Q: In the 5/29 Tech+ Mailbag there was a letter inquiring about a TV “consultant/installer.” Is there such a person/forum/website for TV options/questions? ~ Rodney Tomkins

Tech+ You weren’t the only person to re-ask the question included in last week’s “How people pick and pay for TV service in the age of online TV” roundup.

By not directly answering reader Gerald Vargo’s query about who he could pay to set up internet TV at his home, I had hoped the answer would be evident in the numerous stories other readers shared about their own TV setup. Too subtle, I guess.

Recommendations are too difficult to give since each case is personal. So let me be more direct: I don’t know anyone who does this for a living. Judging from the questions I receive from Tech+ readers, I’m guessing this would be a fabulous business for anyone out there who is paying attention.

BUT I can do what I do best: share tips and resources.

How to buy/install a TV antenna

Read the long version of advice at “Sales of TV antennas on the rise, here’s how to buy one.” The short version:

Go to AntennaWeb.com to see what over-the-air channels you should be able to receive at your home. You will more than likely receive more channels if you put the antenna outside or on the roof.

Talk to local employees at Best Buy or other electronics stores. They sell a variety of antennas and usually have advice about what antenna works best based on where you live. Talk to your friends and neighbors to find out what they use.

Hire a highly rated TV antenna installer by researching online and asking friends and neighbors. Or use a site like HomeAdvisor, which is like a modern yellow-pages for home services. The Golden-based company has dozens of installers in the Denver area happy to do the job. And antenna requests in Denver are up 39 percent year over year, compared to 27 percent nationwide. As for price? HomeAdvisor shared the average cost nationwide is $287, but in Denver, it’s $231.

How to buy/install new TV devices

If you’re watching at home, there are two main types of devices to consider: a box that records TV shows and a box that “broadcasts” internet-based TV shows. In other words, a streaming player and DVR.

Streaming players: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, NVIDIA Shield TV, etc. There are numerous devices but keep in mind, not all offer access to every online TV service available. But things always change. DirecTV Now, for example, only became available as a channel to Roku owners last month.

DVRs: You don’t necessarily need a DVR, but if you’re used to pausing live video or recording it, several antenna-based DVRs do exist. The most popular ones are Tablo DVRs, TiVo Roamio, Channel Master DVR and increasingly, Plex. Or search for “OTA DVRs,” short for over-the-air, to read roundups and guides suggested by sites that cover this topic better than I. Keep in mind that these OTA DVRs only record TV coming in through a home’s antenna. Streaming TV services, like Sling TV, are completely different and can’t be recorded by these DVRs but such services often provide their own way to record shows for viewing later.

As for installation? Most of the devices offer online guides for installation. Here’s Roku’s. But I get it — who wants to read instructions? If you don’t have a knowledgeable neighbor or family member who can help, search for video instructions on YouTube.

How to install streaming TV services

The beauty of this new TV format is there is very little installation involved. You sign up online on the company’s website, hand over a credit card and you’re in! In most cases, you can download mobile app to watch on your phone, and download an app on Roku or other device to watch the video service on TV. As long as you have decent internet speeds and the streaming player is connected, that’s essentially all there is to installation.

The tough part is knowing which service fits you best. I suggest you go back and read last week’s story on how other readers put their plans together. There’s also a cottage industry. Several sites are dedicated to this topic and offer obsessive amounts of information on the topic that is better known in the industry as OTT, short for over-the-top TV. A handful of sites:

And here are a few stories I’ve written that could be helpful:

If you’re reading this in the newspaper, see the online version for links to key topics. View current and past Tech+ answers or ask your own tech question at dpo.st/mailbag. If you’re e-mailing your question, please add “Mailbag” to the subject line.