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We've cut the cable (2 Viewers)

B Maverick said:
:wall:

I apologize if these have been answered or are stupid questions....

Have TVs in 3 rooms.  1 has a smart tv (hope to upgrade the bedroom to a smart tv soon). Currently on DirecTV and AT&T internet. Have Netflix and Amazon Prime subscriptions.

Do I need to get a firestick or AppleTV box for every tv? 
Do I need an antenna for every tv for local channels?

Anyone know a service that will make recommendations based on what the family watches and wants?  I have been reading through here and talking to a few friends but damn if this isn't all over the damn place.
Click to expand...
  • Assuming you don't want to mess with Terrarium, Kodi, or Mobdro, but will stick to the standards like Netflix, Prime, and Hulu, you can use a smart TV and avoid a device.
  • Your family might want a common interface.  If so, get a device for each TV, even the smart TV.
  • Roku is the other device.  It reportedly has a better interface than Fire devices.  Apple TV is overpriced - unless you already have a big library of movies in iTunes, probably better to go with Roku or Fire.
  • A better device is worth it - Fire TV instead of Fire Stick, etc.  On paper, they don't look much different, but speed of response makes a bigger difference than you might think.
  • If you have coax cable already run through your house, you can hook up one antenna to the existing coax network and get the antenna to all 3 TVs.  Otherwise, you'll need one per TV for locals.  Locals are the best way to get live sports.
  • For recommendations, Netflix is smart.  It knows I watched 3 Korean horror/suspense movies, so it offers up a row of movies that fit that.  It also knows my wife watched all of Bones and gives her a row of similar shows.  The kids get a row of shows like the Flash.
  • Your family viewing habits will likely change - you're not duplicating what you had with cable, you're figuring out what you want in the new setup.  If your family can make that mental switch, it goes a lot smoother.  If they're tied to some specific show, you can still buy episodes and such, but more likely you'll find that everyone just watches less TV, in different viewing patterns.
 
Tick said:
  • Assuming you don't want to mess with Terrarium, Kodi, or Mobdro, but will stick to the standards like Netflix, Prime, and Hulu, you can use a smart TV and avoid a device.
  • Your family might want a common interface.  If so, get a device for each TV, even the smart TV.
  • Roku is the other device.  It reportedly has a better interface than Fire devices.  Apple TV is overpriced - unless you already have a big library of movies in iTunes, probably better to go with Roku or Fire.
  • A better device is worth it - Fire TV instead of Fire Stick, etc.  On paper, they don't look much different, but speed of response makes a bigger difference than you might think.
  • If you have coax cable already run through your house, you can hook up one antenna to the existing coax network and get the antenna to all 3 TVs.  Otherwise, you'll need one per TV for locals.  Locals are the best way to get live sports.
  • For recommendations, Netflix is smart.  It knows I watched 3 Korean horror/suspense movies, so it offers up a row of movies that fit that.  It also knows my wife watched all of Bones and gives her a row of similar shows.  The kids get a row of shows like the Flash.
  • Your family viewing habits will likely change - you're not duplicating what you had with cable, you're figuring out what you want in the new setup.  If your family can make that mental switch, it goes a lot smoother.  If they're tied to some specific show, you can still buy episodes and such, but more likely you'll find that everyone just watches less TV, in different viewing patterns.
Click to expand...
Thanks this helps. 

Might have to look into running a coax cable, mostly to help with location and mounting of the antenna. Not sure I have one currently.

ETA, makes sense to keep all the TV interfaces the same, esp for the wife.  Although my 8 year old can learn and teach us...

 
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B Maverick said:
Thanks this helps. 

Might have to look into running a coax cable, mostly to help with location and mounting of the antenna. Not sure I have one currently.

ETA, makes sense to keep all the TV interfaces the same, esp for the wife.  Although my 8 year old can learn and teach us...
Click to expand...
It's surprising how things change, though - you might not need 3 TVs any more.  For us, a lot of things changed in the past 5 years or so since we cut the cord, including:

  • Kids watch tablets preferentially - they'll choose to watch TV on a tablet while doing some art project rather than watching TV.
  • We don't watch as a family - maybe it's the age of kids, or the options available, or the way that comedy has skewed to the mature side, but it's been hard to find shows that everyone in the family wants to watch that are appropriate for everyone.  There are a few, like Planet Earth and Stranger Things, but not that many.
  • My kids just never really took to sports.
  • We just don't watch as much TV as we did when we had cable/satellite.  We watch a specific show, we don't sit down at the TV and find the best thing currently being broadcast.
So, we dropped to one TV and some tablets.

