Review my plan to ditch satellite service

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Topic Author
newkidontheblock
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Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by newkidontheblock »

Hi:

we currently spend about $120 per month on Satellite. We have 4 set top boxes including 1 dvr.
Satellite provider is direcTV. I have 4 receivers connected via wired network so we can watch shows from 1 DVR through out the house and even on our windows pc's.
Shows we watch are:
Kids shows on PBS like Curious George, Cat in the hat. We do watch Team Umizoomi from Nicklodean.
We watch Real housewives, house hunters international and mostly NFL, NBA etc
watching tv shows on computers/ipads is not a solution for us.
We have no problem with the satelite provider except the high cost.

I am thinking about:
1. Getting an outdoor antenna installed. I will review what channels are available at antennaweb.org
2. I currently own Apple TV and it is connected to one of my TV's.
3. All of my BluRay players do have capability to do netflix, amazon video, hulu etc.
4. Subscribe to Hulu plus as they had House Hunters International, Real house wives etc.

I am trying to figure out if we even need a DVR. If Hulu plus, netflix, amazon can serve videos on demand we may not need a DVR.

Has anyone installed on outdoor antenna? What is the cost?
Biggest challenge is face that programming our remote control. Our whole house has Crestron audio distribution and the remote are also from Crestron.
It is super expensive to program these remotes so I only want to get this programming done if I can verify that outdoor antenna, hulu plus is a viable long term solution.

Does Roku offer anything that is better than typical BluRay features that are internet enabled?

If you have done this before can you share your experiences.
ILnative
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by ILnative »

I don't have an answer for you but I'll watch the responses closely. We went from antenna to Uverse - mainly to get the sports. I'd love to go back to the antenna (and save the $110 a month!) but we can't figure out a way to get all the sports we like to watch (NFL, NCAA men's basketball, Cubs....)
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CyberBob
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by CyberBob »

Your Apple TV is a good solution for movies and series and such. But to see if you are a good candidate for local tv channels via an antenna, check out http://antennaweb.org/ . It will also tell you how big an antenna you would need, based on your location.

Bob
Onyxmeth
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by Onyxmeth »

Is your $120 DirecTV bill a bundle including Internet and phone service? If so, have a figured out the costs of Internet and phone by themselves? If its just for the TV, you might want to call DirecTV and see if you can get your bill reduced or if they have any unadvertised packages to offer you that match you TV needs.

In regards to the main discussion, Crestron systems are pretty difficult to set up. You'll need to talk to them in regards to your proposed plan and make sure they say it'll work. They're your best resource, not us. If you do it yourself, I think you'll need to scour the net for programming codes for your remotes. Honestly though, if you have a Crestron setup, why is this where you're trying to skimp? It would seem that you enjoy the convenience of that, so it doesn't make much sense to me as to why you wouldn't want to continue matching that with the convenience of a television provider, as opposed to having to go from Hulu Plus, to Netflix to an antenna to get your different needs fulfilled.

So my first advice would be to haggle DirecTV. You don't seem to be watching premium channels, so your bill really shouldn't be so high. Also do you have competitors to move to if you don't like their service?
ohiost90
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by ohiost90 »

I just ditch our cable bill in favor of a combination of OTA, a Roku, and PlayOn. It hasn't been a week yet, but so far so good. What makes it for me is the PlayOn. The benefit of PlayOn is they allow the streaming of basic HULU that the Ruko doesn't. Playon also allows streaming of video that is available on the network websites(ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and others.) With Playon I don't believe you will need to subscribe to hulu+ to get the shows you want to watch. The networks usually keep 3~5 weeks of shows on their site so no DVR needed.

http://www.playon.tv/

I'm going to miss sports on ESPN and other stations, but I guess that is what sports bars and friends are for.
Topic Author
newkidontheblock
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by newkidontheblock »

My $120 is for directv only. I don't have any premium channels. I have 3 HD receivers and 1 DVR plus repair plan.
I use comcast for broadband and Century link for phone. I may be able to save by combining all three for 12 months or so.
I do like satellite better than cable but with appropriate antenna I may be able to get even better picture quality with OTA.

