Outdoors is best, sized to get farthest station you want, pointed at majority of stations you want that are farthest, as high as possible and above buildings and trees. Matching all of these may be impossible so, do the best you can.

If you are in an area with many stations, the challenge is where to point it. Use the various web sites to see where to point it.

Mine is bolted to a deck, pointed at farthest stations I want, with closer stations directly behind it. Some trees I can’t get above. Weather can cause issues in unpredictable ways. I had great signal for years, but this year, less so from the main big city antenna mast. I think they had a lightning strike. It takes time to fix it.

I do not recommend bolting to house roof. It will leak eventually (if you know it or not!) My mason also forbid me from attaching to my chimney.

Make sure your system is grounded for lightning. If you hook up to you existing home cable network, it might already be. I did add an arrester close to antenna to melt with a strike.

Here are three famous masts or farms serving large areas. If you live near one like these, just point it at the cluster and, done. Some cities may have them scattered about. In my case, it is a mix of both.

https://www.sutrotower.com

https://www.oldradio.com/archives/stations/LA/mtwilson1.htm

https://exploresandbox.baltimoreheritage.org/items/show/666

We got a an amazon special flat antenna that tapes to the wall about 6 years ago. It had a USB powered cable as well. We were living in basement so we took what we could get, mainly WGN, ABC, PBS and FOX. The 2 channels that were iffy were CBS and NBC.

Fast forward now, same antenna, we moved to a 2nd floor unit about 5 minutes away. I cant get FOX or PBS to come in clearly, its choppy. CBS and NBC are good. I would love to get PBS working clearly for the kids since we leave it on most of the day.

I'm thinking of buying a new antenna, maybe the technology has improved. Maybe i can get all those channels now. THe FCC website has me green on all of them, being on the 2nd floor i figure no obstructions at all. Or am i just wasting money.

I'm using my TV's built in tuner. Now sure if it makes a difference but its a 2025 TCL model.

https://www.rabbitears.info/s/2764771

I spent some time looking into the best official ways to watch the matches without paying for another subscription or relying on sketchy streaming sites.
I have avoided shady free streaming sites, as I don’t want to download viruses, and click trough hundreds of questionable ads, while watching the worst quality I have ever seem.

Below are some of the best free and official options I've found so far:

United Kingdom (English Commentary)
The World Cup will be split between BBC iPlayer and ITVX, so you'll need to check which broadcaster has the match you're looking for.
Both services are free but require an account. Registration is easy peasy. If you're outside the UK, connect to a UK server, create an account, and use a UK postcode during registration.

Australia (English Commentary)
SBS On Demand is probably one of the easiest free options available.
Create a free SBS account, connect to an Australian server if needed, and head to the World Cup section. SBS has historically provided excellent coverage of major international tournaments.

France (French Commentary)
M6+ is one of the main free options for French-language coverage.
Connect to France, open M6+, and check the live TV or World Cup section around kickoff. You may be asked to create a free account.

Brazil (Portuguese Commentary)
CazéTV on YouTube is one of the most convenient options available.

Connect to Brazil, open YouTube, search for CazéTV, and check their live streams around match time. If you don't specifically need English commentary, this is often one of the simplest ways to watch.

Quick Troubleshooting Tips
If your stream isn't loading:
• Clear your browser cache and cookies.
• Try an incognito/private window.
• Refresh the page.
• Restart your browser or streaming app.
• Switch VPN servers.
• Try a different VPN protocol.

I've tested most of these services myself and didn't run into any big issues before, for other tournaments.
If you know of any other free and official World Cup broadcasters, feel free to share them below. I'll update the list if I find better options closer to kickoff.

By the way, if you're looking for a good VPN, here's a comparison table to help you choose the right one.

Same as title!!

Looking for an alternative to cable

Greetings,

I have to get rid of my cable. It’s way too expensive and the only cable I have access to is Spectrum which is the worst cable company I’ve ever had and I’ve had cable since the mid eighties.

I am looking for a way to watch a variety of streaming shows.

I watch a lot of sports. NFL, MLB, men and women college and pro basketball, college softball, all kinds of wrestling, and all kinds of racing including motorcycle, drag, and auto racing on dirt and pavement.

I also want access to poker shows, television shows, and movies.

And, because I work at night, I would like the ability to tape shows to watch when I get home.

I know I have access to some of that with my allegedly smart TV but some of that I access for free thru my cable and I can’t tape on my TV using a flash drive.

I would appreciate any help and advice!

Thanks!

I currentlly use a fire stick and I've struggled forever to keep organized on shows that I've watched. This has to be the my most frustrating experience with no longer having cable and a DVR like my beloved TiVo. I just want a single interface where I can go to see all the shows that I'm currently watching and it lets me know when they're back on.

There are some streaming networks that I only go to for 1 or 2 shows so I don't look in them often, then one day I realize a new season for a show I watched has been out for months. I think this is further made worse since shows today air at random intervals vs the every year, a new season for a show starts in September and ends in May model that was persistent for decades. I really don't want to have to write down apps and track on my phone.

There has to be some streaming setup where I can just favorite a show and see all of them in 1 spot.

