Major TV Networks...live?

Maybe this is an old discussed thing here, but a friend got a WD TV Live box from her brother and is learning, and she calls me because I’m the tech friend.

I told her about the many services TV Live offers, but couldn’t find a way to see, for example, The Golden Globes awards show live. So, is there a channel or service that provides for these events?

Yes, there are, but it does not require a WDTV Live box:

  1. Cable TV has local Network channels.

or

2.  For local channels, connect an antenna to one’s TV.

I am sure someone out here has figured out a way to snatch this stuff out of the internet and do something like this, but I will let them describe how.

Like Mike had mentioned, if you are just interested in the major networks, a decent antenna can be a great reasonably priced solution. I live in an area that is pretty close to where the towers in my city are, and get  great HD reception for all of the main networks. Since that is essentialy free besides the sunk cost of an antenna, you might also look into an OTA (over the air) DVR. Helped me get off the Comcast Heroin; (Overpriced Cable TV Packages where every 10 channels you pay for, there is only one you actually want). Saved me a fortune and the $89 OTA Networked DVR still alows me to record shows I like for later viewing and even watc them on my Nexus Pad if I want. 

Go to the “TV Fool” site (link below), fill in your address, and it will build a distance and topographic grid and list of available TV Stations that you could receive. With each station it will let you know what type of antenna you would need to receive it (Indoor, outdoor, roof mount, etc). If you are somewhat close to an urban area, you should be able to at least get ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and hopefully PBS. Probably a bunch more as well. If you are out in the woods, your options could be more limited.

So unless you are pretty far out, there is a good chance you can get the Golden Globes on NBC over the air in Hi-Def. I am getting 22 channels with a $17 antenna.

http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29 

Hit the link above, and see which channels you can get for free ovet the air. You may be pleasantly surprised.

-P

Your good MPearl:manlol:

If you don’t want to buy an antenna and run wires through your house you could look at Aereo.  If it’s within your area, you pretty much “rent” their antennas and they stream it to you to watch on your computer or streaming box (only available on the roku for now).  You can also FF/RW and has DVR service all for $8 p/month.  $12 p/month gets you another antenna so you can do 2 streams at once to watch and record or record 2 things at the same time and larger dvr storage.

I hear they are under fierce lawsuits from the tv companies.  I live in NY and my God I hope they win.  Can’t stand Cablevision’s stronghold over the area.

on a side note (OASN- is that a thing?  Can I start that?)

The WDTV does have apps on the main menu for live tv but that requires a tv tuner like the Hauppauge Tuners.  Pronounced hop-hog (if your not native to Long Island).

I don’t really get it though.  Why not just plug the coax into your tv instead.

blanker wrote:

 

I don’t really get it though.  Why not just plug the coax into your tv instead.

Agreed, I am guessing it is just so you stay within the “WD Realm” for all your activities instead of switching your inputs. Next thing you know, you’ll be playing your x-box within a window on your SMP :smileyvery-happy:

A basic rabbit ear antenna works best, because it can be turned for best reception, and because all TV off-air channels are still on the same frequencies they always were on.  HD “rides” in the same signal, so an antenna hyped as being for hi def is basically meaningless.  Just go to Radio  Shack and get their basic rabbit ear.  If that does work well, put up a roof antenna.

Or get cable:  Yea, I don’t like the prices either, but if one is a fan of sports, it’s the best way to find and watch your favorite sports.  Also, if one has been a customer of a cable conpany for a while, astkthat they reduce your bill!  That’s right, I re-negotiate mine every so often.  Just call their 800 number, select “discontinue service” and watch how fast they get you on the line.  Remember, they play hard ball, so you need to as well.  I got my bill reduced by $40/month this last time.  A significant amount.

Read this:  http://homes.yahoo.com/news/negotiating-internet-cable-phone-telecom-bundles-011036411.html

mike27oct wrote:

A basic rabbit ear antenna works best, because it can be turned for best reception, and because all TV off-air channels are still on the same frequencies they always were on.

 

Sort of true, but not completely true.  While a portion of the same frequency spectrum is used for OTA DTV as for old analog TV in the US, many stations do not broadcast on the same frequencies they used to.  So while you may think of a channel as 3, a VHF channel requiring a VHF antenna, the station may actually now be broadcasting on a UHF channel that requires a different antenna for best reception.

The best source of info on OTA DTV in the US is from the FCC here:

http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/

Type in your zip, and you will get a list of channels in your area, with their IDs, but also with the actual frequency band they now operate on.  You also get antenna direction info, which can be critical to maintain DTV reception in bad weather.

To give an example for our area, channel “3”, which was low VHF, now broadcasts on RF channel 39, UHF.  Try using a simple rabbit ear antenna for it now and you will be very disappointed unless you are very close to the broadcast tower.  Since we are in relatively weak signal area for many stations, and have a mix of VHF and UHF, I eventually gave up on OTA.  It would have required a substantial mast mounted, rotatable VHF/UHF antenna.  Picture quality was great when we got it, but any bad weather and in and out the picture went.

