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Getting Rid of Cable- What am I missing?

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Phills14

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I pay $190 a month for Dish Network 250 channels, Top Speed Windstream internet and a home phone. It's just too much. I don't watch enough TV and I usually only watch a few channels anyway. I also have a NetFlix account so that's another $10 putting me at $200 a month.

I was at Best Buy tonight asking about Roku and the staff was somewhat helpful but I wanted some real customer feedback. If you have gotten rid of cable let me know what's great and what really sucks.

So assuming I get the Roku 3 and a HD antenna for local channels (NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, etc) what else do I need?

I will keep the Netflix account and I assume I'll add on Hulu for $10 a month. Should I get Sling TV for $20 a month? Amazon Prime seems like a no brainer too. Anything else I need to have that I should pay for? HBO would be a consideration even though I don't have it now.

What about sports? Specifically Cavs games. Can I watch those? NFL network is not available on this or do I have to buy a package?

Buffering and video quality- how are they? Is this just too much of a hassle still? Should I stick with cable?
 
If you want ESPN/TNT/Cartoon Network/AMC then get SlingTV. If you primarily just need NBA games, pay the $100 for a year of Ballstreams.

You can add HBO to SlingTV as well, or just wait for the standalone to completely be rolled out.

There is a SlingTV app on Roku and I can say it worked much better on Roku than it does on Xbox One.
 
Sling TV has has an offer off 3 months prepaid and you get a free roku stick.. Even if you dont keep the scrip. your getting 3 or 4 months of content and a 50 dollar stick


I got PLayon. Im thinking about getting my money back. does the pc need to be wired to cast without buffering interrupts?
 
I pay $190 a month for Dish Network 250 channels, Top Speed Windstream internet and a home phone. It's just too much. I don't watch enough TV and I usually only watch a few channels anyway. I also have a NetFlix account so that's another $10 putting me at $200 a month.

I was at Best Buy tonight asking about Roku and the staff was somewhat helpful but I wanted some real customer feedback. If you have gotten rid of cable let me know what's great and what really sucks.

So assuming I get the Roku 3 and a HD antenna for local channels (NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, etc) what else do I need?

I will keep the Netflix account and I assume I'll add on Hulu for $10 a month. Should I get Sling TV for $20 a month? Amazon Prime seems like a no brainer too. Anything else I need to have that I should pay for? HBO would be a consideration even though I don't have it now.

What about sports? Specifically Cavs games. Can I watch those? NFL network is not available on this or do I have to buy a package?

Buffering and video quality- how are they? Is this just too much of a hassle still? Should I stick with cable?
1. Get Fire TV or Fire Stick.
2. Download Netflix, HBO, SlingTV, NBA Gametime apps. Prime and Hulu are good but not essential IMO.
3. Choose the SlingTV package you want. Get NBA League Pass broadband 5 teams for $120 (split & share with friends/family if you want) and watch on Gametime app
4. Get the HD antenna like you said.
5. Profit. You only pay about $50 total a month for Netflix, HBO, SlingTV depending on the SlingTV package. Get local channels with the antenna. Plus all Cavs games (excluding NBATV) for $120 a year (if you dont split with buddies).
 
I wouldn't have cable if my damn roommate didnt insist on it. I suggest checking out r/cordcutters on reddit. I haven't looked too deep into it myself, but I've heard good things about it. I've put a lot of thought into it and most of what you have laid out is a great start, but you may fine lesser known options on there that could help sell you more on the transition. There may be some overlap in the Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime. I'm not that familiar with Prime though, so I could be wrong. SlingTV is an awesome concept, but I haven't heard the best reviews on it (buffering). I think it was @FiveThous who I saw talking about it on twitter during the playoffs.
 
Why Fire TV over Roku?
 
Sling TV has has an offer off 3 months prepaid and you get a free roku stick.. Even if you dont keep the scrip. your getting 3 or 4 months of content and a 50 dollar stick


I got PLayon. Im thinking about getting my money back. does the pc need to be wired to cast without buffering interrupts?

What kind of internet speed do you need for that free roku, since it's only wireless?
 
If you want ESPN/TNT/Cartoon Network/AMC then get SlingTV. If you primarily just need NBA games, pay the $100 for a year of Ballstreams.

You can add HBO to SlingTV as well, or just wait for the standalone to completely be rolled out.

There is a SlingTV app on Roku and I can say it worked much better on Roku than it does on Xbox One.

couldnt agree more, works great with the roku app as well.
 
Why Fire TV over Roku?
Good Question. I would think Roku would have a greater app library channel wise. Netgear really dropped the ball with their neotv. they got caught up on being too propeitary. their google play wont work with apps like filmon and livetv. and Apps like Crackle are abandoning to continue support.

Id be wary about firetv. Its intention is to sell you amazon product and compete with appletv. meanwhile Roku,Anddroid and chromecast are much more accesible to open source programming. with that said I dont believe Roku has a browser. The browser with googplay was one of the reasons i got the NEOmax but they couldnt just use the standard software.

I am doubtful i would invest in any netgear hardware reliant on software flexibility again in the future. I dont see firetv as any different and roku as the best option followed by chromecast.
at least you know with Roku they are looking to keep you in with the programming available. firetv and appletv just wants you to buy more of their other stuff
 
What kind of internet speed do you need for that free roku, since it's only wireless?
Id imagine just like any other streaming software you would want a 7+. Like i said If you dont like the rokustick you still get the value in the programming as it seems almost everything has a slingplayer now and if you dont feel the value of the programming you still have the roku stick.

