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Thread: The Television Thread: The Best New Ways to Watch

  1. #61
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    I forgot to mention this. It's remarkable how great the picture is.
    So I actually have all three (AppleTV, Roku, and FireTV). The integration with Alexa and Echo is compelling for me but I haven't taken the jump for Echo yet. Here is what I think people should know and understand about them:

    1. AppleTV has the best and most usable interface. With them opening up app development I expected it to explode like the iPhone did but that hasn't been the case. Services like Sling TV, Amazon Prime and others don't work on AppleTV (for the record I am unsure if Apple is preventing that, or if those providers are not developing for competitive reasons). If you work in a mac environment though it is very easy to stream your screen to the TV. In fact what I do is use the PAC 12 app on my phone and broadcast it to my TV through AppleTV, it is HD and works perfectly. However the closed/limited environment is its biggest and glaring weakness. If it can get open and the app development of Roku then it will be, in my opinion, the best player. The newest AppleTV is also integrated with Siri and can search across multiple apps.

    2. Roku - Most apps out there. Good picture. Not the best interface. For a non-sleeper like me I like the remote with headphones so I can watch TV in the middle of the night without disturbing my wife. This has SlingTV, Amazon Prime, etc (I should mention they all support Netflix). It doesn't have any ability to play your apple movies if you've purchased through there. There are some apps for streaming your computer screen, I found them pretty lacking, but didn't do a super comprehensive search.

    3. FireTV - Similar to Roku, good integration with Amazon Prime (no surprise). The Alexa/Echo integration is pretty compelling. Of the interfaces, I find FireTV to be the clunkiest. It also got slower the longer I had it. I've never looked for apps to stream your computer screen or phone screen to it, but I'm presuming there are some out there.

    The big challenge I am facing now is whether to cut the cord with Netflix. We are Prime members because we do the vast majority of our shopping through Amazon, so we'll do that for the 'free' shipping (I put 'free' in quotation marks because you have to be careful because often they'll just cover the cost of shipping in the price of the item). The big advantage of Amazon Prime over Netflix is you can rent and buy movies through it. Netflix of course doesn't allow that (and I keep thinking they'll announce they are doing that soon). Much of the content on both services are the same but based on little else I feel that Netflix has better content.

    I think I've mentioned here that we cut the cord going on almost 4 years now. SlingTv helps with sports. Mooching an Xfinity login helps on the other meaning I haven't missed a game I've wanted to watch yet. However, the sports issue is the biggest issue to cut the cord and the one thing that tempts me to sign back up with Cable or Sat each year around August.

  2. #62
    My Xfinity bill is well over $200/mo now. I have paid for all the sports for the last several years, and apparently yours as well. You are welcome.

    I am in the process of cutting the cord and kicking Xfinity to the curb. I got DSL through CLink for $29/mo, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO. I already had Netflix and Amazon, so the only real cost change is HBO (the channel was included in my TV package, shop this is a new charge). $15/mo increase, but in the end I will still save a nice chunk of change per mo. And now hopefully the kids will spend now time outside this summer...

    OTA covers everything else with stunning clarity (OTA bandwidth is surprisingly huge and the picture is usually better than cable or satellite).

    I wish the PAC-12 channel would go to subscription, but for a variety of reasons I don't see that ever happening. I can get most of the Seahawks, UW, WSU, and some OU games via OTA channels (I can sometimes pick up Portland TV stations). Not yet sure what I will do for Utah games. If most of them end up on ESPN I might pick up SlingTV for the season. Is they are on Fox Sports 1 then I might need to look at other options (stream from phone through Fire TV or similar?).

  3. #63
    And you are correct on the Apple TV. It is fabulous to use.

    I got it for my mom and it is amazing. Super easy to use, automatically links to her Mac and iPad and iPhone. If it was the least bit clunky to use she would never even attempt to use it.

  4. #64
    Quote Originally Posted by NorthwestUteFan View Post
    My Xfinity bill is well over $200/mo now. I have paid for all the sports for the last several years, and apparently yours as well. You are welcome.

