We've cut the cable (6 Viewers)

[Addai's Adidas]

Called and cancelled cable an hour ago.

I've got the Roku player with Netflix and Hulu Plus, and this antenna with an amplifier. Signal strength of 100 and an insane picture. Saving $90 a month.

antennas direct DB4

There are a few reviews that have stated that antenna is only for UHF channels. Do you have any issues with getting VHF channels?Also, those same reviews mentioned that they just ordered another antenna for the VHF stations. How do you hook up 2 antennas to the TV? Splitter?

I'm getting UHF and VHF just fine. The picture is crazy clear.

Sweet! I should be getting my antenna in the mail today Also, I just got my free phone service set up last night thanks to this thread, an obi110, and google voice.

Roku boxes were set up a few days ago as well. Once I figure out the antenna setup, I'll be left with a $29.99/month comcast bill for internet only (25mbps download speed ) for 6 months and then it jumps up to $45/month and stays there... at least it's not the $180/month that I was paying for their triple play service.

to this thread.

Onoe last question for you, BingBing...Can you share your procedure with installing and hooking up your antenna? There are a couple of directv dishes mounted on the roof at my house (from previous renters)... I was planning to mount the antenna outside where one of the dishes are/were... and then use the coax cables that are are up there (and they are already run down into the bedrooms).

Is it as simple as mounting the antenna and plugging the other end into my TVs? I've got two TVs that will need the signal so, I'm planning to use a splitter.

Is that all there is to it?

TIA.

It's just that simple, so long as your TV has a digital tuner. My HDTV which about 4 years old has one for reference. Some people run wire from the antenna to ground to in case of a lightning strike.

 

[goldenchild]

Called and cancelled cable an hour ago.

I've got the Roku player with Netflix and Hulu Plus, and this antenna with an amplifier. Signal strength of 100 and an insane picture. Saving $90 a month.

antennas direct DB4

There are a few reviews that have stated that antenna is only for UHF channels. Do you have any issues with getting VHF channels?Also, those same reviews mentioned that they just ordered another antenna for the VHF stations. How do you hook up 2 antennas to the TV? Splitter?

I'm getting UHF and VHF just fine. The picture is crazy clear.

Sweet! I should be getting my antenna in the mail today Also, I just got my free phone service set up last night thanks to this thread, an obi110, and google voice.

Roku boxes were set up a few days ago as well. Once I figure out the antenna setup, I'll be left with a $29.99/month comcast bill for internet only (25mbps download speed ) for 6 months and then it jumps up to $45/month and stays there... at least it's not the $180/month that I was paying for their triple play service.

to this thread.

Onoe last question for you, BingBing...Can you share your procedure with installing and hooking up your antenna? There are a couple of directv dishes mounted on the roof at my house (from previous renters)... I was planning to mount the antenna outside where one of the dishes are/were... and then use the coax cables that are are up there (and they are already run down into the bedrooms).

Is it as simple as mounting the antenna and plugging the other end into my TVs? I've got two TVs that will need the signal so, I'm planning to use a splitter.

Is that all there is to it?

TIA.

It's just that simple, so long as your TV has a digital tuner. My HDTV which about 4 years old has one for reference. Some people run wire from the antenna to ground to in case of a lightning strike.

Thanks for the tip! Just did a quick google search and found THIS helpful link.

 

[5Rings]

where is the best deal on Roku boxes right now? their website has a standard HD box for $59, but they are sold out. is the next step up, the XD box, worth the $79?

tia

 

[nysportsfan]

I also got rid of cable. I had decided to go from a basic channel (60 channels at $55.00) to regular basic (12 channels) until I saw that was 16 dollars a month. Bought an indoor antenna which picks up all the major networks in HD quality (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX), and some local channels. Good enough for me, the rare time I want to catch local news on tv. I have a roku player which is awesome.Of the pay channels offered on the roku, I currently subscribe to:Netflix Streaming (7.99 per month)Hulu Plus (7.99 per month)Amazon on Demand (I am an Amazon prime member so I have access to their streaming database. I pay 79.00 a year)This gives me more than enough content.

I know this an older thread - but if you have an .edu address, Prime is free for a year

 

[BINGBING]

Called and cancelled cable an hour ago.

I've got the Roku player with Netflix and Hulu Plus, and this antenna with an amplifier. Signal strength of 100 and an insane picture. Saving $90 a month.

antennas direct DB4

There are a few reviews that have stated that antenna is only for UHF channels. Do you have any issues with getting VHF channels?Also, those same reviews mentioned that they just ordered another antenna for the VHF stations. How do you hook up 2 antennas to the TV? Splitter?

