Smart TVs and Boxes/cord cutting

KODI is no more illegal than youtube...
Yeah it is really dumb of them. Many many use it for management of legal local material.

It CAN be used, with 3rd party add-ons, for gray streaming, but Kodi is not at fault for that.

They might as well ban personal computers and the internet. After all, they can be used to pirate material.

(I love Kodi and the android fork, SPMC)

Anyway, still love my Fire.

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I just realized that with my roku and NFL game day pass ( whatever it's called) I can watch not just every game from last season but also every preseason game. I am watching the Saints broadcast of their first preseason game, which was in Foxboro. Hot muggy night. The preseason game that Brady didn't play in. Collins returns an interception for a TD. Malcolm Mitchell just got hurt.
 
I acquire all the shows I watch "through completely legal means" #WinkyFace

the only show i actually watch on TV is Preacher and that's just because my bro and I watch it together when it airs.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DzzmerLBGgQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

For football here in Canada CTV, TSN and Sportsnet all have ways you can log in and watch their stations online if you have cable so I just got my bro to hook me up with his cable account and got that set up so I just watch most Pats games on my computer through that. Every now and then I'll go watch a Cowboys game with my bro since he's a fan of them.

If you're looking for a "completely legal" #WinkyFace setup I'd recommend checking out Kodi boxes.
 
Pay-TV Companies Tank As Subscriber Losses Surge To Record Highs In 2017

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-...nk-subscribers-losses-surge-record-highs-2017

:dbanana::dbanana::dbanana:

Pardon me for celebrating the death of cable companies. This is the best thing that's happened to America since the dawn of MP3's killing the record labels.
It is not the death of cable companies I don't think, just forcing them to new ways of distribution.

And if you have a major cable company in your market, chances are the only high speed internet available is through them, which you'll need if you are streaming everything.

With data caps becoming more prevalent, unless you pay more, these companies are still making their money.

The thing consumers like me want, that has not happened yet, is true a la cart.

Don't forget too that more consolidation could be coming with cable companies acquiring streaming services. One of the most popular ones - Hulu - is already owned by Comcast, Time Warner, TBS, Disney and Fox.

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It is not the death of cable companies I don't think, just forcing them to new ways of distribution.

And if you have a major cable company in your market, chances are the only high speed internet available is through them, which you'll need if you are streaming everything.

With data caps becoming more prevalent, unless you pay more, these companies are still making their money.

The thing consumers like me want, that has not happened yet, is true a la cart.

Don't forget too that more consolidation could be coming with cable companies acquiring streaming services. One of the most popular ones - Hulu - is already owned by Comcast, Time Warner, TBS, Disney and Fox.

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Like Napster, Walmart, Home Depot, Amazon and other disruptive trends...for good and bad.
 
It is not the death of cable companies I don't think, just forcing them to new ways of distribution.

And if you have a major cable company in your market, chances are the only high speed internet available is through them, which you'll need if you are streaming everything.

With data caps becoming more prevalent, unless you pay more, these companies are still making their money.

The thing consumers like me want, that has not happened yet, is true a la cart.

Don't forget too that more consolidation could be coming with cable companies acquiring streaming services. One of the most popular ones - Hulu - is already owned by Comcast, Time Warner, TBS, Disney and Fox.

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Yes, all true.

Still, I'm much happier paying less than $100 for high speed internet, and $45 or whatever for my Sling TV.

I was pretty annoyed paying $250 for the package with cable TV with 1000 channels and nothing to watch, or paying for 10 channels I don't want just to get the one channel I do want.

My Sling TV, I pay $15 for HBO during GoT, and then I just cancel it every year...no muss, no fuss, and all done online instead of trying to survive the Labyrinthine customer service of the cable companies, that takes 45 minutes minimum to do anything at all.

Most of the time, I watch Youtube, anyway. Second probably Netflix. It's a great system for avoiding the Godawful reality TV shows, home shopping, and golf channels that make up 500 channels on cable TV.
 
Try as I might, I find it harder and harder to watch TV. I doubt it's because the quality of production has gone down (probably the opposite), but I find it much nicer to read books.

I miss binge watching Boston Legal or some silly shit and actually enjoying it, though.
 
Try as I might, I find it harder and harder to watch TV. I doubt it's because the quality of production has gone down (probably the opposite), but I find it much nicer to read books.

I miss binge watching Boston Legal or some silly shit and actually enjoying it, though.

"Denny Crane!!!"
 
We are finally going to pull the plug. Our DirecTV bill is just ridiculous. We pay $21/month in just extra receiver fees. I'm sure when we call to cancel they will give us some great deal for like six months but I'm just not interested in having to play that game.

I'm pretty sold on getting Playstation Vue but my only concern is that they don't have the History Channel. My son and I watch Vikings together and I have kind of gotten into Knightwatch. The season is almost over so I plan on waiting a couple weeks before pulling the plug. What options do I have to get the History Channel? From what I can tell, the cheapest option is Sling TV for $20/month. It might just be cheaper to buy each episode off of Amazon Prime.

My next hurdle will be watching the Patriots next season. We might have to just bite the bullet and go back to DirecTV with one of their "new subscribers" deals. I know some of you are able to stream the games online. Is that something that you have to hook a laptop up to your TV or are there other options. Also, how reliable are the streams and are they hard to find?
 
Playstation Vue is great. I have the 2nd from the top package and I love it. Your market will determine which local stations you get. The DVR functionality is awesome, plus it has a ton of on demand stuff. Plus you can have 5 devices on your account all streaming content at the same time. Plus you can put it on your phone and stream when you're not even home.
 
Playstation Vue is great. I have the 2nd from the top package and I love it. Your market will determine which local stations you get. The DVR functionality is awesome, plus it has a ton of on demand stuff. Plus you can have 5 devices on your account all streaming content at the same time. Plus you can put it on your phone and stream when you're not even home.

