Potentially "Cutting the Cable" - Indoor HD Antenna and Other Advice Requested

[o_BioDog]

Potentially "Cutting the Cable" - Indoor HD Antenna and Other Advice Requested

I've been paying < $100 for Comcast Internet + Cable TV + HBO with HD and DVR (and no contract). Basically, when my 1-year promotional ended, I called to complain, and they gave me a $45 "recurring bundle credit" every month (not sure when that's going to end). They just raised my prices $20 on the cable TV and $5 on HBO (yeah, I know, I shouldn't complain - still a good deal with the recurring credit). We have two TV's in the house - one wall-mounted HD flatscreen TV in the family room and one older TV with an SD antenna, digital converter box, and DVD player in the playroom (used mostly to play DVD's for the kids - cable is NOT connected to it).

My wife has been asking for us to "cut the cable" for a while now, and as our cable bill increases, I'm inclined to agree with her request. I envision keeping the Cable Internet and adding Netflix and Hulu+. We live between Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD, so there is plenty of signal over-the-air around here. Our tv in the basement gets 20-30 channels (if you count the additional digital channels), including multiples (DC and Baltimore affiliates) of ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, and PBS, fairly consistently. According to antennaweb.org, I should be able to get 57 channels from 26 over-the-air stations (all < 30 miles away).

I'd also like to add, we are on a fairly tight budget at the moment.

My questions:

1) I have an XBOX 360, so can use that for the Netflix and Hulu+. I have the ESPN app on the XBOX, and I'm wondering that if I keep Comcast Internet and drop the cable, would I still have access to ESPN this way or WatchESPN on my tablet/phone? I can also get Amazon Instant video and have already been using that some.

2) Would an antenna like this - Indoor HD Antenna at Amazon - provide a decent signal if placed on the middle level of a 3-level townhome (I know a lot depends on the direction the signal is coming from, etc.)?

3) Is the antenna in #3 a decent one, or can someone recommend a good indoor HD antenna in the $25-$60 range (are any in this range decent?).

4) In addition to the Netflix, Hulu+, and potentially ESPN, are there any suggestions on other ways to get streaming video? I've heard AppleTV is pretty good. Can anyone comment on their experiences with this product? Also, how about Google Chromecast? Anybody try that yet?

5) I didn't see AMC on the Hulu+ network list, so I'd have to find another way to get "The Walking Dead". Season pass on Amazon? That's what I used when I was living out of a hotel when we moved up here.

6) Is there a way you can get HBOGo a la carte? Like just pay HBO directly for access and cut out the cable company from the process?

One thing that worries me is, with the end of net neutrality, the possibility that the cable companies will start limiting access to sources of streaming video if you don't have their cable TV service in addition to their Internet.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[JacksonDevilDog]

Apple TV for sure.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

Sports is the major problem. And if you dont stream from an ipad/phone, check out the Amazon TV box, it's 4x faster than an Apple TV (I have both). You can not get HBOGo a la carte, and your only option for ESPN is to steal it. Amazon Prime I don't think I see mentioned, and AMC may be on Prime now. I personally HATE Hulu, but that's because it pisses me off to pay for it and have to sit through commercials.

As for the antenna, you'll need a lot better than that. I've got either that one or very similar, and it gets a few channels but not all I'd like. In short summary, you won't get any ESPN, TNT, etc. for sports, nor NFL network or Red Zone. The Apple TV is great, and I'm also a big fan of the Amazon box, they are similar but Apple is better if you have Apple stuff.

 

[aTotal360]

I tried to cut the cord and failed. First of all, the WatchESPN is for people who PAY for ESPN. It's not an alternative, it's just an option for it's current cable subscribers. WatchESPN is not designed for people who don't pay for cable. It's for current subscribers that want an alternate way to consume their media. For some reason, people do not understand that. Same for HBOGo. It's made for it's current subscribers. And no, there isn't a digital only alternative.

The HD antennae works if you live in a area that isn't too far from the tower (up to 50 miles). If you live in a big city, get an unidirectional antennae. Get a directional antennae if you live out of town. Just like satellite, antennae are line of sight. You need a clear path in the direction of the tower. If you live in a south facing apartment and your towers are north of you, you're screwed.
Where are the closest towers? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT ([url]http://www.antennaweb.org/Address.aspx)[/URL]
Also, different antennae have different ranges. The more range an antennae has, the more expensive it will be.

