OT: cutting the cord..

[reno hightower]

Mods feel free to move but I'm almost done with cable in my house, just one tv left. With football season approaching I'm still a little gun shy. Anyone on here made it through a season without cable? If so, what kind if set up do you have? Technology changes so fast these days... Thanks in advance

[civildawg]

Get an indoor antenna for local channels and sling or ps vue for the espn channels and you should be good.

[notsofarawaydawg]

PlayStation VUE was my choice. I tried Sling TV but had issues with it buffering all the time. I have AT&T Uverse and once I swapped to PlayStation VUE I have had zero issues with buffering. I have an external antenna in a window so I can get the local station which I watch only during inclement weather. The package I have offers all the ESPN stations plus the SEC Network. I pay a little over $40 per month. PV offers 4 different levels of service.

[HaggardDawg]

Dumb question here. What type of devise do you have to have for PSVue? Do I ahve to have a PlayStation? I currently have U-verse with basic cable because it was cheaper than just having internet, go figure.

[Lumpy Chucklelips]

The only issue I have with the external antenna is, how far does it cover? If I'm 80 miles from a larger city, example Memphis, will the antenna cover that far?

I have DIRECTV and tried the free week from PlayStation Vue. It covered 90% of the channels my family of 3 watches, but I wasn't crazy about going from one program to another. Of course with DIRECTV I could just enter the channel number I wanted to go directly to that channel. With Vue it's like going from one app to another. You have to go back out to the main screen, find the app of the channel you wanted and then select it. I'm sure I could get used to that, but it was pretty clunky.

I don't have any problem with directv. I called after my 2 years and negotiated a better price than they wanted to give me. I was paying one price with att internet and noticed they were offering a higher speed for what I was paying and called and asked nicely if I could get that speed for what I was paying and they let me have it.

I could save a little money if I switched, but I like my setup the way it is. Now cell phone...that's a whole other issue. I absolutely hate paying what I do for cell service.

[Mimi's Babies]

The only issue I have with the external antenna is, how far does it cover? If I'm 80 miles from a larger city, example Memphis, will the antenna cover that far?

I have DIRECTV and tried the free week from PlayStation Vue. It covered 90% of the channels my family of 3 watches, but I wasn't crazy about going from one program to another. Of course with DIRECTV I could just enter the channel number I wanted to go directly to that channel. With Vue it's like going from one app to another. You have to go back out to the main screen, find the app of the channel you wanted and then select it. I'm sure I could get used to that, but it was pretty clunky.

I don't have any problem with directv. I called after my 2 years and negotiated a better price than they wanted to give me. I was paying one price with att internet and noticed they were offering a higher speed for what I was paying and called and asked nicely if I could get that speed for what I was paying and they let me have it.

I could save a little money if I switched, but I like my setup the way it is. Now cell phone...that's a whole other issue. I absolutely hate paying what I do for cell service.

I left Directv after 15 years because they kept going up on the price...I switched to Dish.... much cheaper...

[Mobile Bay]

Using Chrome with adblock, and some simple google searches, will allow you to find most games in some sketchy form or fashion.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Dumb question here. What type of devise do you have to have for PSVue? Do I ahve to have a PlayStation? I currently have U-verse with basic cable because it was cheaper than just having internet, go figure.

PS 3 and 4
Apple TV
Amazon Fire TV and Stick
Roku
Android TV
Chromecast
Watch on Web
iOS
Android Mobile


The only issue I have with the external antenna is, how far does it cover? If I'm 80 miles from a larger city, example Memphis, will the antenna cover that far?

I have DIRECTV and tried the free week from PlayStation Vue. It covered 90% of the channels my family of 3 watches, but I wasn't crazy about going from one program to another. Of course with DIRECTV I could just enter the channel number I wanted to go directly to that channel. With Vue it's like going from one app to another. You have to go back out to the main screen, find the app of the channel you wanted and then select it. I'm sure I could get used to that, but it was pretty clunky.

I don't have any problem with directv. I called after my 2 years and negotiated a better price than they wanted to give me. I was paying one price with att internet and noticed they were offering a higher speed for what I was paying and called and asked nicely if I could get that speed for what I was paying and they let me have it.

