So I bought a High Definition TV about a year and a half ago and I was living in a place where there was already the typical cable box setup so of course I had to get the High Definition channels. That is the reason I spent over a thousand dollars on a stupid piece of machinery to show me what real life looks like anyway, right? Why not "See it in HD?" The trouble with that is that in order for one to "See it in HD", one has to argue with his roommates as to why they now have to split a $140.00 a month cable bill as opposed to a $70.00 a month cable bill. First off that is way too much to ever, ever have to pay for something that actually serves no purpose in the home aside from entertainment, I guess. None of this occurred to me when I was purchasing the TV, though. I just wanted it. Well, after about 6 months, I moved out to my own place (I like to think the reason I had to move was the TV, but it's way more complicated than that) and took a while getting everything all set up and painted, etc. Then, like all apartment goers do, I started thinking about cable and internet options. It was then that I found where my cable wire was. Above the front door, coming out of the 
ceiling and about a hundred feet (serious exaggeration) from the tv! This may have been a testament to someones laziness or the fact that these used to be military barracks and as I mentioned before, TV's are not really essential to anyone's life. This turned into a classic case of aesthetics vs. entertainment which was then argued in the court of my mind. Not to be partial, but, aesthetics always wins when I am the judge. So I started looking into other options that did not require a wire zig-zagging over doors, book cases, under rugs, etc and not much came up. I finally did some searching on the internets and found a you tube video of this guy who made his own HD TV antenna. Apparently, most new HD TVs have a built in High Definition Digital Tuner that no one uses because they are all hardwired to that stupid cable box that costs so much. Also apparently most local and public television stations broadcast HD signals over the airwaves for cheap people like me to pick up for free. The info seemed legitimate and all I needed to make the antenna was a piece of wood, wire coat hangars, screws an
d some cable wire. The only thing I had to actually buy was some beers (because doing 'man' stuff requires this and I am pretending that this qualifies) and the antenna converter thing which was about $8.00. So I put it all together and got this medieval looking device that I thought for sure had no use aside from entertaining my crafty mind for a little while. After plugging it in and spending about an hour trying to figure out why it wasn't working I finally had a moment of clarity and switched the TV from "Cable" to "Antenna" (duh, the thing I just built) and quickly got 14 channels, most in HD, all of them digital. Wow. Albeit I don't get ESPN, the Cartoon Network, or any of those 'InDemand' places but as far as regular old channels that people have been getting by with up until recently I get them all. So I stuck the thing in the closet through the wall behind the TV so I didn't have to look at it and it has been working great for a good 8 months now. After thinking about this, I have come to a point in my life where I realize I don't need 500 channels if I can get what I need for the most part from 14. Also did I mention that it is free? Here is a link to the Video.
ceiling and about a hundred feet (serious exaggeration) from the tv! This may have been a testament to someones laziness or the fact that these used to be military barracks and as I mentioned before, TV's are not really essential to anyone's life. This turned into a classic case of aesthetics vs. entertainment which was then argued in the court of my mind. Not to be partial, but, aesthetics always wins when I am the judge. So I started looking into other options that did not require a wire zig-zagging over doors, book cases, under rugs, etc and not much came up. I finally did some searching on the internets and found a you tube video of this guy who made his own HD TV antenna. Apparently, most new HD TVs have a built in High Definition Digital Tuner that no one uses because they are all hardwired to that stupid cable box that costs so much. Also apparently most local and public television stations broadcast HD signals over the airwaves for cheap people like me to pick up for free. The info seemed legitimate and all I needed to make the antenna was a piece of wood, wire coat hangars, screws an
d some cable wire. The only thing I had to actually buy was some beers (because doing 'man' stuff requires this and I am pretending that this qualifies) and the antenna converter thing which was about $8.00. So I put it all together and got this medieval looking device that I thought for sure had no use aside from entertaining my crafty mind for a little while. After plugging it in and spending about an hour trying to figure out why it wasn't working I finally had a moment of clarity and switched the TV from "Cable" to "Antenna" (duh, the thing I just built) and quickly got 14 channels, most in HD, all of them digital. Wow. Albeit I don't get ESPN, the Cartoon Network, or any of those 'InDemand' places but as far as regular old channels that people have been getting by with up until recently I get them all. So I stuck the thing in the closet through the wall behind the TV so I didn't have to look at it and it has been working great for a good 8 months now. After thinking about this, I have come to a point in my life where I realize I don't need 500 channels if I can get what I need for the most part from 14. Also did I mention that it is free? Here is a link to the Video. 
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