Ruku vs Chromecast and cutting the cord

[Harold Mansfield]

I've been contemplating this idea of cutting the cord. Getting rid of cable TV. Right now I pay about $220 a month for cable and internet. Most of that is internet at $120 a month. However, for 150mbps I'm not complaining about that.

To me on the TV thing, it's principle. I don't have any premium channels. Just basic. So the idea of paying for commercial TV irritates me.

Ruku announced recently a new streaming stick ( like Chromecast) with access to 1200 channels of programming. http://www.roku.com/

Far more than Chromecast offers Chromecast (http://www.google.com/intl/en-US/chrome/devices/chromecast/), and the reviews on Roku have been great over the years. People seem to really like it. On reviews and benchmark tests CNET, and others rate the Roku superior to Chromecast.

Additionally, some of the channels that they offer I want anyway, and would be an upgrade to my current cable plan..basically paying for more channels that I don't want to advertise to me, just to get the 1 or 2 more that I do want.

That's another thing that's BS to me about cable. Why do I have to take 15 Hispanic channels that are in a language that I don't speak, and 25 other channels that I don't want, just to get The Big 10 Network?

So I'm going to do the test. The Roku won't ship until sometime in April. And I just ordered a digital antenna. If I can get local stations crystal clear with the antenna (which many people in the area keep telling me I can), and the Roku is as great as the other Roku products....I'm ditching cable TV.

I already have Netflix, and Amazon Prime accounts. Even if I add a Hulu Plus account and one more, it's still cheaper than cable. But it's more than that.
Even if I pay for $50 a month of upgrades or premium channels via Roku...I'm getting premium channels. As opposed to $80 a month with cable and no premium channels and commercials.


Anyone else ever contemplated cutting the cord from the cable company?

[justin-coreassistance]

We haven't had cable TV for years. We watch everything via iTunes (purchasing current TV shows, mostly) and Netflix via Apple TV. Even with the iTunes season passes it's a lot less than even basic cable would be, but we also don't watch a ton of TV, and we don't care about sports.

Nothing much else springs to mind, simply because we've had this set up for so long I no longer really think about it. If you have any questions for me just ask!

[Harold Mansfield]

I do care about sports, but during football season I'm usually at the bar on Sunday mornings watching the Lions. Fantasy Football would be tough without at least local TV reception. That would be a deal breaker for me and I'd be forced to keep cable TV.

[justin-coreassistance]

It may not be the same where you live, but around here if you have your Internet through the cable company you also get local channels for free as well. Might be an alternative if the antenna doesn't work out for you.

[Harold Mansfield]

I have my internet through the cable company, and there is nothing for free. That would be nice though.

[Harold Mansfield]

There's finally a shipment date!

Just got an email alert that the new Roku Streaming stick will arrive on March 31st. Can't wait.

[billbenson]

I have three tv's. bedroom living room and office. My wife watches the Spanish language channels constantly so I would think it would be hard to give up for her.

My office tv which is also my main monitor doesn't have a cable box. I really don't watch that much tv so other than the news I could do without cable in my office.

I have netflix and hulu. Their online programs are somewhat limited so for our household that wouldn't be sufficient. If I was single it would be just fine.

The local cable network also has a pretty good news channel which is good.

A point of concern is that some ISP's are intentionally slowing down speeds from Netflix and others. Verizon is one of the primary offenders. It's kind of funny because Verizon has gone through my area and put in fiber to the curb. Their pitch is that they have the fastest network speed. Yet they are intentionally choking down Netflix. What good is the fastest network speed if all you get are faster refreshes from Yahoo?

[Brian Altenhofel]

We haven't had cable TV service in 7 years (cable is not available where we live). We haven't had over-the-air TV in 5 years (digital signals don't travel as far as analog signals). And I can't justify $275+/mo for satellite just to see my NASCAR races.

That said, I have no problem winning my fantasy football and NASCAR leagues every year. Yeah, I'm that guy in the league who isn't a big football fan and plays with a set of proprietary spreadsheets and somehow keeps winning everything...

[Harold Mansfield]

I have netflix and hulu. Their online programs are somewhat limited so for our household that wouldn't be sufficient. If I was single it would be just fine.

I can see where you can't get away with it when you have others in the house.


A point of concern is that some ISP's are intentionally slowing down speeds from Netflix and others. Verizon is one of the primary offenders. It's kind of funny because Verizon has gone through my area and put in fiber to the curb. Their pitch is that they have the fastest network speed. Yet they are intentionally choking down Netflix. What good is the fastest network speed if all you get are faster refreshes from Yahoo?

I've read about this for a while now. Thank God Cox cable isn't doing such shenanigans. Netflix and Amazon are barking up a storm over this and attacking Verizon for singling them for failure in order to promote their own content. Which is exactly what they are doing.

I can't wait to see this battle. Verizon vs. Netflix and Amazon? No way Verizon wins. All Netflix and Amazon have to do is discontinue service to Verizon customers, citing that Verizon's network isn't advanced enough to offer the quality needed to enjoy their service, and all hell would break loose.