Playon seems interesting solution. I will have to purchase roku device or devices.
My only crestron expense is going to be getting roku commands added to my ML600 remote. This will not be bad.
Yes I do prefer convenience but Crestron system was purchased/installed when I had no kids. As you all know when kids arrive expenses and priorities change.
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22twain
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by 22twain »

In addition to (or instead of) Antennaweb, check out http://tvfool.com. Its information is more detailed. With a good antenna on the roof, you should be able to get anything in TVFool's green and yellow zones. Going down into the red zone, things start to get dicey even with a top-of-the-line antenna setup which includes a pre-amplifier.

Use the "MAPS" option which allows you to fine-tune the location of your house by moving a marker around on a map.
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SorenK
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by SorenK »

For my OTA antennas, I have one just sitting unsecured on the arm of the previous owner's dish. I've been meaning to do something more permanent, but I have had not problems yet. I have another that is rabbit ears in a bedroom upstairs, connected through coaxial to the basement where it's connected to a computer, which I hope to use for a DVR someday. So depending on where you live, rabbit ears inside the house my be enough (they now have more discrete flat antennas), or installing a monster on your roof my not even do it. When you walk the neighborhood, look on other people's houses to see what is working for them.
We have comcast internet, and that gives us access to espn3, although I think it's called something else now. We stream this through an Xbox to watch sports on TV. Unfortunately, since we don't pay for comcast TV, much of what we can watch must be replays. I wonder, though, if I'm somehow grandfathered in with the Xbox because I just tried to log-in to it from this computer and it said I need a TV subscription to access.
bungalow10
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by bungalow10 »

If you decide not to cut out the DirecTV entirely, you can probably cut your bill quite a bit. We have one DVR and one additional box (no HD). We pay about $60/month for the two.

Granted, we do plan to cancel these this summer and go down to just Netflix, Amazon, Hulu.
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yeamon
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by yeamon »

Call DTV and tell them "unhook it." Let them know you are going the Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu route. More than likely they will ask you what kind of rate would keep you as a customer. You aren't getting any premium channels, so I think you will be amazed at how low they will go. I bet you could cut that monthly rate in half (or more) in one phone call. They especially have a LOT of wiggle room on those hardware lease deals. DTV wants your subscription, not your hardware leases.
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Jay69
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by Jay69 »

We went to OTA (over the air) 2-3 years ago. The trick for us was making up a decent DVR. Ended up with Windows 7 using the media center. Have 4 tuners installed and it works like a champ. Even burn all the DVD I had to the box so can watch any of them with a push of a button. Its by far one the better DVR's I have ever used, can't believe its a Microsoft Product. Use just a remote 90% of the time and also have a wireless keyboard to surf the web etc. From my understanding you can use media extenders for your other TV's as well, I have never tried it.

The above with Netflix is all we use, matter of fact Netflix does not get used all the much.
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Onyxmeth
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by Onyxmeth »

newkidontheblock wrote:My $120 is for directv only. I don't have any premium channels. I have 3 HD receivers and 1 DVR plus repair plan.
I use comcast for broadband and Century link for phone. I may be able to save by combining all three for 12 months or so.
I do like satellite better than cable but with appropriate antenna I may be able to get even better picture quality with OTA.
if you have the option of being on cable or satellite, there's no reason why you can't get DirecTV to drastically lower your bill with the threat that you'll move to cable. Tell them what channels you watch. Try and get a plan with what you want with the least amount of fluff as possible. Ask for any non advertised plans they may have available for those on a budget.

Look into bundling with them also if it can further reduce your bills.

Worst case scenario, actually move to a different provider and see what they'll do for you. These companies will give you fantastic rates and oftentimes gifts also for the privilege of taking you from their competitor.

