I have Direct TV right now, I would like to cancel them and go elsewhere. I'm tired of the info-mercials I pay for, but don't care about. Except the Brazilian booty ones. They're ok. So, I really only want to see local news and weather, the rest is fluff. Having access to movies is fine, as long as they don't cost an arm-n-leg. Ideas? Thanks, JB
I freakin love directv.. Lots of people these days are relying on this thing called "firestick". I know nothing about it.. sorry
There are so many cutting the cord options out there today. Depending on where you live, you might be able to receive OTA (over the air) HD. There are different antennas based your distance from the source. Several websites allow you to put in your address and they will tell you what channels you'd receive based on the type of antenna. There are several options today for online live TV. The offerings seem to be growing quickly. Traditional cable's days are numbered. Cable tv providers have already started the slow shift by increasing their internet speed offerings to prepare for the increased traffic soon to come. Online live TV: Hulu Youtube Sling Play Station Several others. If you don't care about live tv, then your options grow and the costs come down. There three models that networks are following. One is outright free for their content. Second is that it's free if you have a cable tv provider (TBS, TNT, HISTORY, etc) or the charge model (CBS). Online movies and tv options: Amazon Prime (If you are a prime member, there is a ton of free movie and tv content that comes along with your Prime subscription. I love this option is they have a great deal of older content along with new content.) Hulu - (They offer a variety of networks tv shows the next day. Yeah you don't get them live, but you get to watch them.) There are two pay options. Commercials No Commercials. Netflix (They offer movies and tv seasons that have been released for many networks. Their model has become more about their own content, and I personally think they do an outstanding job with their own content.) Others - There are tons of other options. Some legal others no so legal. Cutting the cord became a great deal easier for me with the way the NFL has acted over the past couple of seasons. I no longer have a need for live tv content. Now you can save money by cutting the cord, but you need to be careful. Most options are not the a la carte we've been dreaming of. Most online live tv options do similar bundling that the cable companies offer. One comment on DirecTV. We have them for another year. Personally I really like them as they offer content not only through their satellite, but also online via their app. Best of both worlds. Next thing to consider is that for any of the online options that you want to play on your TV, you'll need a box. There are a ton options when it comes to this. I'll give you a short list with the top names. Do a Google search and you'll find more. Amazon Fire (I put this first from my own personal experience. I've never had a Roku, but I've heard they are number for many reasons.) Roku Apple TV (Apple TV does not have an app for Amazon Prime. We actually have an older Apple TV unit, but no longer use it as we switched over to the Amazon Fire options. Play Station (no needed if you purchase Play Station Vue, but if you have one, you can watch their content along with Hulu, Amazon, Netflix and many more.) As an IT geek/media nerd, it's an exciting time for cutting the cord. Especially if you are able to reduce your monthly bills. Jason from RI
Buy a Roki and don't look back. We cut the cord 4 years ago. Your local station probably has a Roku news and weather channel, ours does. Also, a good UHF antenna will pull in a lot of digital channels.
If you want live tv, go PlayStation vue. It's all about the channel lineup and theirs is the best imo. I'm a discovery channel geek and when I signed up, they were the only ones who had it. They also have a dvr function. You need to write down what channels you watch most, pull up everyone's channel packages, and go from there.
Still thinking of installing an OTA antenna at the cottage. Just don't ever have a real need for it as I usually fall asleep earlier down there. I can only pick up a channel or two anyway.
I have not had cable or dish tv in 6 or 7 years. Went to menards and bought an indoor digital antennas for 15 or 20 bucks. Get abc / nbc / cbs / fox and several pbs channels all free. If we want movies we get dvds from our library again free.
I doubt OTA would be an option for me, I can't even use my cell phone in the canyon. I'll start looking into this stuff. I've heard of them, but what exactly is a "Firestick" ?
I've got an antenna and Netflix. The antenna picks up around 20-22 channels. Take out the spanish, church, and shopping channels and I'm left with 4-5 others. Netflix is great. Tons and tons of content for under $10 a month. Now if only my frontier internet was reliable.
Roku here. Essentially the same idea as firestick. My roku device is about the size of a pack of gum. It has a USB connection to the back of my tv (attaches directly to tv). It is a wireless device, basically a small special purpose computer, connecting to the internet through my wireless router. There are some basic channels that come free, and there are add-on things free, and then fee for service subscriptions. We get PBS for free, but had to subscribe to it. We also watch Netflix (paid) and my wife watches African game cams on YouTube with it (free). There are variations in how smart the device is. Ours is bottom end $35. {edit: this is a one time cost. We could stick with the free stuff and have no additional cost beyond Internet}
Has a power cord, too, that plugs into the end of the stick. Pretty basic. Some of these class of devices have a phone app, so you can control it using your phone or tablet or ...
As I was reattaching the roku I noticed it was HDMI, not USB. The power is a mini-USB connection, so could be powered from the TV if you also had USB. We don't, so it is a wire to wall outlet.
Firestick is either a small fob or a box that plugs into your HDMI on the back of your TV. The FOB connects to your wireless network and the set top box connects to either wireless or wired internet. The Firestick comes with some base apps installed allowing you to gain access to Amazon Prime video content. There are a tons of apps you can install that give you access to host of other content to include: Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Cinemax, Stars, Showtime, Epix, NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS, TNN, A&E, etc.... you install these apps and you'll be able to watch those stations content. One caveat to this is that many stations like TBS, TNN, A&E require you to activate your connection. The model they use is you sign in with your cable provider to provide free access to their content. Which means if you cut the cord, you will need an online provider that offers TBS or whichever networker you are trying to watch that uses this method.
Don't forget that you need at least a mediocre internet speed to do all this, and one that doesn't put unrealistic caps on use.
You guys know me...I am cheap, but my homemade digital air antenna that worked even surprised me. I spent ZERO dollars on it. I saw it on Youtube, and ended up taking 5 feet of copper tubing, beat it flat with a hammer on some concrete, formed it into the shape they said, attached a cable splitter I had kicking around, then screwed it to a sapling shoved into the ground. I literally told my daughter there was "0% chance this would work" as I hooked up the cable I had kicking around too. 7 years later I am still using that stupid thing.
