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I am relocating for work next month and, as part of the move, I am reevaluating my expenses. Currently, I pay Comcast around $135 a month for cable & internet. I think that is too much and have been looking at my options. In doing so, I have wondered about the effectiveness of some of the newer antennas (such as a Mohu Leaf or Winegard Flatwave) and have also looked at a Roku.
In considering the antenna, it seems that the results vary wildly. I've heard of people getting less than 10 channels in some places and other people getting 40 channels. I guess location would be a big part of it, as it seems like most of the antennas can only pick up a signal within 30 miles. How many of you guys are using one? How well is that working for you?
I have also considered pairing the antenna with a Roku, such as a Roku3, as the Roku has free programming/streaming options (along with some paid content). Of course, I would have to buy the Roku device but that is small potatoes compared to what I pay Comcast over the course of a year. The thing about Roku, though, is that I looked at the list of channels and content available and I have never heard of the vast majority of them. Is the content of Roku that poor? Is most of it truly worthless? I know that it would be a big adjustment, as I would be forced to watch content that isn't live tv and it would likely be from channels that I have never seen before.
I just want to evaluate my options and come up with the best non-cable solution (without having to "borrow" people's passwords for streaming services) and to see if living without cable is really do-able.
I just "cut the cable" and got a Mohu Leaf and it works really well. I live in an area with lots of towers, news stations etc., so it turned out well for me. If you go to the Mohu website you can put your zip code in and they can tell you approx. how many channels you will get. I have very basic needs for watching so what I get is perfect for me. There are lots of websites about it. this one was helpful DisableMyCable - Quick Test
OTA - this is where 'your mileage may vary' is your answer. Check out TVFool dot com, use your address to find out what your reception possiblities might look like. Remember, broadcast towers have been in place since >before< cable, and the landscape may have changed. But it will give you an idea of what your reception might look like. ***and what brava4 said
Antenna - the popular antenna these days is a Mohu leaf (check Amazon), an inexpensive wall mount thing. Some like it, some don't do well with it. Depends on building location and indoor wall location. My reception is pretty good with some pixelation of Fox TV. Terrain in my area is fairly flat.
Roku3 - I'm on my second Roku over four years. I use it primarily for Netflix and Amazon movies. There is an entertainment stream - Livestream dot com (for PC or Roku) and has some good alternative viewing. Particularly bands on Friday Saturday nights. The app loads on the Roku, it's free.
For Roku news I watch Bloomberg - I'm kinda of a market news junkie so it's my daily background noise. It's free.
Very new is SlingTV - a Dish product totally independent from satellite operation. $20 a month for ESPN/2 and WatchESPN, HGTV, BeIN, some other stuff. BeIN sports is a part of an add on sports package. AMC will be added soon. Another package that will be offered soon will include BBCa, IFC, and some other stuff. SlingTV just started up in February. You can view other detail at sling dot com. This is NOT the sling hardware product.
You might visit r/cordcutters for lots of discussion on cord cutting, streaming, SlingTV, antennas and other stuff. I'll be glad to answer any questions I can.
I suspect this thread might be moved to the 'Science and Tech' forum. I'll find it if it does.
I just cut the cord as well & can tell you that antenna performance is very location specific, I live near the towers but in an apartment in an urban area & after more than a month of trying different inside antennas, including the leaf & a few others that were bigger & more $$$ in every concievable location I can't get any guaranteed reception of the ota channels I want. ymmv indeed.
The other bad thing is that when I pulled everything except internet from my service it was still $65/mo, & that was for a lower bandwidth that I had before, if you are a new customer you can get a lower price for a year. For $15 more than I am paying now for just internet access I can get cable to give me all the ota channels + HBO plus a higher bandwidth internet, may go that way eventually... But still, thats $80/mo & I'm trying to really economize right now.
But.... the good news is that as I am in this initial stage of withdrawal I am finding more ways to cope/change my expectations: Roku w Netflix, Plex & unofficial apps like channelPear (not consistent however). NBC & ABC stream live if you can get someone to give you their cable id/password, same with TCM, need to have a 'puter to hook up to your screen. If you get a vpn there are a number of Brit networks available too with great programs....it helps that I like documentaries & don't care about sports tho. so I may cope ok after all....
I evaluated the options recently and found them mostly inadequate for my purposes, at least in comparison to what I consider the best alternative to cable, which is - for entertainment - waiting until television series and movies come out on disc and using a rental service for the television series and streaming service for the movies, basically Netflix for both. For live programming, news and such, it's a black and white situation: Either we get great reception OTA or we get basic cable. In the end, I still find cable to be superior overall, but this alternative arrangement would be acceptable.
You might also get a lot of ideas over in the Frugal Forum.
Lots of threads on this subject there!
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