I think after exhausting these routes, if you can't get the money to where its comfortable for you, then start looking into alternative options like the ones mentioned. I just wouldn't get rid of the convenience of a provider until you've worked at getting your bill slashed first.
vv19
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by vv19 »

How much do these antennas cost for viewing OTA channels? I see they are in the $7-70 range on amazon/best buy, but don't know which ones work and provide good reception.
psteinx
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by psteinx »

jay - So much depends on the siting of your particular house, and where you will be putting the antenna. (i.e. a "rabbit ears" style antenna in your living room may do poorly if you have thick walls, but better in other situations.)

A basic antenna is so cheap, that those who are considering this can buy one and play with it and see what kind of reception they get. Depending on that, one might decide on a fancier antenna or staying with cable or a dish or whatever.

Please exercise considerable caution with antenna and such on a roof, of course.
slingsandarrows
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by slingsandarrows »

22 twain and Jay69 have the right idea. Go to www.tvfool.com to find the signals in your area then to www.solidsignal.com for antenna and signal equipment. I use a small quiet Windows 7 box with two TV tuners (www.hauppauge.com) and Windows media Center to record and play back recorded shows. Windows media center provides TV schedules and recording for free. I think the entire setup was about $600 and now no monthly charges. I use a small wireless keyboard to run Windows media center. External roof mounted antenna with a preamp. I can watch a show and record two shows simultaneously. Picture is high definition digital. This is the best setup for now but keep an eye on www.aereo.com if they are in your area this might be an easier solution.
ohiost90
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by ohiost90 »

jay22 wrote:How much do these antennas cost for viewing OTA channels? I see they are in the $7-70 range on amazon/best buy, but don't know which ones work and provide good reception.
One can use http://http://antennaweb.org/Address.aspx/ to give them an idea the type of antenna one would need to get for a given number of channels.
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22twain
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by 22twain »

jay22 wrote:How much do these antennas cost for viewing OTA channels?
It depends. If you're close to the transmitters, up to maybe 10 miles, a simple unamplified $10-$15 rabbit-ears-and-loop combination from Radio Shack will do. I'm 50-70 miles away from most of my transmitters, in various directions, so I use separate large outdoor VHF and UHF antennas, a 30' telescoping mast, a pre-amplifier mounted on the mast, and a remote-controlled rotator. Total cost was about $300 for hardware and $300 for two guys to come out and completely replace our old antenna system four years ago.
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vv19
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by vv19 »

22twain wrote:
jay22 wrote:How much do these antennas cost for viewing OTA channels?
It depends. If you're close to the transmitters, up to maybe 10 miles, a simple unamplified $10-$15 rabbit-ears-and-loop combination from Radio Shack will do. I'm 50-70 miles away from most of my transmitters, in various directions, so I use separate large outdoor VHF and UHF antennas, a 30' telescoping mast, a pre-amplifier mounted on the mast, and a remote-controlled rotator. Total cost was about $300 for hardware and $300 for two guys to come out and completely replace our old antenna system four years ago.
By rabbit ears antenna you mean something like this: http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT111-Basic- ... roduct_top ?
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newkidontheblock
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by newkidontheblock »

Thank for providing this wealth of information.
I checked Antenna web and it tells me that I only need small multi directional antenna.
I checked TV fool and it shows that most of the channels available to me are green and 4 are read.
All the transmitter are between 13-25 miles away from my home.

I also have basic cable because it was cheaper to get basic cable and getting a lower broadband rate.
I have 2 TV's which do not have a set top receiver from Direct TV.
I am going to pick up a Leaf antenna from Amazon. It is not too expensive and is working very well for my neighbors.
TVFool tells me that internal antenna may be enough for me.
I may also get a Roku 3 just to try it out.
I will call Direct TV and hope to get a discount.
vv19
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by vv19 »

newkidontheblock wrote:Thank for providing this wealth of information.
I checked Antenna web and it tells me that I only need small multi directional antenna.
I checked TV fool and it shows that most of the channels available to me are green and 4 are read.
All the transmitter are between 13-25 miles away from my home.

