The questions I get asked most by friends is: How many stations do you get? and What is like without cable?
The answer to the first question is simple. If you live in Toronto, have outdoor access with your antenna, and even if you do not have a television tower, mast, or rotor, you can enjoy at least eight channels in your day with perfect clarity if you have the barest minimum of set-up and a half-assed placement of your antenna. A more realistic number would 18 to 20 or more if you have an IQ greater than 37. And no... I am not kidding. It is that easy with an affordable jobbie such as the one below.
If you have your own private Idaho, complete with television mast that makes the Rogers syndicate green with envy, and a rotating platform that moves your one, two, or more antennae heads into ye most advantageous of positions, you are going to get a great deal more than Joe Six-Pack in his north-facing apartment at Keele and Finch that uses a piece of barbed wire as an an arial. If your mast reaches to the sky and gives your set-up a clear line of sight to Peterborough, Oshawa, Orilla, Kitchener, or London, you have the best of all. For extreme, all-out set-ups such as that, I would suspect a minimum of 35-40 channels "on a clear day", and probably more.
Most of the lumpen proletariat are somewhere in between absolute zero-investment and absolute total-investment in their home, over-the-air, television set-up, myself included. For me, there is no antenna mast. The antenna (mast-type) is simply placed at ground level at an advantageous position (A mast is not an option for me). My north/south street has what is essentially a barricade of buildings on my east and parts of the south blocking me. Anything transmitting from the east or south-east has to run a gauntlet of obstructions before it reaches my home. Even so, miracles have happened from the east.
I occasionally leave the antenna indoors (all planned viewing is of local, strong-signal stations), but this causes distant stations to suffer tremendously. On a bad day indoors, 4 or 5 channels (without interruptions in signal!) is probably realistic. On extremely averse days, even the mighty stations bouncing their signal from the CN tower can be eclipsed by a black mass of clouds that give Satanists the willies!
On good, clear, or reasonably pleasant days, I can pick up 25-30 stations on average. More if skies are clear and nothing untoward is interfering with signals. Best has been 36 stations received for me in one sitting where I actually bothered to count them. I suspect there might have been a day or two where that number have risen were I to have counted. But I am long over that phase! To put it bluntly, I am happy with what I have, and know I can actually do well with it! For those that count the stations I reference, do consider the notes or the categories these stations are filed with. Just because I mention a station does not mean I enjoy viewing or even having any access to it at all. Whenever you have reason to re-program the TV, you lose some stations in the process (More at the end about this).
Averse weather conditions have always plagued over-the-air television. Stratospheric conditions made my old black and white Philco floor model go from perfect picture to absolute snow (no signal - or signal washed out by background noise/stratospheric signal), and today, it is no different, except the results. Instead of a screen full of snow, or a picture that gets snowy (low signal of transmitter still getting through), you get the digital version of snow. Long, vertical blocks disengaged from an image (or mono-colored strips of - whatever!), seemingly placed over different images or different parts of one on a screen whose entire image-as-canvas has suddenly stopped moving. The new millenia's version - digital snow-job.
So... All is not absolutely rosy without cable. But then, if you don't mind the thorns, and saving a thousand dollars a year or more in cable or satellite, you aren't getting that monthly kick in the ass. Yet there are prices to pay in addition to "what you can get".
See the bottom of this post for a run-down of what stations I can watch rated by percentages.
For people who have an infernal need to be seen by friends as having "watched everything I watch", "see everything I see", then perhaps you won't be able to live yourself down after cutting your pay-television service connections. You probably have an iPhone or similar and pay for feeds wired to these devices (320x240p?). If you live off at-the-minute news reporting a la CBC-Newsworld or CNN, you are going to start on a bad day, every day with over-the-air HD television! The closest thing that comes to it is CHCH-TV in Hamilton. They got rid of the Hilarious House of Frightenstein, and replaced it with a version of CITY-TVs Ticker news. Only trouble is the ticker disappears at times and is itself replaced with infomercials, unwatchable matter (to my tastes), and on weekends, a gamut of ye olde favorites, including Tiny Talent Time! If the world is ending, you'll miss it watching a young girl in leotards performing a Hamilton studio version of Swan Lake.
The same issues are suffered by persons who have a mandatory minimum of sport broadcast requirements that are measured hourly or daily. On any given day, over-the-air television is not going to provide you with what TSN or other sports networks on cable give you. Of course, if you are on Tier one Rogers where TSN's primary channel miraculously transmogrified itself into its less-than-prime status overnight, you're probably already getting tired of watching re-runs of the Thrilla in Manilla and the back-catalog of "sport film" that TSN seems to have dredged from some hole and offers it up to Tier one viewers as "The TSN we have always been - oh... Have you seen our new channels yet? Haven't signed up yet to get rid of this channel's crap?! Why?!"
