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Cutting the Cable cord


praise_gibbs

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Bunch of cheap people in this thread. Seriously, you guys think $100 is too much to pay a month? You could actually get DTV for a little less than that. And if you know how to work the system, you could pay a LOT less than that per month.

Edited by Bubble Screen
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Bunch of cheap people in this thread. Seriously, you guys think $100 is too much to pay a month? You could actually get DTV for a little less than that. And if you know how to work the system, you could pay a LOT less than that per month.

 

Well doing it their way gives them a chance to live rent free in the pen.  That's cheap livin'

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Bunch of cheap people in this thread. Seriously, you guys think $100 is too much to pay a month? You could actually get DTV for a little less than that. And if you know how to work the system, you could pay a LOT less than that per month.

Usually I'm not one to be too cheap ... and I wish I were in a position to just throw $100 at it and not think twice, but with the wife in grad school full-time and me working a little below my grade at a start-up position ... gotta cut corners where necessary in order to see my teams ...

 

When you pay $620 ($150 MLB, $160 NHL, $300 NFL) in subscriptions and $700+ annually in internet fast enough to stream said subscriptions ... you're talking about $1,320 a year or $110 a month ... when the only other channel I watch is ESPN or some local channels ... that extra $60-80 a month in TV for 200+ channels I don't touch is just hard to expend right now.

 

A year from now I suspect that will all change and I'll be paying whatever the fee is to have TV/Internet ... but right now it just doesn't seem worth it.

 

Of course, when said subscriptions don't work in the playoffs and I'm required to have cable and FS1 to see my team, I am screwed ... hence why I'm in here :)

Edited by JamesMadisonSkins
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Bunch of cheap people in this thread. Seriously, you guys think $100 is too much to pay a month? You could actually get DTV for a little less than that. And if you know how to work the system, you could pay a LOT less than that per month.

Always full of it and yourself eh BS? For many, It's not only about $. It's not wanting to do business with Companies like Comcast. It's return on investment. Spending $80+/mo is a lot when you're only watching a handful of channels.

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Always full of it and yourself eh BS? For many, It's not only about $. It's not wanting to do business with Companies like Comcast. It's return on investment. Spending $80+/mo is a lot when you're only watching a handful of channels.

Inhave the basic package at DTV, so I pay $100 for a handful of channels. And I could easily pay a lot less per month if I wanted to. It's very easy to get them to knock $20 a month off your bill there.

My issue isn't with people that can't afford it. It's with those that stream channels illegally. I'm sorry, but if you do that, you're cheap. Not to mention, dishonest.

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Always full of it and yourself eh BS? For many, It's not only about $. It's not wanting to do business with Companies like Comcast. It's return on investment. Spending $80+/mo is a lot when you're only watching a handful of channels.

 

But you can't get MASN if you don't pay 100 per month

 

Seriously you cannot watch sports without cable and the cable companies knew this, why do you think they extended their contract with DTV, why did they move MNF to ESPN 

 

It's DESPICABLE 

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But you can't get MASN if you don't pay 100 per month

 

Seriously you cannot watch sports without cable and the cable companies knew this, why do you think they extended their contract with DTV, why did they move MNF to ESPN 

 

It's DESPICABLE 

 

Agree with this but technically they just moved the good Monday night games to Sunday and the crappy ESPN Sunday night games to Monday.  ESPN markets it as MNF but we all know it isn't MNF.  :(

 

Anyway, very disappointing that the NFL did not come out with a streaming plan like MLB.tv.  All the other sports have great streaming packages but the cable companies know that if the NFL had it people would drop their cable plans like we've never seen before.

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FYI, that link mary posted a few posts up was dynamite yesterday. A bit choppy on one of the links for the Panthers/Bears game, but the 2nd link we tried worked well. Then we had great success watching RedZone during the 4 pm games.

 

Funny though, when we put on SNF on our local antenna, my wife went "holy crap, this is the clearest picture I've ever seen" ... to which I responded ... yeah it's really nice but keep in mind we've been streaming all day ahah.

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If I didn't watch so many tv shows on premium stations (HBO, Showtime, Max, Starz, etc.) I'd completely cut the cord.  My wife and six year old would be fine with just Netflix/Amazon as they usually just watch that now anyhow.  

 

My biggest problem is I've spoiled myself.  I wouldn't want to buy multiple antennas for downstairs and upstairs to get the local channels.  Not to mention, I'd not have a DVR to record stuff on (leased through DTV, not owned) which means I'd have to watch real time or wait until it came on Netflix/Amazon.

