The easiest way to get live local news in real-time during disasters is often from broadcast TV news coverage. A TV antenna might seem like an anachronism; something no longer needed, especially with the plethora of streaming services available today. But, in the past...
I've gotten lots of comments and emails from readers who've lost channels after re-scanning for channels on their TVs. And it's happened to me too! Here are some things you can try to help recover the channels you lost. 1. Manually Add Missing Channels Back The first...
While discovering free and cheap ways to watch TV is a good thing, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. In 2017, the average American spent almost four hours a day watching television! That's a HUGE amount of time to spend staring at a TV screen! What...
One of my readers told me that his Amazon Fire TV Stick was causing interference with his broadcast TV channels. When he unplugged the stick, his reception improved and his TV could receive more channels. I did a quick test with my own Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K...
If you have an old tube TV or a flat-screen that does not have a digital TV tuner, then the only way you can watch free broadcast channels on that TV is to get a digital converter box, or tuner box, as it is sometimes called. You plug your TV antenna into the box,...
2022 Update: Unfortunately, the Amazon Fire TV Recast was discontinued in August of 2022. It's too bad, because it had a slick user interface and was easy to set up, with its internal drive. You may be able to find one on eBay, but it's unclear how long Amazon will...
The Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick 4K are among the most popular streaming players out there. They're great because of their ease of use, excellent search functionality, Alexa integration, and a plethora of streaming apps. For this review, I purchased the...
Roku is one of the most popular streaming media players. If you're a cord-cutter, there's a good chance you own one. But, if you have an older Roku, should you upgrade it to a newer one? I compared the features of three generations of Roku players and performed some...
As I've mentioned elsewhere on this site, my favorite overall streaming media player is the Roku. It's got the most content and a ton of great features. One feature that you might not be aware of is the ability to stream video, music, and photos from your iOS or...
If you follow my site, you know that I'm a big fan of the Mohu Leaf flat indoor antenna. It gives me over one hundred channels here in Los Angeles. One day, reader Philip asked me what was inside the Mohu Leaf antenna. Hmmm, good question! From all of my antenna...
Last night I was surfing through channels on my TV and encountered a bizarre problem. My trusty 26-inch Sony flat-screen Bravia KDL-46V4100 TV froze and would not respond to any controls. The picture and sound still worked, but the controls were frozen. I tried both...
When it comes to watching TV, I'm a cheapskate. I remember when TV was totally free and I don't want to pay for it now, especially if I'm watching commercials! So, I usually pay zero dollars per month for TV. Occasionally I'll splurge and get a streaming service like...
One of the most frequent questions I get on this site is, "how can I get more channels with my TV antenna?" I have a blog post with my most effective tips, and now I have a video with my top ten tips to get more channels:...
UPDATE: See this article for a review of the latest Tablo Generation 4 DVR. I'm keeping this older article up for those who have the previous generation Tablo. Original Article The Tablo records broadcast TV from your TV antenna; it won't record cable TV or streaming...
I was at my parents' home with the TV on in the background when I noticed something interesting: their "HD" picture quality was terrible compared to my own TV with a broadcast TV antenna. They had satellite TV from DISH Network. I have always said on my site that...
A very common question I get on DisableMyCable.com is "why did some of my broadcast TV channels disappear?" Usually, people think something is wrong with their antenna, but TV antennas are pretty simple devices, just a piece of metal basically (unless it is...
These are the free broadcast channels that I receive and watch in Santa Monica, CA using my indoor antenna. I'm not including foreign language channels, duplicate channels, home shopping channels, and other stations I'm not interested in. ChannelCall...
I wanted to share with you the details of my personal living room antenna setup. Over the years, I've tried many different indoor antennas, amplifiers, splitters, and configurations to squeeze out as many free TV channels as possible. I've finally gotten it to where...
I started using indoor TV antennas in 2010 when I first canceled my cable service in Providence, RI. Since then, I've moved to Los Angeles and have amassed a collection of different types of indoor antennas. I figured it was time to re-test my TV antennas to make sure...
Since 2006, the Federal government has mandated that all TVs include a digital tuner to allow you to receive free broadcast TV using a cheap antenna. This is one of the main ways that I promote on DisableMyCable.com to save money! But recently, I've been getting...
A reader recently asked me what type of parental controls the major set-top boxes have. So I decided to do some research and write an article about it. The bottom line is that all of the major set-top streaming boxes have some degree of parental controls, but some are...
Getting the ideal reception using your indoor digital TV antenna can be a challenging task. It can be like playing "whack-a-mole": when you have the antenna in one position, you get certain channels; move it to another position and different channels come in and the...
2024 UPDATE: The Google Chromecast is being discontinued and will be replaced by the Google TV Streamer (4K). At $99.99, it's at a higher price point, sort of like a Chromecast with Google TV on steroids. Stay tuned for a full review. If you still want to know about...
Do you have a pile of videotapes taking up space in your home? Or, do you want to archive your VHS/Beta videos for posterity or easier viewing on a computer or tablet? There are many reasons why you might want to convert your videotapes to a digital format. Here's how...
Do you use a streaming service that allows you to get tons of newly-released movies and TV shows for an amazingly low price? If you're using a streaming service on your computer, Android-based set-top box, tablet, or another Internet-connected device that seems too...
People ask me all of the time how they can improve their indoor antenna reception. The first thing I do is refer them to my Tips for Better TV Reception with Your Indoor Antenna. But, there are cases when even after following these tips, an indoor antenna just can't...
Readers often ask me are “how many channels will I be able to receive?”, and “what kind of antenna should I get?” I wanted to take a moment to explain some of the factors affecting your TV reception so you can make some better estimates of how many channels you’ll be...
If you love watching sports but don't want to pay the exorbitant cost of cable TV, there are some great solutions now for watching ESPN, major league baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, and other sports for less than the cost of cable. Scaled-down TV subscription...
I don't usually design logos; I'm a web developer and not so much a graphic designer. But, I had so much fun designing a new logo for DisableMyCable.com that I wanted to share my thought process and experience with you. I started DisableMyCable.com to...
I get a lot of questions from folks who want to get free broadcast TV using an antenna, but who have multiple TVs. There are several ways I know of to get an antenna signal to all of the TVs in your home. I cover them below. Method #1: A Separate...
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