View Full Version : Alternatives to Cable/Sat
Ph-ck Comcast and DirecTV. Have had it with both. Have an Apple Mac Mini in box that could be used for something.
Does anyone have any experience, good or bad, with other methods of getting "TV?" We watch little, but would like to have the ability to watch when needed. Ditched DirecTV and Comcast this wk. Looking at options.
Get a good reliable internet connection. Should be <$50 per month.
HD antenna for local channels and weekend football.
Roku/AppleTV type streaming appliance for movies and shows from paid services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Sling TV Etc.
I've been meaning to get a digital antenna but haven't gotten around to it yet. Otherwise we use gaming consoles to stream Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon. We're Amazon Prime members so we get a lot of stuff through them for free. Hulu and Netflix each cost $8/month. We don't watch much TV so paying $100+/month for Dish Network felt like a waste of money.
I like watching local and national news channels and they dont show up on the "free" internet things like netflix or hulu, etc...
Digital HD antennas are inexpensive and work amazingly well.
Programming content can be a little thin, but it works great for weekend football.
Most flat screen TVs have the tuners built in.
This is one we've used.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IF70QCW/
I dropped cable years ago and rely on a Roku, Netflix and Hulu +. I never worry about finding something to watch. Tons of content.
The hardest part is transitioning from a cable provider telling you what's on right now and now YOU deciding what you want to watch. It sounds weird but it's a little overwhelming at first. We've become programmed to turn on cable and settle for the program currently airing that we dislike the least.
Now I get to pick what, where, when and how long. Admittedly, with 2 small kids the lions share of programming on my TV is children's educational.
One word of caution regarding HD antennas. Make sure you actually receive the signal. I'm smack dab between DC and Richmond and because they are both about 50 miles away, I get exactly ZERO channels. Even if I we were to put an antenna 30 ft above my roof I would still receive nothing.
http://www.antennaweb.org. Put your address in and see what you get at your house.
Despite getting zero local OTA channels I still have no regrets.
YMMV
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Picked up a digital antennae. When the scan was finished, we had 37 channels in HD to watch. I swear the picture is better than the cable picture.
SeriousStudent
02-11-16, 20:43
This does not belong in Site Questions or Comments. Moving to GD.
Picked up a digital antennae. When the scan was finished, we had 37 channels in HD to watch. I swear the picture is better than the cable picture.
Yes the cable company grabs that same HD signal and reduces it then sells it to you in SD.
Picked up a digital antennae. When the scan was finished, we had 37 channels in HD to watch. I swear the picture is better than the cable picture.
Just hooked my wife's 'den' above the garage up with an antenna and analog converter box for our oldish TV.
Scan popped 33 channels for us, one of the websites told me I couldn't get any channels - I live 6 and 7miles from two 1000 foot antennas. Another site pictured all the towers in the area, according to that I would get 11 signals exceptional and 3 poor.
I just turned the antenna to the azimuth headed towards most of the towers and bingo. Mine is mounted on a second story deck on a 10 foot pole.
I'm going to evaluate a couple weeks or so and maybe get rid of cable for the 3 TV's in the house. Our cable provider (Cox) did some mumbo jumbo and now we have to have decryption boxes for each TV except the one that is hooked to the signal source. Nice little monthly charge for each box.
Anyways, pleasantly surprised.
We cut the satellite/cable. I picked up a Mohu Sky 60 HDTV antenna. Went right where my dish was before.
Between Roku, AppleTV, Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix, I knocked the bill to under $60 from $130 for DirecTV. The HDTV quality is awesome.
Outlander Systems
02-12-16, 08:18
I can speak for anyone else, but I am able to receive local news programming on my Roku.
polydeuces
02-12-16, 09:19
XBMC (kodi)
Free
Watch whatever you want, movies tv etc
Unless of course you have some moral issue with it.
Considering how utterly outrageously overpriced any and all cablesaellite tv service is, this always has been a no brainer to me.
Get one of your computer-savvy buds to hook you up.
XBMC (kodi)
Free
Watch whatever you want, movies tv etc
Unless of course you have some moral issue with it.
Considering how utterly outrageously overpriced any and all cablesaellite tv service is, this always has been a no brainer to me.
Get one of your computer-savvy buds to hook you up.
If you think it's stealing (I assume you do since you brought up moral issues) the cost of the service doesn't make stealing acceptable to me.
This isn't the moral question of "is it okay to steal food if my children are starving?".
It's entertainment, not life vs death.
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Outlander Systems
02-12-16, 09:59
My mom was asking me about this yesterday. Her cable bill shot up north of $200 and she's ready to pull the plug.
Everyone should. After having Netflix and other various streaming services for years, regular tv is disgusting. Considering folks are paying substantially for the "privilege" of watching 20 minutes of commercials and 10 minutes of "show" the economy isn't there.
