only things you can get these
> >>> days is Bell Fibe or Rogers Ignite, both of which require using a box
> >>> from the respective company and only outputs HDMI.  VCRs won't do
> >> anything
> >>> with that, and older TVs won't either.
> >>>
> >>> The streaming method might work, although if you were looking to get
> >>> access to local TV stations, I have no idea if any of the streaming
> >>> services offer that.
> >>>
> >>> As far as I can find, some of the Bell Fibe boxes have optical audio
> out.
> >>> The Rogers Ignite boxes do not appear to have it.  Of course some TVs
> >>> also have optical audio out, so it might not have to be optical out on
> >>> the box you are receiving with, if the TV has that.
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Len Sorensen
> >>>
> >> ---
> >> Post to this mailing list talk at gtalug.org
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> >> https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Evan Leibovitch, Toronto Canada
> > @evanleibovitch / @el56
> >---
> Post to this mailing list talk at gtalug.org
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> https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
>
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