Antennas Direct president, Richard Schneider shares antenna trends with NPR coverage about basic TV.
After Digital Switch, Basic TV Offers Cable Alternative
By Catherine Welch
Just before summer 2009’s switch from analog to digital cable, TV viewers were inundated with commercials from cable companies. They urged viewers to subscribe to cable in order to get a clear picture and plenty of channels.
But it turns out that — for the price of an antenna — over-the-air television offers plenty of different programs.
The Secret In The Attic
Thanks to the digital signals, Elizabeth and Philip Humphrey’s three children can watch Elmo, Arthur and other favorites on one of three digital channels broadcast by North Carolina’s PBS station.
Trapped inside on a cold, gray morning, the Humphreys’ three children stand perfectly still in front of the TV, all eyes glued on Elmo.
The family also gets the additional digital channels offered by their commercial network affiliates too — which gives them about 12 channels to choose from, depending on where they point their antenna.
Phillip Humphrey climbs up into the attic, pushing past boxes of Christmas junk to where he mounted his new antenna.
“Basically it looks like a 2 1/2-by-2 1/2 square piece of welded wire fabric,” Humphrey says.
The antenna is attached to the rafters and connected to the Humphreys’ brand new high-definition television set downstairs. For the one-time cost of the set and the $75 antenna, the Humphreys have found an alternative to monthly cable bills. Viewers with old-fashioned TVs can also receive the same plethora of channels, as long as they have a digital converter box.
After Transition, Many Stick To Basic Stations
“And what happened on the way to the [TV] graveyard is people started realizing they’re extremely surprised at the picture quality you can get over the air,” says Richard Schneider, who owns Antennas Direct in St. Louis. “And in many cases the resolution is in fact significantly higher than you can get off of satellite or cable.”
See the entire article or listen to the NPR coverage here …