I'm getting UHF and VHF just fine. The picture is crazy clear.

Sweet! I should be getting my antenna in the mail today Also, I just got my free phone service set up last night thanks to this thread, an obi110, and google voice.

Roku boxes were set up a few days ago as well. Once I figure out the antenna setup, I'll be left with a $29.99/month comcast bill for internet only (25mbps download speed ) for 6 months and then it jumps up to $45/month and stays there... at least it's not the $180/month that I was paying for their triple play service.

to this thread.

Onoe last question for you, BingBing...Can you share your procedure with installing and hooking up your antenna? There are a couple of directv dishes mounted on the roof at my house (from previous renters)... I was planning to mount the antenna outside where one of the dishes are/were... and then use the coax cables that are are up there (and they are already run down into the bedrooms).

Is it as simple as mounting the antenna and plugging the other end into my TVs? I've got two TVs that will need the signal so, I'm planning to use a splitter.

Is that all there is to it?

TIA.

It's just that simple, so long as your TV has a digital tuner. My HDTV which about 4 years old has one for reference. Some people run wire from the antenna to ground to in case of a lightning strike.

Thanks for the tip! Just did a quick google search and found THIS helpful link.

Same link I used to hook mine up. I added a $30 Antenna amplifier from Walmart to my setup though. Just ran the main line from the antenna into the Amplifier "IN" and then split the feed coming from the "out" right after it led into the house.

 

[Fensalk]

The days of free, over the air television are numbered.

Smartphones are bandwidth hogs. People want to stream video over them. There simply isn't enough room and bandwidth has a finite limit. Within 10 years, they will be forced to cannibalize the antenna TV range to make more room for smartphones.

The bottom line is, you cannot live in a world where you can stream netflix over your android and have free antenna television. One must go.

 

[Dexter]

The days of free, over the air television are numbered. Smartphones are bandwidth hogs. People want to stream video over them. There simply isn't enough room and bandwidth has a finite limit. Within 10 years, they will be forced to cannibalize the antenna TV range to make more room for smartphones.The bottom line is, you cannot live in a world where you can stream netflix over your android and have free antenna television. One must go.

I'm willing to bet the cell phone companies will shut down streaming over your android phone before free OTA TV goes away.

 

[NutterButter]

The days of free, over the air television are numbered. Smartphones are bandwidth hogs. People want to stream video over them. There simply isn't enough room and bandwidth has a finite limit. Within 10 years, they will be forced to cannibalize the antenna TV range to make more room for smartphones.The bottom line is, you cannot live in a world where you can stream netflix over your android and have free antenna television. One must go.

I'm willing to bet the cell phone companies will shut down streaming over your android phone before free OTA TV goes away.

The government could pull in some nice revenue auctioning off that spectrum and consumers may be more then willing to absorb that cost in greater streaming capabilities.

 

[Dexter]

The days of free, over the air television are numbered. Smartphones are bandwidth hogs. People want to stream video over them. There simply isn't enough room and bandwidth has a finite limit. Within 10 years, they will be forced to cannibalize the antenna TV range to make more room for smartphones.The bottom line is, you cannot live in a world where you can stream netflix over your android and have free antenna television. One must go.

I'm willing to bet the cell phone companies will shut down streaming over your android phone before free OTA TV goes away.

The government could pull in some nice revenue auctioning off that spectrum and consumers may be more then willing to absorb that cost in greater streaming capabilities.

Cell Companies are already trying to curve streaming through the phone. Verizon and AT&T have tiered data plans. It's only a matter of time before all the companies do it and make it more restrictive.

 

[NutterButter]

The days of free, over the air television are numbered. Smartphones are bandwidth hogs. People want to stream video over them. There simply isn't enough room and bandwidth has a finite limit. Within 10 years, they will be forced to cannibalize the antenna TV range to make more room for smartphones.The bottom line is, you cannot live in a world where you can stream netflix over your android and have free antenna television. One must go.

I'm willing to bet the cell phone companies will shut down streaming over your android phone before free OTA TV goes away.

The government could pull in some nice revenue auctioning off that spectrum and consumers may be more then willing to absorb that cost in greater streaming capabilities.

Cell Companies are already trying to curve streaming through the phone. Verizon and AT&T have tiered data plans. It's only a matter of time before all the companies do it and make it more restrictive.

Yeah, this is with their existing spectrum bandwidth limitations. If they can get access to that additional spectrum, that changes everything.

