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We've cut the cable (3 Viewers)

captain_amazing said:
OTA antenna would be the next step - I'd be worried about purchasing something that was a guarantee, though.  

I've considered Sling or Vue, but really am not interested in Redzone.  I've had it for several years now and loved it, but really want to something dedicated to Pats games.

I do think the OTA is my best bet at this point.  I went through some more VPNs and got the international gameday price down to $199.  Still nuts.
Weird. I'll have to try as someone else and see. Maybe I was grandfathered in as I signed up through Turkey last year and they sent me a reminder email that I was getting full access for $129. And yes it is called something else like "international".  

 
Weird. I'll have to try as someone else and see. Maybe I was grandfathered in as I signed up through Turkey last year and they sent me a reminder email that I was getting full access for $129. And yes it is called something else like "international".  
Let me know if you find the $129 price - but, from what I've been reading, it seems like you are correct, in that last year subscribers were grandfathered into the price they paid for (so their renewals were the same) and that prices across the board have gone up considerably.

 
I signed up for a VPN service and selected Turkey and it was $199.  I may try the sportsaccess site.
Good to know.  Ya, I don't think it's being offered under $199.

I did read that you can get the US gameday pass and VPN into that account to get live streaming games, but I feel like that's probably not true.

 
I know the answer(s) are surely in this thread already so apologies for asking but is there a tl;dr for someone new to this?  Basically looking to get rid of cable, and planning on replacing it with some combination of antenna, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, etc.  I already own a Roku (it's 5+ years old at this point though so may be outdated).  Is there like a recent "quick start" guide for someone who wants to cut cable?

Edit: Just to make my question more specific, is there a particular piece of hardware or software that folks here recommend to make this a smooth transition?  Just glancing at the last page of posts I see people talking about internation VPNs to get NFL packages, I don't need all that.  I'm usually elsewhere on Sunday afternoons so not worried about live NFL and I can make arrangements for any other live sporting events I really want to see.  Mainly just curious about the easiest / most economical ways to replace cable - is it just as simple as plugging in an antenna for the networks, and just watching Hulu and Netflix on the Roku, or is there a better way?  Thanks in advance. 

 
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I know the answer(s) are surely in this thread already so apologies for asking but is there a tl;dr for someone new to this?  Basically looking to get rid of cable, and planning on replacing it with some combination of antenna, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, etc.  I already own a Roku (it's 5+ years old at this point though so may be outdated).  Is there like a recent "quick start" guide for someone who wants to cut cable?

Edit: Just to make my question more specific, is there a particular piece of hardware or software that folks here recommend to make this a smooth transition?  Just glancing at the last page of posts I see people talking about internation VPNs to get NFL packages, I don't need all that.  I'm usually elsewhere on Sunday afternoons so not worried about live NFL and I can make arrangements for any other live sporting events I really want to see.  Mainly just curious about the easiest / most economical ways to replace cable - is it just as simple as plugging in an antenna for the networks, and just watching Hulu and Netflix on the Roku, or is there a better way?  Thanks in advance. 
Here you go.  Some things might be a little out dated.  Haven't updated it for a little bit.  Just ask if you encounter problems or have questions.

 
Beware of Sports Access. Constantly down (as in daily for the past several weeks). Not to mention the guy running @NoBuffZone was MIA the past week+ with no explanation. Dude's shady as #### IMO. Only matter of time. That he's taking more and more 'lifetime' memberships (and the quality being what it is right now) isn't a good sign.

There's better free options. And would definitely recommend Vue or Sling w/ Redzone over it. International Game Pass is solid (though I've read in a couple spots where they appear to be cutting down on the VPN trick/stuff -- i.e. VPN login....get games pop.....then disconnecting from VPN to watch). 

 
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Let me know if you find the $129 price - but, from what I've been reading, it seems like you are correct, in that last year subscribers were grandfathered into the price they paid for (so their renewals were the same) and that prices across the board have gone up considerably.
Try Ireland. 139 Euros is $125, I think. 

