Tag Archives: antenna

Cord cutting is real and happening in significant numbers now, concludes a new research report by Nielsen (which is significant itself, given Nielsen’s long-time central role in television audience measurement). The report measured year-over-year changes from Q3 2011 – Q3 2012.

Here are some of the report’s key findings:

– U.S. individuals spend 33 hours per week watch videos across all screens
– the number of homes subscribing to wired cable television services decreased 4.1%
– at the same time, telco-provided television services increased 21.1% and satellite television increased 2.1%
– “nearly a million more homes are subscribing to broadband while skipping a traditional paid tv subscription”
– the number of broadcast/broadband only “television” homes increased 22.8% in the two year period Q3 2010 – Q3 2012

Can over a half million ex- cable subscribers be wrong?  I don’t think so. Numbers are the proof. And that number is staggering.

Cable subscribers are walking away from the exorbitant pricing of cable companies.

GigaOm’s Ryan Lawler tells the full story here:

The Associated Press reports that Fox has rejected Cablevision’s latest offer to bring Cablevision subscribers Fox signals which includes the World Series broadcast. Cablevision is paying out $10 per customer who can not watch the World Series. Our advise would be to take that 10 bucks and put it towards an antenna. This way you will never have to rely on cable companies for television that you can receive for FREE.

Here’s where Antennas Direct is featured in the article:

“Although Cablevision customers appear to be caught in the crossfire, antenna sales are booming.

Antennas Direct, an online retailer, said it sold around 8,000 units in the New York area this month, up from an average between 1,700 and 2,100. On Wednesday, the site said it sold 500 antennas in the New York area, volume it typically handles in a week.

“We are blessed by the bad fortune and shortsightedness of the cable companies,” President Richard Schneider said in a statement.”

Read the full article about the Fox Vs Cablevision dispute on Yahoo News.

Check out our promo code for an antenna on our Facebook page!

If you are thinking about cutting cable, but worried about where you will go to find your favorite shows look no further than this great post from lifehacker.com. This article goes through internet streaming sites such as Amazon Video on Demand, iTunes, HuluPlus, Netflix and Clicker.com showing what outlets publish which television shows and at what cost.

“… try and get at least a glimpse at what television would really cost if  you went digital-only. So we compiled a list of popular shows in several different categories. The choosing was totally subjective, although we tried to keep an open mind about popular taste. We included online alternatives including Amazon Video on Demand, iTunes, Hulu and its $9.99/month Hulu Plus service, Netflix (in streaming form only), and network sites often accessible through a site like Clicker.com (and its neat apps on platforms like Boxee).”

View the full article and awesome chart this author put together on the lifehacker.com website here.

The comments on this post are also very interesting. Some found that it was easier than they expected to cut their Comcast since they didn’t even have a contract. One commenter said he is saving up to $120 per month by using an antenna –  that’s $1,440 per year!

Comcastrated

How much are you saving without your monthly cable bills?

What type of cable is appropriate for the Clearstream5 antenna, and which direction should it face – the instructions don’t seem to cover these details.  – From Christopher in Palos Verdes Estates, California

Hi Christopher,

Any coaxial cable will work with your antenna. The type of cable depends more on the length of cable you need to run the antenna to your television. We have 3 types of coaxial cables available on our website, each in 50’ and 100’ measurements. We would recommend using any coaxial cable RG6 grade or better because it has a lower loss per foot so we find it works the best.

As for placement, it depends on where exactly you live. http://www.antennapoint.com will help you determine where to point your antenna by locating your transmitters.

The side with the cable attachment should face the transmitting stations. The metal grid is a reflector that bounces the signals back to the antenna.

Clearstream5 Antenna

Hope that answers your question. Let us know if you need more info. Thanks!

The folks at ModSynergy.com recommend our ClearStream4 Antenna.

Here is the reviewer’s conclusion.

I really like the Antennas Direct ClearStream4 antenna, it does everything it says it would do and it can pull channels miles away. The construction of the tapered-loop antennas are covered in solid plastic and will take a beating. Being covered in plastic means it’ll last longer outdoors and not be covered in rust if it were made out of metal. The only thing that would rust overtime is the metal reflectors and unfortunately would get worse if the paint was chipped off like this unit was.

The only thing I don’t like about the ClearStream4 is not the antenna itself, it’s the packaging. There is no packaging basically. Antennas Direct really needs to put some foam support in the box, put the nuts and bolts in a bag and keep everything from hitting each other.

The only other downside is that this antenna includes no mast/pole to mount it on your roof or like a satellite dish, that is extra.

I have no problems recommending the Antennas Direct ClearStream4 antenna for your HDTV needs.

Thanks for the review and the feedback! Check out the entire review at ModSynergy.com.