Satellite or internet TV service? Help!

[Coiled]

Most new TVs have apps built into their software or a method to download the app to the TV. 2009? Probably not unless it was advertised as a "smart" TV when you bought it.

I'm pretty sure you need one of the "sticks".
It's about as old as mine, and I do.

More of my dumb TV specs:

Streaming Features
Wi-Fi
Internet Movie Streaming	No
Bluetooth Audio Streaming	No
Apple AirPlay 2	No
Chromecast built-in	No

Control
Voice Remote	---
Control by app	No
Amazon Alexa	No
Google Assistant	No

This is giving me a headache.

 

[Coiled]

I'm pretty sure you need one of the "sticks".
It's about as old as mine, and I do.

What are you using, both stick & service?

 

[deemus]

More of my dumb TV specs:

Streaming Features
Wi-Fi
Internet Movie Streaming	No
Bluetooth Audio Streaming	No
Apple AirPlay 2	No
Chromecast built-in	No

Control
Voice Remote	---
Control by app	No
Amazon Alexa	No
Google Assistant	No

This is giving me a headache.

Buy yourself a ROKU. ROKU.com had them for under $40 recently for the "express" which is a cheaper version, but it gets you up and running.

My TV has WIFI, but its old and does not have hardly any apps at all. But the ROKU has a crap ton of them. Thats what I use to watch YouTube TV. ROKU has the app, which makes it easy.

 

[Sam Colt]

https://www.fastcompany.com/90419797/why-streaming-tv-devices-are-privacy-minefields

 

[ZX9RCAM]

What are you using, both stick & service?

I have a firestick.

Paramount +
Hulu
Peacock
Amazon prime
Disney plus
Netflix
HBOmax
Reelz
Vudu

I think that's all.

ETA: I also still have Spectrum cable.

 

[Vaquero]

Amazon fire stick.
Just suffer through a half hour of updates.
When it's done, just push the blue button and say, "Alexa, play youtube TV".
Then it's done.

 

[Axxe55]

Amazon fire stick.
Just suffer through a half hour of updates.
When it's done, just push the blue button and say, "Alexa, play youtube TV".
Then it's done.

WE ACTUALLY HAD THE FIRE STICK FIRST BEFORE WE SWITCHED TO A ROKU OUR FIRE STICK WAS VERY PROBLEMATIC PERSONALLY I FIND THE ROKU TO BE A BETTER STREMING DEVICE AND WAY CHEAPER WE PAID $70 FOR THE FIRE STICK AND $20 FOR THE ROKUAND NONE OF THE PROBLEMS!

 

[V-Tach]

I just ended a relationship with Directv so that is out.

My only options are DISH or an internet service + Hulu or similar. I am very accustom to punching in station numbers and within 3 seconds I'm watching the current broadcast show.

I just fiddled with a neighbors internet/Hulu setup and it is very cumbersome switching between channels. Also, I could not find "live" MotorTrend or MAVTV networks (2 that came to mind), only options to view previously aired episodes. I did notice Hulu gives local channels which in my case is Houston, B/CS, and maybe more and that is plenty.

Does Hulu or one of the others provide currently aired shows?
Can you bookmark channels for easy access?

Looking forward to your expert and budget minded solution.

We ditched direct tv a few weeks ago.......Pluto TV has been pretty decent....for free....tried the youtube tv for the free 2 week trial.....but we are in we don't want to pay for tv anymore mode.....

 

[Axxe55]

We ditched direct tv a few weeks ago.......Pluto TV has been pretty decent....for free....tried the youtube tv for the free 2 week trial.....but we are in we don't want to pay for tv anymore mode.....

YOU MIGHT TRY OUT THE ROKU IT HASLOTS OF FREE PROGRAMMING!

 

[John Sam Rayburn]

I'm Frugal. (My Mother-in-Law says "cheap".)

I pay $60 per year for Mullvad.net VPN, download TV shows a season at a time, and watch them on my big TV using Kodi.tv running on an old computer with a USB remote control dongle.

Open Source Home Theater Software

Kodi is a free media player that is designed to look great on your big screen TV but is just as at home on a small screen.

kodi.tv

No streaming. I was watching shows last night while the Internet & Electricity were down from thunder storms.

 

[FireInTheWire]

Stop watching. Start doing.

I'll second that.

All I watch is YouTube. It's focus driven.

 

[striker55]

I've used Kodi, not for your average consumer. Smart Google TV is for me. Plus wife likes her Dishtv because it's easier to use. OTA for local channels, which she doesn't use.

 

[MountainGirl]

We had Satellite, and it was fine unless it clouded up, but terrible bandwidth on our internet, so we stuck with it.

Last year fiber came to our area so we dumped satellite and are 100% internet based now.

I really don't watch TV much, but the wife does and seems to be pleased with it.

How are you liking it?

Fiber just came out here last month, and Spectrum wants us bad - but I'm not sure on that. It would save us a few bucks, but we have substantial wi-fi requirements.

Right now, TV antenna for over the air (which we dont watch anyway...) and internet through two of Verizon's wifi-s. Not interested in Direct/Dish/etc... we only need bandwidth and speed.

 

[pronstar]

My wife watches much more TV than I do. After 3 years I finally talked her into cutting the cord. Well some of it was me, but most of it was Suddenlink raising the price twice in 6 months. We have an antenna for local channels, but hardly ever watch anything live. Most things are available to watch on Hulu the next day. Most of the shows my wife watches are on Paramount plus that she can stream whenever she wants. I can honestly say no one in my house is missing cable TV.

FYI if anyone is interested in Walmart Plus, it’s $12/monthly (or $100/year) and includes Paramount+

 

[jmohme]

How are you liking it?

Fiber just came out here last month, and Spectrum wants us bad - but I'm not sure on that. It would save us a few bucks, but we have substantial wi-fi requirements.

Right now, TV antenna for over the air (which we dont watch anyway...) and internet through two of Verizon's wifi-s. Not interested in Direct/Dish/etc... we only need bandwidth and speed.

Fiber internet is great! This is the first time that we had fast enough internet that I don't have to run into Starbucks when I had to upload large files to my customers. Satellite was good sometimes, but the latency was often a problem. None of that nonsense with fiber.

As for the TV, I might watch 2 or 3 hours in a months time, so I don't have much to base an opinion on, but my wife seems to like it.

 

[MountainGirl]

Fiber internet is great! This is the first time that we had fast enough internet that I don't have to run into Starbucks when I had to upload large files to my customers. Satellite was good sometimes, but the latency was often a problem. None of that nonsense with fiber.

As for the TV, I might watch 2 or 3 hours in a months time, so I don't have much to base an opinion on, but my wife seems to like it.

Which provider are you using, if you dont mind me asking...

 

[jmohme]

Which provider are you using, if you dont mind me asking...

AT&T
I really never liked AT&T but they are the only option for fiber in our area and so far I have no complaints.

 

[sucker76]

I went with firesticks for my streaming host. Mom has Roku and she likes it but that's all she knows. My parents were an early adopter of Roku and never got anything else. Firesticks are very inexpensive now. A 4k version is $30 on primeday. The other versions are around $20.

I had Hulu with live at $75/month. It went up and I cut the live and went with their basic service.

I have Prime video ($), Hulu ($), Netflix ($), YouTube, Pluto, Freevee, Tubi, Vudu, Haystack, TeaTV.

The Prime is "included" with the rest of their service like free shipping. I pay basic charges for Hulu and Netflix and that's it. I'm at about $140/month or so for all paid services. I get news from haystack. You choose what network to watch when you set it up. It's limitation is its one airing old. The weather I watch at 4:30am getting ready for work is the previous 10pm news. I'm good with that since it's. Mostly for weather and that's close enough. For best local channels I would spend money on a good antenna and tall enough mast to get you to the closest big city.

The downsides are few but irritating.
Like rain and satellites, if your ISP has problems the no TV for you. Also some will have a monthly data limit. My limit is 1300GB/month. I only crossed it once when my wife was streaming THE SAME MOVIE in 5 different rooms ALL DAY while cleaning the house. That Upped me passed a monthly limit only once. She and I can stream 2 TVs nearly all day every day and be OK.

 

[striker55]

AT&T
I really never liked AT&T but they are the only option for fiber in our area and so far I have no complaints.

AT&T is putting in fiber in our neighborhood, I hope to get it. Right now I have AT&T DSL which is working fine. I have 20 WiFi devices running on it. Plus I have a Netgear mesh system to spread out the signal.

 

[lone_star_state]

I have Hulu Live TV, and Motor Trend live broadcast is included but labeled as "MT" in the channel menu. MAVTV is available as an add-on with a "Sports Add-On" package that also includes FanDuel Racing, FanDuel TV, NFL RedZone, Outdoor Channel, and Sportsman Channel.

Yes, you can create your list of "favorites" - networks, shows, teams, genre, etc. for each profile (I think 6 profiles are allowed with the lowest tier).

I also have an antenna mounted in my attic that gets used as much as Hulu Live. Also use Roku (free), Prime ($), Netflix ($), Disney+ ($), and other lesser knowns (all free).

Streaming can be a cost savings, depending on how many subscriptions you maintain and your internet plan (speed, data caps). The user experience is quite different than cable/satellite. If you really want to punch in station numbers, and cruise through channels, that is not how streaming is designed and you probably will not enjoy it. If you are open to a very different experience for watching the same content you already enjoy, there are many benefits to streaming. Many providers offer a free trial period, so you can find the one that's right for you. To that end, I have never known anyone who regrets "cutting the cord" regardless of what they chose (Hulu Live, YouTube TV, Sling, or simply OTA antenna).