Looking for cable alternative

#1
AdoptedVOL

AdoptedVOL

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#1
I've had it with cable in general and Directv specifically! Loosing the Dallas/Green Bay game today (free Fox broadcast by the way) was the last straw.

I'm looking for suggestions to alternatives to cable. My family doesn't watch a lot of TV so I'm thinking that for <$20 a month I can have NetFlix and Hulu. I'm investigating the purchase of an HDTV antennae (a one-time purchase) that could enable about 30 free broadcast channels. There is a gap with sports (ESPN and SEC Network) that will have to be filled.

Thanks in advance VolNation for any shared experience and suggestions.
 
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#3
#3
Any antenna will pick up channels. I have a indoor amplified antenna that picks up all the major networks and then some.
 
#4
#4
BTW since I live in Il I am stuck with Comcasts top tier package just to get the SEC Network - and my family nor I watch much TV either -- Stuck with their Inet to since they dont offer the SEC alt channel and I have to log on ESPN 3 a couple times (like that game early last season and a run over of another one) SEC Network wasnt kind to us out of the SEC footprint and greedy Comcast knew it and took advantage of everyone that wanted it.
 
#6
#6
508mikey said:
I dont have Direct but why wouldnt they have that game on ?
Click to expand...

When I go to 61 - channel for the game - the following message is posted...

"The owner of this channel [Fox] has removed it from the DIRECTV line-up despite our repeated requests to keep it on."

I get there is some kind of dispute but other suppliers are able to negotiate with Fox. This is not the first run in I've had with Directv. I've found their service is terrible and I'm also tired of paying for junk content.

What we know as cable today won't be around in 10 years. Technology is changing and so are consumers purchasing habits. I'm doing my discovery/research and getting ready for my next move.
 
#7
#7
govols/cc said:
Any antenna will pick up channels. I have a indoor amplified antenna that picks up all the major networks and then some.
Click to expand...

If you're happy with your indoor amplified antenna, mind sharing the brand/model? I may try it - if it doesn't work I'll give to my daughter (planned to buy her one anyway).

Don't laugh please but I have 1 TV in the house and it's in a family room in the basement. I also live in Ooltewah (a bit rural) so my research is leading me toward a large external antennae (either tower or attic mount) if an indoor amplified antenna won't do the job.
 
#9
#9
AdoptedVOL said:
If you're happy with your indoor amplified antenna, mind sharing the brand/model? I my try it - if it doesn't work I'll give to my daughter (planned to buy her one anyway).

Don't laugh please but I have 1 TV in the house and it's in a family room in the basement. I also live in Ooltewah (a bit rural) so my research is leading me toward a large external antennae (either tower or attic mount) if an indoor amplified antenna won't do the job.
Click to expand...

It's a Philips I purchased at Walmart. I use it when cable is acting up. I'm sure any amplified antenna would work fine unless you're way out in the sticks.

 
#11
#11
This will give you an idea of what kind of antenna you might need and what stations you should expect to be able to pick up.

TV Fool

Any trees or other obstructions near your house in the direction of the broadcast towers?
 
#12
#12
I'm looking into a jailbroken apple tv. Bout 250 on ebay but they claim you can watch live TV and also look up shows in there entire season form. Still haven't pulled the trigger wonder if anybody on here has one and can advise on if it's worth it
 
#13
#13
ProfessorD said:
I'm looking into a jailbroken apple tv. Bout 250 on ebay but they claim you can watch live TV and also look up shows in there entire season form. Still haven't pulled the trigger wonder if anybody on here has one and can advise on if it's worth it
Click to expand...

I have a jailbroken iPhone I use to stream from a 3rd party app called MovieBox on my Apple TV. There's movies, many tv series, and music. I can also stream some live channels with regular apps like WatchESPN, golf channel, etc.
 
#14
#14
The only hang up I'm having is the new applet tv 3 can't be jailbroken yet and it has 1080p where as the apple tv 2 only has 720 but are jailbroken with xbmc and many other apps that share movies and shows.
 
#15
#15
Thrasher865 said:
This will give you an idea of what kind of antenna you might need and what stations you should expect to be able to pick up.

TV Fool

Any trees or other obstructions near your house in the direction of the broadcast towers?
Click to expand...

Ran into TV Fool yesterday. Good site... provides distance and direction of broadcast towers that was helpful. I ordered a Mohu MH-110583 Leaf 30 HDTV Antenna ($40) as a starter - I'm leaning toward an attic install of a more powerful antenna at some point in the near future. More research is needed before I spend real money.

Trees should not be a problem where I'm at. I'm on a hill with an open view to the broadcast towers about 13 miles away on Signal Mountain.
 
#16
#16
This is the first I've heard of Jailbroken. My daughter has an early Roku so I was curious about a comparison of the two...

Content Choices
As for the content available on both devices, this is really where the Roku 3 is the box to beat. Apple TV only supports content from Netflix, Hulu Plus, MLB.TV, NHL GameCenter, NBA, Flickr and YouTube as well as the ability to purchase and rent content from iTunes. It also supports some free Internet content from folks like Revision3, WSJ and others. For those that want XBMC support on the Apple TV, it’s possible, but only works if you are willing to jailbreak the device.

The Roku 3 has channels for Netflix, Hulu Plus, MLB.TV, NBA, NHL Game Center, EPIX, HBO Go, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Major League Soccer, UFC TV, CNBC, FOX News, NBC News, AOL HD, TED, Pandora, Crackle, Flickr and has support for PLEX. Roku has more than 750 public content channels listed on their website, has an open SDK and as a result, has a lot of content partners working to bring more channels to Roku devices. In addition, you can browse over 1,000 “private” channels available for the Roku and add them if you know the correct code. (see the list of private channels here) Compare that to the Apple TV which today, has no SDK and doesn’t run any apps on the box. In addition to streaming content, the Roku 3 also allows you to play nearly 30 games, with the most popular being Angry Birds. Roku’s regular remote doubles as a gaming remote and works really well for simple gaming. And if Angry Birds is something you’re really into, Roku even has a limited edition version of the console that comes in red.
 
#17
#17
Pretty much all the apps you listed for Roku and didn't for Apple TV are on Apple tv. I'm not familiar with channels on Roku or how they work so I can't comment. As for jailbroken you can have any jailbroken Apple device and stream that extra content through the apple TV. I get ufc ppv for free. I get a ton of movies for free. I could cancel Netflix but keep it just in case I guess.








 
#18
#18
I received the hdtv antenna yesterday and hooked it up - very easy install. I'm not real happy with the selection of free channels (about 20) and have realized all along I'll need to augment.

The biggest challenge is going to be how to get subscriptions for sports channels (ESPN and SEC network).

I've discovered that DishTV has an offering called Sling TV which provides ESPN, ESPN2 and several other channels (Disney Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim) for $20/month.
 
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