Mohu leaf antenna. Bye, bye, bunny ears.
Mohu leaf antenna. Bye, bye, bunny ears.
Credit: Mohu
The best part is that companies can’t track what you watch from the antenna. As Nielsen said in a January 2024 blog post:
Big data sources alone cannot provide information about the viewing behavior of millions of viewers watching TV using a digital antenna.
Antennas have also become more versatile. For example, in addition to local stations, an antenna may provide access to dozens of digital subchannels. They are similar to the free advertising-supported television channels that are gaining popularity among smart TV users today, in that they often show exclusive programming or a steady stream of older shows and movies with commercial breaks. You can find a list of channels you can get with an antenna through this website of the Federal Communications Commission.
TV and movies viewed through an antenna are likely to be less compressed than cable, which means you can get excellent image quality with the right setup.
You can also add DVR capabilities like record and pause to live broadcasts through hardware, such as the Tablo OTA DVR device or Plex DVR, a subscription service that lets Antenna users add broadcast TV recordings to their Plex Media Server.
A diagram of the ports of the fourth generation Tablo.
A diagram of the ports of the fourth generation Tablo.
Credit: Tableau
things to keep in mind
You’re unlikely to get 4K or HDR broadcasts with an antenna. ATSC 3.0, also known as Next Gen TV, enables stations to broadcast in 4K HDR but is being slowly rolled out. Recently proposed legislation by the FCC could slow things down further.
To watch 4K or HDR broadcasts, you’ll also need an ATSC 3.0 tuner or an ATSC 3.0-equipped TV. The latter is rare. For example, LG dropped support in 2023 over a patent dispute. You can find a list of ATSC 3.0-certified TVs and converters here.
Realistically, an antenna does not have enough channels to provide adequate entertainment for many modern homes. According to Nielsen, sixty percent of antenna owners also subscribe to some type of streaming service.
Additionally, obstructions such as tall buildings and power lines can harm antenna performance. Another challenge is getting support for multiple TVs in your home. If you want OTA TV in multiple rooms, you’ll need to either buy multiple antennas or set up a way to split the signal (such as using an old coaxial cable and splitter, running a new coaxial cable, or using an OTA DVR, such as Tablo or SiliconDust’s HDHomeRun).
<a href