Cable TV. There's a lot out there

[schindlerpiste]

Soon, I will be moving into an area where there is no Comcast. DISH and Direct TV are popular options. I'm wondering whether an Apple TV with Netflix, iTunes TV and Amazon Prime is a better option. I'm not really sure whether one can buy live network or other TV with the above option. Anyone not buying into a long term cable deal who watches HBO, STARZ, NBC, SHOWTIME, etc. Do I need DISH or Direct TV? If so, which is a better option.

[iceman]

Dude it's spelled "Kale".


I've had DirecTV forever, it's fine but it costs a fortune . Look into Hulu, Youtube TV etc that's the way to go if you have the speed. Fuck cable and satellite whenever possible.

[SkiBall]

Fire stick and poached log in.

[dunfree]

What's your time frame of willing to change, your willingness to be a copyright scofflaw and how cheap are you? do you like live sports with a quality feed? pretty much every legal cordcutting service is a money loser; they are all raising prices (see Youtube and it's $10/month raise). they will raise prices further. scofflaws are coming under further scrutiny. live sports streams legal or illegal are ime frustrating. unbundled channels at bundled discount pricing will never be a thing longterm.

[DJSapp]

If you have a solid internet connection and don't have the need for live sports at home, don't go dish or directv. Just go netflix/amazon/hulu and swap between them as you please. Most of the cable premium now has monthly streaming options, so you can get HBO/Starz and drop them after you've watched whatever.

It's just maintenance on your subscriptions, which is a pain, but it's better than watching 500 channels of garbage every night.

[riser4]

How does one get a solid internet connection in an area not served by cable? I am not saying that cable is the only solid connection. Most other affordable, reliable, and fast options only exist in areas also served by cable.

[schindlerpiste]

I am not sure. Utah broadband is coming today. I always thought that with the new gen of Apple TV buying live hbo,, nbc and others was a possibility. Not sure now

[RShea]

This is basic investigation to Cord Cutting. First check where and how far away are the television transmission towers are from your location. Free over the air for the major channels is a starting point that maybe requires a 1 time fee of getting an antenna installed (question is how many channels, and what type and where that antenna needs to be placed and pointed enter into the decision.) Mounting outdoor antenna on the roof, on a tower pole, or in the attic is usually the best for a bit better distance than the indoor antenna's out there. TVFool web site and some others allow you to enter your new address and get a report of the towers.

Then your next decision is what and how are you going to be able to get internet. Some other smaller cable company or local ISP, cellular 4G service, DSL from the telephone company, or are there pretty much no options for any sort of high speed internet short of satellite for web access? If you have a option preferably for a 10 mbps download or higher internet connection that does not have data caps, then the streaming apps and selecting of the alternatives from You Tube TV, Sling TV, Direct TV Now, Hulu, Playstation Vue, Pluto, Amazon Prime, and Netflix etc. combinations. Suppose TV is a starting point to pick your channels and content that you have on your must have (sports, premium cable or satellite channels like News networks, HGTV, Discovery, History Channel, Showtime, Disney, etc. etc.

If you have little to no high speed internet, then you are going to be considering a satellite TV option if there are no other good options for the streaming (or give up much of the TV viewing you do)...

[Garth Bimble]

I live in an area with no cable and too far out for antenna. Got Direct TV to start but like Ice said shit got way too expensive so I dropped it and replaced with a streaming service (Playstation Vue). I initially had it running on a 12 mbps DSL connection and it was tolerable (had to set the streaming device to 720P sometimes due to buffering). Last year I got a wireless internet service (not satellite, there's a difference) running at 25 mbps and it works much better, any buffering issues are now device related, not internet. PVue offers all the channels I want, including locals at around $50/month. You have to buy streaming devices but they're cheap...Amazon had a 4K Firestick on sale yesterday for $40. We are also running Netflix and a media server with so many movies/tv shows I've lost count.

If you can get fast internet great but in my experience you don't need super fast to stream TV. If you can get decent internet your options are wide open, depending on how far into the void you're willing to go.

[schindlerpiste]

Regarding internet speed, what does 18m/2m mean? That is what I am getting. No antenna allowed on roof. The house already has two dishes (DISH and Direct).

What I watch:
Network: NCIS, This Is Us, SEAL Team, The Magicians
Cable: GoT, Shameless, Ray Donovan, Outlanders
Netflix: Mostly everything.
Sports: Skiing and other winter olympic sports. College football and basketball (Hurricanes only)

[iceman]

run a check on speedtest.net and see what it shows.

who carries skiing and Hurricanes sports I dunno but it's findoutable.

[schindlerpiste]

Usually ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Channel, Universal, NBCSports,

[fatnslow]

Take a look at Sling. All you need is a streaming device and wifi. You can try for a week and see if it works for you.

[Garth Bimble]

Regarding internet speed, what does 18m/2m mean? That is what I am getting. No antenna allowed on roof. The house already has two dishes (DISH and Direct).

What I watch:
Network: NCIS, This Is Us, SEAL Team, The Magicians
Cable: GoT, Shameless, Ray Donovan, Outlanders
Netflix: Mostly everything.
Sports: Skiing and other winter olympic sports. College football and basketball (Hurricanes only)

That means 18 mpbs download speed, 2 mpbs upload speed. Not great but fast enough to stream.

I can't speak to the other services but you can get all that on Playstation Vue. Not sure where you are but they'll offer some, if not all the local network (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox) channels. Go to their website, enter your zip code and they'll tell what's available. They offer HBO/Showtime/Starz as add-ons but you can also get those from Amazon Prime which, if you're living out in the boonies you're going to want anyway. Netflix is no issue and PVue offers the NBC Sports/Olympic Channel plus all the sports networks for the football/basketball.

The nice thing about the streaming services is they all offer free trials so if you find one you think will be better than the others you can give it a shot for a week and see for sure.

[schindlerpiste]

Thanks! This is kind of what I was hoping for.

[gatorboy]

I just cut the cord.

We upgraded our internet and bought Roku Sticks and have subscriptions to Hulu (live TV), Netflix, Amazon Prime (use brother's log in info...wouldn't pay for it), and HBO. I've added other free channels to watch their library (Food Network) and for additional sports (ESPN).

I can watch A LOT of live TV and Sports. Best decision we've made in long time....saving $70/month. Wife and kids rarely watch live TV.....streamers they are.

I can watch TV at my desk or on my phone with Hulu.

[Garth Bimble]

Something else to consider if you have the option. If at all possible have the internet provider place the router as close to the main TV as possible. At the speed you're running your best bet is going to be a direct Ethernet connection to the streaming device, if you can. This will be easier to accomplish if the router is nearby. You'll most likely be losing speed if you connect wirelessly and you have little room to spare at 18 mbps.