Posted on 01/01/2015 12:04:49 PM PST by OregonRancher
We want to get rid of DirectTV, go with cable for internet, yet at same time, be able to watch FOX, etc., movies. How do we do it?
Just curious - what’s your problem with DirecTv?
First get comfortable with the media getting sanitized further and further for PC compliance.
Not exactly sure what you mean.
If you are talking drop any TV service, then you can pick up Hulu Plus, and Netflix and stream them over your internet connection. Each one is about $8/month. Netflix has a lot of movies and older shows, while Hulu carries most broadcast series currently available. I also have Amazon Prime, which does even more video (and adds in other benefits).
I’m going to make this transition fairly soon myself. I just arranged to up my internet bandwidth, and once that is online, I will kill my Direct TV account and pick up Hulu Plus. This will save me a large chunk of change each month.
Not sure exactly what you are asking. Do you have cable internet already?
Our bill is over $130 a month and we just got a flyer from Direct; $19.99/month for 12 months/24 month contract. Plus
they keep upping the monthly bill with fees that you have to search for...
Got rid of DirectTV.
Call your local cable company and ask them if they give out any deals.
I got $200 and get a check from them every quarter , plus it’s cheaper for what I get.
That’s exactly what we want to do.. I’ll check Hulu.
I guess I should also put in some technical details.
You will need a device which can handle the streaming of those services. These include Smart TVs, Blue Ray players which have those options, game consoles (X Box One, or PS 3+, Wii), Apple TV, and a few other dedicated devices. you will need a fairly good internet connection (5 mbps is what I would call bottom end for this). I would clarify that kind of bandwidth is a good idea per connection, so if you intend to have multiple people watching at once, scale up accordingly. Yes it is possible to get by on less, but you will likely get less resolution and more buffering interruptions.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, and a local Redbox is pretty much the best way to go, unless you are interested in something less than compliant with copyright laws. That and a big antenna (depending on how close you are to TV broadcast towers) for broadcast networks.
Need more info.
How long have you had DirecTV?
When is the last time DirecTV sent you a receiver?
Which cable companies are available to you?
Same here. Being rural, no cable. Only option seems to be streaming over the internet for ala carte, except is impossible over sat ISP.
Just make sure that you can actually get cable before you make the switch. We live in the country and have not been able to get either cable or DSL. We have had people within a quarter-mile of us having cable for the last 15 years, but it is still not available for us. We have to use satellite, and satellite’s internet bandwidth costs will perhaps be prohibitive for constant streaming of programs.
The biggest problem is that each session starts out with good quality, but it then deteriorates. It will sometimes stall completely, usually during commercial breaks. I've taken to killing, then restarting the browser during each commercial break. It really is a PITA. This involves having a wireless mouse and keyboard along with the TV AND Cable remote (all four are required). The commercial breaks also seem endless. Most of the commercial time is dead picture and sound. It really seems stupid siting in your living room watching absolutely nothing on the TV. There is an occasional commercial which is way louder than the program, and the same 4 or 5 commercials repeat over, and over, and over, and .......
Hope this helps. We have Roku3 and subscribe to HuluPlus. We also hook a laptop to TV with HDMI and watch show with that.
Unless fox gets with the times, there’s no way to get it without a cable subscription that I’m aware of.
We cut the cord a little over a year ago and have adjusted fine. We sometimes miss Fox and sports channels but not enough to resubscribe to cable.
Hulu and Netflix suit us fine with a roku.
Just checked with Hulu Plus and it doesn’t have currant news,
just shows.
Cable is on the pole at one corner of our property. When the
power company put in a new pole and transformer for the new shop, the cable guy came over and gave me two full rolls of the high capacity co-ax which we ran underground with the new
400 amp service. We’re all set for cable.
Oh we also have a digital over-the-air antenna that gets us dozens of local channels. We live outside of a major city tho, so your mileage may vary there.
The big problem is the network bundling and the solution is ala carte channels. Ala carte channels are inevitable but, as all involved understand, it is certain doom for most of the fluff channels out there. With DirecTV your bill includes probably $2 - $2.50 a month for Al Jazeera America. Due to clever bundling you cannot opt out with out losing some channels you want. Would you ever pay to watch Al Jazeera America? I didn't think so and they know you won't, so they fight ala carte cable channels tooth and nail.
The demand is there and someone will figure it out an exploit it. I believe the first mover in that direction will grab markets hare at a rate that will cause heads to spin. I have tried everything except any offering from Apple or AT&T because I don't do business with either of them at any level. Roku isn't quite there yet with the offerings.
Be very careful if you go with Comcast. Your cable modem will have a wi-fi connection that other Comcast subscribers can log into. It can be disabled but is on by default and how many people do you know that can log into a cable modem and change settings? If you think I'm kidding, Ixquick (yeah I don't do business with that other search engine either) for "public wifi hotspot comcast router."
Net net, they all suck but DirecTV appear to suck the least for right now.
You cannot. DirectTV, if like Comcast, AOL, or Dish, simply WILL NOT let you cancel...which is why I won’t do business with them in the first place.
...a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Good luck!
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