Using a good old fashioned TV antenna is getting more popular than ever. With streaming now costing over $100 per month for the most popular apps (combined) and cable TV prices soaring for the last 20 years, it’s getting to the point where entertainment is pretty darn expensive. That’s ok in good times, or if you’re locked in the house waiting on a health crisis to subside, sure. But, there are a lot of folks who are forecasting tough economic times and you just might be able to save $2400 or more the first year you go with an antenna. That’s going to sound pretty good to a lot of people, especially since there’s no monthly cost associated with a TV antenna. It’s free to watch and always will be.
Time to do some learning
When you research TV antennas, you’ll read the term “OTA” a lot. The biggest surprise is that “A” in “OTA” doesn’t stand for “antenna.”
“OTA” stands for “over the air.” It can refer to a lot of things. Before I get into the idea of TV antennas, here’s another way the term is used. With more and more connected devices, software updates are being delivered wirelessly through cellular networks. These are called (rightly) “OTA updates” as opposed to the kind of update where you have to go to the dealership to make it happen.
But that’s not super important right now. We’re talking about antennas.
OTA refers to antenna TV as opposed to cable or satellite TV. Yes, satellite signals are carried “over the air” too, but we don’t tend to use the term to refer to satellite. It may be a little less accurate, but we say “OTA” when we mean “free local TV,” and that’s all we use the term for. It dates back to the days before satellite, when your choices were cable… or not cable. Since “over the air” is sort of the opposite of “carried via cable,” the name stuck.
Hey, English is full of old words that don’t really fit anymore. When was the last time you called someone over the phone and used a real actual “dial” to select the number? And for that matter when was the last time you made a voice call with your “telephone” anyway, and did you realize that “telephone” means “distance speaking?” It doesn’t mean “distance texting.” All I’m saying is that old terms stick around.
Go OTA with antennas from Solid Signal
You might see one or two antennas for sale at your local home store. On the other hand, that big e-commerce site you go to probably has 10,000. How do you know what to buy? The first thing you probably ought to know is that the brand name doesn’t always mean much. There are high quality antennas from companies you’ve never heard of. And, there are some antenna companies with names your dad or granddad might remember, that are nothing but shells for some of the worst made antennas out there.
You need an expert on your side. You need someone who will be able to answer the right questions. And, you’ll find that person at Solid Signal. Of course you can shop for the antenna you want from our huge selection. But more importantly, you can get good advice. Call our tech team at 888-233-7563. We have experts in our Novi, Michigan office ready to help. Call us during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
