Cable cutters

tonyb

Figured that pal, but let me ask you this.....I can use a different router that the crap Comcast has, right ? Least I avoid the rental fee's for that.

monepolk

You may even be able to by a cable modem, if they're still charging rental for that.

tonyb

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Fire-TV-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B00U3FPN4U

I wasn't aware that the newer version of Fire tv is 4k compatible, has a faster processor and the newer wifi AC designation. The last 2 combined makes for less buffering issues that a lot of these boxes suffer from.

Dennis Gardner

25Mbs is required for 4k streaming for each stream. I don't even have a reliable internet service in my locale that can provide that type of speed yet. I am also 130 miles from the broadcast stations, so I'm thankful for an $80 cable rate for basic + tier until something changes.

Paradoxex

tonyb wrote: »

Paradoxex wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

Eh, I'm not too concerned about them tracking how many episodes of Ray Donovan I watched. Now Preacher, that show is whacked. lol

I can probably live with OTA HD channels if I can get just HBO and Showtime. I can't though without the cable box, the added HD fee's/taxes, rental fee's.

I'm thinking maybe just an OTA Antenna and a jailbroken box, done. Anything wrong with that scenario ? I still have to pay for an internet connection though.

This just is not true. HBO can be bought via subscription, and showtime is a Hulu add on service. I mean, you dismissed it as garbage though, so...

HBO Now, and Hulu with Showtime.

I meant for free, not buying it. If hulu has the same commercials during Showtime shows, forgettaboutit.

Just a few clarifications:

1. Hulu with Showtime is commercial free for $16 a month.
2. You can bring your own cable modem onto Comcast, just make sure it's DOCSIS 3.0 compatible. The surfboard modem someone recommended previously worked for me when I had Comcast a year ago. Once you get to the half-year point of renting a modem, it's better just to buy (depending on the cost of the modem, of course).
3. Is Verizon an option for internet? My experiences with them have been vastly superior to Comcast in the VA/DC/MD area. Plus if you switch providers, you can more easily get an advantageous rate.


All that said, the Amazon Fire may be the easiest option. Given what you are paying now, there's a lot of room for savings.

Jimbo18

Tony, if you are going to look at the Fire TV (4K version) then look at the Roku 4 also. Same kind of cost and easily as fast. Better interfaces on things like Netflix and HBO Now and way more apps available.

If you want Kodi, however, you can't add that to the Roku, only the Fire TV box, Fire Stick, Raspberry Pi or android box. Or to a computer and cast it to the Roku or Fire TV.

tonyb

Yeah guys, I'm trying to discern the differences between the Roku 4 and Fire tv. The fire tv has voice command which is a plus.

Just a thought.....and tell me if I'm off base here. Since my TV is internet based, can't I just order HBO GO and Showtime and stream those 2 services by way of an app ? Or is it better to just get a box that is made specifically for that purpose ?

D'prived

The biggest difference between Roku and FireTV is that FireTV is android based. You have ALOT more options as to what you can install on the FireTV. I have had both and IMO FireTV is the best between the two.

Paradoxex

You have a Sony 850c?

Then yes, most likely you can get those apps on your TV. Sony TVs are android based, meaning they don't rely on TV mfgs or vendor developers to exclusively create the apps.

EndersShadow

tonyb wrote: »

Just a thought.....and tell me if I'm off base here. Since my TV is internet based, can't I just order HBO GO and Showtime and stream those 2 services by way of an app ? Or is it better to just get a box that is made specifically for that purpose ?

Good thought on that Tony. If your TV has that app built in then you can use it. The problem is most smart TV's come preloaded with apps A/B/C/D and thats it. I dont think (and I could be wrong here) they have app stores or the ability to add channels like the Roku and Fire TV. So what is there is whats there with no ability to add or remove stuff....

tonyb

Can't you do that with Google play store ? Every device has that these days.

EndersShadow

tonyb wrote: »

Can't you do that with Google play store ? Every device has that these days.

TV's tend to have built in apps only.... however my experience with using those apps is nill. I tend to totally ignore the built in apps or even look at how all that works....

Now if you have a Roku, Fire TV, or another device, diff story. Those normally you CAN add stuff to. I'm talking about wanting to add to the apps on the TV, not on a dedicated device.

Jimbo18

Tony, check to see if the Play Store even shows up for you. I have a pretty new 4K TV that is Android based and the Play Store isn't available.

Paradoxex

He has an Android TV. HBO Go is supported by that, as I am sure is some way to get Showtime.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/1/9434681/hbo-go-showtime-arrive-on-android-tv

tonyb

My Sony 4k tv has it. I'd imagine though, processors and wifi are better/faster in a dedicated unit. You know how we feel about swiss army knives of anything.

rooftop59

tonyb wrote: »

Figured that pal, but let me ask you this.....I can use a different router that the crap Comcast has, right ? Least I avoid the rental fee's for that.

