Advice/suggestions on cutting the cable

[TPANole]

Was looking for some old posts about doing away with cable and could not find the ones I remember seeing. I'm in Tampa and have reached my frustration limit with Spectrum so looking into streaming services that will provide reasonable sports and entertainment. We currently have Netflix and amazon prime through a TCL Roku Tv. What are people using to replace the cable lineup.

 

[TPANole]

A little research and it looks like youtube tv offers a pretty good selection of networks for about $40 a month.
https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/

 

[FSU_UCLA]

I use Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon channels.

 

[kj9127]

What will/do you use for FSU Games?

 

[Hayduke GW]

I dropped cable and went to Sling about three years ago, then to YouTube TV last year. YTTV is great - i haven’t missed a game i’ve wanted to watch since i switched. But i pretty much only watch sports on YTTV, so not sure how it is for folks who like to watch a lot of TV.

 

[phideltflg]

I use YouTube TV from Hawaii and have never missed and FSU football game. I highly recommend.

 

[bryanscho]

I use Hulu Live in Tampa and works great. This will be my first football season with it but I can always project my laptop to the TV as a last resort. I have Samsung TVs so I dont need a streaming service like Roku.

 

[goldmom]

My daughter bought one of those "cable bars" from Best Buy and gets 50+ channels so now my sister just went out and got one too - she's getting 70 channels. I'm just afraid I won't get FSU games so it's made me leery, but I would love to dump Direct TV and save all that money. I get Netflix too but I never watch it

 

[TPANole]

Thanks for all the information. After looking at the content for a few services it looks like in Tampa Hulu may give the best selection. I'm lining up equipment and will probably make the change this week.

 

[ericram]

My daughter bought one of those "cable bars" from Best Buy and gets 50+ channels so now my sister just went out and got one too - she's getting 70 channels. I'm just afraid I won't get FSU games so it's made me leery, but I would love to dump Direct TV and save all that money. I get Netflix too but I never watch it

What the hell is a cable bar and is this the black market Best Buy?

 

[FSU_UCLA]

I use an antenna for sports and live TV. If there is an FSU game that I want to see that isn’t available, I typically watch it at the FSU bar.

 

[FEARmySPEAR76]

Thanks for all the information. After looking at the content for a few services it looks like in Tampa Hulu may give the best selection. I'm lining up equipment and will probably make the change this week.

Just remember. You need really good internet so you don’t buffer. I’ve been chord cutting since last August (DirectTV Now) and love it.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

Just curious what does “the cord” (ie regular cable, sans hbo etc)?

I haven’t had real cable in like 5 years.

 

[dero316]

What the hell is a cable bar and is this the black market Best Buy?

I was curious also - googled cable bar and looked on the Best Buy website with no luck.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

I was curious also - googled cable bar and looked on the Best Buy website with no luck.

Wondered the same. Assumed it was the fire stick or a roku type device.

 

[dero316]

Wondered the same. Assumed it was the fire stick or a roku type device.

I even did an image search to see which ones looked like bars. Metal curl bars and audio sound bars...
Was hoping it maybe combined a few of the inputs for cable cutting devices.

Cmon @goldmom

 

[ReliableOstrich]

I even did an image search to see which ones looked like bars. Metal curl bars and audio sound bars...
Was hoping it maybe combined a few of the inputs for cable cutting devices.

Cmon @goldmom

Found it!

Not sure how to plug it into my TV though...

https://www.performbetter.com/Gray-...M4BFBWLNSyS1dCNDkarkquSBgkJ6AeshoCfkAQAvD_BwE

 

[goldmom]

I even did an image search to see which ones looked like bars. Metal curl bars and audio sound bars...
Was hoping it maybe combined a few of the inputs for cable cutting devices.

Cmon @goldmom

Daughter says she has a 4K stealth HD antenna, bought at Target and she's getting all the channels including HGTV, Fox, CNN, etc.

 

[SoddyNole]

Found it!

Not sure how to plug it into my TV though...

https://www.performbetter.com/Gray-Cook-Cable-Bar?custcol4=1&custcol18=76&custcol29=1&utm_source=google product ad&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=weight equipment&utm_term=cable accessories&gclid=CjwKCAjwvuzkBRAhEiwA9E3FUtPaQvqseOjkNcWcMkytAdM4BFBWLNSyS1dCNDkarkquSBgkJ6AeshoCfkAQAvD_BwE

The same way you add a headphone jack hole into the newer iphones. You drill a hole in the side.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

Daughter says she has a 4K stealth HD antenna, bought at Target and she's getting all the channels including HGTV, Fox, CNN, etc.

I'm even more confused now.

I keep up with this stuff and this just isn't something I've heard of. HGTV, CNN, etc... aren't broadcast over public airwaves like ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and PBS are.

I'm going to drill a hole in my TV and install the cable bar, will let you all know what new channels I receive.

 

[dero316]

My daughter bought one of those "cable bars" from Best Buy and gets 50+ channels so now my sister just went out and got one too - she's getting 70 channels. I'm just afraid I won't get FSU games so it's made me leery, but I would love to dump Direct TV and save all that money. I get Netflix too but I never watch it

Daughter says she has a 4K stealth HD antenna, bought at Target and she's getting all the channels including HGTV, Fox, CNN, etc.

