Cutting the cord
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About 2 months ago I decided to show Verizon the door and cut the cord. I was so fed up with taxes, bs fees and equipment charges that I happily accepted $200 termination fee (they still haven't charged it). I live in the area with poor OTA signals, so my choices were limited.
We decided to get Sling TV with a couple of add-on packages and CBS all access. After 2 months I have to say I'm really disappointed with Sling. Service reliability and quality is really poor. I don't think it even broadcasts in 720p, despite me having plenty of bandwidth - I have 100Mbit at home. The idea is great, channel selection is not too bad, but after 2 outages last night and night before, I can't justify paying for it anymore. CBS all access surprisingly works great, with 0 outages, and awesome picture and sound quality.
So I did some digging yesterday, and discovered that I can get Playstation Vue, despite living outside of major city where it's available. And coincidentally Sony announced yesterday it is available on Amazon Fire TV and stick, so I don't even have to buy PS 3 or 4 to get it.
I was also trying to get Time Warner TV on Roku, but their beta program, and probably final service, is only available to their internet customers. And their internet service is much much slower and more expensive that FiOS. So no luck there.
In the end, Sling with add-ons (44 channels) and CBS costs me $41 plus a few bucks sales tax I guess, Playstation Vue starts at $50 for 52 channels, and I didn't see any taxes or fees.
Does anybody use Playstation Vue? How's the quality and reliability? I'd love to keep Sling, but it feels more like beta, or even alpha service at this time. -
I've been running Sling on my Roku 3 for several months and haven't had any problems that weren't my own fault, lol.
Do you know if Vue will be available on the Roku any time soon?
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I hate when companies choose similar names.
I have been a longtime user of SlingBox and always think of that first when people mention Sling TV.
I have not used Sling and have no plans to. All you are doing is trading providers with this service. I have an solid antenna and my own DVR (a crappy cheap one, but it works).
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@dafyre No idea.
I had outages in September, a few minor ones in October, complete outage 2 days ago, and a few channels last night. And every time Sling claims outages affect small percentage of customers. Too bad I'm in that small percentage every time, despite having better internet connection than probably 99% of US population. -
@JaredBusch said:
I hate when companies choose similar names.
I have been a longtime user of SlingBox and always think of that first when people mention Sling TV.
I have not used Sling and have no plans to. All you are doing is trading providers with this service. I have an solid antenna and my own DVR (a crappy cheap one, but it works).
Correct, but no taxes, fees or equipment rentals. And it's much cheaper than traditional providers.
Sadly, antenna is not an option for me. Poor signals, or none at all, and my landlords wouldn't be too happy if I put 15 foot pole on top of the roof. -
Huzzah! Death to television everywhere. Been without for almost a decade and I have zero regrets.
I get outside more, read more books and generally am happier without the zombification screen.
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I cut the cord in the 1990s.
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I dropped my satellite service almost 2 years ago and haven't even considered it since.
I pick up OTA channels, have my Channel Master DVR so I can record shows I might otherwise miss, and everything else is viewable online.
Often for free on the channels' website.
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What is everyone (who has one) using for a DVR? I'm considering moving to over the air only.
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@Dashrender sonarr + couchpotato + transmission + plex
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@Dashrender said:
What is everyone (who has one) using for a DVR? I'm considering moving to over the air only.
I am using a cheap HomeWorx. For the very little recording I wanted, it was a good enough solution. It is really lacking in features and for someone who really wants solid DVR, I would not recommend it.
I just reviewed the ChannelMaster website that @DustinB3403 mentioned. That looks like a really solid DVR. Not liking the price though.
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@Dashrender said:
What is everyone (who has one) using for a DVR? I'm considering moving to over the air only.
piratebay + slave torrent box + vlc streamer
edit: vlc streamer is one of the only apps I've ever paid for and SERIOUSLY enjoy.
http://hobbyistsoftware.com/vlcstreamer -
@MattSpeller said:
@Dashrender said:
What is everyone (who has one) using for a DVR? I'm considering moving to over the air only.
piratebay + slave torrent box + vlc streamer
- Membership in a private tracker.
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I bought the $249 unit, and a $60 1TB USB 3.0 drive and saved my self $90 bucks.
Was worth it when I was comparing it to buying a TV Tuner card, and the board etc to run everything on. It really does work quite well.
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I haven't have cable in 10 years . All OTA since then.
I've recently picked up Roku 3 and am using Hulu and Sling TV. Hulu I plan on keeping and it works great. SlingTV constantly have problems and complains about my internet connection when the connection is fine. I don't know if it's some fight between Sling and Comcast or what.
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@MattSpeller said:
@Dashrender said:
What is everyone (who has one) using for a DVR? I'm considering moving to over the air only.
piratebay + slave torrent box + vlc streamer
edit: vlc streamer is one of the only apps I've ever paid for and SERIOUSLY enjoy.
http://hobbyistsoftware.com/vlcstreamerI'm with JaredBush on this, stay away from piratebay and kickass. Quality is just poor, and you're risking a letter from your ISP, or worse. Stay with private trackers. Or invest in offshore seedbox and vpn.
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@marcinozga as a Canadian I have different rules, but that's a very valid point.
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@MattSpeller said:
@marcinozga as a Canadian I have different rules, but that's a very valid point.
ISP or some 3 letter gov agencies don't chase you there for torrenting?
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@marcinozga not like you southerners. Most I've ever gotten is a nasty letter from my ISP saying I'm a bad person and should feel bad. Zero consequences.
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I have a private tracker.
@DustinB3403 said:
I bought the $249 unit, and a $60 1TB USB 3.0 drive and saved my self $90 bucks.
Was worth it when I was comparing it to buying a TV Tuner card, and the board etc to run everything on. It really does work quite well.
You bought what?
