August 21, 20232 yr ok it's looking like Sling offers a "pay up front for 5 months" Season Pass promotion which is the economical choice. Missing local channels, but it looks like includes LHN, and I have an antenna. I need to refine this a bit but rough numbers
August 23, 20232 yr I've been using a PC in the living room to store and watch stuff. i.e. using the TV as a big monitor. Time to clean up the living room and stream my stuff across the home network. Looks like Plex is the 500 pound gorilla? I don't like metadata, don't want to see graphic and crap. Can Plex, or another, display drive contents like Windows Explorer? Lines of file titles instead of art?
September 1, 20232 yr Guessing this thread will be getting more action in the next couple of days. I just ordered a smart(er) tv and was planning on cutting soon anyway, but this kind of seals the deal.
September 1, 20232 yr I already called Spectrum and gave them the best 5 seconds of my mind. They tried to claim that it was ESPN pulling the plug without any notice at 7:01pm, 3 seconds before the first college football game of the year was going live on ESPN. uh bullshit. every other time a major provider is about to lose their contract to carry a channel, they spend anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks ahead of time telling their customers that the channels could be turned off. Basically seeing if they can get the public to shame the channel holder to drop their pricing ask. This was spectrum trying to make a point- well they did. this was a complete fucking surprise to everyone. I am sure more than a few bars in the city that use Spectrum were pretty fucking pissed. pretty damn good chance I am dropping those fucks. only reason i kept them was I need LHN. looks like right now the best deal with LHN is the Sling total sports package. pre pay for 5 months and its $275 total. so thats $55 a month. ( and that includes redzone, which is normally $8/mo on spectrum) even adding on Paramount Plus, Discovery plus and Max mid level is only something like $90/ month + tax. Im paying these spectrum fucks close to $160/mo + tax. that would cover something like 95% of the channels I normally watch and I would just need to use my antennae for over the air.
September 1, 20232 yr I'm ok with Spectrum and ESPN/Disney fighting to the death... of each other... quickly.
September 1, 20232 yr The fuck? I have YouTubeTV, so my regular channels are fine. I use Spectrum for internet. ESPN+ seems to work fine; however, LHN is blocked. WTF?
September 2, 20232 yr 6 hours ago, thunderlounge said: What about through the espn app? This worked for me yesterday but tonight the streaming option no longer works with Spectrum.
September 2, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, hookemATL said: This worked for me yesterday but tonight the streaming option no longer works with Spectrum. Weird. I also have spectrum, but YTTV works fine for espn. I’ll have to try the app for shits and grins.
September 2, 20232 yr Yep. It's weird. I have YouTubeTV, but stream ESPN+ via my Disney account. As of last night, all the ESPN+ channels were working except LHN.
September 2, 20232 yr That’s weird as hell. What if you logged into the espn app with your spectrum account?
September 2, 20232 yr One heads up on sling - depending on where you are it may or may not have local channels. So, spend $30 on an HD antenna and have that ready for your games on Fox/ABC/NBC/CBS.
September 8, 20232 yr I guess I'll be "that guy" and ask a question that's probably been hashed out in the earlier 50+ pages of this thread, but I'm looking for the following recommendation: indoor OTA antenna that will pick up VHF signals for an LG OLED TV located in the middle of the living room the TV is not on an exterior wall/near a window, so running an antenna to an exterior window to pick up the VHF channels would require a good looking cable cover I've already got an Apple 4K connected to it for streaming, and Rokus on the other TVs in the house. I've also got a fairly discrete outdoor antenna that feeds my 2 patio TVs (along w/ their Rokus). The uncompressed OTA signal even makes the disposable Insignia TVs I've got out there look great, and with the latest Spectrum/Disney fuckery I'm ready to finally cut the cord. With a good antenna we can combine it with our Apple TV and Prime subscriptions (we canceled Netflix earlier this year) and a few targeted streaming bundles we can certainly save money over our current Spectrum bill. I can easily get the key UHF stations (KVUE, KXAN, KEYE, KNVA, CW, etc) by connecting a knockoff Leaf antenna, but Fox7 is a no-go which would fuck up a bunch of football and sports viewing options.
September 8, 20232 yr 2 minutes ago, GhostOfTomJoad said: I guess I'll be "that guy" and ask a question that's probably been hashed out in the earlier 50+ pages of this thread, but I'm looking for the following recommendation: indoor OTA antenna that will pick up VHF signals for an LG OLED TV located in the middle of the living room the TV is not on an exterior wall/near a window, so running an antenna to an exterior window to pick up the VHF channels would require a good looking cable cover I've already got an Apple 4K connected to it for streaming, and Rokus on the other TVs in the house. I've also got a fairly discrete outdoor antenna that feeds my 2 patio TVs (along w/ their Rokus). The uncompressed OTA signal even makes the disposable Insignia TVs I've got out there look great, and with the latest Spectrum/Disney fuckery I'm ready to finally cut the cord. With a good antenna we can combine it with our Apple TV and Prime subscriptions (we canceled Netflix earlier this year) and a few targeted streaming bundles we can certainly save money over our current Spectrum bill. I can easily get the key UHF stations (KVUE, KXAN, KEYE, KNVA, CW, etc) by connecting a knockoff Leaf antenna, but Fox7 is a no-go which would fuck up a bunch of football and sports viewing options. I use an HDHomerun Tuner tied into Plex for all my locals. What is nice about this setup, The tuner does not need to be directly connected to your TV’s. So my roof mounted antenna, plugs into the HDHomerun box, and it connects via Ethernet and talks to my local Plex server. This also allows me to record and pause/rewind. Just need the Plex app on any TV to view, or you can watch from anywhere via the Plex app on your phone or browser.
