Cable cutters, rejoice

It seems redundant if you're already streaming with an IPTV service, but Youtube TV checks all those boxes.
YouTube TV doesn't carry my regional sports network. That's the problem. That's the problem with every streaming service outside of IPTV's
 
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That's strange. I live in Columbus and get both Fox Sports Ohio and Sportstime Ohio
Yes, while there are many regional sports network channels streamed, AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh is not one of them. They aren't part of any streaming package like YouTube, Vue, Sling, etc..... The only way it can be streamed is if you already subscribe to Cable or satellite television with a package that includes that channel..... or. IPTV services.

I follow both the Penguins and Pirates. All of their games are on that channel. I looked at purchasing the NHL and MLB packages but for whatever the reason they don't show you games from your home market. I guess that's a way to force you to purchase programming from your local provider. There's always a catch.

I subscribed to Vue a while back. It meet all my needs with the exception of the sports network. Their interface was good. Reliability was excellent. No issues streaming from any device. Price was reasonable. I hated to hear that the service was bring discontinued. I thought it was a good product.
 
Only a few days in, but I have enjoyed Disney Plus thus far. The selection is good as is the quality. Though I'm not a Star Wars fan, I even watched one of them just to take advantage the UHD quality. I'm not a fan of not having a "continue watching" section. I have to search for the film if I didnt finish. Similarly, you have to remember which episode you finished with on tv shows because it doesnt keep track of that. I also dont like being able to search films that arent yet available. I get excited, only to see that I have to wait months before the movie becomes available. Of course, they will update things as time goes on and it will only get better.
 
Disney Plus is becoming more bug and error ridden for me. I saw the complaints from the first day, but it's getting worse. Constant errors and unable to play videos. When I look up the error codes, it indicates their servers are overloaded. Embarrassing for an effort of this scale. Their free streaming works better than this.
 
Disney Plus is becoming more bug and error ridden for me. I saw the complaints from the first day, but it's getting worse. Constant errors and unable to play videos. When I look up the error codes, it indicates their servers are overloaded. Embarrassing for an effort of this scale. Their free streaming works better than this.
I recently saw an ad from Verizon that was offering Disney+ for free along with their unlimited package. I wonder if there's a huge influx of people taking advantage of that offer causing unforeseen bandwidth issues?

Curious..... Does Disney+ offer locals/sports/etc... or is it strictly Disney related content?
 
Curious..... Does Disney+ offer locals/sports/etc... or is it strictly Disney related content?

Just Disney-owned content. We mostly were looking forward to it for our kids, who like Disney shows and movies. I'm not a Star Wars person, not a Marvel person, and not really a classic Disney movie person either. If it's not going to work reliably, I'm not going to stick with the bundle, unless ESPN+ suddenly adds a bunch of racing content (unlikely).
 
Disney Plus is becoming more bug and error ridden for me. I saw the complaints from the first day, but it's getting worse. Constant errors and unable to play videos. When I look up the error codes, it indicates their servers are overloaded. Embarrassing for an effort of this scale. Their free streaming works better than this.

I had constant error codes the morning it went live, but haven't had any issues Since then. I have watched all forms of content from Star Wars, to Toy Story to Tv shows. Maybe the problems depend on which device you are streaming from, but I don't know. From what I have seen, most of the issues have been that the audio isn't syncing properly. I personally haven't had that issue.
 
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They have a bundle that includes ESPN+ which has a ton of sports content including, oddly enough, NHL.

Two Pittsburgh games this week.
Unfortunately I'd only ever see the occasional game if I were limited to only ESPN's channel lineup. ESPN is awesome for college sorts though.

My ideal à la carte package includes locals and AT&t Sportsnet Pittsburgh. DVR functionality is not important as every show imaginable is available through a service like Terrarium TV or some knockoff. Heck, I'd even subscribe to the NFL, MLB and NHL packages directly if they'd allow for me to be able to stream my home market games, which they don't.
 
I've been seeing all these ads for Disney+ being included with Verizon Unlimited Plans. I thought that was only for new Verizon subscribers but that's not the case. If you're a current Verizon Unlimited subscriber than your eligible for a free year of Disney+. Verizon's version does not include ESPN or Hulu. Also, after the first year, they will start charging you for the service unless you cancel.

I haven't had a good chance to look at all of their lineup but at a quick glance, I don't see this service as being a threat to take down any other providers. They need to do some work on their interface. We experience a little buffering with their Firestick app but we're not seeing it with their iPad app. I know it's not a limitation of my home network as it's more than capable of uninterrupted streaming over several devices simultaneously.

