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Cut the cable ... now what for Football?

Gonolz

Gonolz

Veteran Seminole Insider
Aug 6, 2002
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I know we have had a few threads on cutting cable, so sorry if a repeat.

I cut cable after basketball season, keeping internet only. I got an HD antenna and have been content with that. I get CBS, Fox, and ABC pretty well. NBC is a little spotty.

Well, so now here comes football season. Absolute needs are ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ACC Network. Wants are NFL Network, NBC, secondary sports channels FS1, NBCSports, etc, maybe some news and other channels.

The best I can see on paper is Sling TV with a combo Blue and Orange package with sports add on. Total $40 combo + $5 sports. For comparison, even though internet price is jacked up without bundle, the TV package bundled that I would get on Spectrum would still add $80 + some additional fees. I'll get that if needed, but if someone else provides as good of a product, then screw Spectrum.

Does anyone use Sling? How is the quality and reliability? My internet is pretty reliable and a decent speed.

Other suggestions?

https://www.sling.com/#dyn-grid-package-tab-3-60m
 
Also, Sling would work fine on my main TV that is a compatible smart TV, but my other TVs are not smart TVs. Sling site says Roku and Amazon Fire TV are compatible. Are these just the little USB sticks to put in the TV or are they something different?
 
Directv Now is very popular.

I bought a few Roku's and "borrow" my FIL's Directv account sign-on and password. That virtually gets me everything available on cable and Dish for free. I reciprocate by giving him my Sunday Ticket, Netfix and Baseball package sign-on and password.
 
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I used DirecTV Now last year & had no issues. Especially if you get ABC fine, that’s all you really need.
 
Amazon Fire with either Sling or PlayStation Vue. You can get the Watch ESPN app (no extra charge) and watch the ABC games on there.
 
Gonolz said:
I know we have had a few threads on cutting cable, so sorry if a repeat.

I cut cable after basketball season, keeping internet only. I got an HD antenna and have been content with that. I get CBS, Fox, and ABC pretty well. NBC is a little spotty.

Well, so now here comes football season. Absolute needs are ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ACC Network. Wants are NFL Network, NBC, secondary sports channels FS1, NBCSports, etc, maybe some news and other channels.

The best I can see on paper is Sling TV with a combo Blue and Orange package with sports add on. Total $40 combo + $5 sports. For comparison, even though internet price is jacked up without bundle, the TV package bundled that I would get on Spectrum would still add $80 + some additional fees. I'll get that if needed, but if someone else provides as good of a product, then screw Spectrum.

Does anyone use Sling? How is the quality and reliability? My internet is pretty reliable and a decent speed.

Other suggestions?

https://www.sling.com/#dyn-grid-package-tab-3-60m
Click to expand...

I have Sling Orange + Blue on my Smart TV and use it through a Amazon Firestick on our second TV. Pretty good quality and never had much issues. Also nice you can use the app to watch TV on an IPad/Smartphone if you’re traveling.
 
I just got YouTube TV today to try out for a week. So far it seems pretty perfect for what I need. It’s $40/month and has basically every channel I could realistically want. I’ll get HBO Now in addition and already have Netflix. I don’t watch a ton of TV anymore and when I do it’s a show I already recorded or is on demand. I basically never put on the TV and just surf through the channels any more.
 
I am in the middle of the switch. Have 1 Apple TV and 1 Roku to check the difference.

Still looking for the options on Sling vs DirectNow vs just Netflix/Hulu. I have work internet through comcast so am covered for WatchESPN I think.
 
I use Sling through a Roku Ultra. It has a wired internet connection. Not wireless and is faster. I am happy with it. You can can cancel at anytime. I buy Orange and Blue + Sports packages during football season then reduce to Orange in the off season.
 