I also have basic cable because it was cheaper to get basic cable and getting a lower broadband rate.
I have 2 TV's which do not have a set top receiver from Direct TV.
I am going to pick up a Leaf antenna from Amazon. It is not too expensive and is working very well for my neighbors.
TVFool tells me that internal antenna may be enough for me.
I may also get a Roku 3 just to try it out.
I will call Direct TV and hope to get a discount.
Hi - let us know how the leaf antenna works for you. I got the exact same info from Antenna web as you did.
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22twain
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by 22twain »

jay22 wrote:By rabbit ears antenna you mean something like this: http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT111-Basic- ... roduct_top ?
Yep, that's it. The Radio Shack version has a larger circular loop which is a bit more effective at picking up the UHF channels. The rabbit ears are for VHF.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2103077

We actually have one of these, feeding a small tabletop TV in the kitchen, in addition to the big rooftop setup which feeds the living-room TV. It picks up only a couple of nearby stations reliably, but that's enough for news during breakfast.
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vv19
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by vv19 »

22twain wrote:
jay22 wrote:By rabbit ears antenna you mean something like this: http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT111-Basic- ... roduct_top ?
Yep, that's it. The Radio Shack version has a larger circular loop which is a bit more effective at picking up the UHF channels. The rabbit ears are for VHF.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2103077

We actually have one of these, feeding a small tabletop TV in the kitchen, in addition to the big rooftop setup which feeds the living-room TV. It picks up only a couple of nearby stations reliably, but that's enough for news during breakfast.
Thanks. All the transmitter are between 13-25 miles away from where I am, I guess this antenna should do the trick then?
Skiffy
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by Skiffy »

If you are used to the HD signal, you may be surprised by how snowy an antenna signal comes in.

A little over a year ago we changed from dish to cable, with a DVR on both. Surprisingly we kind of missed being able to watch shows off the TV upstairs (as we only had one DVR installed with cable). Also we found the Dish DVR capabilities a lot more advanced (ie record shows at times you want a lot more easier). We never watch anything "live" anymore, so record everything and then fast forward thru commericals. And what really spoils you with a DVR is being able to rewind if you miss something critical--esp. if you watch sports.
conundrum
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by conundrum »

Very informative, lots of great resources.

Drum :D
eucalyptus
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by eucalyptus »

Just dropped cable and now have Roku to get Netflix, Amazon and a few odd channels offered through Roku, like Crackle. Not sure how it will work. During the Boston tragedy, I was able to find streaming news coverage. Use a VPN to access certain overseas programming. Odd not to have traditional TV after all these years.
statsguy
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by statsguy »

We did just this a few years ago.

To get clearer picture we needed to add a booster to our antenna. The booster cost about $25 and it cost another $15 to put an electric outlet near our antenna, which is in the attic. We are very satisfied getting about 30 channels in our area, almost all are HD. We regualarly watch only about 9 of the channels.

Now our only cost for TV is internet service and Netflix. Which reminds me, make sure your internet is fast enough of the TV picture will occasionally freeze.

Stats
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22twain
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by 22twain »

jay22 wrote:All the transmitter are between 13-25 miles away from where I am, I guess this antenna should do the trick then?
Nothing's ever guaranteed with antenna TV reception, but there's a pretty good chance it will do the job, so it's definitely worth trying it out. Reception can vary a lot between different locations in a house or even in the same room. Try the antenna in various locations and orientations. It will probably help to buy an extra length of cable, 10-15 feet or so, with the F-type screw connectors on the ends, and use one of these to couple it to the cable that comes with the antenna:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2103648

Warning: if you have metal foil or mesh in your walls or roof (I hear stucco walls usually have chicken-wire type mesh inside), it can seriously reduce the signals that enter your house.
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oxothuk
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by oxothuk »

newkidontheblock wrote: I also have basic cable because it was cheaper to get basic cable and getting a lower broadband rate.
.
If you have cable service for broadband internet, then you probably don't need to put up an antenna. Just put in a splitter and run a cable from there to your TV. Assuming that your TV has a digital tuner (required since 2005) then you will be able to pick up your local broadcast channels that way. You just won't see the premium or cable-only channels, since those are encrypted.
oxothuk
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by oxothuk »

Skiffy wrote:If you are used to the HD signal, you may be surprised by how snowy an antenna signal comes in.