I could save a little money if I switched, but I like my setup the way it is. Now cell phone...that's a whole other issue. I absolutely hate paying what I do for cell service.

https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps (Use to find channels you can see)

I didn't like the PSVue navigation either, but there's a new guide that's much better. Still, you can't enter a channel number like you did above.

I have ATT cell service, Uverse Internet, and Uverse basic TV bundled together for a $35 discount a month. I also get unlimited data because I bundle everything. Even though the Uverse basic lineup is only local channels in HD, it was cheaper to keep it than to cut it off completely.

[iPat09]

Was on Sling, swapped to PSVue because of the same buffering issues others have mentioned. I like it enough, but this weekend, we are going to try the free week of HuluTV and see how it is. It's bundled right in with your Hulu account, and, depending on where you live, you can stream local TV as well. I'll see if I can remember to come back with an update. Oh, and with PSVue raising their prices, HuluTV will be a bit cheaper.

[Dawg61]

Pretty sure this will be the last month I pay for Comcast. I just paid $280 for cable and internet. Sure they penalized me at least $50 of that for paying late but I am done. I promise to shit on Comcast for the rest of my life. **** em

[notsofarawaydawg]

Dumb question here. What type of devise do you have to have for PSVue? Do I ahve to have a PlayStation? I currently have U-verse with basic cable because it was cheaper than just having internet, go figure.

I use a ROKU device. Sorry I left that out.

[Turfdawg67]

Dumb question here. What type of devise do you have to have for PSVue? Do I ahve to have a PlayStation? I currently have U-verse with basic cable because it was cheaper than just having internet, go figure.

I stream PS Vue thru a PlayStation 4 in my living room and I have a couple of Firesticks, that we move around, for the bedrooms and outdoor porch. I have a PS Vue Core package ($34.99/mo) and I get 4 ESPNs, SEC Network, local CBS & Fox, NFL & MLB Networks, 4 Fox Sports channels & the Golf Channel! Sports are covered!! Plus you get unlimited cloud DVR storage at no extra cost (although that could be improved) and you can cancel at any time w/out penalty. I have Comcast's best internet and I never have lags or any other problems. Lastly, you can try it for free for 7 days before you cut the cord.

[reno hightower]

Get an indoor antenna for local channels and sling or ps vue for the espn channels and you should be good.

I have a leaf antenna that does okay. Still gets a little shake at times. I just had cspire internet install so I'm testing it out throughout the house. All my tv's are using tv's are using a roku device. Roku has the espn channels. Not sure if I'm gonna sign up for other channels via sling or hulu. My wife might kick me in the balls if she can't watch ****ing housewives on bravo.....

[Prediction? Pain.]

Last season I bought a Roku Stick (https://www.roku.com/products/streaming-stick) and made it through both the football and basketball seasons just fine.

The first streaming service I tried was PS Vue with a free trial. I never had bandwidth or buffering issues (caveat: I've got 100 mbps, fiber optic internet), but I wasn't a huge fan of the interface. The killer, though, was that I could never get the DVR function to work right. Every time I tried to record a game, it recorded every damn NCAA game on that entire day, all of which were just labeled "NCAA football."

Next I gave Sling a whirl. Even though it didn't have a DVR function last year -- it does now -- I liked the interface more. Plus, it was even cheaper at $25 per month -- $20 for the base "Orange" package plus a $5 sports add on. For $25, I got ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, and the SEC Network, along with another 20 or so channels I mostly didn't care about. (AMC and Viceland were included, though, so that was good.) Not having Fox Sports channels was a little crappy, but if you want to shell out another $15 or $20, you can add Sling's "Blue" package and have the whole Fox Sports family of networks.

Whether you get PS Vue or Sling (or probably any other big streaming service) you'll also get access to the Watch ESPN website and app, which is available on Roku. That's huge for me because I often have to watch our games on replay at night when I have more free time. Also, you can skip through commercials that way. Without a DVR on Sling last year (and without one that I liked on PS Vue), it was a perfect setup.