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YouTube TV is the best of these services, in my opinion. They only really have one tier, which is $40. For sports fans, it contains pretty much all the necessities and they have locals in most areas. You get all of ESPN's main channels, plus you can use your login credentials for the ESPN app to get ACC network and other streaming-only games. You also get your Fox Sports Network regional channels, Fox Sports 1 and 2, and a couple other sports channels. The DVR is unlimited and works great. I had other services including Sling and PS Vue, tried DirecTV Now. I'm sure they've all improved over time, but as far as value and quality of service, YTV was the best, with PS VUE being a decent second place option. The one caveat about YTV that I had forgotten was that it is not available in all markets, unlike the others. It is in most markets, but there are some who still apparently can't get it.
 
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"Orange and Blue"?

b805e4fd98e530149b466b9ec501f39d--southern-humor-southern-quotes.jpg
 
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I use Sling but would prefer youtube TV, just not available in my area yet.

I would not use a USB stick (regular Roku) - pay up for the ultra. When I prepaid 3 months of Sling I got a significant discount on the Roku Ultra so check that out.

I am doing Sling Blue plus just paying for ESPN itself - works cheaper than the blue+orange.
 
MIKE_G said:
YouTube TV is the best of these services, in my opinion. They only really have one tier, which is $40. For sports fans, it contains pretty much all the necessities and they have locals in most areas. You get all of ESPN's main channels, plus you can use your login credentials for the ESPN app to get ACC network and other streaming-only games. You also get your Fox Sports Network regional channels, Fox Sports 1 and 2, and a couple other sports channels. The DVR is unlimited and works great. I had other services including Sling and PS Vue, tried DirecTV Now. I'm sure they've all improved over time, but as far as value and quality of service, YTV was the best, with PS VUE being a decent second place option. The one caveat about YTV that I had forgotten was that it is not available in all markets, unlike the others. It is in most markets, but there are some who still apparently can't get it.
Click to expand...

Can you purchase HBO through YouTube?
 
Not that anyone cares, but here's my setup:

LG OLED65C7P
DENON AVR-x4200w
Definitive in-wall 5.5LCR
Klipsch RW-5802 II + RSA-500
Apple TV v4
AT&T Gigabit Fiber 900mb u/d

Everything is in my media closet, so no cables, boxes or anything around the TV. I have a single optical HDMI through a conduit into the wall and everything is run off my AppleTV. With the DTVNow, I usually run separate apps for all my content, rather than using the DTVNow app. But with DTVNow, you can get NFL Sunday Ticket in certain markets, plus you can get a free Apple TV or Roku when you sign up. I think that's the best option out there and will continue to get better as AT&T brings on more Time Warner content.
 
MIKE_G said:
No, but you can add Showtime.
Click to expand...

This may be a dumb question but can you order HBO directly then? The hell I would catch if Game of Thrones came on and could not get HBO would be epic.
 
SoddyNole said:
This may be a dumb question but can you order HBO directly then? The hell I would catch if Game of Thrones came on and could not get HBO would be epic.
Click to expand...
Yes. It’s called HBO Now. I plan on adding that to go along with YouTube TV and Netflix. I can live without Showtime.
 
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I have Hulu TV, which is worth considering if you already subscribe to Hulu. The interface is not to everyone's liking, as it de-emphasizes the traditional programming grid for more of a content based interface. I don't actually mind it, because I'm rarely scrolling through live TV to channel surf anyway, I just want live tv when I need it for sports. And the on-demand content blows away everything else, including some original content I sometimes enjoy. I run it on an Apple TV and it has been great quality recently.

It has all the sports except for NFL Network, and I think AMC is the biggest missing channel, which can be a problem. But otherwise, I've tried literally all of them and that's where it's settled. I think I pay about $40/month for the TV plan + no commercials (sort of). Anything in their regular library plays without commercial interruptions. There is a whole additional video library you get only for subscribing to the TV, which is pretty comprehensive, but those can have commercials. What you DVR may or may not have commercials. I don't pay close enough attention to know before I start whether it will have commercials or not...I know I DVR American Ninja Warrior and it never has commercials.

For a more traditional straight TV service if I didn't care about on demand content or Hulu's original shows, I'd probably go YoutubeTV, but they all are pretty ok.
 