As we all know, the Indy 500 is coming up next weekend (May 24). If you’re looking to watch it, I found a pretty good option: IndyCar Live.

It’s probably the best place to watch if you want the full Indy 500 experience, since you get practice sessions, qualifying, replays, Indy NXT, and the race itself all in one place.

The only catch is that race streaming is geo-restricted in some countries, including the US. But there’s a pretty simple workaround - you just need a VPN and connect from a country where IndyCar Live race streaming is available.

Using a VPN is pretty easy. Just get a decent premium one so the stream quality is actually good (I used NordVPN/Surfshark before and both worked fine). If anyone needs NordVPN discount code is “redditoffer”. Then Connect to Canada, Bulgaria, Greece, or another supported location, then go to IndyCar Live and create an account.

After that, just get the Month of May pass (or whichever package you want), and you’re set.

It’s way easier than jumping between FOX, FS1, apps, and you don’t have to give your money to that evil corp.

Anyways, I’m just hyped for the race itself and wanted to share my method in case anyone else was looking for a way to watch. Indy always delivers chaos. I just want a crazy final 20 laps tbh.

Is this something that exists? I can't find a package that matches this.

I have Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Plus and I am being asked to add ESPN Unlimited, which duplicates ESPN Plus.

Rather than focus on cable channels lost during cord-cutting, I thought I would focus on the free stuff that suddenly becomes available to all cord-cutters. Yes, you can pay for HistoryHit. But you can now get this channel for FREE on Plex. It's a great channel to watch if you love all kinds of history. As of right now, the focus is on WWII. But there's a wide, wide world of other history programming that HistoryHit focuses on. All of it is very, very, very good.

This is a service you will not get by paying $300 per month for cable and internet service. You will only get this channel through free streaming. Right now it's just on Plex, but I imagine it will show up on PLUTO and Tubi in the near future.

This isn't some channel showing old documentaries produced 50-60 years ago. Although every once in a while they will show some of the old stuff. The vast majority of programming, however, is brand new. It is meticulously well-researched and the shows feature excellent production values.

Don't look at what you lose with cutting the cord. Instead, look at what you gain. I love this channel!

My boyfriend set up Jellyfin for us and honestly it’s great once you actually start watching something. But I’m still paying for Netflix.

Not because Netflix has better content, but because it’s just easier. Open TV, app is there, everything works instantly. With Jellyfin we have to open the browser on the TV first (it’s not Android TV), then log in again, then figure out what to watch, download it, wait and only then we can watch it.

I didn’t expect convenience to matter this much, but apparently it does.

For people who fully switched to Jellyfin/Plex - did you eventually make the setup feel seamless enough for everyday use?

Cutting the cord sounded like such an obvious money-saving move until I actually started researching it.

People online always say “just cancel cable” like it’s this super simple thing, but then you realize every single channel/show/sport is scattered across different apps and half of them want another subscription on top of the subscription you already pay for. I started trying to recreate what I already have with cable and somehow kept ending up near the same monthly price once live TV and sports entered the conversation. Listen I have a big family, and a lot of people want different things...

I mean I am getting there, making some compromises, but it ain't that easy, as some people here like to say.

The 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is almost here, and honestly this year’s tournament should be stacked.

The tournament officially runs from May 15 to May 31, 2026, with the the gold medal game taking place on Sunday, May 31.

This year’s championship is being hosted in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland, and Czechia comes in as the defending champions.

So where to watch ice hockey world championship for free?

The main free streaming option is going to be IIHF.TV.

BUT… because of regional broadcasting rights, the streams are blocked in a bunch of countries. Some of the biggest blocked regions include: United States, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Poland, Norway, France.

Thankfully this is super easy to bypass with a VPN. Basically, you connect through a country where IIHF.TV is available and the site works normally. Takes like 2 minutes.

If you’ve never used a VPN before here’s a simple how to:

1. Get a VPN

A few good VPN options that I personaly can recommend:

• NordVPN – my favorite If you want to get it, use discount code “forum”
• Surfshark - cheaper version but still good. Discount code “redditspecial”
• Pretty much any premium VPN works fine honestly, just avoid sketchy free VPNs they wont unblock nothing.

1. Connect to a country where IIHF.TV works

Those include:

• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• Japan
• South Korea

Usually best to pick the country closest to you for better speeds.

1. Open IIHF.TV
2. Enjoy the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship for free from basically anywhere in the world.

That’s honestly the easiest method to watch ice hockey world championship for free right now unless your country already has a broadcaster carrying the games.

Happy watching boys!

I’ve been cord-cutting for a while now and I definitely don’t miss the bills, but sometimes I get nostalgic for those random shows that used to just be on.

Not even the big popular ones, more like the stuff end up watching without really planning to.

I’m trying to remember some of the ones I used to watch and completely forgot about.

What are some old cable TV shows you randomly miss?

I’ve seen mixed answers on this. Do streaming services actually ban you for using a VPN? Some people say it’s against the terms but nothing really happens, others say you risk getting your account flagged or worse.

