# Do I need Dish or Direct TV?



## ETPhoneHome (Apr 25, 2010)

I'm in the LA area (so cal) and we really need is NBC (ch 4) for my wife (Community and Parks and Rec.) My daughter likes PBS Kids (ch 28) and I would like to have a access to KCAL (ch 9) for Dodger games (or maybe FoxSports West/Prime Ticket but not absolutely necessary.)

We currently have cable for Internet and TV, but I'm thinking about FTA or OTA for TV and only keeping cable for Internet. We're about 60 miles from the LA stations (93003.)

Thanks. I read a lot about the FTA, but that might have only international stations, religious broadcasts? I read a little about MLB TV, but they want $24/month. I currently pay $93 for TV and Internet.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Try DTVpal DVR ( Sears, Kmart ) - dual OTA tuner HD DVR by dish; you could catch it for $99 if have Sears outlet nearby.
More reading for you here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1099071


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## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

Before you invest in an over-the-air DVR, I'd suggest checking into whether that's really an option for you. When I plugged the zip code you provided into antennaweb.org and TV Fool, the results were none too encouraging. Plugging in your exact location will give you a more accurate determination.

I don't know if you have a box from your cable provider, TWC I'd imagine, but you could check into what channels are available w/out a box. This page, courtesy of Silicon Dust, shows what's currently available with a QAM-capable tuning device. Most new TVs have both ATSC (digital antenna) and QAM (digital cable) tuners.

If you don't see enough to interest you there, then satellite's an option, but it's usually not the best one if you're looking to curb costs. Good luck.


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## ETPhoneHome (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks P Smith. I'm not sure if that would work for us to receive the above signals from my first scan of that website.

Initially, I'm looking for a lower cost option for Cable TV. We really only watch NBC, PBS and KCAL. Satellite looks interesting and could be a fun hobby from what I've read.

Thanks the reply to my post. I'll keep researching..


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## ETPhoneHome (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks bidger. I'm not looking for a DVR necessarily, but rather options to get the two or perhaps three channels I'm interested in. Anyway, I've been poking around to see what satellite has to offer and looking at YouTube videos about sat TV. I think if I can get NBC and PBS on a satellite dish I'll consider it a success and use MLB TV (or not.) I think that getting a dish/receiver etc would be a fun hobby as mentioned..not necessarily low cost. Still checking things out. I'm probably not the only one who just wants a few channels and getting charged for all those channels we never watch.

Thanks for responding to my post.


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