Verizon would have to cave.

Or they'll screw around and Amazon will buy a cable company and start going after them for market share. Google is already in the picture and even though it's only in limited areas, the speed is faster and the rates cheaper. Now is not the time for a DSL company to be messing around and limiting people's access.



That said, I have no problem winning my fantasy football and NASCAR leagues every year. Yeah, I'm that guy in the league who isn't a big football fan and plays with a set of proprietary spreadsheets and somehow keeps winning everything...

Since you mentioned Fantasy, got a pretty good record myself. 2 Championships in a row in one league. This past season I had a 307 point week. As far as I know, it's the most ever in the history of Yahoo Fantasy Football. It was almost better than winning the Championship.

[nealrm]

We dropped satellite a while back and don't miss it. We get what we need through over the air and Roku. The last TV we purchased was even Roku enabled, so we don't need a second remote.

[Harold Mansfield]

Maybe Verizon has some kind of plan up their sleeve. If Apple is doing this, maybe there's other sticking and moving going on.

Apple and Comcast in talks to Create Priority TV streaming:
Apple and Comcast in Talks to Create Priority TV Streaming Service | Entrepreneur.com (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232441)

[Brian Altenhofel]

This past season I had a 307 point week. As far as I know, it's the most ever in the history of Yahoo Fantasy Football. It was almost better than winning the Championship.

Not too bad. Best I had was 301.

I do have a curse, though. If there is a woman in the league, nothing goes right for me. At all.

We had a guy in one league last year that had a curse of every quarterback he started got injured - usually early in the first quarter.

[Harold Mansfield]

Looks like my plan is in Jeopardy. I attached a digital antenna and bupkiss . I did manage to pull around 13 channels over the air (Which I do not get on cable), some digital, but none of the local network affiliates (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX). I did get a weak PBS signal though.

Half of what I could pull were Spanish language, and half of them had crystal clear digital signals.

I am surrounded by tall trees. Not sure if that has anything to do with it in 2014.

[Brian Altenhofel]

I am surrounded by tall trees. Not sure if that has anything to do with it in 2014.

That's likely your problem. You need a higher gain antenna and/or a mast to get above or through the trees.

By the way, you don't need to pay extra for a "digital" or "HD" antenna. Radio waves aren't digital or high definition - just the data that is sent over them. Think of it as how SSL packets are wrapped, except in this case digital data is being wrapped inside an analog signal. Say you have digital channels 41-1, 41-2, and 41-4. All three are transmitted over Channel 41, but the decoder in either the TV or decoder box (if your TV is actually old enough to not handle digital decoding - our TV from 2006 does digital, and it was a low-end Walmart model) is what actually says "this data packet belongs to 41-1, this one to 41-2, etc."

Also, due to packet loss and latency tolerance, digital channels are more temperamental than analog channels were about distance, obstructions, weather, and reflections.

If you go to AntennaWeb - Address (http://www.antennaweb.org/Address.aspx) and enter your address (and even better, move the placemarker to your actual location), you can find out exactly what channels are available in which direction and what antenna color code is estimated to be required to pull in a usable signal. From what I hear, it's generally a good idea to go the next level up to be sure that most variables can be mitigated.

[Harold Mansfield]

That's likely your problem. You need a higher gain antenna and/or a mast to get above or through the trees.

By the way, you don't need to pay extra for a "digital" or "HD" antenna. Radio waves aren't digital or high definition - just the data that is sent over them. Think of it as how SSL packets are wrapped, except in this case digital data is being wrapped inside an analog signal. Say you have digital channels 41-1, 41-2, and 41-4. All three are transmitted over Channel 41, but the decoder in either the TV or decoder box (if your TV is actually old enough to not handle digital decoding - our TV from 2006 does digital, and it was a low-end Walmart model) is what actually says "this data packet belongs to 41-1, this one to 41-2, etc."

I have a newer TV now. Just replaced a pre-flatscreen, tubed behemoth that I've been patching components onto since Bush was elected. I got a cheap antenna and apparently it's not good enough. Without even that though, I can't pick up anything over the air.


If you go to AntennaWeb - Address (http://www.antennaweb.org/Address.aspx) and enter your address (and even better, move the placemarker to your actual location), you can find out exactly what channels are available in which direction and what antenna color code is estimated to be required to pull in a usable signal. From what I hear, it's generally a good idea to go the next level up to be sure that most variables can be mitigated.

That is good information. Thanks.

Looks like to pull this off I'll have to get serious about the antenna, and find a way to mount it outside, up high.

[billbenson]

I'm not familiar with the technology you are using, but you should be able to find a directional antenna and get better service. Omnidirectional antennas pick up signals from all horizontal directions. They pick up signals poorly from below and above the antenna. Directional antennas which are typically parabolic but there are other directional designs as well, pick up signals from a particular direction and have a much higher gain. This results in a much lower signal to noise ratio and effectively acts as a large amplifier.

I'm not sure if this is applicable to the tv signals you are trying to receive, but it is certainly applicable to wifi in your house.