 
Anyone try YoutubeTV?  I'm tempted to try it.  Sling and DTV have a better channel lineup, and it's missing some stuff we "need," but I'm wondering if it has a better interface (given that it's Google, I'm assuming it will, and that performance will rock, but curious to hear)

 
Otis said:
Anyone try YoutubeTV?  I'm tempted to try it.  Sling and DTV have a better channel lineup, and it's missing some stuff we "need," but I'm wondering if it has a better interface (given that it's Google, I'm assuming it will, and that performance will rock, but curious to hear)
Click to expand...
We have been using it for about 3 weeks now, and like it so far.  Need to still get a Roku or Apple TV - (The YouTube TV app for both of them just came out over the last couple days). We have been ChromeCasting it from our laptops for the time-being, but are looking forward to the convenience of a remote control.

FF and REW do not work as intuitively as a DVR or TiVo, but I expect there will be improvements to that. Not all shows show a thumbnail as you are FFing, so normally what I do is just jump ahead about 3 minutes as most commercial breaks are a little over 3 minutes.

Channel selection as of now is acceptable. Would like to see some additions like TBS, HGTV, FOOD...

Picture quality is great. Never have any buffering pauses. We have 90 MBs internet service from local phone company and I have ethernet cable directly into a Chromecast Ultra.

Being able to watch on phone or tablet app from anywhere is an added bonus that I have used a couple of times. Each family member also has their own unlimited DVR capabilities.

 
Does anyone have a link to a good comparison chart for the streaming services, prices, and channel selection?  I'd like to get a month of NBC/NBCSN for the Super Bowl and the Olympics.

 
Man, what a mess... it looks like:

  • Youtube TV would be ideal at $35/month, but reports vary on whether it works on Fire devices now.
  • Sling pretends to have NBC until you read the fine print for my city. 
  • Vue requires a higher package to get NBCSN, which is where most of the Olympics will be. 
  • DirecTV Now is hard to sort out - I'm not sure what package I would need to get both NBC and NBCSN.
  • Hulu with Live TV is $40/month, and might be what I need?  It looks like it has the channels I want and runs on Fire TV.  I wonder what fine print I'm missing.
 
Thinking about ditching hbo and sling.  We don't watch TV as much and what we do has been on Netflix, ota, or Plex.

 
Oof, looks like Hulu with Live TV is awful.  I try to watch what's on NBC right now, and it won't let me.  Does it have NBC in my zip code?  No idea - they don't want to tell me that.

 
Signed up for a free trial of Hulu this afternoon. Trying to watch NBC through a Roku and it's buffered 5 or 6 times in the last hour. Not looking promising.

I tried Youtube TV several months ago and it was OK.  May have to give it another try now that they finally have a Roku app.

 
Otis said:
Tick — get an HDTV antenna and SLing. Problem solved. 
Click to expand...
I'm in an antenna dead spot.  I have a monster antenna taking up the entire attic, but I've given up on it out of frustration.  I'd rather have no coverage than crappy coverage.

I went with Hulu TV, which has as bad of an interface as I can imagine, but the account lets me use the NBC Sports app, so I'm good for the Super Bowl.  I'll see how the Olympics go with the free week and decide whether to stick with it or try another service for the rest of the Olympics.

 
I tried the YoutubeTV app and lord was it bad.  Worst interface I’ve ever seen. 

Vue was actually pretty good. 

Still seems DTVN and sling are the top 2. 

 
Otis said:
No love for Sling?
Click to expand...
I have Sling and like it well enough, but both DTV and Vue sound better for most people. I only keep sling because I don't care enough to switch, it's slightly cheaper, and as far as I remember, it's the only streaming service that can be used at multiple locations (maybe that's changed over the last year or so though).

DTV and Vue seem to be better services for people that need more channels/features. Sling seems better for people that just want a little something beyond OTA channels and/or may be about to say screw it and get rid of streaming altogether.

 
I’ve kept Sling and DTVN for the past two months, just unable to decide which is better. DTVN is a little cheaper and there are some things I like and hate about both interfaces. Both have all the channels I care about. I’m hoping the upcoming DTVN refresh is going to push it across the finish line. 

 
Otis said:
No love for Sling?
Click to expand...
Yeah it's not bad. Been awhile since I had Sling. I like the guide with DTV Now. Don't recall Sling having that back when I had it. I didn't think their interface was good then (don't know if it's changed any) but thought it was still much better than Youtube. Youtube interface is hot garbage.

 
Tick said:
I'm in an antenna dead spot.  I have a monster antenna taking up the entire attic, but I've given up on it out of frustration.  I'd rather have no coverage than crappy coverage.

