Cable TV viewership and no-pay TV services are becoming a thing of the past as more people are opting to cut the cord as costs rise. Nevertheless, these folks still need to be able to watch news, sports, and entertainment. Fortunately, there are many options available to view TV programs and shows without the need for a pricey cable or satellite one – and the use of the internet too. Here are a few guidelines which you should follow for watching TV for free.
The term used to describe the process under discussion is a Digital TV Antenna.
Another method of TV watching without cable or internet could be through the use of digital TV antennas. A 30 antenna will enable you to get broadcast channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and PBS free of charge. Even today, an antenna will enable you to receive between 15-80 over-the-air channels, all for free without any monthly subscription fee. It is simply an antenna and a TV set with a digital tuner incorporated in it.
It is also important to distinguish between indoor and outdoor antennas as the choice of antenna is going to be different in both cases. Outdoor antennas are generally stronger and can capture additional channels than those of indoor ones, however, indoor devices are sufficient in most cases. I know you can get a good quality of a new antenna for less than $40. It should be placed where there is a window that will be facing the towers from which the TV broadcasts.
Watch Public Broadcasting Channels
However, you can always set your TV on the free accessible broadcasting stations which are called the PEG stations – public, educational, government. These free community stations usually offer content that is primarily local, such as city council sessions, community events and programming, voting and election information, and educational programming.
The accessibility of PEG programming depends on area but most of the communities have access to the public access channels on cable that are also transmitted over the air. They are mostly in the sub-100, which is a number less than 100. They can be identified easily when with your digital antenna, scanning for stations.
Stream Over-the-Air TV
However, the biggest disadvantage of broadcast TV is that it keeps you fixed on the TV screen. However, you can free your mind with an OTA DVR like Tablo or TiVo. They are handy gadgets that plug into your antenna to pull free local channel signals that can be streamed live or recorded and watched on all smart devices.
For instance, when you mount Tablo to an antenna and an HDMI port of a television, you can watch live antenna television on any screen in your home. Even more, Tablo will also broadcast the programming from your local channels to your mobile devices, so you can watch free TV from your mobile devices anywhere, anytime (without the Internet).
Watch Free Streaming Content
You will be deprived of many of the things that pay TV and internet offers, but there are still free streaming options that exist even when you are not connected to the internet. One such example is Pluto TV – a service comprised of 250+ free live and on-demand channels with ads that include the News, Sports, Movies, Comedy, etc.
Where it stands is that Pluto TV has the availability of mobile applications on iPhone, Android, and Amazon Fire TV. This means that you should install your favorite programs and channels via WiFi onto your mobile gadget. You can then watch this downloaded content at other convenient locations, without the need to connect to the internet again. It is not a fully-featured streaming TV, but it is free to use and offers efficient services.
Old school DVD A good approach is to go old school with DVDs.
Remember DVDs? These old physical discs are still a great joy; in fact, contrary to what some people may think, the picture and sound quality are as good as some of these streaming services. And DVDs are cheap, with the mass hits going for as low as $3 for the movie. Simply acquire a collection of DVDs by either buying them second-hand, borrowing them from public libraries, or purchasing them from Redbox kiosks. Insert a DVD and get hours of uninterrupted viewing with no more additional costs or monthly access to the internet.
Catch Up on Reading
It cannot be fully matched with the excitement of cable and internet video entertainment. But one way, to fill in the hours and enhance the comfort during the journey is…reading books! Reading widens the vocabulary experienced by the reader, helps relieve stress, and also keeps the mind alert.
Imagine living a life where you wouldn’t have to spend countless hours glued to TV and browsing the internet – instead, you’d have more time for best-selling novels, intriguing biographies, magazines, newspapers, and much more. Buy books at the local library or at book-selling shops that sell used books. If you are involved in a good book, then you will never miss the 500 channels that are available to you.
In Summary
To be free from cable and the internet is not always easy but it means that you lose some channels or possibilities to get information. However, as I showed above, you can still view many entertaining TV shows for free with over-the-air broadcasting. The first and obvious fact is that free local content is literally in the palm of your hand if you have the right antenna and devices. When you add DVDs, mobile downloads, books, and other forms of media, which are not strictly ‘streaming’, you can get by quite happily without ever having to contribute to your TV or internet services at home.
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