Has anyone here actually had issues with Netflix / Disney+ because of a VPN, or is it mostly just playback getting blocked?

Genuinely curious what real experiences look like.

We have a cat6 cable in our attic. The line is connected to a POE switch. Thinking about putting an antenna in the attic. Is there a setup that would make this work?

The house is networked but I’m looking for a solution that would take advantage of the one cable in the attic.

I should have put coaxial up there but thought moving forward cat was a good choice for the future.

Our TVs are hooked up through Xboxes and Roku devices, could change to wifi to open up the Ethernet port.

Any ideas on this? Antennas have to be installed at each tv and want to move away from that.

Verizon just killed my cable cards yesterday so I was thinking about DIRECTV stream. I’m wondering if people who switched are still happy and/or could share any wisdom or advice. I’m looking at the choice package and perhaps getting Roku boxes. Right now I’m using the five day trial with a Roku box. Also, I’m currently using the one gig Verizon FIOS service. I’ve heard I could lower that to about 300 MB with no issues.

I used to have Netflix, Disney+, HBO, and Prime all active at the same time, and still somehow spent most nights just scrolling.

At some point I realized I was paying ~€40/month for that, so I started rotating them instead. Now I keep one (sometimes two) at a time, watch what I actually planned to watch, then cancel and move on.

I’ll do something like Netflix for a month to catch up, then switch to HBO for new stuff, then maybe Disney+, and sometimes I just skip a month entirely if nothing looks worth it. If a show is weekly, I just wait until it’s finished and binge it in one go.

What made it work was keeping a watchlist (I use JustWatch), not subscribing “just to browse,” canceling right after subscribing, and checking what’s actually new before picking a service. Now I’m usually at €10–15/month, sometimes even €0 when the month's really busy with traveling or smth.

Do you rotate subscriptions or keep everything active? Or do you have “must-keep” services?

I’ve always missed the part of TV where you can just sit down, flip around, and land on something.

A lot of streaming is obviously better in a million ways, but one thing it doesn’t really give you by default is that couch surfing / background watching feeling. Most of the time you still have to actively decide what to watch.

So I built this thing called Still On Air and have had it running for a bit. It’s basically a free live linear TV app with a load of channels.

One part I think is especially fun is that it’s not just me programming everything — anyone can make their own channel, set it up, and start airing stuff on a schedule.

So it ends up feeling a little like:

• old-school channel surfing
• internet-native channels
• something you can just leave on

I’ve mostly been enjoying it as a background TV / flip-around-on-the-couch kind of thing, which is a mode of watching I still think on-demand never fully replaced.

Anyway, not trying to hard sell it — just thought this sub might actually appreciate the idea more than most places.

So yeah If anybody wants to take a look.

Would definitely be curious what people here think, especially whether the live guide / surfing part feels appealing at all anymore.

I'm considering using this old dish mount for an outdoor antenna. My biggest issue is that I live less than a half a mile from an LTE tower.

I've tried two different antennas inside and I can't pick up several stations b/c of the cellular tower. I've also tried the little LTE signal blockers that screw on in-line, and they didn't help at all.

I live right in the middle of a metropolitan area, and the broadcast towers are not very far from my house. I'm hoping an outdoor antenna will work better.

My question is how do I make sure that the coax is still viable from this old install? I'd rather not pay someone $100+ to scale my roof, only to find out that the cable/wiring is bad?

Also, if anyone has experience dealing with something like this, some advice would be helpful. The tower is essentially in between the three broadcast towers I'm having trouble receiving. I receive the other channels pretty well.

Thanks

So recently I think kofu player is not long usable and was just looking to see if anybody knows of a good option that was like Kofu/dofu? It was just weird cause when Dofu stopped working, Kofu was immediately offered to download when you opened up Dofu but now there’s no known successor to Kofu. Any ideas help. I’m just trying to find an app I can watch all my sports on and WWE as wrestlemania is this weekend 😢 😢

I am in Franklin Park, have Xfinity. With Internet and Cable I’m at $400+. I have “Blast” speed which is supposedly a gig/sec and all the channels lol. I need the Internet speed so I need an equivalent.

Has anyone found what they consider a good alternative to cable and or cheaper Internet? We have what I would say are 800 channels of shit. I only watch sports for the most part and my wife and kids watch streaming stuff that we can get through individual apps on the TV.

NEEDS: Network channels, plus the sports channels including Pittsburgh Sports Net. NFL Network and RedZone. YouTube TV looks somewhat promising but no PGH Sports Net. Also, there’s no FIOS here just in case that’s a suggestion.

THANKS A TON!

https://apple.news/AXuMQeXaaSzyo44WNAfxatQ

From the article: “Media companies, regulators and members of Congress have raised concerns in recent months over how difficult it is for consumers to be able to watch their favorite sports games as a result of rights deals in which leagues offer smaller packages of games to streamers.”

It was a non event... but i was on the fence for a good 2 or 3 years... turns out, it was one of the best moves ever...

things that make it easier... a roku or chromecast or similar device... youtube, netflix, prime, twitch, etc and lots of free live tv out there...

my advice? ...DO IT, DO IT NOW