Sunday, July 12, 2009

How to get FREE HD TV

We bought an HD capable LCD TV several years ago, but never got HD on it because we didn't want to pay the cable company an extra $10 a month for the HD channels. Later on we learned that you can buy an HDTV antenna and hook it up to your TV to get HD for free. We bought a $20 indoor HDTV antenna and it got horrible reception. We took it back to the store and started researching HDTV antennas when we discovered that we didn't need an HDTV antenna. We had the solution sitting on top of our roof the whole time! Pretty much any old antenna can pick up HD and much better than a special "HDTV" indoor antenna will.

When we first moved into our house we used the antenna on the roof to get free TV and it was fairly good reception. Recently our neighbor was selling his larger one at a yard sale for $10 and we snatched it up and went from good reception to great reception. So here is our $10 antenna that picks up all of the local HD channels and we don't pay a monthy fee to the cable company.

If you have an old TV it won't work. You have to have a TV with an HD tuner and then it is as simple as hooking it up to your existing outdoor antenna. If you don't have an existing outdoor antenna and you can't find a used one on craigslist or at a yard sale, then you may have to buy a new one. Our 30 year old antenna picks up HD channels crystal clear so don't let the advertising of special "HDTV" antennas fool you. From my experience, the bigger the antenna the better your reception will be. Another important part is pointing it in the right direction. To know which direction you should point your antenna you can go to this website: http://www.antennaweb.org

Don't forget to rescan anytime you reposition your antenna.

This with an HD TiVo with lifetime service and you will never have to pay the cable company a dime again!

One of my favorite blogs is having a link party today. To check out other thrifty finds visit Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality.
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9 comments:

  1. Amy LynneMonday, July 13, 2009

    Great way to save!

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  2. ★Carol★Monday, July 13, 2009

    I think we either need a new antenna, or we need to put it on the roof, because ours is in the attic! No matter. We are currently making the cable company richer every month. Husband has to have the Weather Channel and History Channel, and I "need" HGTV!

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  3. Nicole A.Monday, July 13, 2009

    Awesome tip!

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  4. Kasey at Thrifty Little BlogMonday, July 13, 2009

    I wish I realized this before I started a contract! I learned about this from a friend who gets HD without even having cable.

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  5. TinaMonday, July 13, 2009

    Great Idea, and I LOVE your blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. KammyTuesday, July 14, 2009

    Great thrifty find - I love free service of anytype !
    Hugs ~ Kammy

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  7. SandyTuesday, July 14, 2009

    Great idea now I know something else about saving money

    ReplyDelete
  8. SammyWednesday, July 15, 2009

    That's an awesome idea!

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownMonday, August 10, 2009

    My sister recently purchased a new LCD TV because she was only receiving 1 channel on her old TV. Upon installation and set up of her new TV, along with a new indoor antennae, she gets plenty of channels but very poor reception. She actually has an old outdoor antennae with the wires hanging from the wall inside. How would I find out how we might hook these old antennae wires to the new TV so I can help her without her having to incur additonal costs. Is there any chance of damaging the new TV by doing this? She regrets getting rid of her old TV because she said she'd rather get one clear channel, than the multiple channels she's receiving with such poor reception. Any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete