considering cutting the cord. honestly, live sports is the only thing holding me back, but Comcast has decided to f me again w/ a $100+ rate hike, and I'm having Sonic gigabit fiber installed tomorrow. I know when I call up to cancel, they will try to keep me as somewhat of a customer I presume, but I really am tired of playing the Comcast rate hike game.

So, I'm looking into alternatives. To me, the one great advantage of traditional TV delivery, especially for sports, is the DVR. Does anyone have experience w/ SlingTV or DirecTV Now service as it relates to playing, pausing, and resuming live sports?

I've also found the current format of "channels" to be way outdated. I don't want to watch the Pac 12 Network. I don't want to watch ESPN. I want to watch the Cal Bears (or insert other team here). I don't care what channel it is on. I find it extremely frustrating when I want to watch my team, but I first have to scan all the possible channels that might be broadcasting my game of interest. It's even more frustrating if I'm not at home... searching for games through mobile apps that each seemingly want me to sign into my cable account each time before coming up empty and having to try a different mobile app.

Funny that when I installed Kodi (XBMC) on my desktop, it made finding the game I wanted to watch so much easier. It literally is easier and more convenient to pirate content now than pay for it. That said, I have paid for TV/sports for a long time, and I am a willing customer so long as I'm not being totally screwed.

I could also go w/ Dish or DirecTV. If Comcast were to make me a good deal for TV only, I'd also consider it. I have TiVos, and really like their interface.

The ability to place-shift is also important to me. If I'm paying for content, I'd like to be able to consume it wherever, whenever. I have Slingboxes and EyeTVs hooked up to my DVRs/networked already.

I love you, man. I feel your pain and will be following in your footsteps soon.....

BeachedBear;842806827 said:

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I love you, man. I feel your pain and will be following in your footsteps soon.....

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Me too. Tired of paying $250/month for basically watching PBS occasionally and sports (mostly Cal). Before the Pac-12 Network, I cut the cord for a few years and didn't miss it and there was far less content then

I've often wondered whether Cal would rather have my $250 a month for a dedicated sports feed that I can stream on my phone verses me paying a cable provided who doesn't give me hardly anything else of value.

The problem is that the rights to distribute content is locked up for the near future, so even if Cal wanted to sell you a Cal sports subscription, they couldn't. Further complicating matters is that these rights are spread out among multiple outlets, and those rights represent guaranteed revenue for conferences and schools. But I think the unbundling of content is an inevitability. It's a matter of when not if.

HBO, which was once the premium cable only channel ,has been available a la carte for the last year or two now. It's called HBO Now.

My mother in law is addicted to korean soaps. That alone is worth the cost. Telling her to watch them online is a non starter as computers scare her.

There was a good thread here a year or so back on cord-cutting...

Have not paid for TV in about 5 years. HD off the antenna serves us quite well for about 80% of our viewing. The antennas (two) are mated-up to a TiVo, a couple TiVo Minis in other rooms, and a TiVo Stream in the mix to provide access outside the home network. Toss-in an AppleTV, Roku and Chromecast for the other 20% of programming. Probably like many here, Amazon Prime membership affords some pretty good programming too, accessible on the TiVo, and other devices.

If Apple comes-out with a new Mac Mini, hopefully announced next month, that will direct connect to the big screen for other options, like XMBC...

Cal89;842806902 said:

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There was a good thread here a year or so back on cord-cutting...

Have not paid for TV in about 5 years. HD off the antenna serves us quite well for about 80% of our viewing. The antennas (two) are mated-up to a TiVo, a couple TiVo Minis in other rooms, and a TiVo Stream in the mix to provide access outside the home network. Toss-in an AppleTV, Roku and Chromecast for the other 20% of programming. Probably like many here, Amazon Prime membership affords some pretty good programming too, accessible on the TiVo, and other devices.

If Apple comes-out with a new Mac Mini, hopefully announced next month, that will direct connect to the big screen for other options, like XMBC...

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you can actually load XBMC on a 4th Gen AppleTV without jailbreaking. worth doing for me even if I don't end up cutting the cord.

rathokan;842806907 said:

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you can actually load XBMC on a 4th Gen AppleTV without jailbreaking. worth doing for me even if I don't end up cutting the cord.

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I have the 4th and have heard the same, so thanks for confirming. I really want a full-blown, dedicated computer connected to the TV though, for various reasons; one being for actual computing.

How are you guys paying so much?

I'm paying $160 for every single tv channel (including premiums), fastest internet and home security. Though that's taken years of negotiating with Comcast every 6 months.

it was $99, then 129, then 159... then all of a sudden $259. Sonic gigabit is $40 ($50-60 out the door). I also personally dislike Comcast's business practices, so I'm willing to take my TV biz elsewhere. I don't appreciate a company that decides to give it's long time customers an FU fee/rate hike every year. I'll take my chances w/ Sonic and Dish, or just do internet for awhile and see how I fare (probably not well... but maybe I'll be more productive... I work from home).

I just wait until I see a tick up on the bill, bitch at them, get the credit back and then I'm okay for 2 more years. Only maybe 30 minute and I like their product

Recent thread on another forum (not a competitor to Bear Insider) on cord cutting. The OP did a lot of research and explains how he cut the cord and brought his recurring monthly bills (including internet) to $32 - $45/month. Lots of useful comments from others as well.
https://www.fatwallet.com/forums/deal-discussion/1552100

Also for those looking to install an antenna but are running up against HOA rules be aware that there are FTC regulations that prohibit many of those restrictions: https://www.fcc.gov/media/over-air-reception-devices-rule

I purchased Directv Now for $40/month this holiday season and it's a decent alternative. It stutters sometimes but I believe those will be corrected over time and having all of those channels plus HBO for $40/month while spending the extra money on blazing fast internet has really worked out well. I should also mention that having a simple TV antenna and something like a Fire Stick is even cheaper since many broadcast channels have their own apps without requiring a standard television subscription.

JadenceBear;842806950 said:

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Recent thread on another forum (not a competitor to Bear Insider) on cord cutting. The OP did a lot of research and explains how he cut the cord and brought his recurring monthly bills (including internet) to $32 - $45/month. Lots of useful comments from others as well.
https://www.fatwallet.com/forums/deal-discussion/1552100

Also for those looking to install an antenna but are running up against HOA rules be aware that there are FTC regulations that prohibit many of those restrictions: https://www.fcc.gov/media/over-air-reception-devices-rule

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Interesting Thx

Cal89;842806902 said:

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There was a good thread here a year or so back on cord-cutting...

Have not paid for TV in about 5 years. HD off the antenna serves us quite well for about 80% of our viewing. The antennas (two) are mated-up to a TiVo, a couple TiVo Minis in other rooms, and a TiVo Stream in the mix to provide access outside the home network. Toss-in an AppleTV, Roku and Chromecast for the other 20% of programming. Probably like many here, Amazon Prime membership affords some pretty good programming too, accessible on the TiVo, and other devices.

If Apple comes-out with a new Mac Mini, hopefully announced next month, that will direct connect to the big screen for other options, like XMBC...

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I had a very similar configuration: OTA HD antennas, Tivo, Roku. I was pretty much set....except: far too many times we would fire up our Tivo recording and see that the antenna was just a teensy bit off it's optimal direction, and I'd recorded an hour of pixilated garbage. I went back to Comcast last month.

As a bonus: I will now be able to see Giants baseball and Pac-12 Network, which were impossible without cable.

rathokan;842806815 said:

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considering cutting the cord. honestly, live sports is the only thing holding me back, but Comcast has decided to f me again w/ a $100+ rate hike, and I'm having Sonic gigabit fiber installed tomorrow. I know when I call up to cancel, they will try to keep me as somewhat of a customer I presume, but I really am tired of playing the Comcast rate hike game.

So, I'm looking into alternatives. To me, the one great advantage of traditional TV delivery, especially for sports, is the DVR. Does anyone have experience w/ SlingTV or DirecTV Now service as it relates to playing, pausing, and resuming live sports?

