This message is just a (long) update to a message I posted months ago regarding my research in being cable free. I won’t do it until I know exactly how sports digital will work.
Part of the deal that closed when Disney bought Fox Entertainment channels was the Justice Dept requirement that Disney sell off the 22 Fox regional sports channels that Fox Entertainment owned. There are several bidders - including Amazon. Although this includes Fox Florida (Sun) which televises some FSU games in Florida during the year, not sure what it means (if anything) especially since we might get to see everything on the new ACC digital network August 2019.
The new ACC network is supposed to be a separate linear cable channel. But the ACC digital network is supposed to change and somehow interact with it. I think. And although the ACC has not discussed it much (for obvious reasons as it reflects the poor decision made in 2011), Raycom is out of the picture. So, all the content that used to be on Raycom (and perhaps Fox regional) will be.......where?
I see a lot of research coming up. For example, if I cut my cable (Spectrum) I can go to something like HULU LIve TV and although it currently has most of the existing ESPN channels, I don’t know if it will have the new ACC linear network, or wherever the Fox regional sports channels end up. There are other internet TV offerings out there (Sling, EZStream) that have a lot more channels than HULU Live TV, but HULU seems to have the easiest way to record shows (if you buy the extra features). And if you can’t record a show, you can’t even rewind it during a live broadcast to see a replay when you feel like it. There is a lot to consider when you want to keep your butt in the Lazy Boy during the game when you only want to get up for bathroom and beer breaks.
My concern is that the ACC already does a crappy job consolidating all the current broadcast offerings into one accessible platform - what is going to happen when there are more? If I want to watch something that is currently on my cable -and simultenously another game that is only shown digitally (like WatchESPN), I can’t simply change channels. I have to toggle between my cable box and whatever source I use to access a digital only channel (like Apple TV, fire stick, etc). But if everything that is on cable is on a digital platform, I can ditch the box and watch everything digitally. But only if it is ALL there. When will I know? And to be clear, I am not a geek about this stuff. I need complete simplicity and clarity. One remote. One screen that shows all the channels.
Some internet offerings now include PIP. That would be great with multi-tasking sports watching. But - I haven’t seen that in years and I thought you can’t do PIP with a system that records. I need to research.
One last point for those researching this. Most internet offerings offer NBC, CBS, etc. and it depends on where you live if you get your actual local channels. (HULU Live TV has all the local channels in the Orlando market). This means you won’t need an HD antenna to get local channels. Some other internet offerings give you a bunch of “local” channels across the entire country. But -get this - no internet service that I can find offers any PBS channels. So if watch anything on PBS, you will need that antenna (currently)
That’s it for now. Much to do.
Part of the deal that closed when Disney bought Fox Entertainment channels was the Justice Dept requirement that Disney sell off the 22 Fox regional sports channels that Fox Entertainment owned. There are several bidders - including Amazon. Although this includes Fox Florida (Sun) which televises some FSU games in Florida during the year, not sure what it means (if anything) especially since we might get to see everything on the new ACC digital network August 2019.
The new ACC network is supposed to be a separate linear cable channel. But the ACC digital network is supposed to change and somehow interact with it. I think. And although the ACC has not discussed it much (for obvious reasons as it reflects the poor decision made in 2011), Raycom is out of the picture. So, all the content that used to be on Raycom (and perhaps Fox regional) will be.......where?
I see a lot of research coming up. For example, if I cut my cable (Spectrum) I can go to something like HULU LIve TV and although it currently has most of the existing ESPN channels, I don’t know if it will have the new ACC linear network, or wherever the Fox regional sports channels end up. There are other internet TV offerings out there (Sling, EZStream) that have a lot more channels than HULU Live TV, but HULU seems to have the easiest way to record shows (if you buy the extra features). And if you can’t record a show, you can’t even rewind it during a live broadcast to see a replay when you feel like it. There is a lot to consider when you want to keep your butt in the Lazy Boy during the game when you only want to get up for bathroom and beer breaks.
My concern is that the ACC already does a crappy job consolidating all the current broadcast offerings into one accessible platform - what is going to happen when there are more? If I want to watch something that is currently on my cable -and simultenously another game that is only shown digitally (like WatchESPN), I can’t simply change channels. I have to toggle between my cable box and whatever source I use to access a digital only channel (like Apple TV, fire stick, etc). But if everything that is on cable is on a digital platform, I can ditch the box and watch everything digitally. But only if it is ALL there. When will I know? And to be clear, I am not a geek about this stuff. I need complete simplicity and clarity. One remote. One screen that shows all the channels.
Some internet offerings now include PIP. That would be great with multi-tasking sports watching. But - I haven’t seen that in years and I thought you can’t do PIP with a system that records. I need to research.
One last point for those researching this. Most internet offerings offer NBC, CBS, etc. and it depends on where you live if you get your actual local channels. (HULU Live TV has all the local channels in the Orlando market). This means you won’t need an HD antenna to get local channels. Some other internet offerings give you a bunch of “local” channels across the entire country. But -get this - no internet service that I can find offers any PBS channels. So if watch anything on PBS, you will need that antenna (currently)
That’s it for now. Much to do.
