What do you guys do for TV (cable, Direct TV, sling, etc)?

BMF

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I'm pushing 50 years old and I'm not the most technical guy. I have Direct TV at home and at my cabin. The only reason I've stuck w/ them is I have the "2nd home package" - it allows me to have DTV at both home and the cabin. It's supposed to work like this: you call them when you want "home #1" turned off and "home #2" turned on - you're not supposed to be able to watch it at both houses at the same time due to federal rules/laws (or some BS). Anyhow, it works at both houses at the same time, so I've kept it. It costs about $125-$130/month (it's a pretty basic package w/ no movie channels).

Anyhow, I'm curious what others use and why. I like being able to immediately change the channel and watch news, sports, etc. But down the road - when I move back to Florida - I'd like to explore other options. I'm intrigued by Sling, Hulu, and the other non-cable/satellite options. Plus I hate spending $1500/year on Direct TV.
 

Thought Criminal

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I'm pushing 50 years old and I'm not the most technical guy. I have Direct TV at home and at my cabin. The only reason I've stuck w/ them is I have the "2nd home package" - it allows me to have DTV at both home and the cabin. It's supposed to work like this: you call them when you want "home #1" turned off and "home #2" turned on - you're not supposed to be able to watch it at both houses at the same time due to federal rules/laws (or some BS). Anyhow, it works at both houses at the same time, so I've kept it. It costs about $125-$130/month (it's a pretty basic package w/ no movie channels).

Anyhow, I'm curious what others use and why. I like being able to immediately change the channel and watch news, sports, etc. But down the road - when I move back to Florida - I'd like to explore other options. I'm intrigued by Sling, Hulu, and the other non-cable/satellite options. Plus I hate spending $1500/year on Direct TV.
Same age, same technical capability... We have YouTube TV and I really like it. You can stream around 60 or 70 channels on any number of TVs in your house, I think up to six feeds simultaneously or something like that, as well as on mobile devices. If you need to stream to a TV that's doesn't already have the YouTube TV app loaded on it, and many do, you can pick up a Chromecast or Roku stick for about $30. Unlimited DVR, really easy for a non technophile to use once you get hang of setting it up. Not nearly as many channels is typical cable, but most of those channels are crap. Shopping channels, Spanish stuff, etc. So far everything I've cared about has been available, most importantly sporting events. I think we pay $55 a month.

Brought to you by your friends at YouTube TV.
 

Gator By Marriage

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Same age, same technical capability... We have YouTube TV and I really like it. You can stream around 60 or 70 channels on any number of TVs in your house, I think up to six feeds simultaneously or something like that, as well as on mobile devices. If you need to stream to a TV that's doesn't already have the YouTube TV app loaded on it, and many do, you can pick up a Chromecast or Roku stick for about $30. Unlimited DVR, really easy for a non technophile to use once you get hang of setting it up. Not nearly as many channels is typical cable, but most of those channels are crap. Shopping channels, Spanish stuff, etc. So far everything I've cared about has been available, most importantly sporting events. I think we pay $55 a month.

Brought to you by your friends at YouTube TV.
We probably need to look into this at Chez GBM. We have bundling with AT&T which brings the price for DirecTV down a bit, but it's still a lot of money. Like BMF we don't bother with the movie channels. When I was living in NoVa we got DirecTV because in our area, very little of the cable was buried and it was not unusual for storms to knock it out. DirecTV only went out at the height of the storm and quickly came back (though one time our dish iced up and we had to wait for the sun to come out). When I moved from DC I kept it so I could get the NFL package. As I have pretty much stopped watching much NFL anymore, I really don't need DirecTV. Glad BMF started this thread and appreciate any advice on this topic.
 

TLB

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Same age, bit more tech oriented.

We had DirecTV for years, mostly to lie about our zip code and retain UF football games on G'ville channels while we lived in OH and PA. Dropped it several years ago, not for a fault of theirs as much as it was me wanting to jump to Fios when it became available. This has served well...but, now we venture into the 'stick' options.