A little over a year ago we changed from dish to cable, with a DVR on both. Surprisingly we kind of missed being able to watch shows off the TV upstairs (as we only had one DVR installed with cable). Also we found the Dish DVR capabilities a lot more advanced (ie record shows at times you want a lot more easier). We never watch anything "live" anymore, so record everything and then fast forward thru commericals. And what really spoils you with a DVR is being able to rewind if you miss something critical--esp. if you watch sports.
Since TV transmission changed from analog to digital back in the aughts, snowy antenna signals are a thing of that past. Usually there is no difference at all between what you get from an antenna vs. what you get from cable/satellite; in some cases (where the cable or satellite provider applies extra compression) the antenna signal can be BETTER than cable/satellite.

Once you have lived with a DVR, however, there is no going back. As another poster suggested, a dedicated computer running Windows Media Center provides very nice DVR capability for Over-The-Air TV. I haven't checked recently, but a few years ago you could also get TIVO DVRs that worked with OTA TV.
RF
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by RF »

oxothuk wrote:
newkidontheblock wrote: I also have basic cable because it was cheaper to get basic cable and getting a lower broadband rate.
.
If you have cable service for broadband internet, then you probably don't need to put up an antenna. Just put in a splitter and run a cable from there to your TV. Assuming that your TV has a digital tuner (required since 2005) then you will be able to pick up your local broadcast channels that way. You just won't see the premium or cable-only channels, since those are encrypted.
I am also doing the same
I get hd CBS,NBC , abc, PBS and fox via Comcast high speed Internet
No need for antenna.

As far as whole house audio. I bought apple airport express to stream my music, pandora radio via computer/iPhone to replace the music from cable/satellite.
Airport express has audio out that can be connected to your creston whole house audio
Hope this help
crowd79
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by crowd79 »

Shhhhhhhh! I cancelled my HD cable service earlier this year, but I somehow still get a digital feed into my bedroom television. Guess I won't complain, it's Free for now. :D
vv19
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by vv19 »

oxothuk wrote:
newkidontheblock wrote: I also have basic cable because it was cheaper to get basic cable and getting a lower broadband rate.
.
a
If you have cable service for broadband internet, then you probably don't need to put up an antenna. Just put in a splitter and run a cable from there to your TV. Assuming that your TV has a digital tuner (required since 2005) then you will be able to pick up your local broadcast channels tht way. You just won't see the premium or cable-only channels, since those are encrypted.
Can you please explain how to do that?
Editron
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by Editron »

We've cut the cable and put up a small rooftop antenna. I'm no Bob Vila, but I was able to install it myself and run the cable through the gable vent, into the garage and connect it to the existing TV cable, which runs to the basement TV. All the broadcast networks come in crystal clear, better than cable. We supplement with Netflix and (rarely) Amazon, and we often connect a laptop to the TV to watch shows we missed or the Red Sox on MLB.com ($100 for a season subscription to almost all broadcast games, including radio).

As others have mentioned, antennaweb and TVFool.com were helpful. Here's the antenna we used. I found one on eBay for $45 including shipping:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Antennas+Di ... Id=6847298

We have dramatically cut our cable/Internet/phone bills by eliminating cable TV, switching from Comcast to CenturyLink fiber-optic (faster, cheaper), and using an Ooma phone. Bills were pushing $200 a month, now down to about $45.

Good luck. As noted, be careful on the roof. You might be able to tie into your existing satellite cabling, but be aware that the more splits and runs you have, the weaker the signal might be to your TVs.
oxothuk
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by oxothuk »

jay22 wrote: Can you please explain how to do that?
You just get a two-way splitter from RadioShack or HomeDepot and install it anywhere in the path between where your cable service enters the house and where your broadband modem is located. Connect one of the splits to the cable run which goes to your broadband modem, and the other split to a cable run which goes to your TV.