If the streaming services started to have the same ratio of commercial-to-show, I'd completely pull the plug, and start reading books. **** that noise. I'm not gonna pay to have someone advertise a bunch of useless shit to me.
Actually most of the shows I care about are on Antenna TV...which is free. Just get an Antenna. Anything else I just DL.
Seriously I catch The Rifleman and Wanted Dead or Alive and occasionally some low budget obscure WWII movie.
Really all I need. I used to watch anime on cartoon network but then it got all gay and censored plus crunchyroll exists.
Everything else is 'reality'. I see no point in dropping a bill and a half on bullshit I don't watch or care about.
80s cable was worth it. If you had a friend with cable he'd record like the entire length of the tape of MTV. Back when it was nothing but hair bands new wave, etc. Then smuggle some late night cinemax. Late night cinemax was great. A gore flick, a war flick, two titty flicks and THAT was a Friday night.
Seriously, sometimes guys would skip school to skate in empty pools, listen to records, and watch MTV like all day. No lame fat heifers and their f trophies. Just music.
So...yeah screw cable.
Outlander Systems
02-12-16, 10:28
Skinemax FTMFW!!!
Then smuggle some late night cinemax. Late night cinemax was great.
Chromecast and an over the air antenna works for us.
Honestly, I don't even use the antenna. I just use my chromecast now, and love it. Any show that you actually want to watch, it's either free, or you can buy it. For considerably less money than paying a satellite bill.
Went to a friends house the other day and watched dish, I forgot how annoying 5 minute stretches of commercials are.
Between Netflix, Hulu, Google, Amazon, iTunes, or any other service, you can pretty well cover whatever you want. I don't watch football, so I can really care less about that.
Newscasts are very blow hard also. It is such a waste of time. You can find all the information and more at your fingertips and you can just read it in a minute, instead of sitting through a half hour bullshit newscast.
I've been thinking about maybe getting a fire stick, or something else to broaden the selection a little bit.
Not sad, won't go back either.
Ditched cable a few years ago.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, News can be streamed on the internet from the Networks website, lots of show can be watched on the internet a week after they air for the major network channels.
Lots of options.
But I am still stuck to comcast for my internet.
We cut the satellite/cable. I picked up a Mohu Sky 60 HDTV antenna. Went right where my dish was before.
Between Roku, AppleTV, Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix, I knocked the bill to under $60 from $130 for DirecTV. The HDTV quality is awesome.
Pretty much what I did. I have a Mohu 50, Roku, ChromeCast, Netflix and Prime. There is plenty of TV to watch. It was frustrating at first but it is so worth it. I do miss the DVR but I am not buying one. It's like when I was a kid. You watch what is on TV. There is of course Netlix and Prime too. I missed a few of my teams football games but tuned in to the radio and listened to the game. The Roku will also act like a ChromeCast. I direct wired my Roku and don't have the buffering issues I did in the past. There is also a ton on YouTube you can Roku or ChromeCast. If you have a PS or XBox you can skip the Roku and use that. We do that for our second TV.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IF70QCW?redirect=true
Get a good reliable internet connection. Should be <$50 per month.
HD antenna for local channels and weekend football.
Roku/AppleTV type streaming appliance for movies and shows from paid services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Sling TV Etc.
This. We did this when we moved into our house at the end of 2014 and haven't looked back. We haven't missed cable once and enjoy being able to watch what we want to when we want to. We have access to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu on the Roku. We'll probably pick up Sling TV when GoT starts back up. The only downside is our internet company calling every few months trying to tell us about the latest and greatest deal on TV service (which goes up to the normal price after the first year). I don't know how many times I've had to hang up on them when they don't stop trying to sell me something even after I've told them I'm not interested.
polydeuces
02-12-16, 12:59
If you think it's stealing (I assume you do since you brought up moral issues) the cost of the service doesn't make stealing acceptable to me.
This isn't the moral question of "is it okay to steal food if my children are starving?".
It's entertainment, not life vs death.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
If you'd read my post you see the 'no-brainer' and outrageous cost' part?
The 'moral issue' was mentioned only since quite some time ago I posted about XBMC/KODI, and how it's just awesome, everyone should have it! - and someone actually DID bring up the 'moral/stealing' issue, since it is a form of piracy i guess...ARRRRRRRRR........making it even better.
But hey, to each their own..
If you'd read my post you see the 'no-brainer' and outrageous cost' part?
The 'moral issue' was mentioned only since quite some time ago I posted about XBMC/KODI, and how it's just awesome, everyone should have it! - and someone actually DID bring up the 'moral/stealing' issue, since it is a form of piracy i guess...ARRRRRRRRR........making it even better.
But hey, to each their own..
Yes, to each their own.
It's stealing. I don't really see that as awesome, that's all
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Don't steal for f***s sake. Grow a pair and act like a man.
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