Recently Comcast Xfinity started making
changes to their service so you need a DTA or Digital Transport
Adapter to get even the basic channels. We went along with is and installed
the devices on our tvs. They get pretty much the same channels but
there are a few downsides.
First, you have to use their remote
control which is very basic. You won't get all the options from your
normal remote control unless you use it along with the Comcast
remote. Even then some features such as deleting channels you don't
want will not work. Second, there are tons of blank channels you
have to navigate around. And finally, the picture quality is just
not very good. Not only that but this basic service costs about $20
a month.
I decided to try out the basic digital
antennas to see if the results would be better. I was able to pick
up a couple antennas for less than $10 each. I hooked them up and
did a rescan of the channels. At first some of the channels were a
bit choppy, but after a little adjusting, I got pretty much all the
same channels as Comcast except the picture quality was now much
better. Not to mention, the antenna service is free. So of course
we are going to stay with the antenna to get the better picture and
avoid paying the extra $20 a month for basic channels from Comcast.
If you just want the basic network and
local channels, the antenna is the way to go. If you live near a big
city, you should be able to get by with a non-powered antenna. If
you are further away from the broadcast towers, you might need to get
a more expensive powered antenna. Even those are only about $40 for
a good one.
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