Cutting the cable tv cord ? Help
- Thread starter Oldschoolcuda
- Start date
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70chall440
Mopar or No Car...
Whatever you do, do not go to Hughes Net, absolutely the WORST service I ever had. Horrible customer service, even worst service in general. Dropped them 5 months into a 2 yr contract and went back to DSL which believe it or not is WAY better. As to TV in general, we've had both Direct and Dish; Dish sucked more than Direct so we went back which is where we are now.
Alaskan_TA
Well-Known Member
I have a TV for watching movies - no cable & nothing hooked to it except a DVD player.
Been that way for 29 years so far, but I did start with a VCR.
Been that way for 29 years so far, but I did start with a VCR.
seabee
Well-Known Member
MotorTrend on demand has a lot of content and original series plus live racing (if you are into GT, Le Mans, F1 type stuff) At $5 a month and no commercials it’s about all I have time to watch anymore.
Good with what i have on post #24.
Looked into it. Exodus is an illegal add on for kodi.
Thanks and your welcome.
Looked into it. Exodus is an illegal add on for kodi.
Thanks and your welcome.
We unplugged from cable and satellite nearly 20 years ago. Very little new on TV worth watching anyway. And we'd had more than enough of the left-biased lies and propaganda on what is falsely presented as 'news'. So we unplugged and got some flat antennas from Best Buy.Not only saves a lot of money (and aggravation), but we can get dozens of channels if we want to watch 'Murdoch Mysteries' or reruns of some of our favourite TV shows from the '50s and '60s. Or baseball (football is off our watch list since the NFL supports their players being disrespectful to our nation, they can all take a flying leap). And yes, we could watch all the current shows and even the fake 'news' if we wanted, but we just don't care to.
Happy, happy, happy
Harry
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73 dart custom
Well-Known Member
Go with an unlimited data internet supplier if you are going to start streaming your entertainment. We have a Roku which you can get for about $100 at Wal-mart and get hundreds of free channels... however it is like cable, don't watch 98% of them. So we also pay $11.99 a month for Netflix. Roku you can also add news channels and sports channels and old movies channels and whatever. Some are free and some you pay for. Depends on what you like. Here is a link to the available sports channels on Roku. Roku
Just remember, when you do stream movies and sports, you want unlimited data plan on your internet provider!! And we have Frontier as our provider which is unlimited data. We are generally running TV, and 3 computers on our internet all the time. Have no issues streaming on TV and computer at the same time with it either.
For local news, we have an internet newspaper that we keep an eye on and a local station that streams 3 times a day over the net so covered on that. National news has several stations that we can watch through the Roku so no issue there either.
I have used the Roku for about 8 years now. No issues so far.
Just remember, when you do stream movies and sports, you want unlimited data plan on your internet provider!! And we have Frontier as our provider which is unlimited data. We are generally running TV, and 3 computers on our internet all the time. Have no issues streaming on TV and computer at the same time with it either.
For local news, we have an internet newspaper that we keep an eye on and a local station that streams 3 times a day over the net so covered on that. National news has several stations that we can watch through the Roku so no issue there either.
I have used the Roku for about 8 years now. No issues so far.
fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
We cut the cable about 3 yrs. ago. Don't regret it one bit. Using a outdoor antenna to pick up broadcast stations and have a PVR to record programs on it. It's kinda clunky but was pretty cheap on Amazon. You also need a memory stick with it. I suggest at least a 64 mb. I don't know your age but if your 40 or over you will probably remember several programs shown on ME tv and Antena tv. They run all the old good programs. I also have a Amazon fire stick but honestly I don't see much on there interesting except Motor Trend tv which requires a $5 a month fee
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
That's the thing, you start adding up all the stuff you want to watch and pay for and pretty "fast" you have.........."cable TV" LOL
Back in Time
Well-Known Member
Not asking for myself as I pay $ 100 bucks a month for Satellite and can watch what I want when I want but that's my choice.I don't knock other choices. My Son lives in West Virginia and is on a very limited budget. His digital antenna is now blocked by a hill with trees in full bloom. With firestick what do you get for free and what do you have to pay for ?
This is just my experience after a week. Firestick is very dependent on having a solid wifi/internet connection.You get some decent stuff thru amazon for free. Will not be able to get local channels without a digital antenna. The key is what you use as a an app.
I currently have a digital antenna for local stuff and sling tv. app. Provides everything i had with cable for my watching.
My cable tv service was $89 a month. Now im paying $25 for a sling orange app.
The firestick is a one time cost of about $30.
Dartswinger70
Well-Known Member
I dont watch the toob, got a Mopar to werk on...
Then get off the internet and get on it.
Back in Time
Well-Known Member
Thanks I'll pass that along to him
seabee
Well-Known Member
Rockdriver
Member
okay. I went through this 2 yrs ago so some of the tech may have changed, and I'll tell you what I learned, but it gets crazy complicated and keeping in mind I'm not saying you or any other members couldn't have different/better luck AND this all depends on each persons expectations in terms of end game results......
1) If you're just looking for local/network programming and you live within 20 miles ish of the point of broadcast, AND the terrain/obstructions are relatively flat/minimal, you can do the antenna thing. Depending on your situation, you can go w/ a indoor digital unit and scrap the tower. I'd suggest a powered unit (you have to be pretty close for the passive type to work well). Keep in mind your signal quality may be at the mercy your structure and/or weather conditions at times.