 

[NutterButter]

http://thedigitalmediazone.com/2011/04/26/fcc-trying-to-take-back-ota-spectrum/

 

[culdeus]

The days of free, over the air television are numbered. Smartphones are bandwidth hogs. People want to stream video over them. There simply isn't enough room and bandwidth has a finite limit. Within 10 years, they will be forced to cannibalize the antenna TV range to make more room for smartphones.The bottom line is, you cannot live in a world where you can stream netflix over your android and have free antenna television. One must go.

NFW free OTA goes away. That is absolutely embedded in perpetuity. The only question is whether more traditional cable offerings make their way to OTA like NBC has with Universal Sports. US continues to add content and I think last I checked was the fastest growing viewership of any channel. The networks really do have the power to turn the tide back if they flex their muscles in OTA offerings, not the other way around. The distribution of OTA is damn near free anyways from what I can tell.Some other signs of the shift back to OTA is also ABC buying Bravo with the speculation they bring it to OTA as well.

 

[5Rings]

anyone know if you can get current fx (sons of anarchy) or amc (breaking bad) shows on roku/hulu?

quick search on hulu did not show either

 

[Balco]

anyone know if you can get current fx (sons of anarchy) or amc (breaking bad) shows on roku/hulu? quick search on hulu did not show either

sons of anarchy episodes are on streaming netflix right now. Not sure how current they are.

 

[Norman Einstein]

can't do it as a sports and financial news fan.no cnbc, no tennis channel, no tnt/tbs for baseball and nba, no espn or espn 2forget it.if i didn't want to watch those things, i wouldn't need a TV really at all.

if you have a tdameritrade account you can watch cnbc live through their trade architect software

 

[The Z Machine]

Anyone in this thread live in Baltimore?

 

[5Rings]

anyone know if you can get current fx (sons of anarchy) or amc (breaking bad) shows on roku/hulu? quick search on hulu did not show either

sons of anarchy episodes are on streaming netflix right now. Not sure how current they are.

Yeah, its season 1-3. 4 is starting up soon, don't want to miss that...looks like fx has shows on their site, not sure what the lag is or not.

 

[culdeus]

First serious shots across the bow for people trying to get legit as far as streaming content. Netflix content rates are going up as much as 10x as movie studios respond to the fact that netflix is taking a tremendous chunk out of their bottom line. So far the 60% price jump for both types of content isn't much, but it is clear the cable tv/movie studios and isp are trying to curb the growth of this style of content delivery.

 

[Franknbeans]

anyone know if you can get current fx (sons of anarchy) or amc (breaking bad) shows on roku/hulu?

quick search on hulu did not show either

Good site for checking what's avalaible

 

[saintfool]

First serious shots across the bow for people trying to get legit as far as streaming content. Netflix content rates are going up as much as 10x as movie studios respond to the fact that netflix is taking a tremendous chunk out of their bottom line. So far the 60% price jump for both types of content isn't much, but it is clear the cable tv/movie studios and isp are trying to curb the growth of this style of content delivery.

i don't think they are trying to curb growth. usage is a good thing after all. they are just trying to make netflix pay their fair share. the ISPs are dealing with netflix's disproportionate bandwith requirements. the content providers are just trying to recover costs for producing product past and present.

 

[Statler & Waldorf]

anyone know if you can get current fx (sons of anarchy) or amc (breaking bad) shows on roku/hulu?

quick search on hulu did not show either

Good site for checking what's avalaible

This site is good too.

 

[saintsfan1977]

Here is some help for the Sports guys:

I dont use Netflix since I download everything on DVD for free on PC, and stream to my PS3.

For those who need sports and want to watch every game and has/have streaming capabilities:

Register here

http://tenyardtracker.com/login.php?returnto=%2F

And here:

http://tenyardtorrents.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=21495

In that forum will be nearly every game you want. You might have to wait until tomorrow for a game that was played today or sometimes just hours but there are even games in HD.

All Pro sports, NCAA, and even high school.

The only thing about this site is you MUST maintain a 1:1 ratio. If you download 2GB, you MUST upload 2GB or you will be "banned". My advice is download your NFL games week 1 as soon as they are up and leave them seeding for the week and you should be good.

You can now leave cable if you dont need your games live.

PS. I dont work for the site nor am I affiliated with TYT. I just thought i would help some members.

 

[culdeus]

Here is some help for the Sports guys:I dont use Netflix since I download everything on DVD for free on PC, and stream to my PS3.For those who need sports and want to watch every game and has/have streaming capabilities:Register herehttp://tenyardtracker.com/login.php?returnto=%2FAnd here:http://tenyardtorrents.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=21495In that forum will be nearly every game you want. You might have to wait until tomorrow for a game that was played today or sometimes just hours but there are even games in HD.All Pro sports, NCAA, and even high school.The only thing about this site is you MUST maintain a 1:1 ratio. If you download 2GB, you MUST upload 2GB or you will be "banned". My advice is download your NFL games week 1 as soon as they are up and leave them seeding for the week and you should be good.You can now leave cable if you dont need your games live.PS. I dont work for the site nor am I affiliated with TYT. I just thought i would help some members.