I've also found the current format of "channels" to be way outdated. I don't want to watch the Pac 12 Network. I don't want to watch ESPN. I want to watch the Cal Bears (or insert other team here). I don't care what channel it is on. I find it extremely frustrating when I want to watch my team, but I first have to scan all the possible channels that might be broadcasting my game of interest. It's even more frustrating if I'm not at home... searching for games through mobile apps that each seemingly want me to sign into my cable account each time before coming up empty and having to try a different mobile app.

Funny that when I installed Kodi (XBMC) on my desktop, it made finding the game I wanted to watch so much easier. It literally is easier and more convenient to pirate content now than pay for it. That said, I have paid for TV/sports for a long time, and I am a willing customer so long as I'm not being totally screwed.

I could also go w/ Dish or DirecTV. If Comcast were to make me a good deal for TV only, I'd also consider it. I have TiVos, and really like their interface.

The ability to place-shift is also important to me. If I'm paying for content, I'd like to be able to consume it wherever, whenever. I have Slingboxes and EyeTVs hooked up to my DVRs/networked already.

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Very interesting and timed post, in view of where the sports industry is going. In a discussion on the business of sports sponsored by Cal down in LA, one of the co-owners of the Suns (and on the NBA Owner's Steering Committee) said the current NBA TV contract will be the last one, and the NBA will go directly to the consumer thereafter. He predicted the NFL will follow (he gave an example of the NBA charging $50 to see the Super Bowl ten years from now to receive a stream of the game). So if your into sports, its the leagues (or college conferences) who will be cutting the cord, and trying to get you individually to buy content, cutting out TV channels and cable providers. It will be a new world out their in 10 years.

mlb is very close to offering a local package, which is the deal breaker for many. living on the east coast, and being a giants, cubs and pirates fan, i just buy mlb.tv on father's day for $50 (been that way every year for the last 5 years), and am set for the rest of the season. then we have a roku, which we use for amazonprimetv (free since we have amazon prime), netflix ($11/mo) and slingTV, which is $25/mo for all of the espns, cnn, and pac12 networks. only thing you miss is fs1, but they offer that if you are willing to give up espn, or toggle back and forth between the packages, or you can get all of it for $45/mo. i just grin and bear it for the few games that are on fs1. also, tbs, tnt and a bunch of other channels are on there. the roku stick is invisible behind the tv and doesn't require line of sight, so you can point the remote anywhere. also, you can download the app to make your phone a remote, and also listen to the tv through your phone, on your headphones, muting the tv, so you can watch the bears while your significant other is asleep. also, the sling app lets you watch on any mobile device, anywhere. it seldom skips or buffers. roku also has the rt channel, which people like to say is fake news and russian propaganda, but if you like thom hartmann, lee camp and ed schulz, they have their own shows on there, and the feed is great. also, with plex channel on roku, you can play all the most recent tv shows from abc, fox and cbs, as well as all media on your computer, including music, movies and pictures. and you can download the hulu channel and pay another $12 for recorded shows if you want. all of this, with OTA antenna for news and NFL games is all I need. We're spending about $35 a month. of course, internet prices keep going up. we spend $69 on that, but you can get a google voice account and an obi200 modem and have a home line for free, so that saves us another $20.

sling used to offer a free roku stick with one month of subscription. the stick alone is worth $40, but they ran out. they offer a set top box model of roku for free now, or 50% off their premiere+ model, which is for 4kHDR, if you have a fancy tv. a great deal. no extra fees. no commitments. you pay month at a time. i cancel after football season and re-up for baseball season.

https://www.sling.com/devices/offers

I returned my cable box the day after the Superbowl. I'll sign up again for cable and DVR at the end of August for football season. But, better to be raped by the cable companies for 4 months a year than 12 months a year.

wanderingbear82;842806959 said:

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I purchased Directv Now for $40/month this holiday season and it's a decent alternative. It stutters sometimes but I believe those will be corrected over time and having all of those channels plus HBO for $40/month while spending the extra money on blazing fast internet has really worked out well. I should also mention that having a simple TV antenna and something like a Fire Stick is even cheaper since many broadcast channels have their own apps without requiring a standard television subscription.