[Harold Mansfield]

Well. the Roku came 2 days early on the 29th and I've been playing with it for a couple of days now. It's pretty nice.
There's a lot of content channels and apps to explore, but so far I've been pretty impressed and happy with the tech offerings, Revision3 Tech Crunch, c|net, TechSmart, Twit, Tech Crunch, Blip TV. All good stuff.

There's so much more that I've added to "My Channels" that will take me months to explore. There's a Kung Fu movie channel that I'll probably check out this weekend. And another that is all Monster movies.Quite a few horror movie channels. Channels for conspiracy theory buffs. UFO buffs. Car Buffs. Cooking. Fitness. It's a really nice expansion of traditional TV.

A lot of the channels are free. Actually most of them. The paid stand out besides the obvious movie services are MLB.TV. It requires a subscription, where as the NBA and NHL channels don't. But there's lots of regional sports channels too (SEC, Lakers, Universities). Hoping The Big Ten Network gets with the program.

Amazing that Amazon just launched their foray into streaming devices today. Called FireTV. It's $99 and has some gaming. Amazon Competes with Chomecast, Apple TV and Roku , Launches Fire TV (http://whiskeyandbacon.co/amazon-joins-chomecast-apple-tv-roku-streaming-media-launches-fire-tv/)

But as far as content, not as much as Ruku. You could feasibly live on it alone if you weren't attached to certain cable stations. There's more than enough entertainment choices. Far more than basic cable.

[Harold Mansfield]

Getting closer to actually being able to cut the cord. I still haven't found a decent antenna that can pick up through these trees that are surrounding me, however, Hulu Plus looks like a good way to catch any network shows that I like to watch.

So, I have Roku which has over 1000 channels of programming, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu Plus, and now have my laptop and an Xbox One hooked up.
Entertainment wise I'm all set, however, the lingering issue that I can't find a solution for is being able to watch College and Pro Football games this upcoming season.

NFL live only offers replays via an app or online, and Sunday Ticket is only available to Direct TV customers. There is no stand alone app or online access for streaming NFL games.
The Big Ten Network does offer online access for ether $14.95 a mo. or $119 per year, so I do have that option for Michigan games.

I may have to continue looking for a digital antenna solution to pick up the local stations so that I can get football when I'm home watching the games.

[Freelancier]

I may have to continue looking for a digital antenna solution to pick up the local stations so that I can get football when I'm home watching the games.Can you attach the antenna to the top of one of the trees or get a really tall pole and attach it to that? Don't remember if you rent or own... if you own, then you just have to make sure there's no HOA telling you what you can't do on your own property.

[Harold Mansfield]

Can you attach the antenna to the top of one of the trees or get a really tall pole and attach it to that? Don't remember if you rent or own... if you own, then you just have to make sure there's no HOA telling you what you can't do on your own property.
I live in a condo complex, so I do have a few rules. A pole isn't going to do it, and the immediate trees around me aren't taller than the other trees that are too far away to run a line from.

Many people have Direct TV dishes here, either on their balconies or running off a main dish on the roof. I'm thinking the roof is were I need to be since my balcony is surrounded by trees. It's definitely going to take a bigger solution than the average consumer antenna.

I don't talk to my neighbors much, but I'm going to start asking around. I'm sure there has to be someone around here who doesn't have cable or satellite.

[Freelancier]

You will definitely need to approach your condo association if you want to put something on the roof. You might want to make sure all your neighbors are on board so that there's no obvious contention when you talk with the association. You might even offer to pay for the basic install and let anyone access it provided they pay for the splitters and signal boosters that might be needed. A nice trick might be to see if you can tap the antenna into the existing cable wiring for the building, so that you can take the antenna to the junction box, then go to any unit in the building from there without disturbing existing wiring.

[billbenson]

I sold wifi antennas for a company 14 years ago. I'm pretty sure a parabolic antenna is still going to be your highest gain antenna. You can also add amplifiers although the legal power is limited. Still, its a line of site technology. You aren't going to get much signal through a forest.

[billbenson]

For others that may have wifi signal problems in their house, here's a little bit of antenna trivia. The stick antennas that come with just about everything are omnidirectional antennas. That means they transmit and receive from all directions horizontally. They have a lobe directly below them that has reception and have some vertical reception / transmission. They are ideal for placement in a single story home in the center of the house. In most cases you will get reasonable reception on the second story of a two story house. Because the signal is being sent and received from every direction, the gain (gain == signal strength in this case) from any direction is lower.

If you have a single story house and the router is located on one side of the house, you can change the stick antennas with a directional antenna. Think of it as yelling in a football field (omnidirectional) v.s.using a megaphone (directional). It will give you a much stronger signal on the first floor. Probably not a good solution for two story house although you can point it in any direction you like.

An additional benefit to directional antennas is that there is very little signal outside of the direction of the antenna. That means neighbors outside of the path and people on the street won't get much signal to hack into your network.

Again, my information is from when I was in that industry 14 years ago. I doubt much has changed though.