Or maybe you don't have to do anything at all. You said you currently have "basic cable TV" service, right? If so, there must already be some wiring that carries that service to each TV. Do you have some kind of "cable box" near each TV? If so, you can disconnect the input to that cable box and plug it directly into the tuner connection on the back of your TV.
vv19
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by vv19 »

oxothuk wrote:
jay22 wrote: Can you please explain how to do that?
You just get a two-way splitter from RadioShack or HomeDepot and install it anywhere in the path between where your cable service enters the house and where your broadband modem is located. Connect one of the splits to the cable run which goes to your broadband modem, and the other split to a cable run which goes to your TV.

Or maybe you don't have to do anything at all. You said you currently have "basic cable TV" service, right? If so, there must already be some wiring that carries that service to each TV. Do you have some kind of "cable box" near each TV? If so, you can disconnect the input to that cable box and plug it directly into the tuner connection on the back of your TV.
No, I dont have basic cable. In fact, I don't have a TV right now, I am getting one this weekend. :D

Will give the splitter a shot when I get it, thanks for the info.
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Hexdump
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by Hexdump »

We did this and are still working out other solutions.
We had DirectTv to the tune of about $80.00/month.
4 TVs with 3 DVR 2 were HD
We installed an outdoor antenna in the attic and used the existing DirectTv wiring for the antenna.
I think the antenna cost about $100 and we installed it ourselves.
We bought 2 Roku boxes for about $65 each and a Hulu+ subscription which costs about $8.00/month

We are rethinking the Roku/Hulu solution as I type as I just had a chance to test a Minix g4 coupled with XBMC.
So far it has worked well so much so that I think we will abandon the Hulu.
I think that the Minix g5 might be even better.
They are tiny PCs running Android and can serve as the brains of a home theatre system.
Those along with the antenna might be all we need.
We haven't done any recording yet but I am thinking that with some bigger storage, I will be able to.

Good luck.
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22twain
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by 22twain »

oxothuk wrote:I haven't checked recently, but a few years ago you could also get TIVO DVRs that worked with OTA TV.
They're still available. Last November I bought a TiVo Premiere for $200. You have to pay extra for the program guide, without which the box is useless as a DVR: either $15 per month or $500 up front for the lifetime of the box. After about three years the lifetime service comes out ahead, so I went with that.

Before that, for seven years I used a high-definition DVR that Sony sold for less than a year in 1995. It had a program guide called TV Guide On Screen (TVGOS) which received its data piggybacked on one station's broadcast signal. TVGOS was "free" in the sense that you didn't have to pay separately for it, but the license fee was built into the price of the box, which was about $600. Unfortunately, the company that eventually acquired TVGOS discontinued the "piggyback" delivery method last fall, and the Sonys became basically useless as DVRs.

(TiVo delivers its program guide via the Internet or via a direct telephone dialup connection. I use the Internet via my WiFi network.)
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tat2ng
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by tat2ng »

I have the older version of this Channelmaster DVR
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-video-r ... 42156.html

It is pretty spartan and will take some adjustment if you are used to the nicer DVR systems that the cable company has, but it works well as a DVR for over-the-air TV and there are ZERO ongoing costs.

I just have a roof-mounted antenna, no booster, and get a lot of channels. The Channelmaster has 2 tuners, so you can record 2 shows at once, while also watching a show that was previously recorded.

It may not be the best option, but it works alright for me - and has completely changed my TV watching experience (never watch anything live anymore - even sports I lag behind to let me skip commercials).
vv19
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by vv19 »

So, I bought a cheap rabbit ear antenna from walmart yesterday and was able to get all local channels except NBC which is pretty grainy and rarely produce a good picture. Everything else - PBS, Fox, ABC is perfect. Any idea how I can improve the NBC reception? Do you guys think it'll be a worthwhile investment to get one of those more expensive antennas? I live in an apartment, so I think an indoor one would work better for me. Thanks!
jimmyrules712
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by jimmyrules712 »