This is a good site. But you are right. If you don't have a seedbox then don't bother.

 

[NutterButter]

Here is some help for the Sports guys:I dont use Netflix since I download everything on DVD for free on PC, and stream to my PS3.For those who need sports and want to watch every game and has/have streaming capabilities:Register herehttp://tenyardtracker.com/login.php?returnto=%2FAnd here:http://tenyardtorrents.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=21495In that forum will be nearly every game you want. You might have to wait until tomorrow for a game that was played today or sometimes just hours but there are even games in HD.All Pro sports, NCAA, and even high school.The only thing about this site is you MUST maintain a 1:1 ratio. If you download 2GB, you MUST upload 2GB or you will be "banned". My advice is download your NFL games week 1 as soon as they are up and leave them seeding for the week and you should be good.You can now leave cable if you dont need your games live.PS. I dont work for the site nor am I affiliated with TYT. I just thought i would help some members.

Interesting. Not a fan of torrents b/c your IP is just sitting there waiting to be logged by the copyright holders that may be monitoring, but I'll check this out some more. Thanks.

 

[saintsfan1977]

This is a good site. But you are right. If you don't have a seedbox then don't bother.

If you have a modem and pc, the program will seed for you.

 

[culdeus]

This is a good site. But you are right. If you don't have a seedbox then don't bother.

If you have a modem and pc, the program will seed for you.

I don't have a PC. Just laptops and I don't like letting them sit around on all the time. If I get a HTPC I might run all that stuff through it.

 

[NMYMND]

Gizmodo on ESPN 2.0 on XBox. Think this will get me to make the leap.

 

[Random]

Any word on ESPN on the Roku?

 

[coyote5]

Gizmodo on ESPN 2.0 on XBox. Think this will get me to make the leap.

but how many games do they offer on ESPN3/2.0?

 

[culdeus]

Gizmodo on ESPN 2.0 on XBox. Think this will get me to make the leap.

but how many games do they offer on ESPN3/2.0?

Tons. Sometimes as many as 3-4 at a time. If you like soccer it's a no-brainer.

 

[NutterButter]

Is the quality of Espn 3 when played through the xbox better then the quality if you're just watching it on your laptop? The quality of the laptop is pretty terrible and I couldn't even imagine how pixelated it would be on a large screen

 

[culdeus]

Is the quality of Espn 3 when played through the xbox better then the quality if you're just watching it on your laptop? The quality of the laptop is pretty terrible and I couldn't even imagine how pixelated it would be on a large screen

I wouldn't play it on a laptop. the bandwidth needs will suck down your wifi pipe pretty fast. I play it on my projector and love it. Picture quality will be dependent on the speed of your internet connection.Another huge benefit is that they don't really play all that many commercials.

 

[NutterButter]

Is the quality of Espn 3 when played through the xbox better then the quality if you're just watching it on your laptop? The quality of the laptop is pretty terrible and I couldn't even imagine how pixelated it would be on a large screen

I wouldn't play it on a laptop. the bandwidth needs will suck down your wifi pipe pretty fast. I play it on my projector and love it. Picture quality will be dependent on the speed of your internet connection.Another huge benefit is that they don't really play all that many commercials.

I only get it at work so I was watching the Open last week. Speedtest shows 50 mb/sec+ so internet speed is not a problem but the picture quality was pretty bad. Objectively, would you say that watching something on ESPN3 via the internet has just as good quality as the "HD" broadcasting that cable tv provides?

 

[culdeus]

Is the quality of Espn 3 when played through the xbox better then the quality if you're just watching it on your laptop? The quality of the laptop is pretty terrible and I couldn't even imagine how pixelated it would be on a large screen

I wouldn't play it on a laptop. the bandwidth needs will suck down your wifi pipe pretty fast. I play it on my projector and love it. Picture quality will be dependent on the speed of your internet connection.Another huge benefit is that they don't really play all that many commercials.

I only get it at work so I was watching the Open last week. Speedtest shows 50 mb/sec+ so internet speed is not a problem but the picture quality was pretty bad. Objectively, would you say that watching something on ESPN3 via the internet has just as good quality as the "HD" broadcasting that cable tv provides?

Not sure. I've only really watched 3 on the Xbox.