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That would be a great alternative, but ATT has raised the pricing for Directv Now... that $35 tier is now $60 or $70.

rathokan;842806907 said:

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you can actually load XBMC on a 4th Gen AppleTV without jailbreaking. worth doing for me even if I don't end up cutting the cord.

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Is XMBC an app to view pirated streams? I guess that's an alternative similar to casting internet content using a chromecast or other mirroring software?

burritos;842806885 said:

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My mother in law is addicted to korean soaps. That alone is worth the cost. Telling her to watch them online is a non starter as computers scare her.

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Smart TV? Drama Fever app on the TV will cure that problem.

Tivo Bolt sounds nice, dealing with a bunch of separate devices is a bit of a PITA. I get eh most basic cable package, so no Cal sports to speak of, but only $25 I think. I haven't tried an entenna, may have to do that, but am not optimistic out in the hilly Diablo area of Concord.

So much great content via netflix and amazon, not much else needed beyond those two. Sling looks interesting though at that rice point.

At my house, we're set up with an OTA rooftop which gives me pretty much anything available in San Jose. CBS is kind of iffy in my neighborhood. Good reception in clear weather, awful the rest of the time. To fix that I signed up for CBS All Access for $6/mo. We also have Amazon Prime/w HBO added on. Additionally we have a Netflix account, and SlingTV Orange w/ the Sports Extra. I originally had the Orange and Blue package, but the Blue was mostly stuff I'd never watch other than FS1. I may reup for football season depending upon how many Cal games are on it. For internet we have 50 mp service from Sonic which comes over ATT lines and ATT requires a rented modem which adds about $15/ mo to the bill. Hopefully Sonic gets their fiber service into my area sometime soon.

Downsides to SlingTV for me is the lack of availability of old episodes of many shows that you have with cable or all access packages. Some of Sling's channels permit access, but many don't, including HBO, and BBC America. For the same money, if you want HBO, get HBO Go separately. Also I don't believe that Tivo works with streamed content does it? Some of Sling's channels will let you restart a show from the beginning, but not all do.

Not easily replicable, but here's how I watch almost every Cal football & basketball game...

My parents have Comcast Xfinity, so I borrow their online login for streaming most cable channels (ESPN, FS1, Pac-12, etc). The hardest part of this was they couldn't remember their password (in their 70s...)

My sister has Dish Network, so from her I can log into ESPNU (not carried by Comcast).

For NFL season, NBC and Fox both stream if you have the Comcast login. CBS introduced an a la carte online you can get that includes football for I think $7/month (first month free). I got that for the playoffs.

For getting it onto the tv, I have Chromecast, which is great for the apps (ESPN, Pac-12) and OK for the networks (need to cast from laptop).

It requires a bit more work than just using a remote, but if I'm only watching tv 7 days a month, it's worth it for me.

You guys really need to buy a Streamsmart box. You literally get everything you could ever watch and mostly in HD. You'll have access to movies, TV shows, every sports match from around the world, and PPV. Research it and let me know if you're interested.

wifeisafurd;842806981 said:

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Very interesting and timed post, in view of where the sports industry is going. In a discussion on the business of sports sponsored by Cal down in LA, one of the co-owners of the Suns (and on the NBA Owner's Steering Committee) said the current NBA TV contract will be the last one, and the NBA will go directly to the consumer thereafter. He predicted the NFL will follow (he gave an example of the NBA charging $50 to see the Super Bowl ten years from now to receive a stream of the game). So if your into sports, its the leagues (or college conferences) who will be cutting the cord, and trying to get you individually to buy content, cutting out TV channels and cable providers. It will be a new world out their in 10 years.

