There is another option for watching most content and it, IMO, is far better than watching it on a streaming service. Personally, I get content I want to watch on DVD/Blu-ray/UHD Blu-ray from my local library at a price that cannot be beat - at most $0.50 for up to six-weeks of loan time. Some services, like Disney+ don't release content on disk such as the final season of The Clone Wars. Its their loss. But Paramount+ releases all their Star Trek shows, HBO released His Dark Materials, etc.
You are not the only once to have dodgy OTA reception. That should improve with ATSC 3.0. Leave it to engineers to take something and make it worse. Its because of ATSC 1.0's susceptibility to "multipath interference" the same thing that caused ghosting on TVs back in the analog days when an airplane flew overhead. ATSC 3.0 does not suffer from that, however, its incompatible with ATSC 1.0 meaning, wait for it, new equipment is necessary. However, most new TVs have tuners for it.
It's not like that everywhere - some cable company charging outrageous fees because "they own the internet" in an area. In my region, there are several legitimate choices one independent service offering FTTH (I use this for 500 Mb/s symmetric $50/mo) another, Frontier, offering FTTH, and good old spectrum offering 200Mb/s down cable. The latter two come with some very big strings. The former, no strings attached. In some areas, where the politicians are not working for the internet providers, competition is driving costs down.
And how much is your monthly bill?
Not sure this will help, Captain, but there used to be A/B antenna switches - lo and behold they still exist - https://www.amazon.com/Network-Switch-Splitter-Antenna-Transfer/dp/B0018MJMJY I picked this one because it looks like it might be better than the mechanical ones, however, there are cheaper mechanical ones for $8.45 such as this one https://www.amazon.com/Coaxial-Game-Antenna-Cable-Switch/dp/B01MTQIQ86/
No, it only has one. That's not the issue that Roku is creating. It disconnects the 75 ohm line, as soon as the internet cable is plugged in. The "Live TV" option becomes the Verizon channel listing, without any option for an antenna input. Without interwebz, "live TV", is the antenna.EDIT: Some TVs have multiple RF inputs these days - if that were an option, you would probably have figured that out.
Well, I guess you have to "cut the cord" then
somehow - maybe put a network switch next to your TV, feed the TV from it and when you want to watch OTA, pull the network cord out of the switch - though I bet you thought of something like this already. Drawbacks of a Roku TV, I guess. I'm glad I have to plans to "Go Roku".Well there are "dongle" tuners, and there are also Network tuners from https://www.silicondust.com/ - whether the Roku TV would allow you to watch something from the network tuners, IDK..
I'm not aware of having to "reactivate" windows 10 on an image restore - then again I use this - https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/image-for-linux/ In fact, I did a restore of a Windows 10 PC a couple of weeks ago from an image of the PC's boot drive I created in December 2022 using that exact software (don't let the name throw you - it can be used likely for almost any OS). What was restored never asked me to reactivate - even though it was in the same "state" it was in when I backed it up in December. So, I've done Win 10 restores from system images and I have never had to reactivate Windows 10. Maybe there are other ways of doing an image restore where you have to reactivate - however, I can definitely state that using the software at the link, reactivating is not necessary. I do restores to the same hardware, though.
Well, I guess I'm violating protocol!
FWIW, getting Spectrum in central NC 500 Mbps only (I.e. no strings) for $80.
Thanks for the tip, however, this was @captaincranky s dilemma. I do not have the difficulty, and don't even have Roku. However, captaincranky has a Roku TV which, apparently, kills the RF (OTA) tuner when you have a network cable plugged in - if I am reading his description correctly. If he were to get an HDMI Roku dongle, this sounds like it would solve his issue - assuming the roku TV has an HDMI input.
In my case, that would be "putting the cart before the horse. My last TV was a "dumb TV and I already have a "step up" Roku device with a wired internet port, and a "talk into me" remote to go with it. AFAIK, the dongles are wi-fi only. (or ?),
We cancelled both Netflix and Disney because of the woke agendas. It's important to consider what your children are exposed to nowadays. I don't want my kids growing up on Disney and allowing nostalgia to set in like I did and then for most of the classics to now somehow become "racist" or not woke enough so they have to write a warning about it. Hopefully more people realise how dangerous this agenda is. There is no truth in woke.
To know that I said what I said, and its meaning is comprehensible to others, is gratifying indeed.
Functional literacy is my one "grand achievement". (Hey, it's not much, but it's really all I have to crow about.what do you mean "go back to pirating"?
Piracy went down significantly when streaming was introduced because people are willing to pay for convenience. Piracy started to go back up because it was less convenient to have multiple streaming services. Then the streaming services started raising their prices so password sharing became a thing. Streaming services started to crack down on password sharing and now we are starting to see a resurgence in Piracy.
This is the underhanded trick of the automobile insurance carriers as well. You get a "bargain" when you first sign up, and then year after year you get a much higher priced "bargain", (usually in suppository form), every year you stay with them thereafter.
Wait, the suppository costs extra? I thought it was the same price
On top of that, you have to pay extra for the lube.
That's not an issue, I always prefered to go in dry. Worst case I have to grab some extra virgin olive oil
