|
Post by Freeborn on Aug 4, 2020 12:31:57 GMT -6
I need to find an alternative to Cable TV and wanted to see what you guys have done to cut the cord.
I have internet and Cable TV bundled. I want to get rid of the TV and keep the internet. Then I need to find a “Streaming Service” that is portable so I can use it at my farm, OZ and at my home.
Currently Comcast requires me to pay an additional fee for devices that enable TV’s in secondary locations like the Kitchen and bedroom. I want to get rid of these fees and any other rental fee from the provider.
What I would like to see is simple internet, a streaming service and TV’s that are Smart TV’s that can work with the WIFI system. I understand even smart TV’s may have difficulty with streaming so what solutions are there to get older smart TV’s to work with the streaming services. Do I need a fire-Stick device or similar to enable TV's to work with streaming?
What are you guys doing or what have you heard works?
|
|
|
Post by kooch on Aug 4, 2020 13:57:39 GMT -6
I bought a smart TV. Turns out it wasn’t smart enough to run the Hulu Live TV app. So I had to get a fire stick too. I also have a Roku.
Hulu Live wants to tie your account to a single area. Makes sense if they are trying to show you local content. I think they only let you change that a limited number of times. I wanted to see twins ball games. The wife wanted something I don’t recall. Hulu live had both. It’s about $50 a month.
I also have Netflix. It’s about $12 a month I think. The. There’s amazon prime.
My cable bill went from $175 a month to $75. Comcast. But all in I’m paying just a little less. I’d be willing to pay more. The service is better.
Everything on demand is sweet.
|
|
|
Post by sd51555 on Aug 4, 2020 14:11:55 GMT -6
I need to find an alternative to Cable TV and wanted to see what you guys have done to cut the cord. I have internet and Cable TV bundled. I want to get rid of the TV and keep the internet. Then I need to find a “Streaming Service” that is portable so I can use it at my farm, OZ and at my home. Currently Comcast requires me to pay an additional fee for devices that enable TV’s in secondary locations like the Kitchen and bedroom. I want to get rid of these fees and any other rental fee from the provider. What I would like to see is simple internet, a streaming service and TV’s that are Smart TV’s that can work with the WIFI system. I understand even smart TV’s may have difficulty with streaming so what solutions are there to get older smart TV’s to work with the streaming services. Do I need a fire-Stick device or similar to enable TV's to work with streaming? What are you guys doing or what have you heard works? This is a timely conversation to be brought up. With sports being cancelled or so nauseating nobody wants to watch, it brings back into focus services that didn't get local sportscasts. I'm running Sling (goes with you everywhere, w/DVR) primarily, and then have Amazon Video and the Youtube app. My buddy also left his netflix open when he was here last, but I don't really do netflix. I'm finding specific things I want to watch on Sling, and tons of random things on youtube. Martin's old log cabin, pond boss live streams, hot chicks shuffle dancing, old modern marvels episodes, all of Red Green, John Gillespie, and more.
|
|
|
Post by Freeborn on Aug 4, 2020 14:47:57 GMT -6
I bought a smart TV. Turns out it wasn’t smart enough to run the Hulu Live TV app. So I had to get a fire stick too. I also have a Roku. Hulu Live wants to tie your account to a single area. Makes sense if they are trying to show you local content. I think they only let you change that a limited number of times. I wanted to see twins ball games. The wife wanted something I don’t recall. Hulu live had both. It’s about $50 a month. I also have Netflix. It’s about $12 a month I think. The. There’s amazon prime. My cable bill went from $175 a month to $75. Comcast. But all in I’m paying just a little less. I’d be willing to pay more. The service is better. Everything on demand is sweet. That's kind of what I had heard about Smart TV's, unless you purchased one in the last year its not able to handle some of the streaming Apps. The sticks, do they just plug into a USB port and your TV recognizes them? So each TV you have needs to have a stick (3 rooms in my case)? Then you just use the TV's remote and there is no other rental or charge? Is it pretty easy to use, just turn on and browse through channels or is there something else required? I do have Netflix and Prime, I just need to settle on what streaming service to use. Allot of these services are pretty new, I wonder if they will have price creep like cable? You start at $50 and in 3 years you are at $75 and going up? I'd like to get local channels where I am at but I need it to work in 3 locations. Any service you know that will do that?