The Disney+ service does allow for you to create multiple accounts to cover the members of your household. It also allows for up to four simultaneous streams. I've not tested that yet but that's how the service is described. They seem to have five main categories..... Disney, PIXAR, MARVEL, STAR WARS & National Geographic. They have a Disney+ Originals section that currently is limited to twelve shows. That list is going to need to expand quickly to keep my interest beyond my free year of service.

Bottom line IMO..... If you can get it for free, try it out. If you've got children, it's worth the subscription. Other than that, I'd give it some time before trying a free preview once they've expanded their lineup.
 
I'm sure there are a bunch of deals out there today but i see that the Firestick and 4K Firestick are on sale today. $20 off @ Amazon.
 
I saw Hulu has a Black Friday sale, $1.99 per month for a year. So I guess if you have no interest in Disney+ and no interest in their bundle pack, Hulu's sale might suit you well.
 
This would be awesome.....

NFL Sunday Ticket Streaming Online

We already know the NFL is in talks to pull their rights back from AT&T for NFL Sunday Ticket this spring. According to reports, NFL owners are looking at launching their own streaming service without DIRECTV. Even if they decide to launch the service, it won’t go live in 2020 but we will learn about it in 2020.
 
Every so often, I go to the Pluto app just to see what's on. Just looked at it for the first time in a while and they actually have some channels that air some tv shows and movies that I used to watch and still do watch. Obviously it's not live tv per se and it's not a cable replacement for most people, but it's still worth checking out if you cant find anything to watch on your cable channels. It's free, so there isn't anything to lose.
 
OK. Lets ramble...TCL 55" Roku Smart TV. Worked fine with Spectrum cable & TV package. Shut down Spectrum and tried AT&T Internet for one month. Not good. Went back to Spectrum for 200 meg Internet only. Sling full package at $55 month. That gets you a cloud based DVR.

So..........sumping is not so good. Remote is very slow to respond when using Sling. Sling constantly buffers, pixilates, occasionally just gets confused and dumps you back to TV's app menu and is just pretty much crap. While it's buffering can run speed test on computer and always 200+ download. Found a Roku forum and consensus was...use a Firestick. They felt somehow the constant Roku updates were somehow getting corrupted.

I'm about to give up on TV entirely. Spend most of my time on internet with TV as background noise anyway.

My rec, If you can get cable TV & Internet for 150ish $ a month, KEEP IT!
 
OK. Lets ramble...TCL 55" Roku Smart TV. Worked fine with Spectrum cable & TV package. Shut down Spectrum and tried AT&T Internet for one month. Not good. Went back to Spectrum for 200 meg Internet only. Sling full package at $55 month. That gets you a cloud based DVR.

So..........sumping is not so good. Remote is very slow to respond when using Sling. Sling constantly buffers, pixilates, occasionally just gets confused and dumps you back to TV's app menu and is just pretty much crap. While it's buffering can run speed test on computer and always 200+ download. Found a Roku forum and consensus was...use a Firestick. They felt somehow the constant Roku updates were somehow getting corrupted.

I'm about to give up on TV entirely. Spend most of my time on internet with TV as background noise anyway.

My rec, If you can get cable TV & Internet for 150ish $ a month, KEEP IT!
LOL.
1. TV alone here is $145 for damn near basic.
2. Anything Spectrum sucks ass and cost goes up without notice.
3. People waste more time chasing their tails trying to get better service than what cable offers. Cable is like a bad ****job but it’s better than wasting time driving around town looking for something better.
 
LOL.
1. TV alone here is $145 for damn near basic.
2. Anything Spectrum sucks ass and cost goes up without notice.
3. People waste more time chasing their tails trying to get better service than what cable offers. Cable is like a bad ****job but it’s better than wasting time driving around town looking for something better.
Spectrum now has $44.99 TV & 44.99 Internet deal. So right at $100 for the bundle for one or two years. Then shut it down for a month and start over. It's by far the best deal on this side of the country. I had the Gold Bundle (Showtime & some other premiums + DVR) which was right at $160 for 2 years. Was due to go up to regular rate (220ish I'm guessing).

But my post was supposed to be about TV wonkiness. Got up this morning to no sound. TV updates in middle of the night and goes screwy. Unplug for 15-20 seconds and when replugged <that ain't a werd> the little white indicator light at bottom under TCL badge comes on. Thinks for 30-120 seconds then blinks several times. All good again.

This whole week, when using Sling, audio is out of sync. Menu adjustments do nothing. Just checked & Sling is all better now. Audio is in snyc & remotes response is back to normal. Weird stuff. One thing I've learned is TV/internet components need to be rebooted occasionally. Much like your phone. I've started unplugging TV/modems power strip at least once a week for the overnight.
 
