If you're close to NYC or PHL you can bring in the local stations with an indoor antenna.  I am 48 miles from the broadcast antennas in Philadelphia and I get all the stations with a homemade antenna in the attic and a decent RF amplifier.

Very handy for local news and info, especially if we lose internet or power.

16 minutes ago, leahcim said:

If you're close to NYC or PHL you can bring in the local stations with an indoor antenna.  I am 48 miles from the broadcast antennas in Philadelphia and I get all the stations with a homemade antenna in the attic and a decent RF amplifier.

Very handy for local news and info, especially if we lose internet or power.

You might like this

https://www.tablotv.com/

DVR or stream your OTA signals over Wi-Fi 

@Mrs.Zeke

let us please please do this!

5 hours ago, leahcim said:

If you're close to NYC or PHL you can bring in the local stations with an indoor antenna.  I am 48 miles from the broadcast antennas in Philadelphia and I get all the stations with a homemade antenna in the attic and a decent RF amplifier.

Very handy for local news and info, especially if we lose internet or power.

which antenna? 'cause the one I tried a couple months ago gets something like 1 channel. 

We've been pretty pleased in going from Comcast to YouTubeTV.  I will admit to missing the Discovery Channel and a couple others.

 

11 hours ago, 1LtCAP said:

which antenna? 'cause the one I tried a couple months ago gets something like 1 channel. 

I made one out of a 2×4 and metal hangers 

 Or this one is even better:  https://www.instructables.com/id/Build-the-Pennyloop-UHF-Antenna/

Added a decent RF amp (channel master 7777 our 7778), placed in attic and I get about 15-20+ channels (weather dependent).  And I am 48 miles from the antennas (located in Roxborough (https://billypenn.com/2015/10/05/those-giant-antennas-in-roxborough-the-secret-home-of-philadelphia-broadcasting-on-tv-and-radio/))

If I still had reception issues I'd look at a roof mounted rig such channel master Ultratenna 60 (https://www.channelmaster.com/Digital_HDTV_Outdoor_TV_Antenna_p/cm-4221hd.htm or one of their Yagi antennas.

https://www.channelmaster.com/Cord_Cutting_Guide_a/332.htm

For vectors to your best stations check;

 https://nocable.org or http://www.tvfool.com

 

I should check that out.  But it is tough to change since we have the triple-play and extra DVR and landlines.  I must admit that Fios with 1gb internet is faaaar superior to Comcast  until they ran the fiber through my area.    Comcast used to go down every few weeks for some reason.  So we would call and be told they wouldn't send out a tech to the street unless 3 different households reported the same problem.  It was unbelievable.

 

Fios has been good.  At the same price point, we get a true 700-800mbps internet (from the speedtest sites).   Ijust like to plop down and flip on the tv without navigating stuff.

 

Sad point about new versus existing customers...I had the same discussion with T-Mob about our 4-line cell account.  I pay twice what they advertise for new accounts, and they told me to pound sand when I asked about it.  Been a customer for 25 years.  I would swith to Metro for half but need to herd the cats and get their phones in hand to affect the change.  Hard to do 800 miles away.

On 1/12/2019 at 12:06 AM, 1LtCAP said:

which antenna? 'cause the one I tried a couple months ago gets something like 1 channel. 

We have @ 80 channels you should get “ on air”. Granted a lot are foreign language and repeats. But 3-6-10-12-29 should come through easy 

https://antennaweb.org/

2 hours ago, Zeke said:

We have @ 80 channels you should get “ on air”. Granted a lot are foreign language and repeats. But 3-6-10-12-29 should come through easy 

https://antennaweb.org/

Yeah, I get 15-20 broadcast channels, but each one has between 2-5 subchannels (e.g. ABC Main Feed is on 6.1, Live Well is 6.2, and Laff is 6.3)  So it is probably 50-60 total channels.

I gotta get that tablo though

Just now, leahcim said:

Yeah, I get 15-20 broadcast channels, but each one has between 2-5 subchannels (e.g. ABC Main Feed is on 6.1, Live Well is 6.2, and Laff is 6.3)  So it is probably 50-60 total channels.

I gotta get that tablo though

I’m thinking more commercial antennas. But we’ve been discussing it for a couple years 

18 hours ago, AlDente67 said:

Fios has been good.  At the same price point, we get a true 700-800mbps internet (from the speedtest sites).   Ijust like to plop down and flip on the tv without navigating stuff.

 

Sad point about new versus existing customers...I had the same discussion with T-Mob about our 4-line cell account.  I pay twice what they advertise for new accounts, and they told me to pound sand when I asked about it.  Been a customer for 25 years.  I would swith to Metro for half but need to herd the cats and get their phones in hand to affect the change.  Hard to do 800 miles away.

Wish I could get FIOS, only choice is Comcast.  Adequate, but quite slow compared to FIOS, and uploads only 5MBPS???