September 8, 20232 yr One thing often overlooked is local station apps. A lot of them have them, and stream their feed. I think the national level also has something similar, or did at one time.
September 8, 20232 yr 32 minutes ago, thunderlounge said: One thing often overlooked is local station apps. A lot of them have them, and stream their feed. I think the national level also has something similar, or did at one time. Talk about timely. I just got an email for the MN Vikings game next Thu night and how to download the FOX LOCAL app. This might be a piece of cake.
September 8, 20232 yr Various localities have been catching up over the past couple years. They’ve finally figured out the “watch on the go” market. Good for the rest of us too.
September 8, 20232 yr On 9/2/2023 at 10:23 AM, thunderlounge said: That’s weird as hell. What if you logged into the espn app with your spectrum account? This is why it won’t work. Having to log in to view something with your provider credentials when the provider is in a throw down with the creator is almost never going to work, in my experience. And the experience of people I know with Spectrum, at the moment.
September 8, 20232 yr True, but you never know. Their app side isn’t always as quick to change it seems. I had a fubo login for a month trial last year (for LHN), and espn kept me logged in for a couple months with it afterwards. I think a YTTV trial like mentioned above would be the way to go. Gives some breathing room for a minute to see how it plays out. Then again, look at the battle Spectrum had with Roku over their app, or HBO/Roku and it may not be pretty. Interesting article on ESPN in the ESPN layoff thread.
September 8, 20232 yr I've gotten notice of rate increases from Disney+ and ESPN+ in past day. I guess the Disney/Charter fight is over and Disney has decided to take its ball and run home ... alone... to play by itself...
September 8, 20232 yr Opted to sign up for YTTV. About half what we were paying for Spectrum, it integrated simply w/ all of the devices, and most importantly Mrs GOTJ was able to figure out the GUI very quickly so I won't have to hear about it forever. It feels like a decent landing spot until the next shoe drops.
September 8, 20232 yr 47 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said: I've gotten notice of rate increases from Disney+ and ESPN+ in past day. I guess the Disney/Charter fight is over and Disney has decided to take its ball and run home ... alone... to play by itself... I got the same. May drop the disney portion of the bundle. Grab it for a month when new season of mandalorian.
September 8, 20232 yr 49 minutes ago, thunderlounge said: I got the same. May drop the disney portion of the bundle. Grab it for a month when new season of mandalorian. Same.. I've currently got it as part of a Verizon "included with my plan" option but was looking to change from Verizon soon. To keep looking at $30/mth... not happening.
September 15, 20232 yr Got confused. It's VidGo that has LHN for all. No free trial, but the first month is $20. Good enough I guess.
September 15, 20232 yr 3 hours ago, thunderlounge said: Got confused. It's VidGo that has LHN for all. No free trial, but the first month is $20. Good enough I guess. at this point that's the best bet for the LHN game, right? just do 1 month then cancel?
September 15, 20232 yr If you’re not in Texas, and don’t want to risk “alternative” streams and maybe having to watch on a computer, yes. In Texas, sling would probably be better as I think they have a free trial. Service-wise, VidGo was great last year. I used it for the month before I switched over to YTTV.
September 24, 20232 yr Disney bumping the D+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle to $18.99 starting 10/12. Streaming price hikes keep coming.
September 24, 20232 yr I’ve been debating on dropping a few services. Disney: don’t hardly watch. Caught up on mando, and the others, and only keep it around for the occasional SW itch. Peacock: Have that mainly for golf. Not much of that going on over there til after new years. Paramount: Was on the chopping block, but will hold off since they have a series coming up in a few weeks I want to watch. The showtime bump for $2 was a nice add, which helped. Couple shows there I missed last year. Pretty much, YTTV aside, I really only hit hulu, espn+, amazon, and max mostly. Definitely 2x/wk at minimum. The others, maybe once a month, if that. Once fubo or sling finally gets my local channels, I’ll potentially give them a shot.
September 24, 20232 yr Disney bumping the D+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle to $18.99 starting 10/12. Streaming price hikes keep coming. Didn't they just fucking increase this? Like this month?Edit: Nevermind, it was this increase. Looks like the last hike was less than a year ago. All of it is getting out of hand and I'll cancel it all and not give a single fuck.