 
Here you go.  Some things might be a little out dated.  Haven't updated it for a little bit.  Just ask if you encounter problems or have questions.
Thanks for the help, much appreciated.  So I can't do Kodi on my Roku 2 (I think).  What's the best hardware option?  I was going to have to pick something up for the 2nd & 3rd TVs anyway I think so maybe time to retire the old Roku and get all TVs on the same setup.  Amazon Fire Stick?  Other options?

 
Ignoratio, I started on a Fire Stick and was happy enough.

I picked up a Fire TV on Prime Day, and I prefer it.  I don't use the voice commands part, so there's no feature I can point to that explains why I'm happier, but I just see fewer pauses for buffering, and the response to commands just seems to be quicker.

I still have the Fire Stick on our treadmill TV and it's still fine... but I'm glad I replaced it with the Fire TV.

 
I really hate to ask this, but I don't have the time to read through 112 pages of info.

The wife & I recenty had some serious thoughts about doing this. Is there a cliff note version to this thread?

 
Thanks for the help, much appreciated.  So I can't do Kodi on my Roku 2 (I think).  What's the best hardware option?  I was going to have to pick something up for the 2nd & 3rd TVs anyway I think so maybe time to retire the old Roku and get all TVs on the same setup.  Amazon Fire Stick?  Other options?
No Kodi on Roku. Most people buy a fire stick just to try Kodi out on because they are cheap. If you end up liking Kodi I'd recommend the fire tv as it is a lot faster. The best option is a htpc because you can do everything if you are a pc guy and have an old pc laying around. I actually like the roku over the fire if you're not going to do Kodi.  Any of the android boxes, Windows, Mac, Linux, and raspberry pi take Kodi   iOS stuff has to be jail broken  

I have a htpc in my main entertainment center and I ditched the fire stick for a fire tv in the bedroom. Have a Roku in the bedroom too that the old lady likes to use for YouTube and stuff. There is something to say for having the same setup too though, for family members and such, the roku and fire's select and home buttons are exactly opposite. 

 
I really hate to ask this, but I don't have the time to read through 112 pages of info.

The wife & I recenty had some serious thoughts about doing this. Is there a cliff note version to this thread?
Jesus, it's 2 posts above yours.

 
Anyone having trouble watching movies with Kodi? My wife says she gets about 1/2 hour in and it resets to the homepage. She feels it is something wrong with the Kodi app on our firestick. I have not had any problem but I just watch network tv shows and the occasional UFC thing.
No problems here recently.  Running Titanium on Fire TV.
I noticed a few things starting over for me last night after about 5 min... it was mostly from that site that has the little 8 or 9 sec commercial at the top, others did it too.

Pretty sure I'm uninstalling Titanium and just adding the 2 or 3 things I use to Kodi.  I only use the stick once or twice a week so all the failed updates and stuff of apps I never use is frustrating and sometimes freezes up the box (yes I clear the cache and pkgs everytime) 

 
Trying out Vue free trial this week. Using my son's Roku stick so the menu is a little different. I understand Fire TV gives you a better menu and guide. Overall very impressed with the channels available and quality of the picture. Not sure how the cloud dvr works though. 

If I pair this with an OTA for locals, I may be able to divorce DirecTV. I got free Sunday Ticket again this year, so after football season is over this is a real possibility. 

 
NFL Week 1 update for Vue:

Bought redzone before the season started. It wouldn't load the guide/channels for about the first 20 minutes after football started (was expecting this). Was finally able to get it to change to the redzone channel after about 20 minutes, no issues the rest of the day.  :thumbup: :thumbup:

 
Anyone have an opinion of SelectTV??
It's just re-branded Rabbit tv.  They make it look like you get all the prime time tv channels when in fact all it does is aggregate all the free video content that is available on the web already.  Might be useful for some, but, for me that cut cable to cut costs I don't need to pay a monthly fee to someone to find free stuff on the web for me.  Plus you have to buy their box.

