Editor’s note: With costs going ever higher to bring TV programs into the home, Mr. Allison offers readers a fresh, and surprising, look at what is available ‘over the air’ here in eastern NC. He also recommends a website known as www.tvpassport.com
The first question you need to ask is “will over-the-air TV programming be acceptable or desirable?” I recently discovered a website with data on over the air programming throughout the USA and Canada. I recommend www.tvpassport.com Just put in your local zip code (mine is 28510) and a wealth of accessible signals will appear!!
Fortunately, a new product being advertised locally brings the intriguing possibility of a two- or four-channel Digital Video Recorder (DVR) to ‘time-delay’ over the air TV programming. Assuming the four-channel model is used, one could simultaneously watch one program and record three others. Or one could view two programs and record two others, or some combinations of these actions – or watch FOUR DIFFERENT TV SETS, each carrying its own program. The neat thing is that if all your TV sets have built-in internet connections, you don’t have to string coaxial cables throughout the house. Hint: You may need a computer networking geek to put this system together.
After entering your zip code, look on the left where you will see three choices: 1) Local TV Listings for Zipcode 2) Satellite channels 3) Cable channels. Click on the link under “Over-The-Air TV Listings” and a chart showing the choice for over the air TV programming will appear.
The home page of TVPassport shows two horizontal bars across the screen — a blue one on top and a black one directly under it. The blue bar shows the current date and day, with the next two dates and days following on the right. The left arrow will take you back to yesterday and the right arrow will step you through the rest of the days in the coming week. The black bar covers the time of day in five-hour chunks for all 24 hours of the day’s programming for each day on the blue bar. Clicking the left arrow on the black bar takes you back in time in half-hour increments, while the right arrow takes you forward in time with half-hour increments. Don’t worry – most of this navigating is intuitive!!
Be aware that programming on any particular channel can change without much notice. Recently the Game Show channel on 38.7 popped up, although in this case, the commercials announcing the change were frequent, repetitious, and annoying. Sometimes the same program, such as “CSI-Miami” or “Chicago Fire,” will show up on two different channels. For several years, “JAG” played on Wednesdays from Noon to 5 PM. In that time slot now on the “Heroes and Icons” network (7.5) you get the “A-Team”. Other afternoon programs on “H&I” include: “Nash Bridges” on Monday for 5 shows, “The Unit” shows Tuesdays, “The Fall Guy” runs Thursdays, and the original “Hawaii 50″ is on Fridays. Of course, there are numerous sitcoms, investigative reports, talk shows, and game shows also available on other channels all day.
Next week, in Part II, we’ll explore both the limitations and possibilities for getting over the air TV reception. We will consider antennas, a technical program that lists digital TV sites, reception angles / distances, and expected signal strengths that you can expect to receive. We’ll also introduce you to an expert in New Bern
who can affordably assist you in grabbing more of those FREE over-the-air signals!
Gordon is a frequent contributor to The County Compass