If you family already has iPhones, I'd suggest AppleTV. If not, go with a Roku. As for what service to subscribe to, that's personal preference.

Keep in mind, if you put the time and effort into setting up a VPN and can get other people's login info, you can beat the system.

Lastly, if you are a sports fan, get ready to spend a lot of time at bars or friends' houses. If it's not on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox, you are potentially SOL.

 

[dickiedawg]

I've considered doing this as well, possibly just suspending my service until the fall to save a couple hundred bucks.

1. I'm pretty sure WatchESPN is based on your TV provider. So if you cut the cable, you'd have to find a way to "share" someone's login. I don't know what devices Amazon Instant Video is compatible with.

2. Can't really comment on 2 or 3.

4. Apple TV is awesome, but it's mostly just a way of displaying the content from these other providers. You can rent or buy movies from ITunes and play your existing iTunes content, but primarily you'd use it for the built-in apps OR displaying content from your iPhone or iPad.
My experience with Chromecast is awful. It's big selling point is that it's cheap- but all it really does is play content from your phone/tablet, and only within certain apps. Since you already watch Netflix/hulu on your xbox, it's really kind of pointless to you.

5.There's no AMC app on AppleTV, so if you're willing to buy the season past that sounds like a fine option.

6. I wouldn't think so.

 

[SanfordRJones]

It's not exactly legal, but there's always BitTorrent.

 

[o_BioDog]

It's looking like sports is going to be the issue with us (me). Up here in Maryland, we're likely to get Big10 or ACC and not SEC sports, so over-the-air won't help. Also, with no access to ESPN, that will further weaken the case for cutting the cable.

My father-in-law uses BitTorrent (or I should say "used" - UVerse asked him to stop) and saved all sorts of content to use on his Roku. When he came to visit us, he brought his laptop and watched some content with it over my wireless network through Comcast Internet. I got a letter a month later warning me not to stream content from "unauthorized sources" (they even listed the name of the show, "Law and Order", in the letter). I laughed because Law and Order was on about 10-12 times a day on USA Network when he was here.

I've also considered dropping the DVR and HD usage fee (which together cost about $30/month - in this day and age, I think an "HD usage fee" is a load of crap) and just using my XBOX to watch shows through the Xfinity On-Demand App or the HBOGo App. I usually watch my shows via DVR recordings - but On-Demand should be fine - just a day later. The sports will be trickier, but up here, I usually use my XBox or computer to watch MSU Sports, anyway, so I should be fine. I haven't had NFL network since I've been here and have grown used to not seeing my Titans play (which may be a good thing, given how lousy they've been the last few years). I don't care about the NBA, and my favorite baseball teams (O's and Nat's) are on locally (although I'd have to watch them in SD most of the time). I also get plenty of hockey (except my Preds), but am not a huge fan. I might even consider getting the HD Antenna just to have live broadcast shows in HD without having to wait for them to show up On-Demand, although, once again, I hardly ever watch live TV. At least the kids don't seem to care if it's in HD or SD, so their shows won't be affected.

On a side note, I had Starz and Showtime as part of my introductory package and cancelled them when it was over. I noticed (completely by accident) some time after my trial period was over that content from those channels was still available via On-Demand (and Showtime Anytime, oddly enough). I may consider cancelling HBO after GoT is over for this season and see if I can do the same with it. With my luck, though, I'll probably lose Showtime and Starz when I do that.

AppleTV probably isn't a good option since the only Apple product I own is an iPOD shuffle and I only use iTunes for that. If I keep the cable (minus HD and DVR), Hulu+ would become unnecessary, and Netflix, while adding loads of content, probably isn't worth the extra expense. Chromecast doesn't sound like a good option right now.

As with anything, I guess it's a trade-off with what is important to me vs. how much I'm willing to spend for said services.

 

[dickiedawg]

Just saw that Comcast has an internet option that allows HBO access, from this article dated October 2013.


http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-t...oadband-bundle-targeting-cord-cutters/#!U1dyZ

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

sort of, it also has cable included which is how it gets around it

 

[o_BioDog]

I may call and ask them about this... sounds like it may work for me, especially with Streampix and HBOGo included.