 

[NutterButter]

Is the quality of Espn 3 when played through the xbox better then the quality if you're just watching it on your laptop? The quality of the laptop is pretty terrible and I couldn't even imagine how pixelated it would be on a large screen

I wouldn't play it on a laptop. the bandwidth needs will suck down your wifi pipe pretty fast. I play it on my projector and love it. Picture quality will be dependent on the speed of your internet connection.Another huge benefit is that they don't really play all that many commercials.

I only get it at work so I was watching the Open last week. Speedtest shows 50 mb/sec+ so internet speed is not a problem but the picture quality was pretty bad. Objectively, would you say that watching something on ESPN3 via the internet has just as good quality as the "HD" broadcasting that cable tv provides?

Not sure. I've only really watched 3 on the Xbox.

Yes, so how would you compare the quality of a game watched on 3 via the xbox with say cable tv's broadcast of Monday Night Football?

 

[culdeus]

Is the quality of Espn 3 when played through the xbox better then the quality if you're just watching it on your laptop? The quality of the laptop is pretty terrible and I couldn't even imagine how pixelated it would be on a large screen

I wouldn't play it on a laptop. the bandwidth needs will suck down your wifi pipe pretty fast. I play it on my projector and love it. Picture quality will be dependent on the speed of your internet connection.Another huge benefit is that they don't really play all that many commercials.

I only get it at work so I was watching the Open last week. Speedtest shows 50 mb/sec+ so internet speed is not a problem but the picture quality was pretty bad. Objectively, would you say that watching something on ESPN3 via the internet has just as good quality as the "HD" broadcasting that cable tv provides?

Not sure. I've only really watched 3 on the Xbox.

Yes, so how would you compare the quality of a game watched on 3 via the xbox with say cable tv's broadcast of Monday Night Football?

I doubt you could tell the difference between that and a cable broadcast. OTA is a different story, but ESPN isn't OTA.

 

[Walton Goggins]

Gizmodo on ESPN 2.0 on XBox. Think this will get me to make the leap.

If you only like watching games on ESPN3 this looks good. I'd wait until I can actually get ESPN / ESPN 2 content

 

[culdeus]

Gizmodo on ESPN 2.0 on XBox. Think this will get me to make the leap.

If you only like watching games on ESPN3 this looks good. I'd wait until I can actually get ESPN / ESPN 2 content

ESPN 3 = ESPN1 + ESPN2. Just so you know. If there is something on their main channel they do not show on ESPN3 I am unaware of it.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

AA, how do you like Magicjack? Is it as easy as it seems? Any tip?

Thanks

SLB

 

[EYLive]

Is there website that streams live (or links to streams) of the the major networks?

 

[Addai's Adidas]

AA, how do you like Magicjack? Is it as easy as it seems? Any tip?ThanksSLB

It's not perfect but it's worth the cost savings. I mostly use a smart phone anyway (work pays for it). I had CD drive go bad recently which messed up the drive mappings (Magic Jack plugs in to USB and also maps as a drive). I have an OLD PC running it: 500MHZ 512 MB RAM and have it tweaked out to reboot once a week, power on when the power comes out, and run light. If someone starts using this computer for say word processing the MJ gets a little choppy. I imagine a faster PC would cure that.Definitely worth buying one and trying it out for the price on ONE monthly bill.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Is that antenna like the greatest thing ever? How many more channels we talking here? I have halfway decent indoor model that receives signal from all the major stations in the DC/Baltimore area.

Will this thing get me more?

 

[saintfool]

Anyone add any private channels to their ROKU?

 

[pecorino]

i've heard rumors of a european site where you can watch real-time streaming NFL. not sure about dicey legalities, but wondering if anyone can help me out with this rumor and/or explain how to stream the NFL another way. tia.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Is that antenna like the greatest thing ever? How many more channels we talking here? I have halfway decent indoor model that receives signal from all the major stations in the DC/Baltimore area. Will this thing get me more?

 

[goldenchild]

Is that antenna like the greatest thing ever? How many more channels we talking here? I have halfway decent indoor model that receives signal from all the major stations in the DC/Baltimore area. Will this thing get me more?

Which antenna?

 

[culdeus]

i've heard rumors of a european site where you can watch real-time streaming NFL. not sure about dicey legalities, but wondering if anyone can help me out with this rumor and/or explain how to stream the NFL another way. tia.

myp2p.eu

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

NFL Sunday ticket on PS3??

 

[culdeus]

NFL Sunday ticket on PS3??

Some say you have to prove you can't get DTV. I have no idea how they verify this.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

NFL Sunday ticket on PS3??

Some say you have to prove you can't get DTV. I have no idea how they verify this.

So maybe I shouldn't go get a PS3 tomorrow? I'm in an apt. building that doesn't allow dishes.