|
|
|
Post by Freeborn on Aug 4, 2020 14:53:42 GMT -6
I need to find an alternative to Cable TV and wanted to see what you guys have done to cut the cord. I have internet and Cable TV bundled. I want to get rid of the TV and keep the internet. Then I need to find a “Streaming Service” that is portable so I can use it at my farm, OZ and at my home. Currently Comcast requires me to pay an additional fee for devices that enable TV’s in secondary locations like the Kitchen and bedroom. I want to get rid of these fees and any other rental fee from the provider. What I would like to see is simple internet, a streaming service and TV’s that are Smart TV’s that can work with the WIFI system. I understand even smart TV’s may have difficulty with streaming so what solutions are there to get older smart TV’s to work with the streaming services. Do I need a fire-Stick device or similar to enable TV's to work with streaming? What are you guys doing or what have you heard works? This is a timely conversation to be brought up. With sports being cancelled or so nauseating nobody wants to watch, it brings back into focus services that didn't get local sportscasts. I'm running Sling (goes with you everywhere, w/DVR) primarily, and then have Amazon Video and the Youtube app. My buddy also left his netflix open when he was here last, but I don't really do netflix. I'm finding specific things I want to watch on Sling, and tons of random things on youtube. Martin's old log cabin, pond boss live streams, hot chicks shuffle dancing, old modern marvels episodes, all of Red Green, John Gillespie, and more. What do you pay for sling? Does it get local channels? I think i need to compare services and just pick one.
|
|
|
Post by sd51555 on Aug 4, 2020 15:54:02 GMT -6
This is a timely conversation to be brought up. With sports being cancelled or so nauseating nobody wants to watch, it brings back into focus services that didn't get local sportscasts. I'm running Sling (goes with you everywhere, w/DVR) primarily, and then have Amazon Video and the Youtube app. My buddy also left his netflix open when he was here last, but I don't really do netflix. I'm finding specific things I want to watch on Sling, and tons of random things on youtube. Martin's old log cabin, pond boss live streams, hot chicks shuffle dancing, old modern marvels episodes, all of Red Green, John Gillespie, and more. What do you pay for sling? Does it get local channels? I think i need to compare services and just pick one. Sling Blue + DVR (50hrs) + tax is $38/mo. For local channels, I just use rabbit ears. They work amazingly well depending where you are. I spent like $200 on my setup at stab camp, and $11 on the one at home. I sit above most on the plain at home, so I get really good signal. The cabin is hit or miss depending on where the sun in punching through the firmament.
|
|
|
Post by Foggy on Aug 4, 2020 16:21:49 GMT -6
I need to find an alternative to Cable TV and wanted to see what you guys have done to cut the cord. I have internet and Cable TV bundled. I want to get rid of the TV and keep the internet. Then I need to find a “Streaming Service” that is portable so I can use it at my farm, OZ and at my home. Currently Comcast requires me to pay an additional fee for devices that enable TV’s in secondary locations like the Kitchen and bedroom. I want to get rid of these fees and any other rental fee from the provider. What I would like to see is simple internet, a streaming service and TV’s that are Smart TV’s that can work with the WIFI system. I understand even smart TV’s may have difficulty with streaming so what solutions are there to get older smart TV’s to work with the streaming services. Do I need a fire-Stick device or similar to enable TV's to work with streaming? What are you guys doing or what have you heard works? We went to Youtube TV in OZ.....and after having it for one season......we are going to do the same in MN now. It costs about $55 / month and we get most of the cable stations and the local tv that we want. We also get Amazon prime and Netflix for free. I think at each place we save over $100 per month. That is $2400 / year and we get just as good of tv as we did with cable service. If your buying new TV's they will have the ability to run Netflix, YouTube, and maybe other streaming services. ASK!....but it is written right on the new boxes. It's a BIG DEAL. One caveat is you need to have late model TV's to support the Youtube TV (often called a smart TV) ......or add a steaming device to the tv. Basically, you have to make your TV set wi-fi capable. I think a "fire stick" is about $35. per set for older TV's. It's a one and done deal. I am so done with cable TV now......screw 'em. If your paying for the internet.....you got all the TV you want via streaming. One other issue I have....especially at first.....is that you no longer have "numbered stations" when you go to YouTube tv. This is kinda annoying in that you have to go thru the list of over 100 channel stations (that do not have "numbers") to select the one you want to see. After a while your tv "remembers" your favorites.....so it's a lesser deal than it is when you start out. There is a little learning curve to this chit......but it's not a problem after you learn the curves. . (as Wolfman Jack says: if you got the curves baby.....I got the angles. grin). EDIT: ONE THING THAT WOULD REALLY BE SMART WHEN YOUR BUILDING A NEW HOME ....is to have Cat 5 connections at every tv in your home. That way you do not have an issue with a wireless connection. When we build in OZ we had three tv's with cat 5 nearby and those TV's get connected directly to our router. The other tv's are connected wireless thru the Firestick.....and there is a "lag" in the transmission. therefore the speakers are about 2 seconds behind the cat 5 connection. If you have two tv's going at once in different rooms (0ur patio)....it's irritating. I wish the guy selling our internet package was not so stupid to not tell us this chit. ....grrrrrrr
|
|
|
Post by wiscwhip on Aug 4, 2020 17:42:52 GMT -6
Foggy hit it with his edit.
