What’s the Best Way To Cut the Cord?

If you have a smart tv you should able to stream Roku with out a streaming stick.

I suggest you get some one familiar with your issue to help you.

On you PC go to Roku How It Works.

??? Not all smart tvs come roku equipped. And my recent shopping searches would indicate that most do not…you have to purchase and install a roku device.

I think Rasputin is referring to the Roku Channel free streaming service, which is not only available on Roku devices, but is also available on Amazon Fire TV devices and Samsung smart TVs. It’s also available thru their website, so if your device/TV has a web browser, one might be able to stream it thru the browser on their TV.

Sounds as if you are having trouble navigating the TV’s menus. Don’t know what kind of Customer service both Samsung and Vizio have nowadays.

About 5 years ago had trouble with my Samsung. Called them up and they helped me with my problem.

May be worth a try to call up both Samsung and Vizio. Tell them the TV models you have and they may be able to walk you thru the process of receiving over the air Channels.

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This discussion is a couple of years old and gets repetitive at times but your solution might be in it or in the Samsung link included early on in the discussion.

https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/HD-and-UHD-TVs/Trouble-using-antenna-with-Smart-TV/m-p/758019#M19405

Also, many smart tvs come with the Roku app (not to be confused with Roku channel). The ones that do not come loaded with Roku are usually loaded with whatever is equivalent to Roku in the Google universe.

You might try this:

  1. Make sure the remote you are using is the one that came with your TV… NOT the cable-TV remote.
  2. Disconnect the cable for the cable signal (the one from the cable service box)
    3, Connect the little cable that came with your TV antenna to the little threaded thingy on the back of your TV where you removed the cable from the cable-TV box.
  3. Turn on the TV and choose “input” or “TV”

Here’s a picture of what the thing looks like where you attach your antenna’s cable, it might be labeled input, cab/ant, antenna, or OTA antenna.:

ant-coax

And you can use just one antenna and hook it up to one of these gadgets and it will pass the local stations to all of your smart TVs that are on your wifi, (no additional wiring needed.)

https://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/

Thanks everyone. I know how to hook up the antenna. I have internet, but I don’t want to stream or buy another box; I’m trying to get rid of the cable box and extra remote for the cable box, and still get local channels

I did finally get the Vizio to an antenna mode (I don’t know how that happened) but the picture is only 7 inches tall and the rest of the screen is black. I can’t get the picture to fill the screen. I went to picture and all it’s for is to change brightness, tone, etc. nothing about fit picture to screen. I’m done. :upside_down_face:

Thank you all.

Sister1, Most people that aren’t tech savvy have a friend or family member who is. I think you need to have them get your OTA (over the air) up and running. Don’t give up, you can save a lot of money. I “cut the cord” 7 years ago. I watch a combination of OTA, Roku and other streaming stuff.

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Rasputinll, I just gave it a try and (of course) they don’t have any stations close to me. The closest city to me is Norfolk VA. If they keep adding stations it could become a nice Roku channel to use.

I finally got the Samsung smart tv’s to work with an antenna. Turned in the cable boxes today, and the guy gave me a discount on the internet service for 2 years. Yay :grinning:

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If you are close to the broadcast antenna’s OTA is the best deal for local channels. Great picture. My problem is I’m 65 miles from the Norfolk VA broadcast antennas. Very hard to get a signal from that far away.

Sister, enjoy your OTA channels. And fill in with Roku and other streaming for all else. Cord cutting is the way to go.

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Any experience with amplified OTA antennas?

Hi Wiseass, I have all the OTA goodies. A pre-amp that is up at the antenna. (Not the amp down at the TV. They are useless) An antenna rotator to point right at the station antennas. My antenna is up on a 35 foot pole.

When I first installed I was getting a pretty good signal 50% of the time. My problem is there are trees North and NW of me. I believe in the 6 or so years they have now grown tall enough to block my antenna. I can’t raise my antenna height anymore.

An added bonus is I can change my furniture around without keeping the tv near a cable outlet.

You can take one OTA antenna and hook it to this $109 gadget and play the OTA stations on any smart TV, cell phone, PC or tablet with zero cables. It takes the antenna TV signal and converts it to an Ethernet signal and sends it over your home’s wifi.

Thanks. My interest is really just academic. I am within shouting distance of the major networks and get 3 more ETV stations than I did with cable using a $7 OTA antenna.

Have you tried a log-periodic antenna with your rotator?

Never heard of it.

They look like a fishbone and add sensitivity while slightly reducing the directional tendency when compared to a Yagi antenna. I’m not sure of any real advantages for HDTV but the fact it picks up a wider bandwith might make it a tad more sensitive and could make the difference. I’d ask an expert and see what they say.

Thanks H200h.