Free Yourself from the Cables That Bind

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Since the early 50s, I have enjoyed television. Even though my parents couldn’t afford a set, I could always peer through my neighbor’s window to watch a show. Yes, they knew I was there, and would politely close the drapes when it was late and time for me to go

I recently recycled my twenty year old Standard Definition (SD) set. Today, I am the proud owner of a new flat panel high definition (HD) TV. Programs delivered to my HDTV are beautiful to watch. Decades after I first fell in love with TV, I now view in amazement high-quality programming from the comfort of my sofa instead of my neighbor’s porch.

During the 50s and 60s, TVs received movies and sports at no charge. The ubiquitous roof-mounted antenna was king and you didn’t have to pay to play. The 70s saw a paradigm shift from free broadcast to fee based providers. Cable, satellite and telephone companies decided it was a good idea to demand a ransom to access movies, sports and occasionally a unique program.

I recently learned that basic cable (yes, I am cheap) doesn’t offer HD programming. Like bottled water, HD television programming has been repackaged and a fee extorted. I was forced to ask myself, do I really want to pay to watch broadcast HD television?

That’s when I decided to avoid cable fees and go direct to the source. I went old school and invested less than a hundred dollars on a roof-top antenna. After pointing the antenna towards Mount Wilson with technical help courtesy of www.antennaweb.org, I was amazed to find dozens of free channels. I compared the over the air signal to cable and found that my antenna delivered superior quality. Apparently that was because off-the air programming is not compressed and compromised like that offered by cable.

Granted, most of the channels I now receive are SD quality (like basic cable), but about a dozen channels have hours of crisp and clean HD. I didn’t have to pay a penny for the network fare the cable company was holding hostage. What a revelation to see shows like House, Bones and the national news in pristine HD.

Like you, I have plenty of bills landing in my mailbox each week. By cutting the cable umbilical cord, I will save hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. Sadly, I will have to wean myself off some of my cherished cable-only shows like the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But like my parents said, life is (ahem) tough.

Living without hundreds of cable channels still leaves me with plenty of options. Most of my favorite sit-coms, dramas and talk shows including David Letterman are free and in HD.

For the past few years I have made a modest effort to watch less football. This year, I can’t wait for the season to start. To my wife’s chagrin, I will revert to my feral state, anchored to my favorite chair. Thanks to my simple, money saving, roof-top antenna, I will enjoy many hours of free programming. Life is good and in my case delivered free to my TV via a simple roof-top antenna.

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