I cut our monthly media bill from $230 / month with Direct TV down to just under $100 / month using a mish-mash of streaming channels, Sling TV, Neflix, Amazon Prime, and whatever stuff comes with Roku. I picked Roku because, well, it was supposed to be easy to hook up. And indeed, it was. It seems to work fine as long as we are using Wi-Fi units that are in good working order. Changing out that last one made the kitchen TV perk right up.
I am now trying to come up with the best antenna system for local TV reception. I placed puny single TV antennas on each TV. Depending on location, we pull in from 8 to 19 channels. I want to bring them all under one antenna so they all pull the same. A central antenna in the attic is what I am going to try next. But that's for later.
The package we had with Direct TV was somewhere near the top packages offered; 260 plus channels or some nonsense like that. Problem was, a good 25% of them were infomercial channels and another 10% were religious or political in nature. And the unwanted channels were sprinkled in among the rest so we had to constantly skip all the dead weight to find the channels we wanted. Cable cutting has definitely made surfing easier. Well, channel surfing being easier might be overstating some. It is different and I don't have to deal with channels I know offer me nothing.
The learning curves apparently are not over yet even after having been cable free for a month now.
Each streaming service has its own idiosyncrasies that make navigating, saving, and watching enough different that some irritating rules can frustrate in minor ways. I am still smoothing out my awkward remote use.
Streaming can be sometimes frustrating when right as the climax of that awesome murder mystery goes into full bore shoot everyone dead action, the evil circling the drain icon stops everything as the machine reboots the stream. That problem led to my first lesson. Have good Wi-Fi performance or hard wire each TV into the Internet.
Switching between offerings like from Antenna to SlingTV , then over to Netflix uses more remote muscles. So if you are weak wristed or have a serious problem focusing, maybe cord cutting is not for you. It does require more effort to use it. But it isn't like going from a riding mower to a push mower. Still easy peasy, sit on your ass and switch those channels to your heart's delight.
Overall, I am not looking back and missing Cable.
Later ............................................................
8 comments:
I have trouble imagining getting that many over the air channels with an antenna. Back before things went digital, we got a grand total of three. Now we get none -- we're far enough out in the boonies that antennas pick up nothing. For a couple years we kind of missed being able to watch local news and weather, but then With Luck You See TV (WLUC out of Marquette) began streaming its newscasts so odds are we'll never have an antenna again.
We have had satellite tv a few times but when we moved back to the U.P. we decided not to get it again. Everything we watch is through the Internet. We were streaming through a laptop connected to a tv but got a Firestick a couple years ago. We have Amazon Prime (which I got thinking about the free shipping, the video stuff is a bonus) and Netflix and that's more than enough.
Nan- Yeah Amazon Prime was a bonus for sure. I think it is my favorite of all of the ones we have.
For us we do Antenna TV and if my count is correct we get 23 channels. I have to say sometime I want some type of streaming like net flicks.
Coffee is on
With streaming, do you get to watch the shows when you want, or is it at a “broadcast time” and you would need a DVR to save them? And, out of curiosity, do you in your current configuration have access to Bravo (my wife’s favorite), HGTV, Discovery, TLC, and those kinds of channels, or is it other stuff?
Oh, Mike.... today is my 17th month anniversary from having a pipe. I still feel quite indifferent and often contemplate going back. I wish I felt “excited” about it as an accomplishment, but all I feel is indifference. Where are you at now in your effort?
peppy lady - If you like old shows like Perry Mason, Peter Gunn, I've Got a Secret etc. maybe Amazon Prime would work out. It is I think only $119/year or $12.99 a month. The added plus is if you shop over the Internet, more stuff comes with shipping free.
Pipe Tobacco - The streaming we get on Netflix and Amazon is anytime, it is always there. Sling streams live shows, BUT there is some steaming aspect to it. I am still figuring that out. Well, like you, I am sort of underwhelmed with how I feel about quitting cigarettes. I do not miss them so much as much as I sometimes wonder if it was worth the pain and agony I went through. It is of course, but some days that is how I feel. Anyway, I have a solid 19 months under my belt.
My TV and internet bill is definitely too high - but at my age it is too much hassle to switch, so I just budget.
the Ol'Buzzard
Ol'Buzzard - Cutting the cord was a budget measure on my part. It really is not too hard, though the up front costs can creep up you. Just found out that changing the one Wi-Fi was not enough. Now we need to change the other also to pick up a faster internet feed.
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