2) If you're going the streaming route, (Amazon, Netflix, etc.) the next step is broadband internet connection. If you're completely done w/the cable company you basically have 2 options, phone line and satellite. In most cases neither will give you the speeds the cable provider can AND even w/cable or phone, the speed varies wildly depending on age of cable design/system (inside your home-to source and at the pole) or w/satellite, you're back to weather/obstructions. If you haven't cut the cord yet, and you have home internet w/them now, there's an app you can download to check your connection speed. VERY IMPORTANT! The faster the speed inside the house, the fewer buffering problems you'll experience. Here in OH I pay $75 a mo. for cable internet. I chose a speed pkg 2 tiers up from lowest ($55 a mo) available to avoid the slow internet/buffering issues. I don't have any problems w/either.
3) Your equipment inside the home. This is where it gets a little tricky. The greater the number of devices used the greater the chance of slowing down the speed becomes. The general consensus in the industry is Smart TV/combination (1 unit) modem-router only. Again, fewer devices=faster speeds. Some things to consider:
A) If you have a Smart/4K TV great, you're golden. No Smart TV...you have to add a TV stick/ "dongle" and there are tons of choices (google chrome, fire stick, Apple TV, etc), but this adds another device. I don't use one so do the research for your needs. If you're shopping for a new Smart/4K unit I'd suggest the LG OLED model. They're pricy, but the picture is ASTOUNDING.
B) The 4K thing. It's here to stay, (until the next broadcasting upgrade) and eventually it will all be in this format. This is important to know because as the volume of 4K broadcasts increase, the more bandwidth gets used in ANY providers system. A periodic speed check inside your home to make sure you still have the speed you're paying for will be a good idea because of this AND, the more customers that are added upstream of you, the more demand on bandwidth (keep in mind, ALL providers have fine print in their contracts that allows them a "fudge factor" of up to 30% LESS, I think, and still charge you full price for the service).Its BS, but there you have it.
C) Modem/Router. Buy a "all in one" unit. Again, separate units=more devices, and separate units from different manufacturers can cause even more speed problems because they don't "talk" to each other nearly as well. The Arris Surfboard's are quality units (I have one) and are usually ranked high in reviews. Just make sure to buy a Dual Band/802.11/3.0 DOCSIS w/good speed capability. It will keep up w/changing conditions down the road. You're looking at the $200 to $250 range for one of these. DO NOT get suckered into "renting" a unit from your provider. These are designed to just barely do the job and to be money makers for them.
I could go on and on. It's crazy, but not that much different from spec. out a good drivetrain combination for your car. You just have to learn a new language and do the research, because if you skip a step or try to go the "cheap route" the end result may be garbage. Hope this helps. Good luck. Cheers
1) If you're just looking for local/network programming and you live within 20 miles ish of the point of broadcast, AND the terrain/obstructions are relatively flat/minimal, you can do the antenna thing. Depending on your situation, you can go w/ a indoor digital unit and scrap the tower. I'd suggest a powered unit (you have to be pretty close for the passive type to work well). Keep in mind your signal quality may be at the mercy your structure and/or weather conditions at times.
2) If you're going the streaming route, (Amazon, Netflix, etc.) the next step is broadband internet connection. If you're completely done w/the cable company you basically have 2 options, phone line and satellite. In most cases neither will give you the speeds the cable provider can AND even w/cable or phone, the speed varies wildly depending on age of cable design/system (inside your home-to source and at the pole) or w/satellite, you're back to weather/obstructions. If you haven't cut the cord yet, and you have home internet w/them now, there's an app you can download to check your connection speed. VERY IMPORTANT! The faster the speed inside the house, the fewer buffering problems you'll experience. Here in OH I pay $75 a mo. for cable internet. I chose a speed pkg 2 tiers up from lowest ($55 a mo) available to avoid the slow internet/buffering issues. I don't have any problems w/either.
3) Your equipment inside the home. This is where it gets a little tricky. The greater the number of devices used the greater the chance of slowing down the speed becomes. The general consensus in the industry is Smart TV/combination (1 unit) modem-router only. Again, fewer devices=faster speeds. Some things to consider:
A) If you have a Smart/4K TV great, you're golden. No Smart TV...you have to add a TV stick/ "dongle" and there are tons of choices (google chrome, fire stick, Apple TV, etc), but this adds another device. I don't use one so do the research for your needs. If you're shopping for a new Smart/4K unit I'd suggest the LG OLED model. They're pricy, but the picture is ASTOUNDING.
B) The 4K thing. It's here to stay, (until the next broadcasting upgrade) and eventually it will all be in this format. This is important to know because as the volume of 4K broadcasts increase, the more bandwidth gets used in ANY providers system. A periodic speed check inside your home to make sure you still have the speed you're paying for will be a good idea because of this AND, the more customers that are added upstream of you, the more demand on bandwidth (keep in mind, ALL providers have fine print in their contracts that allows them a "fudge factor" of up to 30% LESS, I think, and still charge you full price for the service).Its BS, but there you have it.
C) Modem/Router. Buy a "all in one" unit. Again, separate units=more devices, and separate units from different manufacturers can cause even more speed problems because they don't "talk" to each other nearly as well. The Arris Surfboard's are quality units (I have one) and are usually ranked high in reviews. Just make sure to buy a Dual Band/802.11/3.0 DOCSIS w/good speed capability. It will keep up w/changing conditions down the road. You're looking at the $200 to $250 range for one of these. DO NOT get suckered into "renting" a unit from your provider. These are designed to just barely do the job and to be money makers for them.
I could go on and on. It's crazy, but not that much different from spec. out a good drivetrain combination for your car. You just have to learn a new language and do the research, because if you skip a step or try to go the "cheap route" the end result may be garbage. Hope this helps. Good luck. Cheers
My cord has been cut now for several weeks and will be permanent. Mohu leaf is way to go along with app. of your choice.
Savings may allow me to buy another abody.lol
Savings may allow me to buy another abody.lol
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