Have you considered something between the two extremes (premium satelite package vs rabbit ears)? You can get a basic dish network package for $15-$40 per month that should go to all tvs in the house. That'll give you local channels plus several that you wouldn't get over the air.
vv19
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by vv19 »

jimmyrules712 wrote:Have you considered something between the two extremes (premium satelite package vs rabbit ears)? You can get a basic dish network package for $15-$40 per month that should go to all tvs in the house. That'll give you local channels plus several that you wouldn't get over the air.
I ditched cable (and TV) 18 months ago. Decided to get TV back in (primariily for Netflix) 2 weeks ago, but don't really want to pay for just the local channels.

I do realize it limits my options, but I am OK with that. Thanks for your suggestion, though. :sharebeer
bogglehead
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by bogglehead »

Thanks for the info about PlayOn. I just made the switch to OTA antenna and Roku and have been very happy thus far. But even though I can pick up the basic channels I have no idea what time stuff comes on. For $60 to PlayOn, I can watch all of the streaming shows AND record them on DVR, and then stream them over my Roku box. Awesome idea. Well worth the bit of effort to set this all up. For a $200 one-time fee, I've now got a very solid entertainment package and no ongoing costs.
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newkidontheblock
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by newkidontheblock »

Even though TVFool and antenna web told me that i need a small multi-directional antenna my experience with Mohu Lean antenna did not go well.
I purchase Mohu leaf antenna based on great reviews on Amazon. I installed it in 2 different rooms. I tried moving the antenna to various locations in the rooms.
I could only get 1 channel and even that was fuzzy. It was in spanish :-)
I am tempted to pickup a rabbit ears antenna from Walmart to see if I have any better luck.
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22twain
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by 22twain »

newkidontheblock wrote:I could only get 1 channel and even that was fuzzy.
To mangle a line from those credit card toting barbarians, "What's in your walls?" If there's metal mesh (like in stucco walls) or foil insulation, it can do a good job of blocking TV signals.

Another possibility: those small leaf-type antennas don't work nearly as well with VHF signals as with UHF. So if most of your channels are VHF...
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Jim85
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by Jim85 »

Really would like to drop my Comcast triple play and just get the Internet (prob FIOS) but there are several cable channels we do watch. Mostly sports (ESPN) but also AMC, Fox News and some others.

Many questions:

Phone – I see Ooma is a solution and I think I understand how it works. If we were to do without the “house” phone, does anyone know if you can port your home phone number to your cell (and give up the cell number) ?

TV – OTA antenna and a Roku sounds good. Do you need a Roku for each TV? How about DVR features how is that done? If I also got the Playon thing (whatever that is) could I watch ESPN (and ESPN2, ESPNU, …), Speed, Food network, AMC, Fox News, etc. or do you need a Cable TV subscription for these? Any difference between FIOS and Comcast as far as the subscription requirement?

Internet – Do you need better than the basic level service? Mid level or highest?

Thanks in advance!
WhyNotUs
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Re: Review my plan to ditch satellite service

Post by WhyNotUs »

I abandoned dish because we rarely watched it, even though my bill was more like $45 a month.

We mounted an Antennas Direct DB2 antenna on the roof and have choice of single from two sets of towers- one 15 miles away and the other 6 miles. The are in a rural/mountain location but both have good signals. I do not have a wifi enabled blu ray so we bought a Roku box. Use it for Amazon Prime movies, Hulu Plus, TED talks, and occasionally Pandora. Antenna $75, another $20 for cable from roof and then plugged it into outdoor junction left over from satellite. Roku was about $80 and Hulu was $8 a month.
If you watch a lot of tv, it may seem like a culture shock but for us it is more than we can use. Wife ended up canceling Hulu as we were paying $8 a month to watch John Stewart/Colbert a few times a week and both are available online. The incessant calls and mail from Dish suggests that other posters are correct that you could probably but your bill in half or more by calling both Dish and Direct and saying you want to deal or are going to OTA. They were down to $30 a month for me for a basic package to serve two sets.
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