Daughter has a tv in her room and I didn't want another set top box from Fios, so I opted for an Amazon Firestick. It's been 3mo and she has Netflix and Youtube (both built into the smart tv), but we are struggling to get the Fios app on her Firestick so she can watch all our in-home programming and DVRs. The app exists and works on our phones and tablets, but we can't get it on the Firestick, yet.

Probably not much help for the OP request, but sharing where we are. I'll update if we make any progress.
 

NVGator

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I’m struggling with the same thing @BMF . I’ve had DirecTV for many many years. Truly the only thing we watch are sports (i.e. Gators sports), wife watches HGTV and I watch my local news. If there’s a way to get all that and save the $140/month, I’m in.
 

grengadgy

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There's a couple of threads about this in the Computer /Tech Forum . PS VUE, SLING, YOUTUBE. HULU. DIRECTV all have streaming services.
 

no1g8r

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Here's what I recommend to get the most bang for your buck:

1) Go to Address and put in your address. It will tell you which channels that you can get with an over the air (OTA) antenna. If you are anywhere near a city of 75k people or so, you'll probably be able to get most, if not all, of the major networks, and a few independent channels, with an indoor antenna, and possibly a lot more with an outdoor antenna

2) Get a smart-stick for your TV, or a smart TV that will allow you to download apps. I have Amazon Fire TV and an old 42" not-smart TV. Using this, download a few apps such as Pluto.tv (which has channels similar to major news networks, weather stations, comedy channels, channels similar to HGTV, all movies channels, etc. If I had only one free add-on app, that would be it. Crackle is another free movies and other content app. Look to see how much of your routine viewing can be covered between OTA and these apps.

3) My wife likes to watch movies and to binge-watch recent TV shows. Hulu lowered their price on their add-supported channel to $5.99/month, and has plenty of current series where you can watch network shows within a couple of days of airing. We also subscribe to the bottom Netflix tier for the same reason, for $8.99 and no ads).

4) When football season comes around, I wait until a game isn't on a channel that I get OTA, then I subscribe to a service that includes ESPN/SEC Network. Two years ago I did Sling TV with the sports package for around $30/mo, which gave me ESPN and SEC Network. Last year I had the full Hulu package which was around $43/mo, and include almost anything else you are getting with your $100+/mo service. I keep these until the end of basketball season, then cancel. It coincides with the weather getting nice outside where I live, so I don't miss it at all. If you go this route, also download the WatchESPN app, which will give you access to a lot of the other ESPN channels as long as you have ESPN through Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV, etc.

The prerequisite to everything after step 1 is that you have to have a broadband internet connection for everything else to work. I get gouged here for my Internet ($65/mo), but my daughter gets it for $39/mo where she lives, so overall the cost isn't too bad.

None of these require any significant technical know-how. Everything is designed for the non-techie. If you want to take the easiest path, and still save significant money over what you are doing now, jump straight to option 4 and make sure to get a service that includes "Live TV", such as Hulu Live TV. For $51/mo, you'll get pretty much everything you need.
 
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GatorInGeorgia

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I use AT&T Uverse, which is pretty much their version of cable TV. I have the U300 package and get pay stations Starz, Showtime, The Movie Channel & Encore included, all the standard sports channels (ESPN1-3 SEC, Fox Sports, etc.), all the news channels, pretty much all the other good cable channels like TNT, USA, etc. I also get good internet service with my package. All in cost per month including all taxes, government surcharges, etc. was about $95 per month for the combined TV/internet package. I also got something like $150/$200 in Visa gift cards as part of the promo at sign up. My net cost after the promos is around $80-$82 per month, which I think is pretty damn good. My 12 month rate guarantee just expired and they want to raise my rates a whopping $8 per month :) (which they already told me was negotiable). The Uverse service is outstanding-never any problems with it going out, plenty of good channels, etc. We have Comcast as an option here in Atlanta along with the satellite dish providers so getting good rates and good promo offers is very easy to do. I’ll probably see what Comcast is offering and if it makes sense to switch, I’ll do so. Otherwise, if there isn’t a big enough incentive I’ll have AT&T reduce their price and leave it alone. I thought about going the Sling TV or Hulu route but Im not sure I’d be saving enough money when adding back cost for stand-alone internet to make it worthwhile. If I can keep the cost below $100 for the package I have I’m good with it.
 
