Digital TV antenna from the US can't work in Singapore?

[HogHollow]

Hi everyone,

So my shipment of personal effects just arrived from Texas last week, and I've finally gotten around to setting up a LG TV and digital antenna I brought over.

To my surprise, my digital antenna is not picking up any channels at all. I bought a smaller TV and digital antenna in Singapore while I was waiting for my stuff to arrive from Texas, and am able to watch the local network stations on these locally purchased equipment.

Does anyone on this forum have the same issue? I tried plugging in the digital antenna I bought in Singapore to my US TV, but the antenna connection on my US TV has a screw thread, whereas the Singapore digital antenna connector has a slotted head.

Thanks in advance for any insights shared.

[tiktok]

It's a different digital system here (DVB-T) than the US (ATSC), so you probably need to buy an external digital tuner box. I picked up a second hand one for $10. But note there are only 2 English channels.

[HogHollow]

Hi tiktok,

Thanks for your help on this. I didn't realize the digital system was different in Singapore vs the US, so I guess the airwaves don't get picked up by my US TV?

I'll go look for an external digital tuner on Amazon Singapore. The local Lazada and Shopee sites have way too much color and stuff going on their websites, and looking at them almost gives me epilepsy.

[Lisafuller]

Hi tiktok,

Thanks for your help on this. I didn't realize the digital system was different in Singapore vs the US, so I guess the airwaves don't get picked up by my US TV?

I'll go look for an external digital tuner on Amazon Singapore. The local Lazada and Shopee sites have way too much color and stuff going on their websites, and looking at them almost gives me epilepsy.

Shopee and Lazada are both hard to navigate but the shipping is incredibly fast and the rates are typically the cheapest.

[malcontent]

Hi tiktok,

Thanks for your help on this. I didn't realize the digital system was different in Singapore vs the US, so I guess the airwaves don't get picked up by my US TV?

I'll go look for an external digital tuner on Amazon Singapore. The local Lazada and Shopee sites have way too much color and stuff going on their websites, and looking at them almost gives me epilepsy.

If you are planing to get cable TV, note that free to air channels are included (so you won’t need a separate tuner box). However, it sounds like you are a cord cutter, and I would suggest that you remain so.

Cable TV here is not worth it IMO, even though it’s cheaper than the US. The channel selection is extremely limited and is only getting worse. I have had cable TV here since they first introduced it in 1999, and am going to cancel by year end, for good! Hopefully you don’t watch Fox News or CNN (yes, they are available on cable here) because the right/left divide is not a thing here, thank goodness. Enjoy the absence of political nonsense while you can.

Also note that the local free-to-air channels are streamed live online for free on the MeWATCH app. You can try to search for the app on your smart TV or any other steaming media devices you may own. You may need to set your country to Singapore. So you may not even need a box.

What I have found is that different streaming devices have different advantages. For example, when my Apple TV 4K is connected to my US VPN, I can get free US content from certain sources, like the NBC Peacock app.

However, the NBC Peacock app does not work on my Fire Stick, even when connected to my US VPN. However, my Fire Stick is able to watch free movies with ads on the IMDB app, which isn’t available on Apple TV. For YouTube, the free with ads movies requires VPN. Same goes for any other US apps from the major US networks, which often do have some free content.

Now, for the Apple TV app, my iTunes account is a US account, so I can access any Apple content without VPN. However, if you subscribe within the Apple TV app to other content providers, like Paramount+ for example, you do need VPN. There are a few exceptions, like I was watching AMC from within Apple TV the other day and no VPN was required, but that can change anytime. The PBS app is even more interesting, it has some content that can be watched without a VPN and some that requires VPN.

[HogHollow]

Thanks for the tip on how Lazada and Shopee can offer advantages over Amazon, and I'll go check them out more seriously.

Also, it's interesting to see that getting on a US VPN is hit or miss. I noticed that my Pandora subscription wasn't working in Singapore, but it worked through a US VPN.

I'm not planning to get a cable subscription, since I didn't have one back Stateside. I'm good to go with my US Netflix service working in Singapore, and it actually has a few things I didn't get in the US, like "Rick and Morty", and "Archer".

My US Amazon Prime TV service has a significantly limited selection in Singapore compared to when I was in the US. I just hope they have season 2 of the Witcher when it comes out. Fortunately, my US Amazon Prime Music service seems to be working normally in Singapore.

I'm actually just at 3 months in Singapore now, and I'm liking it more than I imagined. The weather isn't as oppressive as I had feared, and it's almost like Houston in Summer. The people are rather friendly, and eating healthy hasn't been too hard, despite the crazy prices for fresh fruit. I've even discovered that Sentosa is just a 15 minute drive from my apartment, and the beaches there are pretty nice. I think I'm going to enjoy my time here.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[malcontent]

Amazon Prime sub here is also significantly cheaper - $2/mo the last time I checked, guess you get what you pay for.

[HogHollow]

Amazon Prime sub here is also significantly cheaper - $2/mo the last time I checked, guess you get what you pay for.

I guess it's because shipping costs in the US are much higher than local-city delivery that's required in Singapore?

[PNGMK]

The cable service is improving on the Singtel side but whether the cost is worth it I am not sure. My wife prefers to watch her stuff on a TV with a cable box and remote so....

[malcontent]

The cable service is improving on the Singtel side but whether the cost is worth it I am not sure. My wife prefers to watch her stuff on a TV with a cable box and remote so....

I believe broadcast television could disappear within this decade. Eventually it will all be live streaming and on-demand content via the internet. I’m amazed that traditional broadcasters have lasted this long.

[PNGMK]

The cable service is improving on the Singtel side but whether the cost is worth it I am not sure. My wife prefers to watch her stuff on a TV with a cable box and remote so....

I believe broadcast television could disappear within this decade. Eventually it will all be live streaming and on-demand content via the internet. I’m amazed that traditional broadcasters have lasted this long.

Some people just want to watch TV without thinking about it. Women especially IME.

Did you know that originally EV's were taken up more by women than men, but since TESLA came in and turned the EV into bascially a software/computer sale women have walked away from the EV market? I feel it's the same with streaming services. If my TV had a three button remote (channel, power, volume) and that was all my wife would be happy w it.

[malcontent]

After introducing my wife to Netflix a few years ago, it’s been pretty much non-stop Netflix. If it’s not Netflix it’s Bloomberg streaming… almost never actual TV channels anymore.

For me, it’s majority Netflix. I turn on regular TV maybe once or twice a month, flip through the channels just to confirm my suspicions… that there’s nothing worth watching. And that is why I have to ditch starflub, and soon!