Spectrum now has $44.99 TV & 44.99 Internet deal. So right at $100 for the bundle for one or two years. Then shut it down for a month and start over. It's by far the best deal on this side of the country. I had the Gold Bundle (Showtime & some other premiums + DVR) which was right at $160 for 2 years. Was due to go up to regular rate (220ish I'm guessing).

But my post was supposed to be about TV wonkiness. Got up this morning to no sound. TV updates in middle of the night and goes screwy. Unplug for 15-20 seconds and when replugged <that ain't a werd> the little white indicator light at bottom under TCL badge comes on. Thinks for 30-120 seconds then blinks several times. All good again.

This whole week, when using Sling, audio is out of sync. Menu adjustments do nothing. Just checked & Sling is all better now. Audio is in snyc & remotes response is back to normal. Weird stuff. One thing I've learned is TV/internet components need to be rebooted occasionally. Much like your phone. I've started unplugging TV/modems power strip at least once a week for the overnight.
Options here are terrible. I only have the choice of Spectrum cable or a satellite dish.
 
Duh. Much like pouring pi** out of a boot when the instruction are on the heel...a simple search presented the solution. Enter Sling guide (which I never use), scroll to channel, toggle sideways to program, select record. Dust hands.
 
Spectrum now has $44.99 TV & 44.99 Internet deal. So right at $100 for the bundle for one or two years. Then shut it down for a month and start over. It's by far the best deal on this side of the country. I had the Gold Bundle (Showtime & some other premiums + DVR) which was right at $160 for 2 years. Was due to go up to regular rate (220ish I'm guessing).

But my post was supposed to be about TV wonkiness. Got up this morning to no sound. TV updates in middle of the night and goes screwy. Unplug for 15-20 seconds and when replugged <that ain't a werd> the little white indicator light at bottom under TCL badge comes on. Thinks for 30-120 seconds then blinks several times. All good again.

This whole week, when using Sling, audio is out of sync. Menu adjustments do nothing. Just checked & Sling is all better now. Audio is in snyc & remotes response is back to normal. Weird stuff. One thing I've learned is TV/internet components need to be rebooted occasionally. Much like your phone. I've started unplugging TV/modems power strip at least once a week for the overnight.

Spectrum ****** sucks here, they just suck less than CenturyLink.
 
2nd Spectrum service call in 30 days!

1st call: Problem at the street pole in December. Put in a cable patch
and it was good for 3 weeks then crapped out again.
2nd call yesterday : I recommended to change out all coax cable
outside and to the modem. Tech agreed. We determined that it was the original
coax from '84 when the house was built.

After new cable installed , the modem would not get the signal. He tried a new
refurbed modem out of the truck to no avail. Then tried a brand new one out
of the box and that did the trick.

The lady at the Spectrum store told me to come in when its time to renew
the 2 year contract in May. I am going to try and at least keep the same price.
I figure I have some service issues on my side I can use as leverage.

For the most part ,they do good here. Their modem and router equipment are suspect though.
 
2nd Spectrum service call in 30 days!

1st call: Problem at the street pole in December. Put in a cable patch
and it was good for 3 weeks then crapped out again.
2nd call yesterday : I recommended to change out all coax cable
outside and to the modem. Tech agreed. We determined that it was the original
coax from '84 when the house was built.

After new cable installed , the modem would not get the signal. He tried a new
refurbed modem out of the truck to no avail. Then tried a brand new one out
of the box and that did the trick.

The lady at the Spectrum store told me to come in when its time to renew
the 2 year contract in May. I am going to try and at least keep the same price.
I figure I have some service issues on my side I can use as leverage.

For the most part ,they do good here. Their modem and router equipment are suspect though.
I'm about to kick Spectrum to the curb and go back to Dish. The Spectrum-supplied cable boxes keep dying. With two boxes, I drag one or the other in for a replacement every 9 - 12 months.
 
I'm about to kick Spectrum to the curb and go back to Dish. The Spectrum-supplied cable boxes keep dying. With two boxes, I drag one or the other in for a replacement every 9 - 12 months.
Strongly recommend a good surge suppressor. Somewhere between 35 & 50 bucks. Plug TV/modem/PC into it. I have been know to unplug them though if the power starts jacking around. Unplug and go to a restaurant for hour. Let the storm pass. If power goes off, definitely unplug until power is back on. Kinda old-school but has worked for me.

I should run the Spectrum coax thru the suppressor too I suppose. Has the connections. I have Internetz only.
 
Spectrum sucks. They will delete channels from your lineup with no compensation. Then offer the give you them back in a more expensive channel package.
 

I never thought I'd say this but linear television and DVD/Blu-Ray look more viable now than ever. Streaming media is honestly worse than cable.

