Local Digital Antenna With Unlimited Movie Device Access For Your Entertainment

Now days the monthly cost of subscribing to a local carrier to watch television shows has gotten very expensive. Everyone owns a computer, and pays for the internet. Why not hook a local digital antenna up to your television, and receive local digital channels free. You then could subscribe to Netflix, stream unlimited movies to your computer, and only pay twenty dollars or less. You are now making more use out of your monthly internet bill. You are saving a ton of money on television broadcast cost each month. This alone in less then a year, will pay for this new technology setup. This gives you more control on what movies you watch, and when you watch them. Yes you will have a lot less television shows, but on the Windows Media Center devices there are a lot of prime time television and additional shows to watch other then movies too, for no additional cost. Your local digital antenna will receive about seven to thirteen digital free channels, depending on signal, and broadcast strength of your antenna.

Setting up Your Local Television Digital Antenna Correctly

For your television signal to work right, you will need a digital antenna, line signal amplifier (approximately four-nine dollars), and RG-11 coax cable (Buy RG-11coax cable online (Sold at “Solid Signal” online thirty dollars for thirty feet of coax cable), local retail stores only carry the lower quality RG-6 coax cable.). The line signal amplifier is needed for the days and nights that are cloudy and stormy. I would also recommend RG-11 coax cable for running your cable from the digital antenna to the digital television. RG-11 is the best coax cable on the market, and keeps out the cell phone and microwave signals better. You still will get a little interference, but your line signal amplifier will power through this. The cost of all this will be around hundred and twenty dollars (This price is based on the cost of thirty feet of RG-11 coax cable). Once you install your new equipment you will not need to pay for this again, no monthly cost. Check and see if your television is equipped with an internal digital television tuner. Check your television’s manual or go online and look up the specifications of your manufacture’s television. If you do not have an internal digital tuner, you can buy an external one for around two hundred dollars or less. This again is one cost, and no monthly cost ever after. I preferred the external digital tuner, because my wife and I loved the electronic television guide that came with it. Something to think about, when purchasing all this fun stuff, even if you have an internal digital tuner in your current television.

Digital Antenna Cable Hook Up

Your antenna RG-11 coax cable will run from your antenna, to your digital television or external digital tuner. Follow the line signal amplifier instructions for proper hookup. If you do have an external tuner, then run an additional RG-11 coax cable or HDMI cable to the television, from the external digital tuner. It is this simple. The digital antenna can be mounted in the house, this way all the cabling and antenna stays out of the weather, less upkeep.

Unlimited Movie setup Using Windows Media Center

Now how do I get started with unlimited movies? Buy a Windows Media Center device for around hundred dollars. Subscribe to Netflix and buy the PlayOn software plug-in that installs on your Windows Media Center computer. PlayOn software cost forty dollars to buy. PlayOn supports Netflix, and streams the movies from the computer to the Windows Media Center device, which is connected to your television. Install the PlayOn software plug-in on your Windows Media Center computer. Configure the PlayOn settings to work with your Netflix account. When you are in the settings areas, make sure you check to see if you have the latest version of PlayOn software. Configure your Windows firewall to allow the PlayOn software to stream freely. Allow two files complete access, MediaMallServer.exe and SettingsManager.exe.

Here is some help with setting up your network to stream video correctly. For the PlayOn software to work right, place the Windows Media Center computer and Windows Media Center device on a network switch (twenty to thirty dollars for a network switch) together. A network switch is similar to a router, but has no software controlling the ports. This is important, to be able to stream your video at a fast rate, and not bog down your network. The network switch then is connected to one empty port of the router that has the ISP (Internet Service Provider) or WAN (World-Wide Area Network) connection.

Windows Media Center, PlayOn, and Windows Media Center device have been a great money saver, and home entertainment system for my family. It does require attention using the computer with PlayOn. PlayOn needs to be at the right version, or your movie will not start through the Windows Center Media device. Knowing this, it is easy to update the PlayOn software on the Windows Media Center computer, and get right back to watching some movies.

Unlimited Movie Setup Using a Gaming Console

Most gaming consoles like the Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, and Nintendo Wii can be used as media centers. You just simply subscribe to Netflix or the provider the game console supports, and it is that simple. You will be watching movies like you were just playing a game you bought. Even better, you can purchase movies through your game consoles, how cool is that!

Have fun setting your new low cost entertainment system up, a way to save.