I went with Hulu TV, which has as bad of an interface as I can imagine, but the account lets me use the NBC Sports app, so I'm good for the Super Bowl.  I'll see how the Olympics go with the free week and decide whether to stick with it or try another service for the rest of the Olympics.
Click to expand...
You and I are likely in a similar situation.  In the attic I get nothing.  Outside (and on top of a 20-30' pole) I get can all the majors, but then have to deal with the eyesore of it.  Maybe something you could try?

 
matttyl said:
You and I are likely in a similar situation.  In the attic I get nothing.  Outside (and on top of a 20-30' pole) I get can all the majors, but then have to deal with the eyesore of it.  Maybe something you could try?
Click to expand...
I just haven't been willing to go that far.  Every couple of years I pay about $40 for a month of Olympics, which is worth it for me to not screw with my roof.

 
For anyone interested in YouTube TV, they added  TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, HLN, truTV, and TCM this week.

Also supposed to be adding NBA TV and MLB Network soon.

Price is going up to $40, but I believe you can get in at $35 if you sign up before March 13.

So far I am very happy with YouTube TV.

 
Gordo said:
For anyone interested in YouTube TV, they added  TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, HLN, truTV, and TCM this week.

Also supposed to be adding NBA TV and MLB Network soon.

Price is going up to $40, but I believe you can get in at $35 if you sign up before March 13.

So far I am very happy with YouTube TV.
Click to expand...
:X  

terrible terrible interface. Did you try the others?  What made you choose this!

 
Otis said:
:X  

terrible terrible interface. Did you try the others?  What made you choose this!
Click to expand...
Not sure what there is to not like about the interface, but my primary factors were:

  1. It has most of the channels we want at a price I'm willing to pay for them.
  2. Streaming quality - We never have any buffering issues.
  3. Can have 6 separate accounts each with their own DVR capability.
  4. All 6 accounts have an unlimited DVR (deleted after 9 months)
  5. Device compatibility - It works on anything and everything that I would ever plan on using - Apple TV, Roku, Laptop, Chromecast, Android phone, iPhone, Nvidia Shield TV,


As far as the interface goes, it is a little bit different between different devices, but our primary device is an Apple TV4k which at least in the Reddit group that I go to, the Youtube TV interface gets quite a bit of praise as one of the smoothest and best interfaces there is across streaming services. My only problem with it was that they didn't have easy switching between different accounts, but that was added just this last week.

 
From what I can tell, if Sling doesn't have NBC in your area, no streaming service will.  I'm in that situation,so I'm getting the JV Olympics - only what's shown on NBCSN.  I'll get the preliminary and semifinal heats of an event, then the finals will shift to NBC.  It blows.

The streaming services seem to be pretty deceptive to me on this front - it's really hard to dig deep enough to find out if you'll get NBC or not, while the main page advertising their channel lineup of course has a big NBC logo.

 
JoeSteeler said:
Have been very happy with DirecTv Now. $35 mo for 60 channels and we add HBO for only $5/mo. Have not had any buffering issues to speak of.

package comparison

http://cdn.directv.com/content/dam/dtv/gmott/html/compare-packages-account.html

they just rolled out the new beta on Roku that has an enhanced guide.
Click to expand...
This is exactly what we did very recently.  I had to shell out for an Apple TV 4k because my smart tv doesn't have the app and my older Apple TV can't download new apps.  But whatever.  We cut our bill from approx $250 to $35 + $5 (for HBO and HBOGO).  So far we haven't missed a beat with anything.  Clearly I was paying for 5,463 channels, of which I really only watched seven.  Makes me realize what a ####### I can be.

 
ok, so I have the Amazon Fire TV and fire stick set up.  Netflix and Amazon are good.  Need to run the cable from the antenna to the various tvs for the local channels (Wife likes KTLA 5 in the am for news)...

DTVN or sling it seems will be next.

How is the live sports looking on those?

NBCSN, Fox Sports 1 and 2, Bein, ESPN

Then got to teach the wife how to navigate....

 
DTVN is my favorite streaming service by quite a bit. Believe they also have a promo for new subscribers for $10/mo for first 3 months as well. Here in Phoenix the local channels are included in DTVN. Don't know it for a fact but LA should be the case as well so you may not even need a cable.

I had Sling when it first came out. Wasn't too bad really. I'd definitely pay any difference in price (if any) to get DTVN. It is simple to use and has a TV guide with it. I've never watched BEIN or NBCSN but live sports have been fine in the others from my experience.

 
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We’ve settled on DirecTVNow after trying a few. The price is right and has all the channels we need. Put my wife on ATT cell service and got an even better deal — I think we are all in for DTVN at 15 or 20 a month including everything we need. I have been tying the Beta for the new app and it’s a nice improvement with a few hiccups they still need to work out. Cloud DVR is a nice add and the new guide is improved. 

