Posted on 05/31/2015 6:32:01 PM PDT by jagusafr
FReepers - I've seen a number of folks mention that they don't have cable or dish and still watch TV. Anybody got any insight on using a digital antenna, Roku, computer and Netflix? And whether it's worth it?
Ping!
dvd, blu ray, netflix, and a few other less legal options, but I haven’t missed broadcast/cable/satellite since I killed it in 2006.
I cut the cable. I have a Roku stick for all of my tvs. I use it for several things.
1) Netflix....good for TV content
2) Amazon Prime...good for movies
3) Sling TV....live ESPN, SEC network, Food network, Disney, Cartoon, and more
4) Tablo....hooks to my over the air antenna for HD locals with a guide, streams to Roku, also acts as a DVR when you plug in an external hard drive
I can’t say I miss cable.
Broadcast HD depends a lot on your area. If you google "broadcast HD in my area" there are several websites to give you predictions of coverage.
I put up an antenna and all I got was a Mexican network. I can choose my language on the computer. Dish is a waste of time and life.
FWIW, I was going to cancel Dish and they dropped my monthly payment from $90 to $30 for the next year. If you wait 3x, they might make you the offer. This is a reasonable price to keep live sports, IMO. I have spent years “cutting the cord” and years with cable/dish. Sports are the only thing I care about on cable/dish.
No cable over here.
If I want news, I check the internet. I can watch “old” tv shows on YouTube.
And I can always watch local news online and live as well.
Amazon Firestick...
I got rid of cable this year too. Not missing it, there’s plenty to read & do Online....
At the POF Household...
Comcast — Mrs. POF can’t get enough sports. Only cable satisfies her demands.
For me...
Roku for Netflix and Amazon Prime access.
Apple TV for the occasional TV season I purchase. Plus showing my favorite pics on the TV and slideshows. Better UI than Roku and Apple has superb encoding.
Oppo Bluray player. Not getting much use any more. The Netflix streaming library is still way too thin, so I still get a fair number of movies on disc
Tivo HD to record from Comcast. I get a few movies now and then as well as This Old House and Hometime. I forget how bad the commercials are on recorded TV stations.
I’ve got 55 Mbps Comcast “Blast” service which has lately been clocking at 100 Mbps. Use an Asus AC router. Hardwired Cat 5 from a Cisco 16 port switch to another 8-port switch at the TV. Still get occasional caching problems and not sure where they are originating.
Overall, pretty satisfied with the streaming experience and wish we could finally cut the Comcast cord. We’d save big bucks. But the better half says “Either you go or the cable goes. Take your pick.”
Ping, to LV Dave.
Now I get 20+ channels, all for free. That's all the local ones (NBC, CBS, ABC) in high definition, plus oldies channels (Andy Griffin Show, etc.), plus recent rerun channels (Big Bang Theory, etc.), plus a couple of movie channels. The movies are old, but are often good.
What I don't get is cable news (Fox, CNN, etc.) or any of the dedicated sports channels. Also no History Channel, etc. I can live with that.
Overall, I'm very happy with this. With the money I save, I can slowly build up a nice DVD collection.
Word of warning though. I bought the “50 mile” digital antenna. And since I live near a major city, I get quite a few channels. If you live out in the country, you might not do as well.
Dropped ALL TV in 2008. Don’t miss it a bit.
I subscribe to Netflix DVDs. Their service is outstanding. I can stick DVDs in the mail on Monday and have the next movies from my queue on Wed. One day turnaround is great.
We have a digktal antenna for lo al, Roku and Netflix for extras. Quite frankly, I don’t watch anything except the occasional Netflix. I despise the MSM that’s on digital antenna (but hubby loves it). I’m pretty much internet for everything.
All this streaming media stuff is new to me and I don't understand a lot of it.
My wife and I, married 26 years, have never had cable. Just a couple of years ago, we purchased all the essentials for a nice home theater so we could watch movies andI such from Netflix, Apple TV, etc., but also wanted access to network television (I haven’t watched for nearly two decades, though she does)
Bottom line: Just get a decent digital antenna, and if you already have a standard antenna on your house as we did, unscrew the cable, put up the new digital antenna and plug the cable back into the digital antenna. You need to figure out the best direction to point it in, but it isn’t that precise. Depending on how much you want to spend on an antenna, the more money you spend, the more “multi-directional they are. They have instructions, but basically you go to a website, plug in your zip code, and it gives you the direction to all the local stations, and you point it in the general compass point that gives you the best bang for the buck, usually the biggest city you are near, Plug the other end into your digital capable television, and when you turn it on, it will go through a setup to find all the available stations.
You will find more stations using digital than you had before.
We spent the money and got a basic computer (I use a mac-mini, but anything you like can be made to work) a good home theater receiver with lots of HDMI inputs, an Apple TV or Roku type of device, blu-ray/DVD, VCR, games like X-Box if you want them, wireless headphones, and tie them all in together with a Harmony remote. So you can watch movies from Apple, Amazon, Netflix or other providers, watch DVD/Blu-ray/VCR, or digital television from your new antenna.
But I really suggest the Harmony remote if you go this way.
Good luck!
Not every TV show is available on Netflix and Amazon and those that are tend to be a year behind. But that doesn't bother me much. I'm not one of those people who have to see TV shows in real time. I'm still working through older seasons of "Lost", "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" and that's just fine with me. There's not enough hours in the day to watch all that's available anyhow.
Only thing I sometimes miss is NFL football games but over the past couple years, I've started to spend Sunday afternoons at the local sports bars. Great way to meet people and socialize a little while watching the games at the bar.
Also, I find that I'm able to get a lot more books read since cutting the cable. Since I only turn on the TV when I want to specifically stream something, it's off most of the time and I'm usually (like tonight) surfing the web on my laptop or reading a book while rediscovering my music collection on the stereo.
Netflix, Hulu et al push wacko leftwing Hollywoodite crap. If you are into that,then Amazon, Chromecast, AppleTV, etc. may be for you. Yes Dish is expensive but not as expensive as Direct TV. I don’t like the prices but if you’re a sports fan, none of the others hold a candle to satellite.
Vanities aside, overall program quality and variety by Dish, Direct TV, Time Warner, Comcast, ATT UVerse are far superior to penny pinching proposed 2nd tier programming advocated by most herein.
Netflix is $8 a month, I've had it for years for the same price. You can find about anything you want including old B&W TV like Gunsmoke, Andy Griffith, Twilight Zone etc.
So much stuff you've never seen before that you won't even look at the PC crap you referenced. (Irish detective series' Spy thrillers, SciFi)
It's on whenever you want to view it, and will pickup where you left off if you have to stop.
Best eight bucks I ever spent. (and about what entertainment is really worth)
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