Check out Mint mobile--reseller (MVNO) running on T-Mobile.  I am paying $15 for 2GB/Month ($20 for 5GB)  http://fbuy.me/lwK-2

T-Mobile coverage is not great out here, but neither is Verizon or AT&T.  ANd I am usually on wifi at home anyway.

4 minutes ago, Zeke said:

I’m thinking more commercial antennas. But we’ve been discussing it for a couple years 

Since we started streaming we just do not watch that much broadcast tv.  Big Bang is probably the only show we watch regularly OTA.  Used to watch NHK World quite a bit OTA, but now I just stream that also.

20 minutes ago, leahcim said:

Since we started streaming we just do not watch that much broadcast tv.  Big Bang is probably the only show we watch regularly OTA.  Used to watch NHK World quite a bit OTA, but now I just stream that also.

Can any of you cable cutters meet my wife at ladies night at TTC. Thanks in advance!

5 hours ago, Zeke said:

Can any of you cable cutters meet my wife at ladies night at TTC. Thanks in advance!

When is ladies night? 

Just IM me or call me.  It's easy, especiallyif you use one of the streaming services to replace cable tv.

Check out Cord Cutting Tech Support.  Think they have a website in addition to a FB group.  Very informative.

Don't over think it.  It's very easy....well, except for convincing the wife.  Lol.

Website:

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/updated-cord-cutting-101-beginners-guide-cord-cutting/

 

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CordCuttingTechSupport/?ref=share

8 hours ago, gleninjersey said:

Website:

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/updated-cord-cutting-101-beginners-guide-cord-cutting/

 

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CordCuttingTechSupport/?ref=share

These are all excellent resources.  This has gotten so easy compared to when I first did it and even when Glen did it.  There are literally dozens of streaming services now with new ones being added every day.  No one service is right for everyone, you need to look at what features you want and what you are willing to pay.  Also look for deals on streaming devices.  When I got into it Direct TVNow was giving free AppleTVs when you paid for three months up front.  SlingTV was giving free RoKu streaming sticks.  Timing is everything here.  The nice thing is all these services are month to month, so if you don't like the service you can drop it and change at will with no penalties.

1 hour ago, Howard said:

These are all excellent resources.  This has gotten so easy compared to when I first did it and even when Glen did it.  There are literally dozens of streaming services now with new ones being added every day.  No one service is right for everyone, you need to look at what features you want and what you are willing to pay.  Also look for deals on streaming devices.  When I got into it Direct TVNow was giving free AppleTVs when you paid for three months up front.  SlingTV was giving free RoKu streaming sticks.  Timing is everything here.  The nice thing is all these services are month to month, so if you don't like the service you can drop it and change at will with no penalties.

Agreed, one group of IPTV streaming services that this article does not cover are the ones like vaderstreams, gears tv, nitro ect..
Here are some links for those: 

GearsTV: https://www.gearstvhd.com/

Nitro: https://iptvnitro.com/

VaderStreams: https://www.vaderstreams.com/

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, carl_g said:

Agreed, one group of IPTV streaming services that this article does not cover are the ones like vaderstreams, gears tv, nitro ect..
Here are some links for those: 

GearsTV: https://www.gearstvhd.com/

Nitro: https://iptvnitro.com/

VaderStreams: https://www.vaderstreams.com/

 

That would probably be because those folks are pirating content and then charging you for it. Two of them even encroach on trademarks of others to present themselves. 

If you like the content you watch, and want more of it, these outlets are helping to ensure that doesn't happen. 

You are also, in a fairly traceable manner, engaging in a an activity that is definitely illegal for the provider, and a couple court cases away from being definitely illegal for the consumer. The weight of the house of mouse, comcast/nbc/universal, etc. are working hard on the side that will make the consumption of a pirated stream very clearly illegal. 

If for any reason it does not work or live up to what they say, you have zero recourse. You are out your money. This really isn't that different from the legitimate over the top IP streaming options, but there is more reason for it to cease working. 

You guys do what you want. I'm just making sure your decisions are informed. 

1 hour ago, raz-0 said:

That would probably be because those folks are pirating content and then charging you for it. Two of them even encroach on trademarks of others to present themselves. 

If you like the content you watch, and want more of it, these outlets are helping to ensure that doesn't happen. 

You are also, in a fairly traceable manner, engaging in a an activity that is definitely illegal for the provider, and a couple court cases away from being definitely illegal for the consumer. The weight of the house of mouse, comcast/nbc/universal, etc. are working hard on the side that will make the consumption of a pirated stream very clearly illegal. 

If for any reason it does not work or live up to what they say, you have zero recourse. You are out your money. This really isn't that different from the legitimate over the top IP streaming options, but there is more reason for it to cease working. 

You guys do what you want. I'm just making sure your decisions are informed. 

I totally agree with what you have said. I am just putting the info out there. These are good services that have been around for a long time. They may go away tomorrow or they may be around for 10 more years... who knows.

Ugh.....

Cablevision bill went up again..... $165 for pretty basic tv package and internet.....

I am seriously thinking of trying Direct TV Now.....  I already have a Fire Stick that I can use to stream it to the tv....

Anyone using Direct TV Now ? 