I like it!! The biggest selling point for us was the DVR.
 
We are finally going to pull the plug. Our DirecTV bill is just ridiculous. We pay $21/month in just extra receiver fees. I'm sure when we call to cancel they will give us some great deal for like six months but I'm just not interested in having to play that game.

I'm pretty sold on getting Playstation Vue but my only concern is that they don't have the History Channel. My son and I watch Vikings together and I have kind of gotten into Knightwatch. The season is almost over so I plan on waiting a couple weeks before pulling the plug. What options do I have to get the History Channel? From what I can tell, the cheapest option is Sling TV for $20/month. It might just be cheaper to buy each episode off of Amazon Prime.

My next hurdle will be watching the Patriots next season. We might have to just bite the bullet and go back to DirecTV with one of their "new subscribers" deals. I know some of you are able to stream the games online. Is that something that you have to hook a laptop up to your TV or are there other options. Also, how reliable are the streams and are they hard to find?

I have not tried Vue yet, so there is not much input I can have there, but there are several like Vue to consider:

Sling TV
Hulu Live
Youtube Red
DirectTV Now
fuboTV

They are all worth comparing to see if
a) they have the channels you want at the price you want
b) they are available on your platform (Roku, Shield, Fire, etc...)


What is great about all of these is they offer free trials, and even after the trials, there is no commitment. You can sign up and cancel all willy-nilly as your needs change. Some offer free hardware for a minimum commitment.

ALSO, SOME channels have their own apps where you can watch their content for free (with commercials). Some require you to already have a cable or satellite subscription, but if you have a friend or relative that would be willing to provide you with login credentials, you can then activate these. History does have their own app, but I can not recall if it requires credentials.

Streaming out of market games is something else entirely. I have not done a lot of that, but it can be a frustrating experience. Yes, most people do these on a computer, and then you could run an HDMI cable to your TV.
 
I have not tried Vue yet, so there is not much input I can have there, but there are several like Vue to consider:

Sling TV
Hulu Live
Youtube Red
DirectTV Now
fuboTV

They are all worth comparing to see if
a) they have the channels you want at the price you want
b) they are available on your platform (Roku, Shield, Fire, etc...)


What is great about all of these is they offer free trials, and even after the trials, there is no commitment. You can sign up and cancel all willy-nilly as your needs change. Some offer free hardware for a minimum commitment.

ALSO, SOME channels have their own apps where you can watch their content for free (with commercials). Some require you to already have a cable or satellite subscription, but if you have a friend or relative that would be willing to provide you with login credentials, you can then activate these. History does have their own app, but I can not recall if it requires credentials.

Streaming out of market games is something else entirely. I have not done a lot of that, but it can be a frustrating experience. Yes, most people do these on a computer, and then you could run an HDMI cable to your TV.

Great advice, thanks! I'm already worried about what I'm going to do next football season. I'm probably guaranteed to see about 6 games without Sunday Ticket but I have had it for so long that it would kill me not to be able to see all of the games.
 
We cut the cable and it is only missed during football season. I saw a box being sold at a flea market, but I cannot recall what it was, but it offered every possible channel. I have suspicions that it is not quite legal, or that it is a long-term solution.
 
Great advice, thanks! I'm already worried about what I'm going to do next football season. I'm probably guaranteed to see about 6 games without Sunday Ticket but I have had it for so long that it would kill me not to be able to see all of the games.


I got rid of Sunday Ticket a few years ago and have not missed a game since then either. Using my laptop connected to my TV via HDMI I'm always able to find an HD stream to watch regular season games. I also have an Amazon Fire TV running Kodi with the Cosmic Saints Add on... can always get games on that too. When the playoffs are they are always on the local channels so you're covered
 
I got rid of Sunday Ticket a few years ago and have not missed a game since then either. Using my laptop connected to my TV via HDMI I'm always able to find an HD stream to watch regular season games. I also have an Amazon Fire TV running Kodi with the Cosmic Saints Add on... can always get games on that too. When the playoffs are they are always on the local channels so you're covered

You can watch live games with Kodi? I had it on my Fire stick but it seemed to cause all kinds of problems with everything crashing and not just Kodi programs so I uninstalled it.
 
You can watch live games with Kodi? I had it on my Fire stick but it seemed to cause all kinds of problems with everything crashing and not just Kodi programs so I uninstalled it.

Yes

The results are a mixed bag though...too many variables to consider.
 
For years now I've done NFL Gamepass with a VPN streaming through a laptop hooked up to my TV. It lets me:

1) Watch any and all games live, for the Pats and any other team in the league.
2) Watch replays of any and all games, in both broadcast format and in "games in 40'", which is such a godsend. All the waiting and commercials are cut out, it's just the raw action continuously and games finish in about 40 minutes as advertised. Great for watching a game you missed but hear was incredible, or watching past games of future opponents.
3) Watch replays of any and all games in their library, including every game from 2012 onwards.
4) Watch NFL Network, Redzone, NFL Films, a few other things. If I was so inclined.

The best part about it is $0 goes to ESPN or other broadcast partners, and I'm ONLY paying for NFL content, not absurd packages I care nothing about. It's not available in the USA though, which is why I use the VPN, as far as they're aware or care I'm in Germany. Still with my internet connection and the VPN I use it streams reliably in HD so it's a non-issue as far as I'm concerned, though I am always watching it like a minute in the past so sometimes fantasy football alerts or a very timely forum post alert me to something which has yet to happen from my perspective.

Probably the best part is all you need to do something like that is have a computer you can connect to something you find adequate for viewing, and which runs Windows. It's worked well enough for me.
 
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