Overall cutting the cable these days has become a no brainer. 

 
In the process of evaluating DTVN. Two days and looking good so far. Installed a HDhomerun Quatro (4 ota tuners) with a clearstream internal ota antannae to the hdhomerun and the ota channels are sent thru router (lan or wifi) to streaming devices. We are using AppleTV’s. Use Channels app on AppleTV for dvr and ota channel guide/live ota tv.  Can pause,rewind, skip commercial on live tv or dvr. Dvr software loaded quickly on pc and have 500gb drive. Can remotely access Channels app to watch live ota or recordings. DTVN working without any issues (knock on wood). Only negative is DTVN only allows 2 streams at the same time. But it has Nickelodeon which we “need”. 200 mb internet service not changing. 

- HD on OTA, UHD on DTVN, Amazon Prime, Netflix

- 5.1 retained

expect Spectrum/Time Warner bill cut from$270 to $135. Tried working with Spectrum last couple months with no results. 

Was very easy to set up.

The picture quality on both ota and DTVN is better than cable.

 
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B Maverick said:
ok, so I have the Amazon Fire TV and fire stick set up.  Netflix and Amazon are good.  Need to run the cable from the antenna to the various tvs for the local channels (Wife likes KTLA 5 in the am for news)...

DTVN or sling it seems will be next.

How is the live sports looking on those?

NBCSN, Fox Sports 1 and 2, Bein, ESPN

Then got to teach the wife how to navigate....
Click to expand...
We cancelled sling TV last month.  Haven't missed it.  

 
Anyone in here have an NVidia Shield box?  I just got one and I have to say it’s very well put together.  Running Kodi and Terrarium TV on it and it’s quick and responsive.

 
I almost got one last week but stayed with Appletv to stay consistent across three tv’s. No Android devices come close to the Shield’s streaming performance

 
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Otis said:
We’ve settled on DirecTVNow after trying a few. The price is right and has all the channels we need. Put my wife on ATT cell service and got an even better deal — I think we are all in for DTVN at 15 or 20 a month including everything we need. I have been tying the Beta for the new app and it’s a nice improvement with a few hiccups they still need to work out. Cloud DVR is a nice add and the new guide is improved. 

Overall cutting the cable these days has become a no brainer. 
Click to expand...
What are you paying for internet out there these days?

I ended up not cutting because my price for internet with Optimum plus a streaming package ended up not being much less than what I was able to get Optimum down to when I threatened to cancel. 

 
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Think I'm pulling the trigger on YouTube TV. Has all the channels we watch and the locals with sports. Only issues is my whole house is fire sticks. So I'm going to have to get Rokus to run the thing. This Amazon vs Google war has many casualties. 

 
Insein said:
Think I'm pulling the trigger on YouTube TV. Has all the channels we watch and the locals with sports. Only issues is my whole house is fire sticks. So I'm going to have to get Rokus to run the thing. This Amazon vs Google war has many casualties. 
Click to expand...
try Mobdro before all that 

 
After several days into DTVN 7 day trial period, the picture has been excellent. However last night during the Michigan-Villanova game, there were brief periods when the screen was blurry. Not pixelated. Seemed to occur mostly during replays during the first half, sometimes during live play.   After the end of the game I switched to ESPN to see what they were covering in the post game. Switched back to DTVN and got an error and it wouldn't stream. After about 10 minutes of ESPN came back to DTVN and it was working again. :shrug: .

 
JoeSteeler said:
Yeah I got an invite for the beta...it is miles ahead of the old interface IMO
Click to expand...
I finally cut the cable and am doing some homework on available streaming options. DTVN does not seem to offer any DVR service - is that correct? It also doesn't offer NFL Network or Redzone Channel. I'm surprised the FBG buzz is so positive, lacking these important  (IMO) features. To get these, I'm currently leaning toward PS Vue or Sling Orange+Blue.  Does that make sense?

 
ComfortablyNumb said:
I finally cut the cable and am doing some homework on available streaming options. DTVN does not seem to offer any DVR service - is that correct? It also doesn't offer NFL Network or Redzone Channel. I'm surprised the FBG buzz is so positive, lacking these important  (IMO) features. To get these, I'm currently leaning toward PS Vue or Sling Orange+Blue.  Does that make sense?
Click to expand...
DVR is in Beta

there have been rumors for a while now that NFL network and redzone will get added to one of the tiers (not sure which one) but nothing concrete that I have seen.

 
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I believe I have now officially tested all the main streaming service providers and my personal rankings:

1.Youtubetv

2.PS VUE (previously had PS Vue in its own tier but Youtube came on strong).

3. Sling

4. DTVN

 
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