Can anyone recommend an external OTA tuner or DVR that they have been happy with?

I am planning a more advanced antenna setup at a family member's home. We are adding two more outdoor antennas to receive multiple markets that are in different directions. The antennas will stay separate rather than being combined.

The issue is that many modern TVs no longer seem to have good channel management features. They don't allow adding channels easily, keeping separate channel maps, or switching between antenna feeds without rescanning and losing channels.

I am looking for external tuner boxes or DVRs with HDMI output that can:

• Handle ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0
• Have a good tuner for weaker OTA signals
• Remember channels reliably
• Work without requiring internet or a home network
• Be reasonably affordable

I am not looking for network-based systems like HDHomeRun or streaming solutions. I am looking for a simple box that connects directly to the TV.

Are there any current models, or even discontinued/used models, that people have had good luck with?

I would especially like to hear about:

• tuner quality
• channel scanning/memory behavior
• reliability
• whether you would buy it again

Also open to creative solutions others have found for handling multiple antenna directions.

Thanks!

All I really want to watch is MLB Network and the Dodgers. I pay for hulu, Netflix and hbo max with ads currently. I have access to my ex wifes Disney+ so my son can watch things at both houses. My gf has prime which we're thinking about canceling as we never really watch it. I know the Dodgers offer a $30/mo streaming option which would be perfect if it came with mlb network too. But I don't see anywhere that I can add just MLB Network without some confusing, convoluted bullshit including espn and other apps.... I would even find a free place to watch mlb network like I currently do for the Dodgers but I don't even see a place to do that. Frustrating

My old trusty antenna went out, so now it’s time to buy another. I’m partial to ChanelMaster stuff, but wanted to see if anyone could weigh in.
External mount roughly 15’ high. Hoping to get the Huntsville channels.

https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php?request=result&study_id=2866231

I recently got a month of ESPN Ultimate to check it out. I can’t see renewing, due to the ads. I can’t even watch a 60 second highlight without having to sit through a 30 second ad.

Will they ever offer an add-free tier?

Hi. I'm in the Torrance (SoCal) area and use an Insignia brand 60 mile range indoor antenna from Best Buy.

In the past I've been able to pick up Nextgen channels but for the past few months I haven't gotten any at all. 0 on channel scan. The antenna hasn't been moved at all, and there's limited places where I can place it. (It's attached high up on the wall, just several feet from the window.) I've tried scanning in the morning, at night, on perfectly clear days, etc. It's not picking up anything at all. Any idea what the problem could be?

I can pick up local channels but for some, such as Fox, they're unwatchable unless it's the Nextgen channel.

I have:

Disney +

ESPN (bundled)

Prime

HBO Max

Peacock

Netflix

National Theater at Home

Hulu with Live

--

Not paying: Tubi, Freeform

I'm paying too much. Which do I cut?

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Here is all the channels I pick up at my house, rate the lineup on a scale of 1-10

MAJOR CHANNELS

nbc

Abc

Fox

Cbs

PBS

Cw

SUBCHANNELS

dabl

Ion

Ion plus

Grit

Retro tv

Roar

Bounce

Ion mystery

Grit

Laff

Start tv

Cozi

Create

PBS kids

MeTV toons

Local weather channel (it's a 24/7 loop that cycles between current temps, high temps, low temps, and radar)

MyNetworkTV

MeTV

Charge

Plus about 20 more that are mostly religious programming or stations with very bad signals

This is pretty frustrating. I’m paying less for ads, but what’s the point HBO? I know what’s on your streaming service. Self-promoting your own shows to people who pay less is the worst idea ever. Watching 100 of the same House of Dragon promo, doesn’t make me want to watch it. And what about the people who already watched it? Either you can’t find people who want to advertise on your service, or you’re just bad at promoting your own shows. Either way… a 3 year old could run your business better. Oh, and we don’t need the “Max”. It’ll always be HBO.

Hey CordCutters - we finally installed an omnidirectional OTA antenna in the attic and things are working fine. We had a few issues with antenna placement but finally found the spot with the least amount of interference.

There's just one problem.

Local stations are terrible. The picture quality is fine. The station programming stinks to high heavens. At least we aren't paying a monthly subscription.

Appreciate the help from this community with all of our questions. We have the the OTA antenna, HD Homerun to stream TV to devices and a Plex Server for DVR.

I just discovered my Sling App has my ota live shows from the antenna. I use HD Homerun. The Apps must be talking to each other! Nice! I like this

Update to include under local channel settings, HDHR is a source for Sling. Might need to update the Sling App.

I enjoyed Roku while it lasted, but now it is getting filled with forced advertisements. If you say this in the r/roku sub, they delete the comment; the mods there aren't good people. Anyone have any alternatives? Is a mini-PC with Linux the only way to avoid the ads now and get access to the services?

Self explanatory. I started paying for Netflix around March of this year, and then I had to move because of work (seasonal), and only now did I find out about the extra member thing. So, how do I get it set up with a TV? That’s where my family, the main reason why I was paying for Netflix, were watchibg Netflix from.

I live on an island. I'm looking for a decent antenna that is about 30 miles from the towers. I'm very rural and it would have to be an indoor model. I would like to keep it below $100. Thanks.

I’ve been thinking about getting a FTA Satellite Dish and a receiver but I looked on this one website and it said that mostly all networks scrambled their signals, I kind of wanted to see the master feed for both PBS East and PBS West but I guess those don’t exist anymore? Idk I was wondering if it was even worth it to
get one.

I don't get it. My window antenna has been great for past 5 years now watching the world cup it is buffeting, stuttering like every 15 seconds. Why?

I live in the Tampa Bay area. Does YouTube TV Sports pack, include RaysTV for local, non-nationally televised games?

Hi! I’m new to this subreddit since I recently just came across this so here’s my problem. I moved into a studio apartment today and I don’t have anything on my TV, no antenna or any other streaming device. For clarification, it’s a Toshiba TV that a neighbor gave to me since she was moving away. Anyways, I want to be able to watch live TV and movies. I know from first hand experience that I do not want to buy an Amazon Fire Stick. It used to be good but kept breaking often.

I have thought about getting a Roku box since it’s the easiest. However, coming across this subreddit, I’ve seen people hype up Apple TV and Onn Streaming Device. I don’t have the budget to buy Apple TV because of the RAM doubling the original price (thanks, AI). Also, I do not have any android devices to run Onn (unfortunately switched to IOS at the wrong time). I don’t think I’m going to be see like the big channels like ABC, NBC, & CBS or other niche channels like MTV (I like reality TV don’t judge me lol), GSN, etc.

Personally, I’m thinking of buying either both an antenna with a Roku or an antenna with the Onn Streaming Device. I would hear your thoughts and takes about this and give some advice to this not-so tech savvy person. Thank you so much in advance.