 
NFL Week 1 update for Vue:

Bought redzone before the season started. It wouldn't load the guide/channels for about the first 20 minutes after football started (was expecting this). Was finally able to get it to change to the redzone channel after about 20 minutes, no issues the rest of the day.  :thumbup: :thumbup:
All went well for me too.   Only down side is no Siciliano, that guy is great on the dtv red zone channel.

 
Slingtv keeps adding to their portfolios: 6 new Pac-12 Networks, Starz, ESPN3, SEC Network and they now have an app for Windows 10.

 
Background: I'm a Steeler fan living in FL and I get the pleasure of watching the Dolphins/Patriots tomorrow at 1:00.  I want to watch the Steelers/Bengals game tomorrow.   Typically, I would just go to the bar in this circumstance but I cant leave my house tomorrow at that time.

I looked at Sling TV but it looks like that is only an option for streaming local stations - is that correct?  Can I use sling TV to watch Pittsburgh stations from FL?  Is it possible for someone in PA to have a Sling TV account and watch Pittsburgh station while on vacation in FL?  Asking for a relative.

I pay for cable and don't have anything that can stream anything (except a really old Wii system).  What are my options at this point?

 
It's just re-branded Rabbit tv.  They make it look like you get all the prime time tv channels when in fact all it does is aggregate all the free video content that is available on the web already.  Might be useful for some, but, for me that cut cable to cut costs I don't need to pay a monthly fee to someone to find free stuff on the web for me.  Plus you have to buy their box.
Are you sure about buying their box?  I just skimmed through their website and they say you use Chromecast to feed a TV, or HDMI from a computer (HTPC, laptop, whatever).

 
Background: I'm a Steeler fan living in FL and I get the pleasure of watching the Dolphins/Patriots tomorrow at 1:00.  I want to watch the Steelers/Bengals game tomorrow.   Typically, I would just go to the bar in this circumstance but I cant leave my house tomorrow at that time.

I looked at Sling TV but it looks like that is only an option for streaming local stations - is that correct?  Can I use sling TV to watch Pittsburgh stations from FL?  Is it possible for someone in PA to have a Sling TV account and watch Pittsburgh station while on vacation in FL?  Asking for a relative.

I pay for cable and don't have anything that can stream anything (except a really old Wii system).  What are my options at this point?
Local channels are still being worked on by the streaming services. Other than red zone or nfl network games and ESPN games if you want to make sure you have access to every game you'll have to get game pass by the discounted methods discussed in this thread. 

 
If anyone is looking for a roof/attic mount antenna with longer range, I bought this and it has been great. Hooked it  to my TV in my upstairs bedroom and just leaned it against an east facing window. Brought in the Steelers game on a Youngstown station (45 miles away) in HD like I had cable.

Going to mount it to the roof (old direct TV satellite up there from previous owner) when I get a chance. 

Cant beat it for $30 and it also looks like it supports 4k, for when I get to that point.

 
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has anyone tried to get kodi on a raspberry or something similar? not sure how the wifi will handle the stream going upstairs in my house

 
has anyone tried to get kodi on a raspberry or something similar? not sure how the wifi will handle the stream going upstairs in my house
did osmc (basically kodi os) on a pi 3 but hardwired b/c the wifi stunk.  I still have a g router though  :bag: .  The pi supports n.  

 
has anyone tried to get kodi on a raspberry or something similar? not sure how the wifi will handle the stream going upstairs in my house
Yes, on both the pi 2 and now the new pi 3.  wifi worked great, though I have about the fastest non-AC wifi router on the market.  Since then I have hardwired it.  Should you find any 1080p streams, those were sometimes choppy, but any 720 streams would work find. 

 
Yes, on both the pi 2 and now the new pi 3.  wifi worked great, though I have about the fastest non-AC wifi router on the market.  Since then I have hardwired it.  Should you find any 1080p streams, those were sometimes choppy, but any 720 streams would work find. 
which router?