September 26, 20232 yr On 9/24/2023 at 1:43 PM, thunderlounge said: I’ve been debating on dropping a few services. Disney: don’t hardly watch. Caught up on mando, and the others, and only keep it around for the occasional SW itch. Peacock: Have that mainly for golf. Not much of that going on over there til after new years. Paramount: Was on the chopping block, but will hold off since they have a series coming up in a few weeks I want to watch. The showtime bump for $2 was a nice add, which helped. Couple shows there I missed last year. Pretty much, YTTV aside, I really only hit hulu, espn+, amazon, and max mostly. Definitely 2x/wk at minimum. The others, maybe once a month, if that. Once fubo or sling finally gets my local channels, I’ll potentially give them a shot. This is the new normal. A spring cleaning of streaming services.
October 17, 20232 yr New Directv Stream UI (on Roku) sucks. Thank you for listening. I feel much better now.
October 19, 20232 yr Netflix hiking again on premium and basic (I'm sure Standard will hike in month or two)...
November 8, 20232 yr ESPN standalone streaming app by 2025. So I can stop watching CFB via steamers on YouTube.
November 8, 20232 yr Noticed earlier today that Bally has an app. Which rsn’s you get depends on zip code. All for the bargain price of $20/mo. Not worth it for me, but somebody might find it useful.
November 8, 20232 yr 3 minutes ago, thunderlounge said: Noticed earlier today that Bally has an app. Which rsn’s you get depends on zip code. All for the bargain price of $20/mo. Not worth it for me, but somebody might find it useful. It's apparently been a total shitshow the first couple of weeks of the NBA season. Flat out did not work numerous times. I hate giving that company money but I'm probably going to be forced to give it a shot soon and hope they worked out the glitches. As I like YTTV too much to give it up in order to get Bally's like I did last spring/summer when I temporarily switched to FUBO.
November 8, 20232 yr It's apparently been a total shitshow the first couple of weeks of the NBA season. Flat out did not work numerous times. I hate giving that company money but I'm probably going to be forced to give it a shot soon and hope they worked out the glitches. As I like YTTV too much to give it up in order to get Bally's like I did last spring/summer when I temporarily switched to FUBO.FWIW, I believe the bankruptcy court allowed Diamond and the NBA to lower the rights fees in exchange for terminating all contracts after this season.
November 8, 20232 yr 39 minutes ago, mdmost said: ESPN standalone streaming app by 2025. So I can stop watching CFB via steamers on YouTube. They are "prepping" people for it too... floating $35 / month cost estimates
November 9, 20232 yr 4 hours ago, mdmost said: ESPN standalone streaming app by 2025. So I can stop watching CFB via steamers on YouTube. idk if you can trust anything Iger/the mouse says at this point. they are preparing to spin off ESPN and if that doesn't happen until 2025 i would be shocked. Edited November 9, 20232 yr by NoName
November 9, 20232 yr Ok, quick up date on my cutting the cord journey: I started with U-verse tv and internet. Since then, I’ve: 1. added Netflix 2. added Netflix dvd 3. added HBO/Max 4. added Disney 5. added Apple TV 6. added Prime 7. added a Roku box 8. kept U-verse 9. had Netflix dvd taken away Dang it. I’ve been cord cutting like crazy but I’m paying way more now. It’s not working.
November 9, 20232 yr Ok, quick up date on my cutting the cord journey: I started with U-verse tv and internet. Since then, I’ve: 1. added Netflix 2. added Netflix dvd 3. added HBO/Max 4. added Disney 5. added Apple TV 6. added Prime 7. added a Roku box 8. kept U-verse 9. had Netflix dvd taken away Dang it. I’ve been cord cutting like crazy but I’m paying way more now. It’s not working. Why stick with U erase and not hop over to something like YTTV? LHN for basketball and Bevo Home for the Holidays?
November 9, 20232 yr 1 minute ago, Dr Fear said: 52 minutes ago, Dbeasy said: Ok, quick up date on my cutting the cord journey: I started with U-verse tv and internet. Since then, I’ve: 1. added Netflix 2. added Netflix dvd 3. added HBO/Max 4. added Disney 5. added Apple TV 6. added Prime 7. added a Roku box 8. kept U-verse 9. had Netflix dvd taken away Dang it. I’ve been cord cutting like crazy but I’m paying way more now. It’s not working. Why stick with U erase and not hop over to something like YTTV? LHN for basketball and Bevo Home for the Holidays? LHN, Astros, Rangers, Stars, Spurs.
December 27, 20231 yr Prime Video gets ad aids on Jan 29th… Quote Dear Prime member, We are writing to you today about an upcoming change to your Prime Video experience. Starting January 29, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership. We will also offer a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month* that you can sign up for here.
December 29, 20231 yr Prime Video gets ad aids on Jan 29th… Dear Prime member, We are writing to you today about an upcoming change to your Prime Video experience. Starting January 29, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership. We will also offer a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month* that you can sign up for here. Dumped Amazon a few years back, and never looked back.
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