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Cutting the Cord (Ditching TV, not having a baby)

I dropped my directv about a year ago and haven't missed it.

Hulu and Netflix handle movies/sitcoms, borrowed parents login for ESPN, use an apple TV in my Xbox One for the big screen (to stream torrented premium cable shows through my plex server on PC), and have an OTA HD tuner for live tv.

I also bought a Tablo OTA HD DVR, sent it to my inlaws in Texas, and stream their local broadcast through the iPad app to watch Texans games. That's been amazing. It's a little pixelated on the big screen, but is much cheaper than Sunday Ticket and year round directv.
 
I dropped my directv about a year ago and haven't missed it.

Hulu and Netflix handle movies/sitcoms, borrowed parents login for ESPN, use an apple TV in my Xbox One for the big screen (to stream torrented premium cable shows through my plex server on PC), and have an OTA HD tuner for live tv.

I also bought a Tablo OTA HD DVR, sent it to my inlaws in Texas, and stream their local broadcast through the iPad app to watch Texans games. That's been amazing. It's a little pixelated on the big screen, but is much cheaper than Sunday Ticket and year round directv.

This is why I still can't drop cable. Involves too many work arounds.
 
You need an antenna. I wouldn't waste the money on a Smart TV though. Chromecast, Fire Stick, AppleTV, etc are all MUCH better options. The user interface on smart TV's is often cludgy and slow, and they almost never get updated. The 3rd party solutions are constantly adding new apps, updating existing apps (this is important since NetFlix, Hulu, HBO Go, etc add new things over time), adding new content, improving their code and interface, etc.

As one with a smart tv I agree with this. I got my smart tv before the third party solutions came out. My next tv will be a dumb tv and I will be getting a third party solution.
 
I dropped my directv about a year ago and haven't missed it.

Hulu and Netflix handle movies/sitcoms, borrowed parents login for ESPN, use an apple TV in my Xbox One for the big screen (to stream torrented premium cable shows through my plex server on PC), and have an OTA HD tuner for live tv.

I also bought a Tablo OTA HD DVR, sent it to my inlaws in Texas, and stream their local broadcast through the iPad app to watch Texans games. That's been amazing. It's a little pixelated on the big screen, but is much cheaper than Sunday Ticket and year round directv.

That sounds like a huge pain in the ass to just watch TV. I can be cheap in other areas of life, but the extra ~$40/month or whatever it is seems like an expense that is well worth it to me.
 
There's some setup time, but for me well worth it. It's not just the $ but no or far fewer commercials and more choice as to what and when to watch.
 
I guess. I've got a smart TV (and Blue Ray player) with Netflix and Amazon Prime, AppleTV, and Google Play, but the vast majority of time I just want to tune in to whatever sporting event is on at that moment to drown out the wife and kids before I pass out on the couch Al Bundy style. I'm not interested in a treasure hunt to go find an epsiode of Jake and The Fatman from 25 years ago.
 
That sounds like a huge pain in the ass to just watch TV. I can be cheap in other areas of life, but the extra ~$40/month or whatever it is seems like an expense that is well worth it to me.

It's not really, the only pain was streaming the NFL games from Houston.

I turn on my xbox, and my shows are pinned to the start menu, so it's actually easier than a DVR.

Directv was running me roughly $100/month, plus sunday ticket for $250, so now instead of spending $1450/yr, I spend $250 or so, plus the one time $300 for the NFL setup.

Of course, I've got 3 kids, and only watch about 30-45 minutes of tv a day, so that's a factor for me.
 
This is why I still can't drop cable. Involves too many work arounds.

This response is why people are scared of cutting the cord.

If you're considering Netflix, Hulu, OTA, HBO GO, and WatchESPN "workarounds," then that's just laziness. Once they're set up, it's literally just turning the TV on and using the Roku, AppleTV or Fire remotes (instead of your TV remote) to get to your content.

Diesel really only has two workarounds, the Tablo DVR and the Plex server. And Plex is only necessary if you watch a lot of downloaded content (torrents), which either you already do and can set up on the TV no problem, or you don't need and won't miss. If you'd rather pay $1,000 a year to avoid one workaround, that's cool.

I have basically the same setup as Diesel, minus Plex. But instead of a Tablo I have a Slingbox, which is a little clunky, but it works ok.

Diesel, how do you like the Tablo? I had my eye on that for a while but I ended up getting the Slingbox online for $20, so now it's hard to justify the $200 Tablo.
 
And Plex is only necessary if you watch a lot of downloaded content (torrents)...

And only if you want to stream from a media server. Dedicate a PC to the TV, run a free media center program like Kodi (formerly XBMC), and it's one-stop shopping for streaming, local and even over-the-air content.
 
F it I'm doing it. Suck it Time Warner (except for internet)

Ordering an antenna and a Roku 3 now.