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BostonGator84

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I get antenna channels OTA and then I share Netflix with my siblings, mooch Amazon Prime off my coworker, and mooch cable online access with my dad.
 

Politigator

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We have been with directv 20 years. With ATT wireless almost as long. They are now bundled. With ATT wireless, my Directv is only about $50, and that includes HBO showtime and sometimes cinemax. Total discounts run about $100. $50 -$60 in loyalty discount, $25att bundling discount, $10 billing combined account bundled discount, $10 autopay discount. HBO is free or discounted a lot with our ATT package.

Problem is ATT wireless isn't cheap. But together, excluding the phone we are paying (which was a BOGO) for combined total bill $250-$275. 3 phones and 2 ipads unlimited.

Frankly except for football I could almost do without directv. I watch almost exclusively Netflix amazon HBO and showtime on Roku. But my wife still likes the directv.

I could probably blow everything up, "cut the cord", get a much cheaper phone plan (with lower service levels) and go streaming and save $50-$100 a month but it doesn't seem worth it to me.
 

BMF

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I use AT&T Uverse, which is pretty much their version of cable TV. I have the U300 package and get pay stations Starz, Showtime, The Movie Channel & Encore included, all the standard sports channels (ESPN1-3 SEC, Fox Sports, etc.), all the news channels, pretty much all the other good cable channels like TNT, USA, etc. I also get good internet service with my package. All in cost per month including all taxes, government surcharges, etc. was about $95 per month for the combined TV/internet package. I also got something like $150/$200 in Visa gift cards as part of the promo at sign up. My net cost after the promos is around $80-$82 per month, which I think is pretty damn good. My 12 month rate guarantee just expired and they want to raise my rates a whopping $8 per month :) (which they already told me was negotiable). The Uverse service is outstanding-never any problems with it going out, plenty of good channels, etc. We have Comcast as an option here in Atlanta along with the satellite dish providers so getting good rates and good promo offers is very easy to do. I’ll probably see what Comcast is offering and if it makes sense to switch, I’ll do so. Otherwise, if there isn’t a big enough incentive I’ll have AT&T reduce their price and leave it alone. I thought about going the Sling TV or Hulu route but Im not sure I’d be saving enough money when adding back cost for stand-alone internet to make it worthwhile. If I can keep the cost below $100 for the package I have I’m good with it.

Wow. That's a great deal. As I said in the OP, I have Directtv and it's not that bad because I also use it at the cabin (so both places are a combined $125-ish)....but I pay $50/month at the house for internet....and $99/month for internet at the cabin (there's very limited options out there).



We have been with directv 20 years. With ATT wireless almost as long. They are now bundled. With ATT wireless, my Directv is only about $50, and that includes HBO showtime and sometimes cinemax. Total discounts run about $100. $50 -$60 in loyalty discount, $25att bundling discount, $10 billing combined account bundled discount, $10 autopay discount. HBO is free or discounted a lot with our ATT package.

Problem is ATT wireless isn't cheap. But together, excluding the phone we are paying (which was a BOGO) for combined total bill $250-$275. 3 phones and 2 ipads unlimited.

Frankly except for football I could almost do without directv. I watch almost exclusively Netflix amazon HBO and showtime on Roku. But my wife still likes the directv.

I could probably blow everything up, "cut the cord", get a much cheaper phone plan (with lower service levels) and go streaming and save $50-$100 a month but it doesn't seem worth it to me.

I'm with you "it doesn't seem worth it..." - Sure, I'd love to save some cash, but if it's only $30-50 or so, I'm going to pay for the convenience. I would like to have my tv & internet bundled though. We plan to move back to Florida in the next 24-36 months, so I'm hoping Tampa has some good bundle options.
 

BostonGator84

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Yep! It's really convenient, and cheap. Netflix ends up being maybe $2 a month, and that's all I pay. Granted, I pay $70 a month for internet but we have fast AT&T Fiber which makes all the streaming very do-able.
 

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