 
I swear to god that depression commercial on ESPN they air on every break is going to drive me to go beat up a fat kid.

 
Haven't check in with Sling and Vue for awhile and wanted to see if NFL rates were reasonable:

Sling:  NFL unavailable with $20 base package.  With the $25 package NFL Network is included and Redzone is an extra $10, but wait, you won't get the ESPN games.  You have to get the $40 package with an extra $10 for complete ESPN/NFL Network/Redzone.

Vue:   NFL not available with base package either.  Available with the $35 package for an extra $10 ($40 for the season).

So, $45-$50 a month.  Still feels too much like a cable package.  I don't really use the other channels and it isn't the full NFL ticket so I'm sticking with the VPN/NFL.com method for $130 all season.  Plus I figure only about half of my team's games will be in prime time/shown in my area without the ticket/gamepass.

 
Haven't check in with Sling and Vue for awhile and wanted to see if NFL rates were reasonable:

Sling:  NFL unavailable with $20 base package.  With the $25 package NFL Network is included and Redzone is an extra $10, but wait, you won't get the ESPN games.  You have to get the $40 package with an extra $10 for complete ESPN/NFL Network/Redzone.

Vue:   NFL not available with base package either.  Available with the $35 package for an extra $10 ($40 for the season).

So, $45-$50 a month.  Still feels too much like a cable package.  I don't really use the other channels and it isn't the full NFL ticket so I'm sticking with the VPN/NFL.com method for $130 all season.  Plus I figure only about half of my team's games will be in prime time/shown in my area without the ticket/gamepass.
Don't forget that the ps Vue doesn't actually let you see all the NFL network TNF games.  Nothing like seeing that screen go black and a message saying they don't have streaming rights.   Then why did you advertise it as "watch All the TNF games"?

 
ClownCausedChaos2 said:
Hi guys -

I've got cable in my house, but I'd like to put a TV in an area of my basement where its not easy to get the cable.  It sits near an outside wall though.

I'm new to the HD antenna thing.  Would one of these work?  I'm assuming that an indoor, table top antenna would be useless in an underground basement.

http://www.bestbuy.com//site/ge-ultra-pro-stealth-outdoor-antenna-white/5091001.p?skuId=5091001

http://www.target.com/p/ge-ultrapro-stealth-hd-antenna-black-34140/-/A-50581629
Probably get a pretty weak signal in a basement. But you never know for sure until you try.

This is where a Tivo setup would shine. You could put a Tivo in an upstairs room where the antenna has a strong signal, and then use a Tivo Mini in the basement that uses your local wifi network to get access to one of the tuners in the Tivo upstairs. Of course you also get the DVR functionality for antenna channels. Not cheap, but still cheaper than cable/satellite. 

 
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Do you guys think Sony is making a mistake with their branding of Vue?

I have been talking to a bunch of people interested in cutting the cord and every time I bring up Playstation Vue they immediately tune out because they don't have a Playstation.  Even when I try to explain it is not just on the playstation, they have a mental block.

The new commercials for Vue are not helping in that they show the person using a playstation controller.

I feel like this would be so much easier to sell for Sony if the branding was simply "Sony Vue"

The commercials do not need to be fancy, just list out the price, and list out all the big channels and end with "available on Amazon Fire, Roku, Playstation etc"
Yes I do

I have had Vue since the beginning of the football season and its been working great. So I was telling my former college roommate about it, sent him links to youtube videos about and everything. He calls me after watching the videos and still is confused about whether or not he has to have a playstation and a bunch of other questions.

Finally I ask him if he has Netflix and if he understands how that works, he says yes and tells me all the devices he has Netflix on (Wii, Xbox etc). I told that Playstation Vue is just like Netflix except its live for TV instead of movies  

 
The numbers.

The results, which are based on an online survey of 1,119 U.S. customers, estimates that pay-TV providers could lose about $1,248 per cord-cutter annually. That’s because the average cord-cutter saves $104 a month—about 56% of their bill—from dropping cable TV.

 

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