Slingtv has a 7 day trial as well so if buffering is your concern you can test it all out.

My network only seems to have issues with PLAYon because it goes to one pc then cast to another box on the network. My son in law has the only wired pc to the router so im gonna load the playon there and see if the buffering is still an issue

Most of netflix issues were resolved by changing the router ID channel from 1.

fortunately I have some family with active cable/sat subscriptions to ease the transition.

so i will probably skip on the slingtv for now.

I just spent 50 bucks on the playon but if i can get a good stream to my box. then its really not doing me any good to have it. BTW the playon if you have it working properly can get you access to hulus web only content to your tv


+++ note: the playon plays fine on the software pc. its the recasting through the network where i am having issues and it is probably because both the pcs ive tried it on are connected wirelessly. Slingtv, Hulu and netflix stream right to the playing box from the router so less transcoding is done
 
So this thread got me thinking outside the box some more again, maybe a little different from the normal thinking that people have when thinking about cutting cable.

I presently have Netflix and HBOgo. I don't pay a dime for either. I use my parent's Netflix ID and their DISH ID for HBOgo. I actually read an article recently where both have stated that they do not have plans to further limit multi-user access. The DISH ID is what got me thinking. I currently use my TW info for WatchESPN, but why? I can use my parent's DISH info and get programs that I don't have in my package like ESPNU and ESPNnews, but it doesn't have to stop there.

TW has an app that lets you watch live tv. I would guess DISH, DirectTV, etc do as well, or at least are on their way there. Platforms like Roku, Chromecast, Xbox Live, and PSN (seems more limited) support these apps. If you have parents who are never going to shy away from the old school cable or satellite, why not take advantage? Even friends. You could cut them a deal ($10/month or one time fee of 50 for example) for their provider login info.

As it presently stands, I have access to Netflix, HBOgo, WatchESPN, and local channels without paying a dime. Stations are also starting to have their own apps (like B1G network). With someone's login info, options seem to be pretty limitless to me.
 
Id imagine just like any other streaming software you would want a 7+. Like i said If you dont like the rokustick you still get the value in the programming as it seems almost everything has a slingplayer now and if you dont feel the value of the programming you still have the roku stick.

Slingtv has a 7 day trial as well so if buffering is your concern you can test it all out.

My network only seems to have issues with PLAYon because it goes to one pc then cast to another box on the network. My son in law has the only wired pc to the router so im gonna load the playon there and see if the buffering is still an issue

Most of netflix issues were resolved by changing the router ID channel from 1.

fortunately I have some family with active cable/sat subscriptions to ease the transition.

so i will probably skip on the slingtv for now.

I just spent 50 bucks on the playon but if i can get a good stream to my box. then its really not doing me any good to have it. BTW the playon if you have it working properly can get you access to hulus web only content to your tv


+++ note: the playon plays fine on the software pc. its the recasting through the network where i am having issues and it is probably because both the pcs ive tried it on are connected wirelessly. Slingtv, Hulu and netflix stream right to the playing box from the router so less transcoding is done

It looks like that roku streaming stick could work with an indoor HD/digital antenna and pick up local HD channels free.
 
The only thing I see missing for someone who wants to drop the whole cable company setup is the DVR option and watching programs or even a basketball game (can you watch ballstreams games a day later?) at a later time.
 
So this thread got me thinking outside the box some more again, maybe a little different from the normal thinking that people have when thinking about cutting cable.

I presently have Netflix and HBOgo. I don't pay a dime for either. I use my parent's Netflix ID and their DISH ID for HBOgo. I actually read an article recently where both have stated that they do not have plans to further limit multi-user access. The DISH ID is what got me thinking. I currently use my TW info for WatchESPN, but why? I can use my parent's DISH info and get programs that I don't have in my package like ESPNU and ESPNnews, but it doesn't have to stop there.

TW has an app that lets you watch live tv. I would guess DISH, DirectTV, etc do as well, or at least are on their way there. Platforms like Roku, Chromecast, Xbox Live, and PSN (seems more limited) support these apps. If you have parents who are never going to shy away from the old school cable or satellite, why not take advantage? Even friends. You could cut them a deal ($10/month or one time fee of 50 for example) for their provider login info.

As it presently stands, I have access to Netflix, HBOgo, WatchESPN, and local channels without paying a dime. Stations are also starting to have their own apps (like B1G network). With someone's login info, options seem to be pretty limitless to me.
The majority of the Cable companies are now internet providers with cable provider options. They recognize this and know that the Hulu's , Netflixes and now SlingTV type content providers are emerging. so right now there isnt much emphsis on limiting content sharing because they are getting the most subs and therefore the best deals from the actual channels.
The Channels themselves have a careful balancing act because quite a few channels are subsidized by TV provider packages.

These internet tv providers are also very aware of the power some of these channels can wield over a basic prescription service and have become content providers themselves so not to be as reliant on the other channels they offer.

Its quite an interesting dynamic.

I dont see using a family members uverse or dish account to access channels as a long term solution. but its certainly something to take advantage of if its available to you.

but it sounds like your gonna spend alot of time browsing for stuff to watch flicking through all those apps which is why something like playon might be viable for you or some other type of organized app that does all your individual log ins and lets you access all that content at once as opposed to spending a half hour seeing whats on this app or that app.

so there is value in just signing onto something and point and click that one would rather just pay for it themselves even if they could access it another way for free
 

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