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MIKE_G said:
YouTube TV is the best of these services, in my opinion. They only really have one tier, which is $40. For sports fans, it contains pretty much all the necessities and they have locals in most areas. You get all of ESPN's main channels, plus you can use your login credentials for the ESPN app to get ACC network and other streaming-only games. You also get your Fox Sports Network regional channels, Fox Sports 1 and 2, and a couple other sports channels. The DVR is unlimited and works great. I had other services including Sling and PS Vue, tried DirecTV Now. I'm sure they've all improved over time, but as far as value and quality of service, YTV was the best, with PS VUE being a decent second place option. The one caveat about YTV that I had forgotten was that it is not available in all markets, unlike the others. It is in most markets, but there are some who still apparently can't get it.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. I tried them all and Youtube TV came out on top, by far. It easily has the best interface, and the basically unlimited digital DVR is awesome. Only complaint I have is there is sometimes some lag/glitching when I try to watch a program being recorded from the beginning. I have also noted that the app is more stable on some devices than others. I typically watch it on Roku.
 
amicusnole said:
Agree with this. I tried them all and Youtube TV came out on top, by far. It easily has the best interface, and the basically unlimited digital DVR is awesome. Only complaint I have is there is sometimes some lag/glitching when I try to watch a program being recorded from the beginning. I have also noted that the app is more stable on some devices than others. I typically watch it on Roku.
Click to expand...
One of the reasons I liked YouTube TV was that it just performed flawlessly from the first time I tried it through the entire time I had it. Roku was my primary streamer. I had a weird issue with my Nvidia Shield that I never was able to figure out. I think it was a network thing, but for some reason nothing would launch the first time I tried to fire up the app on the Shield. The main page would, but any show I'd try to launch would just sit in black. If I re-started the Shield, it was fine. But the app itself never had a hiccup. I can't say the same for the others streaming services, which could be intolerable at times.
 
I'm paying $130 after tax for phone, internet and every cable channel available. I hope to one day cut the cord, but doesn't seem worth it for the hassle yet.
 
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nynole1 said:
I'm paying $130 after tax for phone, internet and every cable channel available. I hope to one day cut the cord, but doesn't seem worth it for the hassle yet.
Click to expand...
That's not a bad deal at all. Unless you're on a promo that will be expiring at some point.
 
Thanks, all.

Looking at all the options, I think I'll give YouTube TV a try on its free 7-day trial. It has all the channels that I'll probably want for $40 and allows 6 devices and includes DVR. I didn't even know YouTube had a streaming TV service before this thread.
 
DTV Choice package & Windstream internet(100mbps/phone) for $123 per month. Pulled plug on NFL Ticket b/c always out at kids games on Sunday. Called in fake cancel and this was deal for 12mos.
 
Why is YouTubeTV not offered in all areas? Is it an internet speed problem?
 
TallyNole93 said:
Does youtube have the ACC Network? Seems to me some of the games last year were on it.
Click to expand...
I could be wrong but I think with YouTube TV you get access to WatchESPN and thus ACCN. Someone correct me on that if I’m wrong.
 
QuaZ2002 said:
I could be wrong but I think with YouTube TV you get access to WatchESPN and thus ACCN. Someone correct me on that if I’m wrong.
Click to expand...
Yep. I just tried it and when you go into WatchESPN and it asks for cable provider YouTube TV is an option.
 
Easy...

Get a Chromecast or you can use your laptop. Go to reddit then the sub /r/nflstreams on Sunday. Click the game you want from your phone or laptop. Then stream it to your Chromcast or if from laptop, get an HDMI cable and hook it up to your TV.
 
maddog69 said:
Why is YouTubeTV not offered in all areas? Is it an internet speed problem?
Click to expand...
Local network stations are not up to date enough to do live streaming. At least that's the issue in my area.

Hoping for this soon as they have pretty clearly the best package out there. You get all networks plus affiliates, so you get ABC and anything ABC owns, like ESPN.
 
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