 

It used to be just about the NFL Ticket, but I know I could stream that through my PS3 or PS4 for games.  I plan to scale way back on my package once the discounts they gave me to get NFL Ticket for free wear off in 3-4 months.  So I won't be cutting the cord completely, more like thinning it out lol.

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I recently went whole hog on replacing Dtv.  I have an antenna on the roof that I just plugged into the line going into the walls.  Use this website to figure out what kind you need http://www.antennaweb.org/.  The one it recommended cost me about $65, isn't too big and works very well.  I'm 50 miles from the antennas.  The over the air HD picture is better than anything short of a blue ray disk.  I think cable/sats are at a max of 1080i, least where I live.  

 

I built a fairly low power computer (HTPC) that can still play any video game though I might have to ratchet down the settings on some newer ones.  If anyone is interested in building and not sure about it I'd be happy to explain more.

 

I used this case link it matches the dimensions of my Pioneer receiver almost to the mm.  Fits right in under the tv. No one even know it's a full computer. 

 

Windows 7 (and I'm sure more recent windows') has Windows Media Center.  It works with a remote and records as much HD tv from the over the air broadcast as you have disk space for, in addition to a great guide that downloads and live tv.  Media center has also become my music center and a way to show pics on the big screen for people to see.

 

I use two of these tuners link so I can watch and record or record two shows at the same time.  The picture on the recordings is every bit as good as the signal. 

 

A wireless small keyboard with a touch pad for input.  There are a bunch to pick from that are very small.  

 

All my tv comes through my computer now with Amazon Prime/Netflix and HULU added to the over the air stuff. About $25 a month.  I don't use the pay HULU. Not worth it IMO. The sound plugs directly into the Pioneer and surround signals do too when they're available.  

 

I had done this several years ago to a lesser degree but RG3 brought me back to Dtv for the ticket.  Eff that. 

 

The HBO/Showtimes shows I buy from Amazon or Itunes for 20 to 35 bucks a season, I am stuck a year or so behind on some shows, but I don't care about that, you might.  For the half dozen or so that I do that with the cost is minimal.

 

I like fiddling with computers but I am by no means a tech guru, none of this was particularly hard nor was it too expensive.  It's more tv than I could ever watch.  It would be cheaper and easier to build or buy one that was only for tv.  It could also be much smaller.
Edited by KAOSkins
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Just a word for those thinking about cutting cable ... if you're die-hard sports fan like me ... it's really, really, really hard to do ... unless you buy a slingbox and have it hooked up at a friend's house or something. It's absolutely brutal. Cable companies are not stupid ... they know what's going on and they're doing things to prevent ease for cutters ... 

 

MLB.tv is only carrying select NLDS and NLCS games. If I have any hope of watching the Nats it's either going to a bar or shelling out the money and getting Fox Sports 1. 

 

I really wish there was an ala carte service. blech.

 

I recently signed up for a service that cloaks my IP so it looks like I'm in Europe. 

 

I've been able to watch every playoff game on my mlb.tv account because of this.

I've also been able to sign up for NFL gamepass (a streaming service sold outside the US) and watch any football game I want on a 2-3 minute delay.

Netflix also thinks I'm in Europe so my selection of movies is actually good.

 

Bear in mind that I still have to pay for these other services (mlb.tv, gamepass, Netflix), but this is way cheaper than going to a bar and starting a tab to watch the Os/Redskins.  And being in Chicago, that's basically my only option for watching most Redskins games and almost every regular season Orioles game.

 

EDIT: I also own an gen 2 AppleTV that I Jailbroke so I could watch gamepass on it.  Basically that means that I can watch any of this stuff on my TV, and don't have to watch on my computer.

Edited by balki1867
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I recently signed up for a service that cloaks my IP so it looks like I'm in Europe. 

 

I've been able to watch every playoff game on my mlb.tv account because of this.

I've also been able to sign up for NFL gamepass (a streaming service sold outside the US) and watch any football game I want on a 2-3 minute delay.

Netflix also thinks I'm in Europe so my selection of movies is actually good.

 

What's funny is our federal government actually runs some of these cloaking services, then they randomly scoop people up over years and throw the book at them.

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I really don't see the issue with watching the games online. You're still sitting through the same lame commercials but yeah I'm sure those cable company monopolies get butthurt over it and who really gives a ****? They are the ones buying up all the cheap internet options forcing us to pay 50+ a month for 3rd world level internet access.