Streaming devices like the Roku are also great for all the other apps you can get. For instance, I spent the weeks leading up to the season last year watching shortened, HD streams of games from 2014 and 2015 on my TV via YouTube on my Roku. It as a good way to tide me over till the season started. (Not that watching the 2014 Auburn game or the 2015 Arkansas game prepared me for the crap sandwich we got against South Alabama . . . .)

I'm sure PS Vue and Sling have both upped their games since last year, and now there are a host of other options floating around. I suggest reading a few aggregate reviews and comparing channel lineups. (Though most services offer DVR functionality, you should check the channel availability. I'm pretty sure that a few of the services' DVR functions do not work with ESPN channels. Though you've still got Watch ESPN access to get replays of anything on the ESPN channels or the SEC Network, of course . . . .)

I've also got an indoor antenna for local stuff and the occasional CBS or ABC game. I live in a heavily forested neighborhood on a mountain on a north-facing slope, but I still get solid, HD reception for most things. Since my antenna's just a cheap RCA plastic square from Wal-Mart (like this one (https://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-SLIVR-Amplified-Indoor-Flat-HDTV-Antenna-Multi-Directional/167111340)) and is sitting in my den's window sill around 4 feet off the ground, I imagine that the reception of a higher-powered or outdoor model would be even better.

One last thing: Our week 2 game vs. La Tech is on CBS Sports Network. As of a week ago, the only streaming service I could find that has access to that station -- and I looked at all the big ones I knew of, from Sling to PS Vue to Direct TV Now and so on -- is Hulu's new service (https://www.hulu.com/live-tv). At $40 a month with the lineup and features they've got, I'd take a hard look at it this season. Or, if nothing else, do the free trial for the La Tech game and then make a decision. (They're not on Roku yet -- "coming soon," or so they say -- but support a number of devices, like Apple TV, Chromecast, and the Amazon Fire stick.)

ETA: Well, DirectTV Now just gave us another option for the La Tech game: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cbs-at-t-idUSKBN1AN1P8?il=0

[reno hightower]

Last season I bought a Roku Stick (https://www.roku.com/products/streaming-stick) and made it through both the football and basketball seasons just fine.

The first streaming service I tried was PS Vue with a free trial. I never had bandwidth or buffering issues (caveat: I've got 100 gbs, fiber optic internet), but I wasn't a huge fan of the interface. The killer, though, was that I could never get the DVR function to work right. Every time I tried to record a game, it recorded every damn NCAA game on that entire day, all of which were just labeled "NCAA football."

Next I gave Sling a whirl. Even though it didn't have a DVR function last year -- it does now -- I liked the interface more. Plus, it was even cheaper at $25 per month -- $20 for the base "Orange" package plus a $5 sports add on. For $25, I got ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, and the SEC Network, along with another 20 or so channels I mostly didn't care about. (AMC and Viceland were included, though, so that was good.) Not having Fox Sports channels was a little crappy, but if you want to shell out another $15 or $20, you can add Sling's "Blue" package and have the whole Fox Sports family of networks.

Whether you get PS Vue or Sling (or probably any other big streaming service) you'll also get access to the Watch ESPN website and app, which is available on Roku. That's huge for me because I often have to watch our games on replay at night when I have more free time. Also, you can skip through commercials that way. Without a DVR on Sling last year (and without one that I liked on PS Vue), it was a perfect setup.

Streaming devices like the Roku are also great for all the other apps you can get. For instance, I spent the weeks leading up to the season last year watching shortened, HD streams of games from 2014 and 2015 on my TV via YouTube on my Roku. It as a good way to tide me over till the season started. (Not that watching the 2014 Auburn game or the 2015 Arkansas game prepared me for the crap sandwich we got against South Alabama . . . .)

I'm sure PS Vue and Sling have both upped their games since last year, and now there are a host of other options floating around. I suggest reading a few aggregate reviews and comparing channel lineups. (Though most services offer DVR functionality, you should check the channel availability. I'm pretty sure that a few of the services' DVR functions do not work with ESPN channels. Though you've still got Watch ESPN access to get replays of anything on the ESPN channels or the SEC Network, of course . . . .)

