Cord Cutting in Tulsa

[patric]

I have a few friends clamoring that there is something home made that works as good as anything...I will see what I can find out.....

Does it involve your hat? 

Sorry, couldnt resist.

[Breadburner]

Does it involve your hat? 

Sorry, couldnt resist.

I will use yours that don't fit you anymore.....

[sgrizzle]

Any updates on antenna choices?

I'm using this one, although my reception is a little jittery because it's only about 7' above the ground, I live in a valley, and surrounded by trees.
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Amplified-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B00MFXNQBU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1434573316&sr=8-3

[cannon_fodder]

Cable companies are my favorite examples of why unregulated monopolies suck. Poor service. Ever increasing prices. And we lag the rest of the world on internet speed in spite of our higher cost. #29 for speed at 36 MBS average, while stinking Romania has 70 MBS!  We pay, on average, much more. That's ignoring the markup on a legacy system that simply rebroadcasts other peoples content. It's not like they are upgrading their cable networks substantially.

I digress -

My name is cannon_fodder, and I'm addicted to sports. Mostly college football and TU basketball. For this, I need certain sports packages that seem to change every damn season. And that sucks, because I spend $180 a month on my habit. So i too am interested in cord cutting.

Questions:
1) What are good alternatives to watching LIVE sporting events?

2) Will these magic antenna work when the big switch happens?

[sgrizzle]

Questions:
1) What are good alternatives to watching LIVE sporting events?

2) Will these magic antenna work when the big switch happens?

1. More and more companies are adding a-la-carte online services. You just need to pay attention and wait for someone like ESPN and/or Fox Sports to add an online-only package.

2. What big switch? Antennas switched years ago to HD.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I broke down and got the Coxbox last weekend.  Using an HDMI cable, everything looks HD now.  Meh...still too may "paid programs" - making me pay to watch their ads.  Still disgusted.

[DolfanBob]

I broke down and got the Coxbox last weekend.  Using an HDMI cable, everything looks HD now.  Meh...still too may "paid programs" - making me pay to watch their ads.  Still disgusted.

DirecTV my friend. I'll beat Cox bill and give you a referral with another TN member who shall remain nameless. 

[Breadburner]

Cancelling cox.......

[sgrizzle]

Cancelling cox.......

One of us... one of us..

[heironymouspasparagus]

DirecTV my friend. I'll beat Cox bill and give you a referral with another TN member who shall remain nameless. 

May just do that sometime soon.  Still rebuilding from the tornado - one of my temporary landing spots is at a county fairground where I get about half the over-the-air channels from the area - when I get a more permanent temporary, will prolly call.  I find I don't really miss very much of it.  Except PBS - even that doesn't come in well.  May try one of the homemade antennas...

Thought you sold Direct and Dish?  Why Direct over Dish?

[DolfanBob]

May just do that sometime soon.  Still rebuilding from the tornado - one of my temporary landing spots is at a county fairground where I get about half the over-the-air channels from the area - when I get a more permanent temporary, will prolly call.  I find I don't really miss very much of it.  Except PBS - even that doesn't come in well.  May try one of the homemade antennas...

Thought you sold Direct and Dish?  Why Direct over Dish?

I have Direct because I'm a sports nut. If that doesn't really matter to you. Either one will do just fine. The Hopper DVR has all kinds of neat things you can do online with the built in Slingbox. Leo just loves all the gadget stuff about it. I'm more a watch TV kinda guy so all that stuff really doesn't interest me. Either way I'll get you a better deal than Cox. Good luck with all the rebuild. I'm sorry to hear that happened to you.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I have Direct because I'm a sports nut. If that doesn't really matter to you. Either one will do just fine. The Hopper DVR has all kinds of neat things you can do online with the built in Slingbox. Leo just loves all the gadget stuff about it. I'm more a watch TV kinda guy so all that stuff really doesn't interest me. Either way I'll get you a better deal than Cox. Good luck with all the rebuild. I'm sorry to hear that happened to you.

Like the bumper sticker says...sh$$ happens... I got off easy compared to most of the people around - didn't get hurt, only lost an RV and bunch of stuff inside it - most was salvageable.  Can't complain (but I still do!).  It is stressful while knee deep in the hoopla...made me lose my normally optimistic, cheery - almost bubbly - disposition for a little while.


Can either of them do internet without a phone line?  Talked to a lady a couple years ago who said she had internet with one of them, but required two antennas...??  Did not make sense to me, but I know for a fact there was no phone line for thousands of feet....

[patric]

Using satellite for internet is still a last resort.  There's only so much bandwidth on the bird, and the latency is murder.

Internet-only U-verse or cable seem to be better options, so call around and compare prices.  Dont be afraid to mention a competitor's quote, because they never give the best deal up front (and dont be fooled by "introductory" rates).

If its internet for your RV, mobile data (LTE) seems like less hassle than satellite, because the guvmt is fickle about people aiming signals *at* satellites.

For general TV watching, I still prefer DirecTV though.

[DolfanBob]

Your right Patric. I do not recommend anyone who can get Cable internet or DSL to go with Satellite Internet. The Data plans are way to low and 12 to 20 meg downloads are fine for people who live in a pasture.
Television price we can compete with better equipment and more for your money. And the rain fade of the 90s are a thing of the past. Heavy rain will knock out the "HD" signal for around 3 to 5 minutes. The analog signal stays on pretty consistent during the rain and you can always switch over to it or an outside antenna if you have one.

[CoffeeBean]

We cut the cord several years ago and will never go back.  

At the same time, we also cut our broadband package to the lowest speed offered.  Cox assured us this package would make streaming Netflix et al. unwatchable.  

Wrong.

We stream Netflix, HBO, Hulu, YouTube, etc. without buffering or problems.  

We combine a traditional antenna mounted in the attic with Apple TV, and have subscriptions to HBO, Netflix and Hulu.  

The biggest issue is sports.  Whoever cracks that nut wins.  

In the meantime, games broadcast on ESPN or Fox are still available, albeit from pirate sites hosted in foregin countries. So, if sports is your drug, you have a dealer.  You can also mirror the broadcast from your computer to most televisions so you're not anchored to a computer.