DO NOT USE WiFi to run your Smart TV. Hard wire it to your modem. This is especially important when you are downloading updates for your TV's software. If you were to have a disconnection while the software was downloading, and it tried to install it afterwards, you could have a boat anchor on your hands. Doesn't happen that often, I know, but often enough and no one wants to have a $1,000+ 4K TV get smoked because of something like that. And if your doing the wiring from scratch, Get CAT6 or CAT7(these are $$$) cables.
|
|
|
Post by Freeborn on Aug 4, 2020 17:57:22 GMT -6
Thanks Guys.
In my OZ home I have Cat 6 in every bedroom, TV room and Patio. I didn't run it to my Den but I probably will as that will be my office.
So if I have a smart TV and am running cable directly to the TV do I need to have a firestick or other device? Sounds like I need something for the older TV's.
|
|
|
Post by Foggy on Aug 4, 2020 18:36:25 GMT -6
Thanks Guys. In my OZ home I have Cat 6 in every bedroom, TV room and Patio. I didn't run it to my Den but I probably will as that will be my office. So if I have a smart TV and am running cable directly to the TV do I need to have a firestick or other device? Sounds like I need something for the older TV's. If your buying a new TV you are all set. If you have TV's about 3+ years old......they may not be ready to go......without the fire stick. Best to check each model tv.
|
|
|
Post by Freeborn on Aug 4, 2020 19:06:31 GMT -6
Thanks Guys. In my OZ home I have Cat 6 in every bedroom, TV room and Patio. I didn't run it to my Den but I probably will as that will be my office. So if I have a smart TV and am running cable directly to the TV do I need to have a firestick or other device? Sounds like I need something for the older TV's. If your buying a new TV you are all set. If you have TV's about 3+ years old......they may not be ready to go......without the fire stick. Best to check each model tv. Thanks Foggy, Do you pay for one subscription to You-Tube TV and use it in OZ and MN? If you do that can you get local channels at both locations depending on where your viewing/using the service? We would like to get some local channels wherever we are at. We could run an antenna in the attic and might do this but it would be nice not to. Thanks again!
|
|
|
Post by MoBuckChaser on Aug 4, 2020 19:27:25 GMT -6
Philo TV for $20 month and you get fox news. Its all you need
|
|
|
Post by biglakebass on Aug 4, 2020 19:56:55 GMT -6
Who wants any news? Not this guy. 4 months news free and hope i can go another 20 years witout the bullshit.
|
|
|
Post by Foggy on Aug 4, 2020 19:57:16 GMT -6
If your buying a new TV you are all set. If you have TV's about 3+ years old......they may not be ready to go......without the fire stick. Best to check each model tv. Thanks Foggy, Do you pay for one subscription to You-Tube TV and use it in OZ and MN? If you do that can you get local channels at both locations depending on where your viewing/using the service? We would like to get some local channels wherever we are at. We could run an antenna in the attic and might do this but it would be nice not to. Thanks again! You can stop and start the YouTube Tv without any cost. So....I think you need a subscription in each area. We get local tv stations in OZ....and I think we will get them in MN too. It's a pretty sweet deal. I cannot answer as to if you can use one for both locations.....I dont think so ?? But the free stop / start negates that issue. You do get Fox News, Fox Sports North, ESPN and all the networks worth watching. All the local stations in OZ and pretty much anything I watch on cable. Our family uses our place at times in the winter.....so we will likely leave the MN location up most of the time. In OZ we shut it down when we left and will restart when we go back.
|
|
|
Post by Foggy on Aug 4, 2020 20:23:02 GMT -6
Thanks Foggy, Do you pay for one subscription to You-Tube TV and use it in OZ and MN? If you do that can you get local channels at both locations depending on where your viewing/using the service? We would like to get some local channels wherever we are at. We could run an antenna in the attic and might do this but it would be nice not to. Thanks again! You can stop and start the YouTube Tv without any cost. So....I think you need a subscription in each area. We get local tv stations in OZ....and I think we will get them in MN too. It's a pretty sweet deal. I cannot answer as to if you can use one for both locations.....I dont think so ?? But the free stop / start negates that issue. You do get Fox News, Fox Sports North, ESPN and all the networks worth watching. All the local stations in OZ and pretty much anything I watch on cable. Our family uses our place at times in the winter.....so we will likely leave the MN location up most of the time. In OZ we shut it down when we left and will restart when we go back. Google YouTube TV to see what they offer in this area. They just added a few more channels.....I think one was nice the others were crap. I'm pretty sure you need to access YouTube tv through google chrome. They can tell you what they charge and what you get. Pretty easy to activate.....and you can do it when you still have cable. (its a free trial for 30 days.). Thats what we did. Try before you buy.
|
|