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Although there are other players, Disney and ESPN has been pouring ridiculous amounts of money into long term TV contracts to fend off this inevitable result. However, ESPN is losing money and Disney's patience is not infinite. I'm hoping they will recognize that soon, and our wait will be shorter than 10 years.

UrsusSanJoseus;842807042 said:

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Also I don't believe that Tivo works with streamed content does it?

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My Tivo Roamio did -- it had links to Netflix, Amazon and HBO Go.

What happens if you have more than one TV? I have 4 in the house, that feels like what really drives up the cost. If I use, antenna/netflix/codi, don't I need to repeat setup for each TV?

Thanks,

socalBear23;842808053 said:

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What happens if you have more than one TV? I have 4 in the house, that feels like what really drives up the cost. If I use, antenna/netflix/codi, don't I need to repeat setup for each TV?

Thanks,

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It's really annoying that we have to have cable boxes again. However if you do have cable and don't want to pay $10-16/mo for each outlet you can buy a TiVo or equivalent box. It works w your existing service with a cable card decoder I think the first one is free and each additional cable card is something like $2/mo. These are for standalone DVR units. If you go w the hub/node mode you just buy one TiVo Roamio and a few TiVo Minis. Only the Roamio requires the cable card.

socalBear23;842808053 said:

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What happens if you have more than one TV? I have 4 in the house, that feels like what really drives up the cost. If I use, antenna/netflix/codi, don't I need to repeat setup for each TV?

Thanks,

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I find that multiple TVs are simply too distracting. I prefer to focus on one Cal game per sitting. In the rare times, when I need to go the mutli-TV route, I just head to the sportsbook.

I used to have a second TV in my bedroom, but the constant running back and forth between the living room was exhausting and very disturbing to my family.

My recommendation is to invest all of your money and energy into one single TV.

socalBear23;842808053 said:

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What happens if you have more than one TV? I have 4 in the house, that feels like what really drives up the cost. If I use, antenna/netflix/codi, don't I need to repeat setup for each TV?

Thanks,

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One rooftop antenna should cover it all. I just tapped into my old installed cable wires to get the signal to the TVs. You may need a signal booster though, I did. I used this website to help me figure what I needed to get the best reception where I live: http://www.antennaweb.org .

For Netflix, Amazon, SlingTV, and other internet services you'll need a separate device on each TV. Lot's of options though, including most game machines, video players/ sound systems, Roku, Apple TV, and more do the job. I bet you already have some devices at home that have the bundled apps already available. I only have that stuff set up on our main TV though, the others just get whatever is available over the air.

I'll add http://tvfool.com/

Great website. I encourage all to check your address to see what's available...

I experimented with various antennas over many weeks, recording results on a spreadsheet to determine what antenna/s work best for us and the optimal compass direction.

A splitter, and amplified one even, will get the TV signal to your various TVs. I have power in my attic, so I amp it there after a very short run from the antenna. That said, I use two TiVo Minis to get the antenna signals to the master bedroom TV and one in my office. That is done over the LAN, via ethernet cable. I have Lifetime service on my main TiVo box, which the two Minis share. The Minis I got on sale for like $99 each. I just checked and I got a deal on the Roamio too, new from Amazon for like $100 due to some cashback and some credit card sign-up perk....

With the TiVo Minis at the other TVs I get all my antenna channels, and all the other offerings from TiVo, including what we've recorded, and Amazon Video / Prime. It offers Netflix and other stuff too... I remain a TiVo fan. I worked there for a bit, a long, long time ago...

Is anyone running into data limits? Best friend and family are running through 50+ gigs monthly is that normal

going4roses;842808160 said:

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Is anyone running into data limits? Best friend and family are running through 50+ gigs monthly is that normal

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Not a concern for me. I use Sonic for internet and they don't have any caps on usage. They don't even provide a feature where I can see how much data I use.

If you get a streamsmart there is no need for a DVR since all of the TVshows and movies automatically record. You would need a separate box for each tv but they pay for themselves when you factor all the money you save by not paying for cable and the PPVs you get for free. UFC fights alone are $70/each.