I've also got an indoor antenna for local stuff and the occasional CBS or ABC game. I live in a wood neighborhood on a mountain on a north-facing slope, but I still get solid, HD reception for most things. Since my antenna's just a cheap RCA antenna from Wal-Mart (like this one (https://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-SLIVR-Amplified-Indoor-Flat-HDTV-Antenna-Multi-Directional/167111340)) and is sitting in my den's window sill around 4 feet off the ground, I imagine that the reception a higher powered or outdoor model would even better.

One last thing: Our week 2 game vs. La Tech is on CBS Sports Network. As of a week ago, the only streaming service I could find that has access to that station -- and I looked at all the big ones I knew of, from Sling to PS Vue to Direct TV Now and so on -- is Hulu's new service (https://www.hulu.com/live-tv). At $40 a month with the lineup and features they've got, I'd take a hard look at it this season. Or, if nothing else, do the free trial for the La Tech game and then make a decision. (They're not on Roku yet -- "coming soon," or so they say -- but support a number of devices, like Apple TV, Chromecast, and the Amazon Fire stick.)

Very Helpful thanks!

[yjnkdawg]

I left Directv after 15 years because they kept going up on the price...I switched to Dish.... much cheaper...


I left Directv and ATT DSL after over 19 years, when ATT Uverse Fiber To The Home came to our neighborhood. I couldn't be happier. Great picture quality, plus 120+ mbps on internet as compared to 1 to 1.5 mbps when I had DSL.

[HSVDawg]

PS 3 and 4
Apple TV
Amazon Fire TV and Stick
Roku
Android TV
Chromecast
Watch on Web
iOS
Android Mobile



https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps (Use to find channels you can see)

I didn't like the PSVue navigation either, but there's a new guide that's much better. Still, you can't enter a channel number like you did above.

I have ATT cell service, Uverse Internet, and Uverse basic TV bundled together for a $35 discount a month. I also get unlimited data because I bundle everything. Even though the Uverse basic lineup is only local channels in HD, it was cheaper to keep it than to cut it off completely.

Regarding the Vue, I've read that the guide interface is way better if you run the app through an actual PS3 or PS4. Other devices....not so much.

[MStateDawg]

PlayStation VUE was my choice.
Can one of you guys with PlayStation Vue confirm that you can watch the SEC Network+ channel thru the WatchESPN app using your PSVue credentials? Thanks!

[Dawg61]

I left Directv and ATT DSL after over 19 years, when ATT Uverse Fiber To The Home came to our neighborhood. I couldn't be happier. Great picture quality, plus 120+ mbps on internet as compared to 1 to 1.5 mbps when I had DSL.

Can you go into more depth here please. How do you watch your sports on tv is basically what I am wondering and how much do you pay per month for cable + ATT internet? Thanks

[Turfdawg67]

Regarding the Vue, I've read that the guide interface is way better if you run the app through an actual PS3 or PS4. Other devices....not so much.

I haven't noticed anything different about the interface between the PS4 & an Amazon Firestick.


Can one of you guys with PlayStation Vue confirm that you can watch the SEC Network+ channel thru the WatchESPN app using your PSVue credentials? Thanks!

Works like a champ! Scan through to find PlayStation Vue from all the listed providers, enter your username/password and you are good to go!

[Dawg4Life]

Mods feel free to move but I'm almost done with cable in my house, just one tv left. With football season approaching I'm still a little gun shy. Anyone on here made it through a season without cable? If so, what kind if set up do you have? Technology changes so fast these days... Thanks in advance

If this has been answered, I apologize in advance. I've gotten completely spoiled on pausing games, grabbing a drink, and not missing a play. When people say "DVR" capabilities are you referring to pausing/fast forward/rewind/recording? Also, the ability to quickly go back and forth to different games is something my cable/DVR provide. Is this possible with any other programs? I appreciate any advice on this.

[Dawgface]

If this has been answered, I apologize in advance. I've gotten completely spoiled on pausing games, grabbing a drink, and not missing a play. When people say "DVR" capabilities are you referring to pausing/fast forward/rewind/recording? Also, the ability to quickly go back and forth to different games is something my cable/DVR provide. Is this possible with any other programs? I appreciate any advice on this.

