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I know enough about this topic to be dangerous so I thought I'd ask if anyone has cut their cable TV and gone to webstreaming TV content via their internet service provider? I have a pretty good ISP with fast broadband.
I've found that much of mainstream TV is just a lot of junk I don't watch. So if I could cut the cable bill and do a setup using my ASUS dual band router with an external HD, could I set up some sort of configuration so I could watch TV shows off the internet without a hodgepodge of components?
Any help or pointing in the right direction would be much appreciated. I need simple, simple DIY info...no blackbox voodoo please, this has to be pretty straightforward and legit otherwise I won't spend the time trying to figure it all out.
I agree, too much junk on TV and I don't want to pay for it. I cut my cable TV (unsubscribed) but kept internet via the same provider. Many of the TV channels that we had before are still available on the same line. I don't pay anything for TV service. We can also get content via Hulu and YouTube -- streamed directly to our HDTV via home WiFi.
When all cable is cut then I have one and a half channels available, and antennas can't pick up signals very well from where I live.
BTW, when I called in to cancel our TV package, they offered to add channels and halve the bill. Tempting, but no. I had to return the set-top box to get the ~$275 charge taken off my bill for the device, which they added when I cancelled.
I know enough about this topic to be dangerous so I thought I'd ask if anyone has cut their cable TV and gone to webstreaming TV content via their internet service provider? I have a pretty good ISP with fast broadband.
I've found that much of mainstream TV is just a lot of junk I don't watch. So if I could cut the cable bill and do a setup using my ASUS dual band router with an external HD, could I set up some sort of configuration so I could watch TV shows off the internet without a hodgepodge of components?
Any help or pointing in the right direction would be much appreciated. I need simple, simple DIY info...no blackbox voodoo please, this has to be pretty straightforward and legit otherwise I won't spend the time trying to figure it all out.
Thanks in advance!
Hook your laptop to your TV by HDMI. Simple. Elegant. Efficient. Now what?
When the FCC shutdown high-power TV broadcast in favor of lo-power digital broadcast our township lost signal reception. A few of us went to satellite dishes [our township has no cable provider].
I know enough about this topic to be dangerous so I thought I'd ask if anyone has cut their cable TV and gone to webstreaming TV content via their internet service provider? I have a pretty good ISP with fast broadband.
I've found that much of mainstream TV is just a lot of junk I don't watch. So if I could cut the cable bill and do a setup using my ASUS dual band router with an external HD, could I set up some sort of configuration so I could watch TV shows off the internet without a hodgepodge of components?
Any help or pointing in the right direction would be much appreciated. I need simple, simple DIY info...no blackbox voodoo please, this has to be pretty straightforward and legit otherwise I won't spend the time trying to figure it all out.
Thanks in advance!
I use Roku, with Netflix and Hulu Plus. Does the trick for me. If you have a quick network and a fast computer, you could use Plex with Roku and play whatever you have on your computer on your TV. Chromecast is good for slower networks that cannot support media serving.
There isn't anything to figure out with Roku. Hook it up, it will find your network via wi-fi. Then all you have to do is put the code to your router in. They start you off with a few channels and you can add more as you go. Some are $8 a month, some $10 a month, some $3 a month others free.
How about no TV? I watch maybe five MINUTES of TV a month. If the Lakers are in the Finals, then I'll watch a little more or if any SoCal Team is playing for a championship.
Man, not watching TV is so liberating and relaxing.
I use Roku, with Netflix and Hulu Plus. Does the trick for me. If you have a quick network and a fast computer, you could use Plex with Roku and play whatever you have on your computer on your TV. Chromecast is good for slower networks that cannot support media serving.
There isn't anything to figure out with Roku. Hook it up, it will find your network via wi-fi. Then all you have to do is put the code to your router in. They start you off with a few channels and you can add more as you go. Some are $8 a month, some $10 a month, some $3 a month others free.
I agree: we use a combination of an HTPC / Plex and Roku for our system. Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime Video for streaming, OTA (antenna) for local news and a couple of odd shows.
One thing you may not realize if you do this: You will not be able to view current programming on HBO or Showtime, etc. Not using Netflix, Hulu +, HBO Plus - nothing. The only way to get current stuff on premium channels is by having a subscription through a cable or satellite company.
Which is the only thing that keeps us wired to satellite or cable.
One thing you may not realize if you do this: You will not be able to view current programming on HBO or Showtime, etc. Not using Netflix, Hulu +, HBO Plus - nothing. The only way to get current stuff on premium channels is by having a subscription through a cable or satellite company.
Which is the only thing that keeps us wired to satellite or cable.
Exactly.
If you want programs from a premium channel, when they air, then you'll have to pay the premium price for that.
If you can live without them, or wait for them to become available in other places, then you can save yourself a lot of money.
There is no one size fits all approach to cutting the cord. Hulu Plus is the most comprehensive solution, because you get shows the next week, and a strange, eclectic, sampling of movies, plus old criterion collection movies you won't find on Netflix.
Most of what you'll find when you cut the cord is curated. It isn't mainstream. A lot of hard core TV enthusiasts aren't with that. Plus, in the beginning, cable and satellite are easier because they're less work. This really isn't for everyone; I'm not sure if it ever will be.
It reminds me of the difference between VHS and DVD. VHS had everything, DVD was curated. Now Blu-ray is curated and DVD is mainstream.
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