06/29/2024
NextGenTV is becoming more of a reality that most people will have to depend on, in order to get "OTA" television stations!
I'm sure most of you remember when analog TV was going away to make room for the "digital TV world" and then the government started offering a free "Digital Converter Box" to "qualified homes" if you didn't have a high definition TV in order to receive the digital signal.
Well changes are on the way again, however much without a notice from anyone,.....well not just as of yet, anyway!
Your American local TV stations have been broadcasting over an ATSC 1.0 signal for some time now and transmitting over "VHF Low (2-6), "VHF High" (7-13) channels and the "UHF" (14-36) channels when possible in order to offer better TV reception, but are slowly transitioning to a stronger ATSC 3.0 due to more and more cell phone & internet towers using up bandwidth,.....but 3.0 does have issues of it's own.
For a while now there have been a few decent options on the market allowing you to use a "DVR Converter Box" (ie. "Tablo 4th Gen", HDHomeRun" Hauppauge" and "Zapperbox" just to name a few) to not only pickup your local TV stations via the internet through platforms such as "Plex Pass", Emby, etc; but also to record your favorite shows to view at a later time (via external storage if necessary). It's also another great option since you are not having to divide your reception signals between different TV's with the use of splitters. (splitting hairs sorta speak).
However the new ATSC 3.0 signal also allows the broadcasting stations to use DRM encryption for their signal which means picking up your local TV stations "Over The Air" (ie. "Local News", "Wheel of Fortune", etc.) will be as much fun as trying to get ESPN "over the air" for free. It's been mentioned that the TV stations are currently in fear of "Piracy" issues of their shows and are just taking the needed precautions, but unless the TV stations start offering an option to bypass DRM encryption, I see the future of "OTA" TV becoming "Infomercials" and *"Church Services" which uses the *"VHF Low" band frequency on channels (2-6) with ATSC 1.0.
Most of the above mentioned DVR Converter boxes on the market are not equipped (as of yet), to bypass the DRM encryption on the new 3.0, with the exception of the Zapperbox with a $200+ price tag, which handles ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 with the use of the "Single Tuner option" or with the other (more expensive options available!).
Hauppaugge offers a few options as well, meaning you could plug one of their devices into your computer or laptop and connect your TV antenna to the device, however plugging into your laptop would require you to carry a TV antenna with you where ever you go! (kinda old school, love it!)🤓
The bottom line: Do your homework first before you race out to either replace your current TV antenna due to poor TV reception or if you decide to invest in a DVR Converter Box! There's no hurry, let everyone do their updates and upgrades first!
Your other options include: Continuing your subscriptions to Streaming Services (ie. Hulu, Paramount+, etc.) which also add up in annual cost as well.
