[kwlug-disc] Cutting the cord

Tue Feb 25 17:29:24 EST 2014

I cut the cord about 2 years ago and here is my setup.  However, aside from
OTA, nothing is live.

MythTV 0.27 backend with an HD-Homerun Dual tuner for OTA and an outdoor
'saucer' TV antenna. In New Hamburg I get CityTV, GlobalTV, TVO, CTV (CKCO)
and CTV Two from London.  This covers my local programming and some of the
shows (Master Chef, Amazing Race, TVO Kids, etc) that the family likes.

I also can launch XBMC from my MythTV menu.  I use XBMC for the following:

-with the plugin 'Canada on Demand', which gets me a number of shows
streamed (after the fact) from sites like Discovery, HGTV Canada, Food
Network Canada, Global, CTV.  These are the ones I watch reliably.
-with a proxy, I also use the 'Free Cable' plugin, which gets me ABC, CBS,
NBC and some of the other American networks (after the fact).
-The above proxy also works with the BBC iPlayer, so hooray for Doctor Who!
-Youtube shows with the Youtube plugin.
-I torrent shows I can't get.

This did mean, I had to watch the CBC live streaming of the Olympics on a
computer, but that was only because the two little ION boxes I use as STB's
don't handle streaming outside of Myth/XBMC well.

My wife and child both are happy with this setup, works well for us.

The total bill is 4.99/mo for the ability to see BBC and US stations, but
otherwise is free, aside from the cost of the computers used.  One caveat
is not being able to use wireless to stream the 1080i shows from the
MythBackend.

The one issue in regards to the Wife Acceptance Factor is upgrades, or
more-so, failed upgrades. :D  But that's another story.

Regards,
Colin

On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 4:53 PM, R. Brent Clements <rbclemen at gmail.com>wrote:

> I actually work with a guy who installs antennas professionally.  (in
> the sense that I help him install the antennas).  The three local
> transmitters listed above are really easy to pick up, tho some people
> with high-gain antennas and powerful amps may have signal problems
> with CKCO.  Not usually a problem if you are aimed in a different
> direction, as most antennas are very directional, and the signal is
> strong enough to come in anyway.
>
> Most, tho not all, residents of KW can pick up the signals from the CN
> tower and Hamilton without too much trouble, and that will give you
> every Canadian network.  CBC and CBC french, and CityTV/Omni1/Omni2
> are generally receivable.
>
> You will have the best luck if your property is not the lowest point
> in the surrounding area.  If you have to travel uphill when going
> generally east you may have elevation problems.  In general the higher
> the antenna the better.  We have found that if you are on the 8th
> story or above you rarely have problems.  We have also installed in
> some areas where the entire set of signals could be picked up when the
> antenna is being held on the ground.  Your mileage will DEFINITELTY
> vary.  Nearby sources of interference, such as transmitter towers in
> your neighbourhood, also seem to cause problems.
>
> As for what equipment seems to work best, our most effective
> installation in SW Kitchener used a pair of our cheapest antennas and
> picked up all of the Canadian content available, plus most of the US
> stations transmitting out of Buffalo as well.  This antenna has a VHF
> element integrated into it, which does help pick up a couple of
> Canadian channels that are unlikely to transition to UHF, which is
> something that all of the US has apparently done.
>
> In general we install antennas as high as safely possible with the
> equipment we have on whatever side of the house is necessary to point
> directly at Toronto.  Sometimes it is on the roof or the side of a
> chimney, sometimes it is on the side of a wall.
>
> A preamplifier will almost always help.  You can split the signal
> after the amp's power inserter.  If you need to split it more than
> once sometimes a distribution amp can be of benefit as well.  A four
> way splitter is almost always a two way split with each output split
> two ways again.  Three way splitters will usually have outputs labeled
> -3.5dB and -7.5dB.  The signal is stronger on the -3.5dB because that
> one is not split a second time like the other one is.
>
> On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 4:27 PM, Jason locklin <locklin.jason at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> http://freeknowledge.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/digital-tv-antenna-in-kitchener-waterloo/
> >
> > You should be able to get CKCO, Global, and TVO pretty much anywhere in
> > Waterloo with an indoor or wall-mounted antenna.
> >
> > On February 25, 2014 3:26:56 PM EST, CrankyOldBugger
> > <crankyoldbugger at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> I know there's a mountain of discussion on the web about ditching the
> >> cable TV, or in my case satellite TV, but it's not always information
> that's
> >> pertinent to Canadians.  So permit me to ask my questions here..
> >>
> >> Note that I can download any TV show I want via torrents (using RSS
> feeds
> >> for automation), provided it's not something live such as hockey night
> in
> >> Canada or some other sporting event, so watching "Big Bang Theory" every
> >> week isn't a problem.
> >>
> >> But if I go to internet-connection only, can I more or less dial up any
> TV
> >> channel (CBC, CTV, Global, History Chanel, etc.) on the internet and
> watch
> >> what they're broadcasting at that moment?  Would I be able to watch CTV
> >> Kitchener news at 6:00 from my TV?
> >>
> >> One of my TVs has a network port, so streaming to that one isn't a
> >> problem, but for the other TVs in the house, how can I watch any movies
> that
> >> I have on my network shared drives?  Do I need some sort of device to
> >> convert ethernet or wi-fi to HDMI?
> >>
> >> If I got an HD antennae, would I be able to get any decent stations up
> in
> >> North Waterloo without having to build a 50' tower?
> >>
> >> Most importantly, have any of the fine people in this mailing list cut
> >> their cord, and if so, how's it going?  Are you happy, or are you
> missing
> >> your TV provider?
> >>
> >> ________________________________
> >>
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> >> http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org
> >
> >
> > --
> > Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
> >
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>
>
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