Oh, yes, then there is the fun of new TVs that often will let you tune in only channels that they picked up during their scan.  How do you suppose you get all possible channels in such a scan when your antenna needs to be rotated to different directions to get different ones???   This is exactly the question I asked Samsung support, about our expensive LCD TV when I was playing with OTA.  They have no answer.  I did manage to program our little emergency TV:  stood out in the front yard holding the antenna, with a map of station directions on the ground, watching TV scan through channel numbers, pointing the antenna in the correct direction for each,  Does that sound idiotic?  Yes–but it worked.  The Samsung?  Never was able to get more than about 3/4 of the OTA channels to scan at any one time.  Truly idiotic design.

Thanks, ncarver,

Yea, what you describe is kind of idiodic  (That one cannot actually input the channels needed vs using the scan) 

Bottom line, new HD TVs really are best when used with cable hookup.  Anyway, since I left out UHF band I will modify what I said about antennas to be:

A basic rabbit ear antenna works best, (one with long ears for the VHF and a wire loop for UHF) because it can be turned for best reception, and because all TV off-air channels are often on the same frequencies they always were on; with a dew exceptions.

By the way, most rabbit ears sold today have the ears and the loop on the one antenna.  I have an older “ears only” I use to pick up HD Radio channels, since HD FM radio uses all the same channels af regular FM with an addition of sidebands added for HD.  Did anyone here know that the FM radio band is between channel 6 and 7 of the VHF TV band?  Right in the middle, and why rabbit ears is perfect for FM.

Admitedly I do live very close to a bank of towers with a LOS so the major networks would come in with a coat hanger, but I have been very pleased with the “flat” antennas like the Mohu leaf. It’s obviously not directional but I am getting several channels that are over 30 miles away and I just have it indoors stuck to the wall by the TV. If I had access to the roof of my building, I’d probably investigate something a bit more serious. 

It ain’t like cable, but I really like the price of OTA TV. 

-P

I’ve heard tales of people who lived so close to radio station towers (as you do Pearl) that they could hear the stations playing through their wire clotheslines!  This is entirely possible; ever heard of crystal radios with “cat whiskers” in them, and they could demodulate the AM signal?  Same principle applies to clothelines.  If the clotheline is the same length of the radio frequency wave, it can happen.

So, Pearl, please erect a clothesline on your back deck, and let us know what stations you can pick up!   :laughing:

If the OP’s goal was actually to “stay in the WD realm” for everything and not have to toggle back and forth between inputs, would a slingbox allow this?  I’ve noticed the service is loaded into the WD box, and have wondered about this too.  Can I forego my cable package if I have a friend with a slingbox who happens to be slinging his cable lineup anyway, and he lets me use his code, can I access his TV station lineup through my WD?

I believe that for a slingbox to perform, it needs bandwidth – bandwidth to send its TV signal out onto the internet so it can be retrieved from afar.  So, by asking a friend if you can tap into his slingbox is like asking him to let you tap into his bandwidth; and that could impact his home network use by slowing the system down.  I pay good money for my high bandwidth, and I would not let someone else tap into it limitlessly for extended streaming; and all for free.

Fair point.  But let’s assume for the sake of this discussion that the use of bandwidth is a non-issue (he has unlimited, or I pay for it, or maybe hypothetically it’s my own bandwidth from another residence/cottage, etc.). 

Can this actually be done through the WD box?  Can I sling the cable channels to the WD box, thereby accomplishing the OP’s goal of staying within the WD realm for everything (and accomplishing my goal of eliminating my cable package)?  Logically it seems like this should work, and the presence of the Slingplayer app on the WD box seems to corroborate this conclusion, but I know sometimes the logical conclusion doesn’t match with reality when it comes to technology, so just wondering if anyone knows about this or is actually doing it.

Thanks.

I have 2 slingboxes set up on 2 seperate cable boxes in my home. I use my wd box(s) exclusively to watch television at the cottage and my condo in mexico. They have both been on and streaming at the same time with no issues as long as your upload speed in adequate. My internet is rated at 5mb upload and 50mb download. Sling recommends 2mb upload for a hd stream.

should have added that if your friend lets you log onto his slingbox then he/she will only be able to watch what you are watching and vise versa. also unless he/she are uploading it really will not impact their network.

ramman wrote:

I have 2 slingboxes set up on 2 seperate cable boxes in my home. I use my wd box(s) exclusively to watch television at the cottage and my condo in mexico. They have both been on and streaming at the same time with no issues as long as your upload speed in adequate. My internet is rated at 5mb upload and 50mb download. Sling recommends 2mb upload for a hd stream.

Impressive.  I have 50+ download and 11+ up, so maybe I should get a slingbox! 

I have found that to stream 1080p source movies to my iPad from my home Pogoplug or router drive using an outside internet source, that if I have less than 20Mbps download when afar, I get stuttering and stalling video.  1080p puts some fairly hefty demands on internet streaming.  When it works, it’s great.

Thanks, and interesting. I will try to set aside some time in the coming days to try this out. Could be a great option to address my two primary obstacles that seem to keep getting in the way of cutting my cable cord – live sports (espn anyway) and local 24 hour news channels.

Don’t cut cable – just pay less!  Go back to page 1 of this thread and find my comments where I talk about reducing the cable bill and provide link to this:  http://homes.yahoo.com/news/negotiating-internet-cable-phone-telecom-bundles-011036411.html

Reduced the cable bill by $480/year and got more, not less cable services!  Gotta love that!