 

[The Peeper]

I "cut the cord" in my garage only. I have a $49.99 Roku and this antenna

(see link) I made out of a 1x4 and coat hangers for free. Out by the Reservoir in Brandon I get 16 channels on it in HD. That's all the major networks (Fox CBS NBC ABC The CW), a couple PBS channels, something called Create (crafts), a cooking channel, a PBS radio stream, a channel that shows old Adam 12's, Bonanza, etc, WAPT weather satellite. I have Netflix on the Roku too. Don't forget about YouTube for tv shows, a lot of old shows can be found on there and streamed through ROKU (YouTube just got a channel on Roku) or using TwonkyBeam app or just the YouTube channel although Twonky is better than the app in my opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

 

[Bdog9090]

The only solution to getting WatchESPN and HBOgo is to grab someone who is a paying subscriber's login and password. It's pretty commonly done everywhere in the country

 

[sipDawg98]

Long story short, I about cut my directv subscription but talked them down to 50 bucks for a year. Which I took. I did a bunch of research on it too because I was dead set on it. The only issue I knew I was going to run into was getting live sports. I have Apple TV and an Xbox 360. Both work great but weren't really going to provide a stable way for me to find SEC sports which is really all I care to watch.

So you'll have to weigh your options.

One thing you could do is use an old (or current) laptop/desktop and set it up through your tv. There are a few sites out there that let you watch live sports unofficially. That's what I had planned on doing. It's some work on the front end but again, if you're looking into cutting costs, it may be worth it. You'd have whatever you pick up from your antenna plus whatever you can get on the web for sports.

 

[Dawghouse]

Just to note. you can watch sports from espn, just not live sports. once it goes to replay you can watch it without having a cable subscription.

 

[fishwater99]

Have you looked at switching to U-verse, it's cheaper. And you won't get SEC Sports with Comcast anyway..

 

[jb1020]

We cut the cable 2 years ago

Couldn't be happier.

My wife pretty much doesn't watch anything and I just watch sports.

I'm lucky enough to have an ESPN login from my office to get all those channels. After that most sports I'd watch are on the networks.

the only things I can think of that i missed were maybe a few state basketball games on ESPN3 that were blacked out, the final four this year was on TNT, and then the NFL games on the NFL network. Most golf majors have their own apps now that you can watch.

I have an Apple TV for all this too. You can find decent TV on the networks these days. You'll look dumb when people make duck dynasty referneces and you don't have a clue what they're talking about.

 

[Dawghouse]

the only things I can think of that i missed were maybe a few state basketball games on ESPN3 that were blacked out,

Easy fix for this. Get hotspot shield. It's a free vpn service that will make it look like you are from a different area and the games will no longer be blacked out.

 

[InTheCellarNoMore]

The Walking Dead series is on NetFlix as is Breaking Bad. We just have an Xbox 360 in the living room and the new Roku Stick in the bedroom. You can get Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu (not a fan) on both the 360 and the Roku. The Roku stick is only $50 and just simply plugs directly into an HDMI port on your tv. Takes about 10 minutes to set it up. Other than sports we don't miss cable at all. If you can bum an email address and password from someone with Comcast or Directv you can watch most of the channels through apps on the Xbox and Roku.

 

[RocketDawg]

You don't really need an HD antenna. Basically any old antenna will do. I bought an old fashioned antenna at Radio Shack for $30, and had some problems. So I bought an HD antenna for over $100 and it doesn't work any better. It's spotty ... the signal must be on the ragged edge for me.

And I'm only about 10 miles from all the broadcast antennas. I've decided it's terrain and tree related. I live in a valley, and the antenna is in my attic. Lots of trees around. I suppose if I put it on a 100 foot pole outside it would work better, but that's not allowed in the neighborhood. I only use over-the-air as backup anyway.

I don't know a thing about Hulu and others, but if you only get OTA you're going to miss out on a lot of programming, especially sports, and news such as CNN and Fox, and lots of others. If you can live with that, go for it. But no MSU football in the fall.

 

[jb1020]

I've heard about that

Like I said, it was basketball...I didn't miss much.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Comcast has an internet and limited cable option for $50 per month. It includes a Watch ESPN and HBOgo subscription.