OTA Digital Subchannels

[WhatTheBuck 28798]

I can receive a total of 24 digital subchannels over a cheap antenna, not all with great reception. I've considered buying a more expensive antenna to see if I can boost reception but I'm not sure if there is programming on channels like Grit or GetTV that I would watch. Some of them are Spanish language and/or religious channels and I have no need for them. 

I've got a dozen subchannels under the big five -- NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS. According to my TV Guide app the local CBS affiliate has two more reserved for future use. My favorites are MeTV, Laff, AntennaTV, Heroes & Icons, and CreateTV. CreateTV is under PBS and at night it's alternate PBS programming. Two of the PBS subchannels do that. I've seen a lot of cooking shows on CreateTV that I've never seen on PBS, BBQ with Franklin being a prime example. They also carry The Best of The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. 

AntennaTV airs full episodes of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson every night. Often his guest list is more appealing than those of the current late night talk shows. Third Rock From the Sun comes to Laff starting on Monday. I haven't seen that in a long time. That was a great show, I'm looking forward to seeing it again. 

Decades is a weird channel. They don't have a lot of regular programming other than reruns of The Dick Cavett Show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and highlights from The Ed Sullivan Show. Every weekend they run one old series exclusively and call it the Decades Binge. This weekend's binge features The Greatest American Hero starting today at 1e/12c. Heroes & Icons also runs two episodes of TGAH every Saturday morning but if you have Decades then this is your chance to fill up on the adventures of Ralph and Bill and Pam (played by the lovely Connie Sellecca) and the superhero suit Ralph got from the little green men from outer space. 

[Vito Andolini 9132]

I’d probably like to watch some local over the air channels, but we have the most piss poor reception where I live, TV and cell, it’s hard to get a signal. I’d be surprised if 25% of the available channels are captured when I run a search.

Have you gone all OTA TV? Are there acceptable (I know, a subjective word) over the air reception-capable DVRs? I’ve just been using a DVR to watch TV for well over a decade, and would typically watch almost everything on VCR back in the day. I’m so used to being able to rewind, pause or stop that I can’t imagine not having that ability.

I’m paying a stupid amount for DirecTV, so I wouldn’t mind ramping down, incorporating some OTAs, maybe getting a basic cable plan for ESPN and a few other channels, but Spectrum’s pared down plan doesn’t seem to allow for a DVR and as mentioned, antenna picks up next to nothing.  

[WhatTheBuck 28798]

My old DVR doesn't detect OTA channels but that may just be because it's a Sony and it sucks. It's a DVD recorder but the DVD-burning function ceased working years ago. It still records from cable. I rarely recorded anything but football games anyway. I never bothered with a DVR from the cable company. I assume there must be digital recorders out there that can record OTA broadcasts but you wouldn't be able to work from a channel guide. You'd have to know the time and channel and program it accordingly. That's my guess. 

I dumped Spectrum almost two months ago. I'll have to choose an alternative before football season but I can get by on OTA for the summer. I'm not thrilled by any of my options. 

[RPM 26353]

Grit shows a lot of old westerns and GetTV runs shows owned by Sony. One thing about Johnny Carson on Antenna, during the week they air the 1 hour episodes made in the 80's - 90's. On the weekend they show the 90 minute episodes from the 70's. Agree they're just as entertaining and often better than what Colbert, Kimmel and Fallon have to offer.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8819]

If I didn't love sports the way I do... I'd be OTA and Netflix till I die.

METv ftw

[phdhorn 6224]

I get really good OTA's because I'm 1,175 feet up on a hill in Western Travis.  90% of them are shit.  The ones I watch mostly:

7.4 (MeTV - probably 75% of my watching).
7.2 Movies - usually they suck but they have streaks of some really good ones, however they do show some great not-so-on-everyone's-list almost cult flicks from time to time.
54.1   - late night started running Family Guy, Two And A Half Men, and American Dad - love it.  Plus I can watch KXAN news when their main (36) isn't running it.
19.6 - Forget the name, but they used to have some good shows.  However, recently they seem to have converted (been bought out by) Swaggart's SonLife Channesl.  I love watching that shit from time to time because it's so fucking awful-great.  There are occasions where they do a few good gospel music segments.  Whatever else Swaggert may be (and he usually is a big one.. of a lot of shit).. the guy can do gospel; cousin of Jerry Lee/Mickey Gilley, he's got a real talent for it; he got some Grammys (( think) in the 50's or some point for his gospel albums and his band/music is first-rate.  However at times it's just boring but sometimes it's really good.   The other stuff is sheer gold, Jerry!
19.5 Light TV - I think it's a very subtly tinted religious influence, but they run good old "family shows", e.g. old sitcoms from the 70's and 80s.

The other shit:  Laff has a very, very rare good show, GetTv usually sucks but when they do Sonny and Cher's show, that's worth it; Grit has all those westerns which at times can be interesting to see some megastars before they got mega, but most of the time it's a reminder of why most of those old shows didn't last half a season - they were terrible.  Sometimes a peek at GSN mostly for Match Game, but not much else.

All in all, it's MeTV for the bulk of it, and the next 3 channels i listed make up about the last 24$, making the other shit 1% (maybe a show every 1-2 weeks.

[atomheartbevo 89792]

Austin PBS has several we watch.

18.2/18.3 = cooking, crafting, travel, history.   Real travel. Not that fake Travel Channel bullshit.  Among others, Rick Steves and the next person to file a restraining order against me, Samantha Brown.

And then we have 18.4. PBS Kids. 24/7.  Better than Netflix a lot of times.

[WhatTheBuck 28798]

The PBS Kids 24 hr network is weird. Whose kids are up watching tv in the middle of the night?

[WhatTheBuck 28798]

How's this for timing? Remember how I mentioned that there are two episodes of The Greatest American Hero on H&I every Saturday morning? Well, I watched those two yesterday. Coincidentally those are the same two episodes airing right now on the Decades Binge so I won't miss anything while I watch the World Cup Final.