Gotcha, so the "cable bar" is this thing, that gets 50-70 channels. Did she hang it in the attic, soffet, etc or just set it next to the TV?

 

[goldmom]

It's just next to her TV

 

[FSU_UCLA]

My HD digital antenna picks up about 100 channels, but they are all broadcast channels, not cable. As far as I can tell, the "stealth" antenna listed in this thread does the same. If a channel is not broadcast through the air, then no antenna will pick it up.

Edited to add: occasionally, one of the local broadcast channels will show a bootleg feed of a cable channel, e.g., the local public access sports channel used to show FSU games bootlegged from other networks on their air. The quality was always pretty terrible, but it was definitely amusing. I always wanted to get a little pirate flag to hang from the antenna when I was watching those channels.

 

[ericram]

Gotcha, so the "cable bar" is this thing, that gets 50-70 channels. Did she hang it in the attic, soffet, etc or just set it next to the TV?

Not seeing how this gets cable channels on this thing. It will get all OTA broadcast networks but definitely not any cable channels.

 

[SoddyNole]

 

[goldmom]

Do y'all have HDMI cables?

 

[kooterridesagain]

Do y'all have HDMI cables?

Interesting, my HD antennae picked up 3 total channels contrary to what I was told, i even tried a second model out. So ive had Slingtv with sports pack and some add ons for years(cbs, netflix, hbo). Only complaints are u cant dvr much, and no Fox association in any way.

 

[Spearhead04]

My wife will never let me get rid of cable. She has too many “shows” she needs to record.

 

[ericram]

My wife will never let me get rid of cable. She has too many “shows” she needs to record.

You do know you get a cloud based DVR with several of the services. I have PSVue and it works great. Watch on my Roku and even have access to all the individual channels for ease on access.

 

[TPANole]

Signed up for the free trial with Hulu a few days ago and am pretty happy so far. Good selection of channels and 50 hrs of dvr. Really easy to work with on the computer and it all moves to the tv. Ready to cancel cable Monday.

 

[daveynole]

TPA, I've been on Hulu for more than a year and am pretty happy with it. Just in the last day or two, though, I've been reminded of a glitch you might want to be aware of (if you haven't already discovered it).

When you set a show to record, the recording could end before the show does. Most likely with network comedies but also with sports events that run past their allotted time.

I don't know why such a new service would have such outdated tech, but it does. I've learned to set the subsequent program to record as well, just in case.

 

[SoddyNole]

TPA, I've been on Hulu for more than a year and am pretty happy with it. Just in the last day or two, though, I've been reminded of a glitch you might want to be aware of (if you haven't already discovered it).

When you set a show to record, the recording could end before the show does. Most likely with network comedies but also with sports events that run past their allotted time.

I don't know why such a new service would have such outdated tech, but it does. I've learned to set the subsequent program to record as well, just in case.

Can you not record past the programming. It is a must with football games which can easily run 15+ minutes past programming scheduling. Our cable settings lets you set 5, 15 or 30 minutes past program time.

 

[daveynole]

Can you not record past the programming. It is a must with football games which can easily run 15+ minutes past programming scheduling. Our cable settings lets you set 5, 15 or 30 minutes past program time.

Nope. No way to extend a recording that I've found. Nor does it automatically extend as in some other systems.

 

[Spearhead04]

Att uverse does the same thing. I miss almost the entire second half of FSU games I record.

 

[FEARmySPEAR76]

Ladies and gents who are looking at cutting cable bills. If you are looking at HD antennas it won’t work if you want to keep up with sports. The HD antenna is for people who don’t watch much tv and want minimal TV watching.

What you need to cut cable and save money is a good internet plan. Then you need a streaming service. All of this will run you around $110-$120 a month. If you are serious about this and need more specific help private message me on this and I will help in detail. I bought my own modem so I am not renting that crap out and I get everything for $115 a month. I can dvr anything and watch all channels away from my home as well when I’m camping in another city. Do t know how everyone is not king this.

 

[dero316]

Nope. No way to extend a recording that I've found. Nor does it automatically extend as in some other systems.

Can you set it to record the program that follows the event? I remember having to do this when comcast had their first dvr prior to the extended recording options.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

Can you set it to record the program that follows the event? I remember having to do this when comcast had their first dvr prior to the extended recording options.

Yes this is what I used to do when.

I'd record the program after the game ends, and in the case of 60 Minutes, I'd record the program after it b/c games would always push their airtime back 20-30 mins.

 

[daveynole]

Can you set it to record the program that follows the event? I remember having to do this when comcast had their first dvr prior to the extended recording options.

Yes, as stated in my initial post, I've trained myself to set the next program to record, just in case.

 

[TPANole]

It is done. Cable gone. Hulu -live tv with spectrum internet. Also have Amazon Prime and Neflix for now. Going to see how it goes. I'll update next week.

 

[bryanscho]

It is done. Cable gone. Hulu -live tv with spectrum internet. Also have Amazon Prime and Neflix for now. Going to see how it goes. I'll update next week.

I have the same setup in Tampa for the last 3 months and have been very satisfied with it. Enjoy.