 

I lived in Japan for 10+ years so I've been forced to use those sites anyway and the interesting thing is even being 8000 miles away the internet still loaded US based websites 10x faster because they actually have 1st world level internet there and 100+meg access is less than 1/2 what we pay here.

Edited by SkinsFTW
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Cord-cutters, rejoice -- you'll soon be able to watch HBO programming online without paying a full cable bill.

Richard Plepler, the chairman and CEO of the network, said the premium cable channel would launch an "over-the-top," or online only, offering next year, speaking at an meeting of investors in HBO's parent company Time Warner Wednesday.

"This is the most exciting inflection in the modern history of HBO," he said, adding that offering programming online without a pay-TV subscription also created a huge international opportunity.

http://www.cnet.com/news/cord-cutters-hbo-to-start-online-only-subscriptions-in-2015/

 

This is huge.  They are the first network to do this, and no they aren't broadcast, but they are a mover.  Get rid of the damn middle man who basically sucks at all things about providing TV.

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I recently went whole hog on replacing Dtv.  I have an antenna on the roof that I just plugged into the line going into the walls.  Use this website to figure out what kind you need http://www.antennaweb.org/.  The one it recommended cost me about $65, isn't too big and works very well.  I'm 50 miles from the antennas.  The over the air HD picture is better than anything short of a blue ray disk.  I think cable/sats are at a max of 1080i, least where I live.  

 

I built a fairly low power computer (HTPC) that can still play any video game though I might have to ratchet down the settings on some newer ones.  If anyone is interested in building and not sure about it I'd be happy to explain more.

 

I used this case link it matches the dimensions of my Pioneer receiver almost to the mm.  Fits right in under the tv. No one even know it's a full computer. 

 

Windows 7 (and I'm sure more recent windows') has Windows Media Center.  It works with a remote and records as much HD tv from the over the air broadcast as you have disk space for, in addition to a great guide that downloads and live tv.  Media center has also become my music center and a way to show pics on the big screen for people to see.

 

I use two of these tuners link so I can watch and record or record two shows at the same time.  The picture on the recordings is every bit as good as the signal. 

 

A wireless small keyboard with a touch pad for input.  There are a bunch to pick from that are very small.  

 

All my tv comes through my computer now with Amazon Prime/Netflix and HULU added to the over the air stuff. About $25 a month.  I don't use the pay HULU. Not worth it IMO. The sound plugs directly into the Pioneer and surround signals do too when they're available.  

 

I had done this several years ago to a lesser degree but RG3 brought me back to Dtv for the ticket.  Eff that. 

 

The HBO/Showtimes shows I buy from Amazon or Itunes for 20 to 35 bucks a season, I am stuck a year or so behind on some shows, but I don't care about that, you might.  For the half dozen or so that I do that with the cost is minimal.

 

I like fiddling with computers but I am by no means a tech guru, none of this was particularly hard nor was it too expensive.  It's more tv than I could ever watch.  It would be cheaper and easier to build or buy one that was only for tv.  It could also be much smaller.

 

 

awesomeness :)

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This is huge.  They are the first network to do this, and no they aren't broadcast, but they are a mover.  Get rid of the damn middle man who basically sucks at all things about providing TV.

 

You can't beat the system.  Who controls the medium controls the money.  You will just get metered to death if everything went to this business model.

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They were being paid a good chunk by the providers, I would expect the subscription for a la carte to increase to at least $25/mo. on stand alone with with same rate if you have a cable provider

 

Yes and no.  I get what you are saying, but the idea behind cutting the cord is that you have more choice to pick the channels you want and to not have to pay for things you don't want.  If I want to watch AMC, I probably have to get a hundred channels like AWE that I don't care about.  

 

So, this will make the content providers compete for your business more.  You can't get rid of a service provider entirely, but you will have better control of your cost.

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awesomeness :)

Thanks, I have to say, it's not just a little bit of self satisfaction I feel when I watch Gotham or Nature off the dvr and the picture blows away dtv.  I do have to limit the number of things I watch in HD on the streaming services. For a lot of shows it hardly matters.  Despite their promise that they are not enforcing the 250 GB/month that it specifies in my Comcast service, when I start going over it I notice that my internet seems to choke off.  They deny it's anything on their end but they're liars.  

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  • 2 months later...

 

ESPN and several other networks will soon be available online for 20 dollars a month. 

 

More and more people are cutting the cord, so this might help the cable companies keep some of their money and modernize their industry.

 

Could this mean a revolution in television broadcasting as these networks become widely available online for a nominal fee!?

Edited by ixcuincle
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