Yes there are college football games on the weekends, and NFL on the American networks. Yes there are the occasional NHL hockey game on CBC on Saturday night. For those that remember what it was like to actually ENJOY a Habs game on over-the-air TV, CBLFT has not offered that for ages, probably before Bell or Rogers got their fingers into the hockey markets. So no en Francais la Belle Habs du Fromage for you! In fact, the average night has absolutely zero sports to offer you. So stay where you are, pay your bills, and get your fix and consider yourself lucky if you're the sport TV nut.
What is on?
Well, for the average house-person who is at home during the day, the same bill of fare on offer on cable is what you pretty much get over the air from an antenna. Lots of children's programming, soap operas, game shows, all of it new, modern, and with faces I try to forget. Afternoons are not much different than they were 10, 20, or 30 years ago. Again, different crop of content, much the same offerings. Then again, I have NOT seen Oprah over-the-air, and a number of other forgettable mugs from my cable period whose names escape me. There are losses at EVERY hour going from cable to no-cable.
It is during the later parts of the day and night where things get more interesting. In order to grasp the market that is watching over the air, stations are getting a bit more creative and coming up with the thematic channels that cater to segments of the audience who are actually looking for what they offer. You can watch particular network episodic television content that everyone else in America watches in the evenings. But if that crop of material is not what you want, you'll flip to another channel, and people are.
For instance, 49-3, "CometTV", is a new channel offered by WYNO-TV in Buffalo . Its yet another "old movies" channel for those who flip past. But for those who like the schlock sci-fi scene, tepid 70s/80s horrors, and some actual good ones, this channel could replace 99 percent of what the pay-television services offer in this genre for fans. Sure its old as the hills. But then watching a N-th rendering of new Star Trek episodes is your idea of great, then so be it. Have at it. For me, this is televised crack. Rough around the edges, lots of bad acting, swords, sandals, and a gila monster standing in for Godzilla. What more could you want?
The over-air broadcasts do a lot of the same "edited for format, time, communism, social reasons" as any TV does, including pay services. So while you might think you are going to enjoy an over-the-air rendering of Shaft (23-2 played it a while ago with a bit of trimming), the same thing happens no matter where you look. A few exceptions do turn up. But all stations live in fear of the religiot who is so unhappy with his or her world, he or she will go to the CRTC and make it stick because... They have the time to sit through 96 hours of talking heads.
What is more?
I would say that over-the-air, I get more public television. The WNED station transmits 2 television channels from Buffalo, and a classic music "channel" (its a radio station) that you can listen to over your television (Suitable for getting rid of your business' TV viewing customers that hang around too long drinking refills). You get the first channel on pay service cable, but not the second. Much of the material on the second channel is grind-housed (repeatedly re-broadcast, oftentimes an hour or two later). But even so, all of this material is both educational, of public interest, far more watchable than afternoon fare offered elsewhere (my view), and equivalent to being able to watch Les Stroud instead of that foreign-accented nit who roughs it in the outdoors.. with a crew of six. I can watch old Les broadcasts on CITY, and thankfully, the nit isn't available over the air! Miracles do happen for free!
The number of stations seems to be increasing, as opposed to decreasing. While "opportunity" in the form of people wanting to make a buck have a lot to do with that, there is also the aspect of people like me and you who may not be so enamored with pay television services. We are getting off the teat, and doing our own thing. Cable and satellite has proven to have its "must have" content for those that want Leaf TV (Ha!), Discovery (Severely less watched as time went on), History (Always good), Turner (Old movies, always reliable, but then, its a particular market that goes for it), etc.
Speaking of Turner's old movie channel on pay cable, there is a similar one also transmitting out of Buffalo. It too is all old, black and white fare from what I have watched (Bogart). While Turner's channel has a lot of the material locked up unto itself, the fare is similar enough to my tastes to call it even. This content is a particular type the average person isn't going to watch. But if you like ye olde movies, you'll get your fix.
Half of all the content you can watch will be American broadcasts. Again, some of it is duplicative - stations that run the same material as sister stations do. But there is plenty that is not carried on pay channels (one over the air channel is exhorting their viewers to demand they be kept on the pay cable services), and plenty that is. Finding a home in this largely generic marketplace, with its few niches, is a difficult prospect, but certainly not impossible - for me. I do not watch all day. So it is of no consequence if I cannot see the Leafs on a Wednesday - or any day! Maybe CBC will broadcast a live curling match at the same time, and likely, capture every Habs fan in town in the process.
Ranking of My Ability to Capture a Channel
The information below presents my version of how well I can get a station reliably, or not. The percentile figure is a personal estimate of my confidence in being able to watch the station identified. It is also seasonal in nature, as the data reflects my winter-time success watching over the air. Now that it is summer, I find success improved somewhat.
A number of the stations are listed separately under defined categories. These are either stations I cannot receive reliably, or are stations I might be able to receive reliably, but prefer not to. ie: If there were an all day su.... One Hundred Huntley Street channel, odds are it would be un-selected in my television's list of channels to browse (The clicker would never display it's broadcasts to me). So count these sorts of stations as "there" for most.
Again - I have issues with south, east, and south-east stations - stations that are that direction from my location (Pape and Danforth area). A great many of you will not suffer these issues as I do, but may in turn have issues with others.