For $55 I get all the channels I need..... seems like the best service that fits what I watch.... 

33 minutes ago, 67gtonut said:

Ugh.....

Cablevision bill went up again..... $165 for pretty basic tv package and internet.....

I am seriously thinking of trying Direct TV Now.....  I already have a Fire Stick that I can use to stream it to the tv....

Anyone using Direct TV Now ? 

For $55 I get all the channels I need..... seems like the best service that fits what I watch.... 

I finally got the wife switched over to Hulu + Live TV.   You get the "Cloud DVR" function with that service level. Net monthly savings of around $80.00

We also have Netflix and Amazon prime, but we had those with cable anyway.

Our internet comes from the phone company so we don't need any cable any longer.

36 minutes ago, 67gtonut said:

Anyone using Direct TV Now ? 

For $55 I get all the channels I need..... seems like the best service that fits what I watch.... 

Ive had it for a year or so. It works well. Sometimes the stream gets dorked and the channel reselected. The interface is ok but harder to manipulate with Firestick/AppleTV minimal remotes. 

Bug thing is finding internet service. Here I’d still need Xfinity and that could be $100/month. Cheaper than their triple play but still a Pita

I called Xfinity the other day to downgrade our package... get rid of the phone and cable TV pieces. They told me just the Internet portion of what I have now would be $90 plus modem “rental”. New customers could get 3x the bandwidth for $80 but that offer isn’t available for existing customers. Unfortunately there aren’t any other options for Internet unless I want Satillite or DSL which only gets me 30Mbps.  Compared with 250 or 70Mbps with Xfinity.  Pretty frustrating. 

Following this thread, want to look into this for sure. 

On 2/13/2019 at 8:40 AM, voyager9 said:

I called Xfinity the other day to downgrade our package... get rid of the phone and cable TV pieces. They told me just the Internet portion of what I have now would be $90 plus modem “rental”. New customers could get 3x the bandwidth for $80 but that offer isn’t available for existing customers. Unfortunately there aren’t any other options for Internet unless I want Satillite or DSL which only gets me 30Mbps.  Compared with 250 or 70Mbps with Xfinity.  Pretty frustrating. 

Depending on how many people are in your household and how many streaming devices are being used 30 Mbps could be enough. 

I think Hulu only requires 8-10 Mbps.  Other streaming services are probably around the same.

Also do a speed test of what you are actually getting.  I recently read that almost all internet providers say "up to" X Mbps.  Doesn't meaning you are actually getting that speed.  I tested mine and was shocked.to see I was only getting speeds of high 20s to mid 30s.  And we stream two tv's and at least 3-4 devices.

Also don't be afraid.to call your cable company and tell them you want the same deal they are giving new customers.  I did exactly that when I saw I was only getting 25 Mbps and paying for 100.  Told them why should I be paying you $80 For 25 Mbps when Verizon DSL is $20 a .month for 15 Mbps.  They gave me the $40 month price they give new customers.  And I'll be buying my own modem so I can stop paying them $10 a month for their modem rental.  

You don't need hundreds of Mbps to just do streaming TV.

We only had 15mbit dsl for years.  Netflix and Hulu were fine.   In the last 6 months, we got upgraded to 30mbit.  We are a streaming only house now.    We are usually one stream but occasionally two.   No issues 

On 2/13/2019 at 8:40 AM, voyager9 said:

I called Xfinity the other day to downgrade our package... get rid of the phone and cable TV pieces. They told me just the Internet portion of what I have now would be $90 plus modem “rental”. New customers could get 3x the bandwidth for $80 but that offer isn’t available for existing customers. Unfortunately there aren’t any other options for Internet unless I want Satillite or DSL which only gets me 30Mbps.  Compared with 250 or 70Mbps with Xfinity.  Pretty frustrating. 

It's tough to negotiate a deal if there is no competition in the area. I have Xfinity and they're charging me 160 a month for a package just to get Disney Junior and Nick Junior, both are included in a basic package through Fios for 79.99 a month. I saw a Verizon van running wire on the main road I'm off of. I so hope it's Fios...

On 2/18/2019 at 9:06 AM, ChrisJM981 said:

It's tough to negotiate a deal if there is no competition in the area. I have Xfinity and they're charging me 160 a month for a package just to get Disney Junior and Nick Junior, both are included in a basic package through Fios for 79.99 a month. I saw a Verizon van running wire on the main road I'm off of. I so hope it's Fios...

FYI - Verizon stopped rolling out FIOS some time ago I believe.  They stopped building it out.  

 

I finally just called and shed Xfinity services even if there wasn’t a deal. Went from TV/Phone/Internet to just Internet with the same bandwidth. Bill went from $289 to $108. 

5 hours ago, voyager9 said:

I finally just called and shed Xfinity services even if there wasn’t a deal. Went from TV/Phone/Internet to just Internet with the same bandwidth. Bill went from $289 to $108. 

Congrats.  Easy right? 

I hope the $108 includes a streaming service or two and isn't just your cost for internet.