What antenna are you getting? The Winston-Salem TV towers are kind of inconveniently placed, so you'll need something strong and omnidirectional, unless you're up high in the Nissen Building or something in which case a rabbit ears or a Mohu might work ok.

ETA: I have this one and live by Graylyn, it works just OK from my attic but will probably be great once I get it on the roof.
 
What antenna are you getting? The Winston-Salem TV towers are kind of inconveniently placed, so you'll need something strong and omnidirectional, unless you're up high in the Nissen Building or something in which case a rabbit ears or a Mohu might work ok.

I was looking at some random one that came up on amazon with a range of 50 miles
 
That sounds like a huge pain in the ass to just watch TV. I can be cheap in other areas of life, but the extra ~$40/month or whatever it is seems like an expense that is well worth it to me.

For me, the advantage is that my TV watching isn't confined to my TV. I have access to all of the same stuff via Kindle, phone, laptop, etc. when I'm travelling, visting family, at work, trying to keep the kids quiet in a restaurant, etc.
 
This response is why people are scared of cutting the cord.

If you're considering Netflix, Hulu, OTA, HBO GO, and WatchESPN "workarounds," then that's just laziness. Once they're set up, it's literally just turning the TV on and using the Roku, AppleTV or Fire remotes (instead of your TV remote) to get to your content.

Diesel really only has two workarounds, the Tablo DVR and the Plex server. And Plex is only necessary if you watch a lot of downloaded content (torrents), which either you already do and can set up on the TV no problem, or you don't need and won't miss. If you'd rather pay $1,000 a year to avoid one workaround, that's cool.

I have basically the same setup as Diesel, minus Plex. But instead of a Tablo I have a Slingbox, which is a little clunky, but it works ok.

Diesel, how do you like the Tablo? I had my eye on that for a while but I ended up getting the Slingbox online for $20, so now it's hard to justify the $200 Tablo.

I understand the logistics just fine. I have an Apple TV in three different rooms with Netflix and Hulu. And yes, Broadcast TV and ESPN apps are options. But there are still a few channels and local sports teams that are not reliably available through a means that is readily available. Could I figure out workarounds as described? Probably. But, frankly, the satellite is still the easiest and most reliable.

Now, lift blackout restrictions on local teams and I'd probably cut the cord tomorrow and gladly pay for streaming sports options.
 
For me, the advantage is that my TV watching isn't confined to my TV. I have access to all of the same stuff via Kindle, phone, laptop, etc. when I'm travelling, visting family, at work, trying to keep the kids quiet in a restaurant, etc.

TITCR. The one downside is you basically have to steal ESPN from someone.
 
This response is why people are scared of cutting the cord.

If you're considering Netflix, Hulu, OTA, HBO GO, and WatchESPN "workarounds," then that's just laziness. Once they're set up, it's literally just turning the TV on and using the Roku, AppleTV or Fire remotes (instead of your TV remote) to get to your content.

Diesel really only has two workarounds, the Tablo DVR and the Plex server. And Plex is only necessary if you watch a lot of downloaded content (torrents), which either you already do and can set up on the TV no problem, or you don't need and won't miss. If you'd rather pay $1,000 a year to avoid one workaround, that's cool.

I have basically the same setup as Diesel, minus Plex. But instead of a Tablo I have a Slingbox, which is a little clunky, but it works ok.

Diesel, how do you like the Tablo? I had my eye on that for a while but I ended up getting the Slingbox online for $20, so now it's hard to justify the $200 Tablo.

I wouldn't consider Plex a workaround. We've been ripping our DVDs to put on an external HD and are using Plex to watch our movie collection. I guess it depends on what you use it for.

But yeah, for sports, you have three options:

1) Buy an HD antenna and watch whatever is on NBC / ABC / CBS / Fox

2) "Borrow" a watch espn login

3) Go to a buddies house or a bar
 
Diesel, how do you like the Tablo? I had my eye on that for a while but I ended up getting the Slingbox online for $20, so now it's hard to justify the $200 Tablo.

My experience with it is a little unusual, so I might not be the best to ask, but it fits our need. We only use it to stream Texans games from Houston (we live in Concord, NC) and record a movie every now and then for the kids like Rudolph/Frosty/Grinch/etc. The downside is you can only record OTA channels, but the UI is very slick and easy to use. You can start programs late, skip the commercials, pause TV, etc, just like any other DVR. It has Plex integration, too, but I'm covered with the appleTV so I haven't needed it.
 
Well that HD antenna I got didn't work out as planned and after talking with smallbigtall and some others, without the ability to mount an antenna on the roof (which I can't since I'm in an apartment), I may be SOL with getting channels OTA. I think the new plan will be to downgrade to just the Standard cable package of 20 or so channels and get other stuff with the Roku 3
 
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