You can do pause and record with PS Vue. And FF/rewind using dvr. As far as going back and forth between games, I wouldn't say that is as fast as cable or satellite. But fast enough for me. I use a Fire TV box btw and have found it's the easiest way to navigate. Others may prefer Roku.

[Bama_Dawg]

Dumb question here. What type of devise do you have to have for PSVue? Do I ahve to have a PlayStation? I currently have U-verse with basic cable because it was cheaper than just having internet, go figure.

$69 Mi Box from Walmart. Love the thing.

One aspect you have to keep in mind is if you have an internet plan, you surely have a data cap. Those are the devil. They are the only things keeping me from cutting the cord. My wife stays at home with the kids and I know we'd exceed our minuscule data cap of 300GB per month (on CableOne). I can't bring myself to buying a higher package to get more data. For me the financials don't work out, yet. I pay $55 for Internet and $90 for Directv. If I get what I need for data and a streaming TV package, right now it puts me over the $145 a month.

[iPat09]

$69 Mi Box from Walmart. Love the thing.

One aspect you have to keep in mind is if you have an internet plan, you surely have a data cap. Those are the devil. They are the only things keeping me from cutting the cord. My wife stays at home with the kids and I know we'd exceed our minuscule data cap of 300GB per month (on CableOne). I can't bring myself to buying a higher package to get more data. For me the financials don't work out, yet. I pay $55 for Internet and $90 for Directv. If I get what I need for data and a streaming TV package, right now it puts me over the $145 a month.

I've got CableOne as well. Over the course of 2 or 3 years, my brother and I finally exceeded the data cap the allotted 3 times and they bumped us up. We have the 150 Mb/s download speed with 500 GB a month and it costs us $80. Add in PSVue and it'll be another $45 once the price goes up for us in October. I looked into getting cable from them as well, but they told me it would be $160 month, so we stayed with PSVue. You can really tell when it's football season if you look at our usage graph. A very obvious spike. But it's the only time we come close to exceeding the data cap.

[huffy]

Dude (bricej13) on Reddit made this for football fans that want to become cord cutters:

https://wherecaniwatchmy.team/#/

It's not perfect, but if you click around, you can find what you are looking for.

[Prediction? Pain.]

$69 Mi Box from Walmart. Love the thing.

One aspect you have to keep in mind is if you have an internet plan, you surely have a data cap. Those are the devil. They are the only things keeping me from cutting the cord. My wife stays at home with the kids and I know we'd exceed our minuscule data cap of 300GB per month (on CableOne). I can't bring myself to buying a higher package to get more data. For me the financials don't work out, yet. I pay $55 for Internet and $90 for Directv. If I get what I need for data and a streaming TV package, right now it puts me over the $145 a month.


I've got CableOne as well. Over the course of 2 or 3 years, my brother and I finally exceeded the data cap the allotted 3 times and they bumped us up. We have the 150 Mb/s download speed with 500 GB a month and it costs us $80. Add in PSVue and it'll be another $45 once the price goes up for us in October. I looked into getting cable from them as well, but they told me it would be $160 month, so we stayed with PSVue. You can really tell when it's football season if you look at our usage graph. A very obvious spike. But it's the only time we come close to exceeding the data cap.

Are data caps common among carriers in Mississippi these days? I've never had one with any service I've had in Tennessee. (Comcast in the past and now a municipal broadband service.)

[notsofarawaydawg]

Are data caps common among carriers in Mississippi these days? I've never had one with any service I've had in Tennessee. (Comcast in the past and now a municipal broadband service.)

Uverse now offers up to 1 TB per month where I live in MS

[Bama_Dawg]

Are data caps common among carriers in Mississippi these days? I've never had one with any service I've had in Tennessee. (Comcast in the past and now a municipal broadband service.)

Data caps are common. Just moved back from AL to MS (yay!), and had a cap with AT&T in AL.

I just can't bring myself to pay $150 a month JUST for internet to get the CableOne 1TB plan.