Yes, I bought my own router and modem to use with grande communications, a cable company in texas that is SO much better than time warner and concast (some things really are better in texas). Saves me eight bucks a month. I've always used my own router for coverage reasons, but the modem was recent. I got in on amazon for about 35 shipped, and it works great.

Paradoxex

tonyb wrote: »

My Sony 4k tv has it. I'd imagine though, processors and wifi are better/faster in a dedicated unit. You know how we feel about swiss army knives of anything.

This isn't really analogous to music equipment. You pay $500 for an AVR that does it all, and so it is not fair to expect it to amplify as well as a $1200 dedicated unit.

Here you pay $100 for some streaming device, and then compare it to the streaming capabilities of a $1500-$2000 television. Not quite the same thing.

Your TV can connect wirelessly at 802.11ac speed, which is faster than the Roku 3, which connects no faster 802.11n speed. You'll have to step up to the $130 Roku 4 to match your TV.

Whatever floats your boat. Just giving you facts to do with what you will.

GospelTruth

Lot's of good comments. Just a few things other things to consider.

I've cut the TV cable cord now for 7 years. I don't miss cable at all that much. We go with over the air through an antenna. Works great and we get the major stations such as Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS. As a side "benefit", we watch TV less and spend more time as a family.

We use Roku2 ($60) and Roku3 ($90) boxes connected to our TVs for movies and shows we can't get on TV. Both are HD @1080. The only difference between the Roku2 and Roku3 is that you get voice search with the 3 as well as headphone listening capability through the remote on the 3. The latter is nice if you want to watch a show and keep it quiet late at night - depending if you have kids or your spouse is asleep or live in an apartment. Might not fit your situation.

Our Vizio TVs are smart TVs, but I find the apps on the TVs to be slow compared to the Roku. The Roku boxes are lightning fast and we've had no troubles with them. I can't comment on the Amazon Fire boxes. We are Amazon prime members and I've read that the Fire boxes pretty much cater to prime members. If you are not a Prime member, then that might be something to think about.

I'm looking to get a 4k TV sometime in the next year. If I do, I want one that will support HDR10 and possibly Dolby Vision (expanded colors dynamic range of the color spectrum). There are a lot of things up in the air about that right now with TV manufacturers. The Roku4 ($130) is 4k, but it currently does not support HDR10. There is however the possibility of it supporting HDR10 via a firmware update. The Amazon Fire 4k does not support HDR10 and cannot because it uses an older version of HDMI to connect that is incompatible with HDR10. Neither will support Dolby Vision which requires a chipset in the box. My opinion - you don't get much with these 4k set top boxes other than increased resolution which may or may not show up better on your 4k TV. Also, it depends on the programming available and there is limited 4k content by Netflix and Amazon Prime. I'm waiting it out until these boxes support HDR10 and Dolby Vision as I don't see the benefit right now. But that's me. Here's a nice summary of some of the devices, TVs and stuff.

High-Def Digest's Guide to 4K Ultra HD Content & Devices 2016

We have Netflix (Streaming and Blu-ray) and Amazon Prime. We get all the shows and movies we want with those services. We also use Plex on a Synology NAS to watch our own movies we've ripped to the server. As others have said, you can get HBO and Showtime through apps on Roku or the Fire and pay just for those services.

For phone service, we go with Vonage for a low cost plan of about $15 a month. You need high speed internet for that, but the box is free. We get calling to all major countries included (which we need for my wife who's family is in Australia). Works for us. We would go just cell phones, but as mentioned we need to call Australia. That's the only reason we have the land line.

So all up, our costs are monthly about $100:
Phone - $15
Cable Internet (Charter) - $60
Netflix - $20
Amazon - $4 (Student rate as I work at a University)

Good luck with the cord cutting. I don't think you'll miss cable tv as much as you think you will.

sandworms

Well, thanks to you guys and this thread, I called Direct tv and Time Warner ( internet/phone ) and told them I was cutting the cord, they gave me that "special" price, so all total I'm saving almost $100 a month. Holy ****!

EndersShadow

sandworms wrote: »

Well, thanks to you guys and this thread, I called Direct tv and Time Warner ( internet/phone ) and told them I was cutting the cord, they gave me that "special" price, so all total I'm saving almost $100 a month. Holy ****!

See.... now just keep remembering to do that when your contract is up each time..... and you will always be saving that 100 bucks lol....

markmarc

We will be cutting the cord right after the election, since we DVR everything but sports, we want to skip all the campaign crapola ads. We have a 50/50 FIOS connection and just two TV's. Figure to get Netflix, and maybe Hulu (depending on their change in offerings). Flat, square antennas worked great for local stations. Possibly have a connection to use a cable account to stream shows.

CGTIII

To answer an early question I didn't see addressed:
Yes, AC routers are backward compatible with N, G, and B-class devices.

No one should rent their modem. Buying generally pays for itself in under a year.
Here's the most trustworthy and informative site for buying your own that I know:
http://www.buyyourownmodem.com/