    I am in the process of cutting the cord and kicking Xfinity to the curb. I got DSL through CLink for $29/mo, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO. I already had Netflix and Amazon, so the only real cost change is HBO (the channel was included in my TV package, shop this is a new charge). $15/mo increase, but in the end I will still save a nice chunk of change per mo. And now hopefully the kids will spend now time outside this summer...

    OTA covers everything else with stunning clarity (OTA bandwidth is surprisingly huge and the picture is usually better than cable or satellite).

    I wish the PAC-12 channel would go to subscription, but for a variety of reasons I don't see that ever happening. I can get most of the Seahawks, UW, WSU, and some OU games via OTA channels (I can sometimes pick up Portland TV stations). Not yet sure what I will do for Utah games. If most of them end up on ESPN I might pick up SlingTV for the season. Is they are on Fox Sports 1 then I might need to look at other options (stream from phone through Fire TV or similar?).
    I subscribe to SlingTV as it is month to month and you get all the ESPNs... that has covered me. Cable company's issues with streaming are bizarre. I don't understand why they'd prefer to show a 'in commercial break' placeholder or the same ad over and over rather than just streaming live TV. I hope somebody can break the TV monopoly.

  5. #65
    I ditched Xfinity just in time. I was supposed to get my final bill in the mail, but yesterday I got the regular bill. My monthly charge was set to rise to $274.98 per month, starting June 6.

    Forget that.

  6. #66
    Quote Originally Posted by Rocker Ute View Post
    I subscribe to SlingTV as it is month to month and you get all the ESPNs... that has covered me. Cable company's issues with streaming are bizarre. I don't understand why they'd prefer to show a 'in commercial break' placeholder or the same ad over and over rather than just streaming live TV. I hope somebody can break the TV monopoly.
    I assume their advertising contracts separate cable TV content from streaming content. The on-demand content may carry different ads as well.

    Google has threatened to get into the streaming market, and I hope they do at some point. They might be waiting until the new threats against the Net Neutrality rules get settled.

    Most of Seattle proper now has access to gigabit internet. Several companies offer it for around $80/mo and I can't wait until that gets to my neighborhood.

  7. #67
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Interesting article. What's everyone else's experience with Sling?

    I tried cutting the cord with Sling TV for a month — here's why I returned to cable



    http://www.businessinsider.com/sling...o-cable-2018-2

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  8. #68
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Sling TV Review: Sling TV’s streaming video service appeals to cord-cutters who don’t mind a little extra work to watch what they want.

    https://www.reviews.org/tv-service/sling-tv-review/

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  9. #69
    Senior Member Scorcho's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Interesting article. What's everyone else's experience with Sling?

    I tried cutting the cord with Sling TV for a month — here's why I returned to cable





    http://www.businessinsider.com/sling...o-cable-2018-2
    I found Sling glitchy and you could only stream on one device at a time. I do like DirectTV Now and its only $30 per month

  10. #70
    I used SlingTV last year to watch Utah football. It worked great for me and I was able to cancel after the bowl game. I only watch Utah football and do not want cable for anything else so it has worked out perfect for me. Your mileage may vary.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  11. #71
    I didn't read the article, but YouTubeTV is pretty great. $35/month is much cheaper than cable, and it has all the sports except the Pac-12 Network. The streaming quality is great, and changing the channel is fast and easy. The DVR is a bonus. I wish the DVR would really record what's on TV instead of showing the unedited versions of movies, but that's just the mormon in me.

    There's no need for cable in this day. You either care about sports, and you get YouTubeTV/Sling/DirectTVNow, or you don't care about sports, and you get Netflix/Hulu/AmazonPrime.

    Of course, TV will find a way to be more expensive again. That's how these things work.

  12. #72
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Interesting article. What's everyone else's experience with Sling?

    I tried cutting the cord with Sling TV for a month — here's why I returned to cable



    http://www.businessinsider.com/sling...o-cable-2018-2
    I split the orange and blue with sport extra with another Utah fan out here. For the locals for everything BUT CBS I use the appropriate app (fox sports, NBC sports, espn etc..) I get to watch every Utah game and I get the NFL Redzone (A must have). CBS wants you to pay $5 a month for their broadcast.
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

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