TSN Streaming Service

[shayman]

HD antennas work great in the GTA but it all depends how far you are from the transmitter (and there is no over-the-air transmitter of TSN.) Mine is disassembled at the moment but for a while I was getting something like 23 stations, for free - all the main Canadian broadcast networks (from the CN Tower) and the US networks (from Buffalo.) Proper aligning of the antenna is crucial, I had to get it pointed exactly right at Buffalo from my place (in bloor west village - i was close enough to the CN tower that you'd get all the Canadian networks no matter which way you pointed the antenna.)

You don't need to spend a lot on an antenna. I got a Channelmaster 4221 from a place called Save And Replay, a great store to visit if you're in the Toronto area. They can fix you up with everything. http://saveandreplay.com

Also I was pleasantly surprised to see that the new TSN streaming stuff is free if you already have a cable subscription - log in with your cable company credentials. This could be handy when travelling or wanting to watch something on your phone (or in my case an Apple TV in my office)

[R.J]

HD antennas work great in the GTA but it all depends how far you are from the transmitter (and there is no over-the-air transmitter of TSN.) Mine is disassembled at the moment but for a while I was getting something like 23 stations, for free - all the main Canadian broadcast networks (from the CN Tower) and the US networks (from Buffalo.) Proper aligning of the antenna is crucial, I had to get it pointed exactly right at Buffalo from my place (in bloor west village - i was close enough to the CN tower that you'd get all the Canadian networks no matter which way you pointed the antenna.)

You don't need to spend a lot on an antenna. I got a Channelmaster 4221 from a place called Save And Replay, a great store to visit if you're in the Toronto area. They can fix up up with everything. http://saveandreplay.com

Also I was pleasantly surprised to see that the new TSN streaming stuff is free if you already have a cable subscription - log in with your cable company credentials. This could be handy when travelling or wanting to watch something on your phone.

I've checked out multiple sites to see how many channels I could potentially get with an antenna - not bad; slightly under 30. Obviously no Tsn or Sportsnet though, so that's a no go for me. Currently I'm paying around $101 for cable/internet and get quite a bit, so I'm happy. For awhile I was thinking about cutting the cord to go along with my Kodi box, but sports would've been a major issue for me (NHL, CFL, Aussie Rules Football, Indycar, CHL, NFL, etc)

[rdavies]

For awhile I was thinking about cutting the cord to go along with my Kodi box, but sports would've been a major issue for me (NHL, CFL, Aussie Rules Football, Indycar, CHL, NFL, etc)

You're not seeing them through Kodi? Without going into things I shouldn't, those things shouldn't be a problem. Depending on one's ethics you could share a user/pass for most services. I do computer work for people and they are more than happy to share/barter.

Using Kodi is an ongoing experience, it takes daily work to keep it going properly, things come, things go. It's not a turnkey deal.

I only wish where I live had the OTA access you guys are getting. But these days I do most of my watching on Youtube.

[rdavies]

I agree, that`s why I didn`t share anything and spoke of one`s own ethics. (Post responded to disappeared)

I remember going to a bunch of websites ie NBC/ABC and accessing some full episodes of their series that were cleared. I remember thinking I wish there was a program that could conglomerate this stuff and make it easier to access all in one place. And that is essentially what Kodi does, I wished I had been using it years before. As an open source guy I knew of it long ago but figured it was just another video player. I didn't know what it really did.

There's lots of ways to use Kodi legally, you can link up to CBC/NFB/Youtube and one of my favourites, the Smithsonian channel. The difficult part is, of course, live streaming but that is where you can hook up your OTA setup as well.

[rdavies]

Has anyone tried HD antennas ?

There`s no such thing as an HD antenna, that`s a myth. Any old time yagi antenna will work just fine. You can tinker/aim/fine tune and use other types of antennas, of course, but if someone is trying to sell you an HD antenna, that's a load of baloney. If you're close enough, a paper clip will work. I'm using my old Radio Shack rabbit ears from 1985

[R.J]

You're not seeing them through Kodi? Without going into things I shouldn't, those things shouldn't be a problem. Depending on one's ethics you could share a user/pass for most services. I do computer work for people and they are more than happy to share/barter.

Using Kodi is an ongoing experience, it takes daily work to keep it going properly, things come, things go. It's not a turnkey deal.

I only wish where I live had the OTA access you guys are getting. But these days I do most of my watching on Youtube.

There are quite a few sports options on Kodi, but very rarely in HD or good enough quality for me. I don't mind paying for my viewing options as I've even looked at Vmedia, but staying with cable makes more sense for me currently.

[shayman]

I agree, that`s why I didn`t share anything and spoke of one`s own ethics. (Post responded to disappeared).

Yeah, that was me, sorry 'bout that, decided 30 seconds after posting that I didn't want to open one particular can of worms.

[rdavies]

^^I think it all depends on how you consume content. I've never been one to surf channels or really had a favourite show or felt the need to watch sports live. Personally for me I prefer the on demand approach, I know what I want to watch and I go find it.

I have a laptop (new age VCR) hooked up to a big screen and use a wireless keyboard, pretty simple stuff. I can switch to the OTA antenna channels for live content. I'm content because it's cost effective and I'm used to it. I worked in TV for years so when I got home I didn't particularly want to watch it. Rare were the years when I even had cable, even with things like Kodi I prefer tinkering with it more than watching the actual content.

[shayman]

There`s no such thing as an HD antenna, that`s a myth.

Agreed. Was using "HD Antenna" in the context of "An antenna that can receive HD, but of course you could make one out of coathangers and it would work too." Still recommend visiting SaveAndReplay.com if you're serious about this; they know exactly what works, what doesn't.

[rdavies]

Agreed. Was using "HD Antenna" in the context of "An antenna that can receive HD, but of course you could make one out of coathangers and it would work too." Still recommend visiting SaveAndReplay.com if you're serious about this; they know exactly what works, what doesn't.

Unlike the old snowy, tuning in analog days, an HD signal drops off a cliff, you either get it or you don't, although the signal can get pixelated. I think some products advertised as "HD antennas" are marketed more for the indoor esthetics (which I don't really have a problem with)

[shayman]

Unlike the old snowy, tuning in analog days, an HD signal drops off a cliff, you either get it or you don't, although the signal can get pixelated. I think some products advertised as "HD antennas" are marketed more for the indoor esthetics (which I don't really have a problem with)

You are suddenly much more aware of the weather. It's raining? Don't plan on watching NBC from Buffalo :-)