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I've wondered about antennas, too. Mostly because I have one smart TV that has one of its inputs as "TV" and if it's selected, it will attempt to tune to local channels, like it shows the channel number and letters but it does not actually have the signal, there is no audio or video, just a black screen with the numbers and letters of the station in the corner.
I have no idea if this TV has some kind of built in antenna, and it's potentially able to get local TV, or if I need to actually connect an antenna...
All TVs can get broadcast channels — it's required, by FCC regulation, that they have full channel reception range if they have a tuner of any kind. No tuner, no RF/Antenna input, and it's a "monitor."
But no modern TV (that I know of) has a built-in antenna any more. It's possible that some models in city locations with very, very strong signals could pick up a channel or two, but for the most part, an external antenna, even a small wall-mount one, is needed.
The first step is to use the FCC channel strength web page to see if your location (down to your address, not generically by city) has any channels that can be received, and if so, how many at what general levels of strength. If you have one or more "green" channels, it's worth adding an inexpensive antenna so that you can get local broadcasts. A few green and a lot of "yellow" channels, you'll need a bigger/higher/amplified antenna to get much.
I've suggested that libraries have a medium-size interior antenna that can be checked out for a week.
It has way more than locals. If all you want are locals, yes, an antenna is better, I was assuming the OP wanted locals in addition to cable channels.
Don't underestimate "locals." Most areas have 12-15 channels that can be received with a modest antenna, and each channel has up to three subchannels. A lot of them are niche or crap, but it's far more than just the handful of network affiliates and a few indies.
I use a Leaf antenna bought off Amazon for broadcast TV. It's an inside antenna and I've been pretty happy with it. Your reception will depend on what's between the TV tower and the antenna. This website may help you predict what you are able to watch with an antenna. https://antennaweb.org. Alternatively, most major broadcast companies (ABC, CBS NBC, PBS CNN etc.) also sell Apps that you can use with FireTV, Roku, and others to stream their content, sometimes including live TV like your local news. Check what Amazon has on offer. But, be aware that most of these Apps offered free start charging after the first month--still a good deal if you use them. And, easy to delete if you don't.
We cut the cord over 7 years ago. We were lucky enough to live in an area with FIOS. So, streaming was a no brainer. We had 4 set top boxes. The rental fees for those is insane. Not to mention all of the FCC fees, taxes, etc. We started adding up the yearly costs. Over $3000/yr. We figured that was a nice vacation annually that we could go on with $3000.
So, we cut the cord. We got FIOS 25/25 down/up for $50/month and never looked back. Now we have 1gb/1gb. Lord knows we don't miss cable. 75% of the channels were crap anyway.
30 bucks+ per month? (I may be off on the price). Why? A one time payment of 50 dollars +\- will get you the locals for free.
simple answer- because i don't want only local channels.
i cancelled my youtuvetv for now because i wasn't watching it much, but once sports comes back i'm turning it back on.
Antenna. We rarely use it, though. I read most of my local news.
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