Okay, lots of background info. I've had these systems connected for at least 15 or more years. Got a 70" AQUOS HDTV when Dad passed in 2015. Made by Sharp,
its 108HD, not 4K or 8K, but it works well and looks good. I've been collecting /shuffling Audio gear for many years. Sound is very good. Video side is fine.
I've had a Mac computer with external storage in my office - its been upgraded over the years, & updated to Mac Silicon (Studio M4 Max) recently.
I can stream audio and movies/video from the Mac to the Living room or the TV room via WiFi. The TV room/Media room is set for 7.1 - 4 UREI monitors all around
and an old 18" subwoofer from JBL. Good speakers, decent amps, and an OPPO Bluray for disc moments. Got a TIVO Romio DVR with a cable card & cable channels -
we also have Prime, & Apple TV4K too (ending Netflix this week - I rotate pay channels every couple months).
We have 2 choices for CATV offerings: we used to have Cox Comm (now "Spectrum"), but after seemingly monthly outages, we flipped to Verizon FIOS 10 years ago.
But FIOS is shutting down the Cable card come November - changing technology on us. My (ancient) 4-tuner TIVO Romio DVR is a model that can do Over The Air stations.
So the plan is to drop the CATV side of FIOS and just keep the Internet feed, hang a strong UHF antenna and rotor out back for the Washington/Baltimore off-airs, and pull a couple streams off FIOS-internet. I've rescued an old Winegard 9095 (39 element high gain UHF yagi) antenna I originally put on my parent home in the 80s ... and a Channelmaster clunk-o-matic rotor that hopefully still work. The antenna's 3 Ubolt clamps have rusted and locked, but I did get them unbolted from the 3 main masts. I just need new 1 3/8 u-bolts - or regrind it for 1.5 inch u-clamp width.
I do like the delay option of the DVR - and to ffwd commercials and such. And I have an app that lets the TIVO see my mac and its storage of MP4s - so I can stream saved videos to the downstairs, tho I'm not sure if it will still work when Apple releases OSX 28 next year - apparently its a real breakthrough/breaker of apps!
So - I'm currently cleaning up the antenna and prepping to install it over the back porch in the next couple weeks, and I got an Amazon Firestick 4KMAX so I can cherry pick streaming services via Prime once I pull the TIVO off the internet feed. Our Integra DTC 9.8 preamp/Processor has 4 HDMI inputs - I just need to redo Setup for it.
And - it adds yet another remote control to the system (!!).
Last time I used the antenna was a test as the local stations all went HD!
Even with a ground level mast and rotor we had reasonable signal in winter.
The thought this time is to mount it on a north facing corner of our screened in back porch. It faces North - towards DC (and Baltimore).
Doesn't need to be high. but anything above ground will be an improvement.
There was a Winegard AC4990 low noise preamp in the case, a legendary piece in its day, but its visibly corroded and dead now,
- so I'll just bypass it and solder a balun in its place.
Give that its a small room, but Movies and TV shows play nicely, and it works well in the winter months when the little car is stowed away.
Hey - UREIs were apparently Tom Petty's speakers of choice!
its 108HD, not 4K or 8K, but it works well and looks good. I've been collecting /shuffling Audio gear for many years. Sound is very good. Video side is fine.
I've had a Mac computer with external storage in my office - its been upgraded over the years, & updated to Mac Silicon (Studio M4 Max) recently.
I can stream audio and movies/video from the Mac to the Living room or the TV room via WiFi. The TV room/Media room is set for 7.1 - 4 UREI monitors all around
and an old 18" subwoofer from JBL. Good speakers, decent amps, and an OPPO Bluray for disc moments. Got a TIVO Romio DVR with a cable card & cable channels -
we also have Prime, & Apple TV4K too (ending Netflix this week - I rotate pay channels every couple months).
We have 2 choices for CATV offerings: we used to have Cox Comm (now "Spectrum"), but after seemingly monthly outages, we flipped to Verizon FIOS 10 years ago.
But FIOS is shutting down the Cable card come November - changing technology on us. My (ancient) 4-tuner TIVO Romio DVR is a model that can do Over The Air stations.
So the plan is to drop the CATV side of FIOS and just keep the Internet feed, hang a strong UHF antenna and rotor out back for the Washington/Baltimore off-airs, and pull a couple streams off FIOS-internet. I've rescued an old Winegard 9095 (39 element high gain UHF yagi) antenna I originally put on my parent home in the 80s ... and a Channelmaster clunk-o-matic rotor that hopefully still work. The antenna's 3 Ubolt clamps have rusted and locked, but I did get them unbolted from the 3 main masts. I just need new 1 3/8 u-bolts - or regrind it for 1.5 inch u-clamp width.
I do like the delay option of the DVR - and to ffwd commercials and such. And I have an app that lets the TIVO see my mac and its storage of MP4s - so I can stream saved videos to the downstairs, tho I'm not sure if it will still work when Apple releases OSX 28 next year - apparently its a real breakthrough/breaker of apps!
So - I'm currently cleaning up the antenna and prepping to install it over the back porch in the next couple weeks, and I got an Amazon Firestick 4KMAX so I can cherry pick streaming services via Prime once I pull the TIVO off the internet feed. Our Integra DTC 9.8 preamp/Processor has 4 HDMI inputs - I just need to redo Setup for it.
And - it adds yet another remote control to the system (!!).
Last time I used the antenna was a test as the local stations all went HD!
Even with a ground level mast and rotor we had reasonable signal in winter.
The thought this time is to mount it on a north facing corner of our screened in back porch. It faces North - towards DC (and Baltimore).
Doesn't need to be high. but anything above ground will be an improvement.
There was a Winegard AC4990 low noise preamp in the case, a legendary piece in its day, but its visibly corroded and dead now,
- so I'll just bypass it and solder a balun in its place.
Give that its a small room, but Movies and TV shows play nicely, and it works well in the winter months when the little car is stowed away.
Hey - UREIs were apparently Tom Petty's speakers of choice!
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