Channels that are programmed into my TV... and rated for viewability
Virtual.................. Physical.....% chance of un-interrupted signal
2-1 WGRZ-HD 33 25%
2-2 WGRZ2-2 33 25%
2-3 WGRZ2-3 33 25%
4-1 WIVB-HD 39 85%
5-1 CBLT-HD 20 100%
7-1 WKBW-HD 38 20%
7-2 LAFF 38 20%
7-3 ESCAPE 38 20%
8-1 WROC-HD 45 <1%
8-2 BOUNCE 45 <1%
9-1 CFTO 9 100%
11-1 CHCH-DT 15 75%
15-1 STARRAY 22 30%
17-1 WNED-HD 43 90%
17-2 THINK 43 90%
19-1 TVO 19 100%
23-1 WNLO-HD 32 90%
23-2 BOUNCE 32 90%
25-1 CBLFTDT 25 100%
26-1 WNYB-SD 26 65%
26-2 WNYB-HD 26 65%
26-3 WNYB-SD2 26 65%
29-1 WUTV-HD 14 60%
29-2 TCN 14 60%
29-3 GRIT TV 14 60%
36-1 CITS-HD 36 90%
40-1 CJMT 40 60%
41-1 CIII-HD 41 95%
41-2 CIII-SD 41 95%
43-10 (audio only)43 90%
47-1 CFMT 47 65%
49-1 WNYO-HD 49 50%
49-2 GETTV 49 50%
49-3 COMETTV 49 50%
57-1 CITYTV 44 100%
Channels that ARE NOT programmed into my TV... and rated for viewability
Virtual.................. Physical.....% chance of un-interrupted signal
21-1 WXXI-DT 16 <1%
21-2 PBS WORLD 16 <1%
21-3 PBS CREATE 16 <1%
51-1 IONTV(WPXJ-TV)23 <1%
51-2 QUBO 23 <1%
51-3 IONLIFE 23 <1%
51-4 IONSHOP 23 <1%
51-5 QVC 23 <1%
51-6 HSN 23 <1%
Note: The channels that are not programmed into my TV but are listed above are channels I have, at least once, captured and watched un-interrupted. Conditions as ideal as this are rare, and their absence from the list of programmed channels reflects how rare their signals are to my TV. The channels 8-1 and 8-2 in Rochester are programmed into my TV. However, I am confident that should a power outage occur and the TV needs to be re-programmed that those two channels WOULD be listed as not programmed.
About Manual Programming of Your Television
For most, I would not recommend manual programming if your wish is to have channels that are always watchable. The more channels you find, the more channels you have programmed that are not viewable. The above percentage figures should give you an idea of what you are likely to enjoy, week over week, if you are setting up an antenna at ground level as I am. Even auto-programming by the television's own self-programming function does not always provide channels with strong signals. Some of the channels it tunes in, while viewable at the time they were programmed, will not be viewable at times of high interference (weather, time of day, etc.) If anything, you will probably want to prune some of these from your TV browser functions.
Manual programming does offer the one advantage that self-programming does not. Your TV can be made to detect more distant signals by properly directing the antenna toward the transmitter, and when possible, elevating the antenna as high as possible (Ignore this if you are in an apartment and want to avoid balcony diving). Having all these channels registered within your TV set makes it possible for you to view the channel if/when you find you must tune in. If they were not present after the TV was self-programmed, they will NOT suddenly appear while browsing.
For example, the channels 8-1 and 8-2, which I have only watched once, never are recieved by my TV. But the fact they are programmed means that if I ever flip to them and pick up the channel's signal, I will get the benefit of watching the channel. Furthermore, a month or two ago, channels 49-1 and 49-2, which I am not always able to watch (and which were NOT picked up during the TV's self-programming session), did not have a 49-3 channel accompanying them. The third channel is very new, and a blast to watch. I flipped past 49-2 one day, and suddenly my TV was offering me an old time monster movie! If the two other 49 channels were not programmed into my TV, it would never have picked up the third channel. The only reason that incident occurred was because I am willing to flip past all three channels, and enjoy a blank screen (no signal) with only the call sign and virtual channel numbers shown. That occurs roughly half the time I flip to them.
For many, this is not what they want. But if you want more from your less than stellar set-up, this is how you go about grabbing more than what your television tells you is there. Each TV is different. But most will permit you to manually browse by INPUTTING THE CHANNEL VIA KEYPAD. That always takes you to the physical channel IF THAT CHANNEL IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A VIRTUAL CHANNEL. As long as you know what the physical channels are, you can always get to them when/if needed. The trouble is, most of us can't remember what they were once their virtual channel numbers become their identity to us (they are on display when you change channels). So keep a written list as I do, and you will never have trouble looking for or finding channels.
That about sums up my experience. I am glad I disconnected the cable. I cannot say I did not suffer, for certainly I did. But now, its no skin off my backside. I am enjoying free HD TV. It is worth disconnecting, for me, and I recommend it to anyone that has the capacity to learn and adapt.
