Cutting the Cable

I've finally taken the plunge. Yesterday, I cancelled cable service and today is my first day with OTA broadcast only. Funny thing --- as there are so many local 'niche' channels --- I actually get more channels now than I ever did with cable TV. (I'm not much for generic telly watching, I'm mostly a movie watcher, and when I do watch TV it tends to be timeshifted/on demand via streaming services, thus I only had the basic cable package.)

I've got a very basic single-rabbit-ear antenna, and I can pull in signals for 59 channels (at various levels of clarity). This is neato! There are channels covering all sorts of things, from 24-hr news (France 24) to MTV in Spanish (MTVtr3s). I'm excited, even though I know I won't watch much random TV. I do like 'retro' channels and there are at least 4 that I can pick up (METV, RTV, Oldie Goldie, and This TV).

The local channel guide, which shows the programming schedules for area OTA broadcasts, lists ~70 channels. So this means there are about 10 channels that I can't currently pick up, either due to interference or not having a strong enough antenna,etc..

Anyone out there on the OTA bandwagon who can recommend a good DTV antenna? I like playing with all the capabilities of my Samsung Smart TV [46" 240hz 3D 1080p HDTV] even if I don't actually watch it much.... it's Energy Star certified!

Between my own media library (I'm slowly upgrading my physical media collection to blu-ray), all the new OTA channels, streaming services like Vudu, Crackle, Blockbuster on Demand, Vimeo, and Hulu; and disc rental kiosks, I seem to have everything covered. Ah, smell the geek cred.