Did NBC miss the boat on a new sitcom revolution?
The new fall season has started and that means my DVR is getting full again. This year, though, I’m passing on the usual crop of cop dramas and I’ve chosen a spate of sitcoms. I tried this…
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NICE AND EASY: What is a rotator?
Once upon a time, it was common for antenna rotators to be found in small towns all over the country. If you found yourself in central New Jersey, where it’s possible to get New York and…
Hey baby boomers! Here’s some great TV for you… only available with an antenna!
If you think TV was better in 1975 than it is in 2015… here’s some great news. A lot of the shows you used to love are still on the air. Back in the 70s and…
Does your school have an over-the-air antenna?
A lot of older schools have them… but a lot of newer ones don’t. Back in the 1990s and 2000s a lot of new schools were built and for the most part no one ever thought…
What is “cord shaving?”
Maybe you’ve heard the term before. If you haven’t, it refers to people who don’t want to ditch cable TV completely, but who choose to cut their cable bill to the absolute minimum. These are people…
IT’S NOT JUST YOU: The tuner in your new TV probably isn’t as good as the old one.
Good news is, there’s something you can do about it. First, the problem: You’ve just upgraded your living room from a 40″ to a 60″ screen. Maybe this is your first big upgrade since you went…
Will fireworks mess up your TV or satellite reception?
Believe it or not they could, at least for a very short time. But only under very specific circumstances. Here are some specific ways that fireworks could cause problems while they’re actually occurring: Shaking your mast. If…
My Signals Are Getting Weaker
Back in the winter of 2013-14, we had some very big ice storms here in the Washington, D.C. / Baltimore area, which took out a large number of branches and a few trees as well….
Can you live for a week as a cord-cutter? Here’s how to find out
Ain’t nothing to it but to do it. So goes an old quote, attributed to Maya Angelou of all people If you’re thinking about ditching cable, cutting the cord and going with a free TV solution,…
Testing High Gain/Low Noise UHF/VHF Amplifiers
I tested two High Gain/Low Noise UHF/VHF Amplifiers against a fairly normal good amp with 3.5 dB noise figure, this is my Reference Amplifier. The Comm Scope SV-A15PRS was my cable TV amp, and the…
How long should you expect an antenna rotator to last?
Here’s a case where they really don’t make them like they used to. When I was young we had an antenna rotator that cost about $100 – the equivalent of about $650 today. I don’t know…
ATSC 3.0 is coming and you should not care
Yes, I’m a little cynical. The Advanced Television Standards Committee, the people who designed the HDTV standards we use today, have gotten a lot closer to release version 3.0 of the ATSC standard. There are some…
Should you put a flat antenna on the outside of the window or on the inside?
Flat antennas like our HDBLADE are so slender that they’re just begging to be put on the window. This is especially true with the clear ones that let all that sun shine through. But the question remains,…
Don’t forget that USB charger!
If you’re considering our HDX Amplifier, It’s a good choice to add some “oomph” to your indoor antenna when used properly. There is one thing you need to know, though — In order for the amplifier to…
2015 Predictions: The year in broadcast TV
The 2010s have not been kind to broadcast TV. Even though antennas are hotter than they’ve ever been, broadcast TV as a whole has continued on a disappointing spiral. The Primetime Emmy awards continue to reward…