One of the disturbing things about the purging of content is, if you buy a digital copy of a movie and the studio chooses to purge it, you no longer own that movie.

However, more and more of these shows and movies ARE NOT being released on physical media.

I'm probably going to buy a 4K Blu-Ray player sometime soon and I've gone back to buying movies on disc.
 
Strongly recommend a good surge suppressor. Somewhere between 35 & 50 bucks. Plug TV/modem/PC into it. I have been know to unplug them though if the power starts jacking around. Unplug and go to a restaurant for hour. Let the storm pass. If power goes off, definitely unplug until power is back on. Kinda old-school but has worked for me.

I should run the Spectrum coax thru the suppressor too I suppose. Has the connections. I have Internetz only.
Everything's already on surge protection. The boxes aren't burning out, they just stop responding while being used. "That channel is not available" when I was looking at it ten minutes ago. The guide doesn't show some channels at all unless I search for them. Channels I watch one day 'aren't in your package' the next. Weather doesn't matter. One day one of the two boxes works fine while the other misbehaves; later they switch and the previously good one shows out.

Unplugging and repluging after five minutes usually resets it. Sometimes I have to reset one that appears to be working normally to get the misbhaving one to start back. That gets annoying several times a month. WiFi and voice line are rock solid. Probably some cheap-ass Arris boxes Daniel Suarez wired early in his career as a sponsorship requirement.
 
Turned on my TCL TV this morning. Have OTA as start-up. Was playing Touched By An Angle...or something. Went to home screen to select Sling to listen to little of the autopsy of TFG "Town Hall/Rally" last night. No sound. It's done this before. Unplug for 30 seconds or so and it's back on. Weirdness. Only good thing about modern TV's is, they are cheap. If it quits, I'll have a replacement on the wall mount in under an hour. $300 ish dollhairs.

Anything you can solve by writing a check isn't a problem, it's an expense. Somebody said that before...
 
Turned on my TCL TV this morning. Have OTA as start-up. Was playing Touched By An Angle...or something. Went to home screen to select Sling to listen to little of the autopsy of TFG "Town Hall/Rally" last night. No sound. It's done this before. Unplug for 30 seconds or so and it's back on. Weirdness. Only good thing about modern TV's is, they are cheap. If it quits, I'll have a replacement on the wall mount in under an hour. $300 ish dollhairs.

Anything you can solve by writing a check isn't a problem, it's an expense. Somebody said that before...

You almost have to have a soundbar on a modern TV.
 
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You almost have to have a soundbar on a modern TV.
Did on the Vizio. Have 3 TV now. 24" TCL smart TV was supposed to be computer monitor. Couldn't make the text big enough to read without the page only being about a foot wide. Probably should try it again. Maybe have been operator error. It's on the wall in bedroom. Vary rarely use it.

40" Hisense with Roku Express for computer monitor. Sound never goes above 12 out of 100. But it's only 3 feet from my face...

55 inch TCL Roku Smart TV. On OTA sound is 17ish out of 100. On Sling maybe 25-28. I do run them all on Theater mode. The TCL sounds just occasionally quits functioning. Bought it March 2020 and it's done it maybe 4 times? I suspect it has something to do with it essentially being on all the time. If Internet is connected, big brother is watching/downloading.
 
Rarely use the whole 40 inch.
 

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Did on the Vizio. Have 3 TV now. 24" TCL smart TV was supposed to be computer monitor. Couldn't make the text big enough to read without the page only being about a foot wide. Probably should try it again. Maybe have been operator error. It's on the wall in bedroom. Vary rarely use it.

40" Hisense with Roku Express for computer monitor. Sound never goes above 12 out of 100. But it's only 3 feet from my face...

55 inch TCL Roku Smart TV. On OTA sound is 17ish out of 100. On Sling maybe 25-28. I do run them all on Theater mode. The TCL sounds just occasionally quits functioning. Bought it March 2020 and it's done it maybe 4 times? I suspect it has something to do with it essentially being on all the time. If Internet is connected, big brother is watching/downloading.

I have a Samsung 65" 4K TV and a Samsung "Dolby Atmos" soundbar, and I have an Apple TV 4K device. I run the Apple TV through the soundbar out to the TV.

I also have an HP 27" 4K monitor with a bluetooth soundbar that runs an Amazon Fire Stick.
 
I have a Samsung 65" 4K TV and a Samsung "Dolby Atmos" soundbar, and I have an Apple TV 4K device. I run the Apple TV through the soundbar out to the TV.

I also have an HP 27" 4K monitor with a bluetooth soundbar that runs an Amazon Fire Stick.
Never used anything Bluetooth. Guess need to move on from 1999.
 
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