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Dwayne1m Samba Member
Joined: December 31, 2011 Posts: 3538 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 5:52 pm Post subject: Alternative TV |
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I have been with DirecTv since 1998. For years they were great to deal with. Recently they've been bought out by AT&T and they really went downhill. Tech help SUCKS. It took 3 visits to fix a problem so I was without TV for a week yet they did nothing to adjust my bill. I just found an email today where they said I agreed to a $7.99 monthly service plan. Nothing could be further from the truth. I never agreed to it, in fact it was never even mentioned to me, but they slipped it into my bill without telling me. Years ago they tried to slip the $300 NFL package into my bill too. Anyway, it's time for a change and I've seen this thing called Sling, and PlayStation has some kind of TV package, but I know nothing about any of them. They all seem to get mixed reviews. Anybody familiar with any of this alternative TV programing? An antenna won't work for me. Terrible reception, and cable doesn't come my way. |
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Zundfolge1432 Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 12467
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 6:47 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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We had problems too in fact after two visits they were unable to correct the problem. The last call I made I told them to just get all their shit, we don't have a contract and pay month to month. They sent two supervisors and completely rewired the house, all new including the dish. That was over two years ago and slowly over time jacked bill up over 100 a month. We again told them to come get their shit. They knocked bill down to 66 a month and provided HBO,Cinemax,etc for free. They are feeling the heat from Roku and others that let you design your own programming. I'm tired of paying for channels I don't ever watch, that seems to be the complaint. It was so much easier when folks pirated the cards and programming ran wide open including all the pay channels, circa 1998. |
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Dwayne1m Samba Member
Joined: December 31, 2011 Posts: 3538 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:36 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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I don't have a contract and can cut the cord at any time. I pay almost $130 a month just for TV and I don't have any channels like HBO or Cinemax or any sports packages. I could live without TV but the others in the house can't. It just pisses me off the way they've treated me for being a long time customer. I work with a guy who has Dish and he says they are the same way, so I don't feel as if I would gain anything by switching to Dish. |
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cdennisg Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004 Posts: 20271 Location: Sandpoint, ID
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 9:15 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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I have a digital antenna for free local programming (a dozen channels), and a Netflix account for live stream programming @ nine bucks a month. _________________ nothing |
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Q-Dog Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2010 Posts: 8699 Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 2:48 am Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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We have Apple TVs for movies and non-broadcast programming. Up in the attic I have the same TV antennas I've used for about 30 years and receive about 30 local broadcast channels. _________________ Brian
'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle |
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jwp67 Samba Member
Joined: February 12, 2012 Posts: 656
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 2:57 am Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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Most of the antennas now come with a signal booster. You may find with the booster you can get good reception. I have Netflix and Hulu, then what is free in the air. Once the dish or cable is gone, you don't miss it. |
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OB Bus Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2003 Posts: 2537 Location: Ocean Beach in Beautiful BLUE California
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 8:29 am Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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We have two homes. One in metro San Diego and another in the remote Sierras. San Diego is Cox Cable for TV (no pay channels), internet and our old school land line phone. After threatened to leave they dropped the monthly cost to around $170. Up North we have Dish Network for TV (top-120, no pay channels) and a local ISP for internet. After threatening to leave Dish they agreed to $45/month. The internet (which is really good) is $50/month.
I'd love to cord cut, or at least cord trim. The possibilities are so many that my head starts to pivot every time I think of changing. I'm 64 and starting to feel like those grumpy old folks who can't quite keep up. _________________ Larry in OB
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
69 Westfalia and 2002 Eurovan Camper. |
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Dwayne1m Samba Member
Joined: December 31, 2011 Posts: 3538 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 9:00 am Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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These alternative programming options like Sling, Apple, etc, how do you get the signal? Thru the internet, a land line phone connection, antenna? All this stuff is new to me and makes my head spin. Sounds to me like technology is going faster then what the public can keep up with. I really want to tell Directv to shove it but I want something to replace it first. Where is a good place to go to ask about antennas and boosters? |
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cdennisg Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004 Posts: 20271 Location: Sandpoint, ID
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 9:24 am Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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Likewise, I am far from tech savvy. But, my wife has a really good IT guy and many students that know their stuff. Without them, I wouldn't get it either.
Apple TV, ROKU, SLing, Smart TV stuff, all of them work from WiFi internet use. Gotta have that or nothing else works. A quality antenna works great in metro areas, and you will likely get more channels than you can watch for just the cost of buying the antenna. I got mine at the Evil Mart of Wal, for $40 several years ago. _________________ nothing |
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Dwayne1m Samba Member
Joined: December 31, 2011 Posts: 3538 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 9:39 am Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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I stumbled across a website that uses your coordinates to test your signal strength for an antenna. I live in a valley so my signal strength was fair to poor, so I don't have much hope that an antenna will be advantageous. |
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cdennisg Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004 Posts: 20271 Location: Sandpoint, ID
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 9:48 am Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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Dwayne1m wrote: |
I stumbled across a website that uses your coordinates to test your signal strength for an antenna. I live in a valley so my signal strength was fair to poor, so I don't have much hope that an antenna will be advantageous. |
Probably this one. https://www.antennaweb.org/
I should not get as many channels as I do, according to their site. But, when the trees are full in the summer, our reception is nowhere near as good as winter time. Weather affects the quality, too. Cloudy days are best. _________________ nothing |
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Dwayne1m Samba Member
Joined: December 31, 2011 Posts: 3538 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 12:47 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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I still live in the house I was born and raised, I'm 54, so I remember when we had an antenna we got 4 channels, NBC, CBS, ABC & PBS. We would get 2 UHF channels but they were very cloudy. We also had a party line with 4 houses on it. How many remember those? |
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Q-Dog Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2010 Posts: 8699 Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:33 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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I'm 53 and live about 1/8 mile of the house I grew up in. I remember having to go outside and rotate the antenna to get better reception on a couple of channels ... and getting yelled at for moving it too far. A LITTLE MORE ... STOP ... NO, GO BACK ... TOO MUCH ... THE OTHER WAY ... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! ... GO BACK ...
Seemed like the party line was always busy. _________________ Brian
'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle |
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OB Bus Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2003 Posts: 2537 Location: Ocean Beach in Beautiful BLUE California
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:36 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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Q-Dog wrote: |
I'm 53 and live about 1/8 mile of the house I grew up in. I remember having to go outside and rotate the antenna to get better reception on a couple of channels ... and getting yelled at for moving it too far. A LITTLE MORE ... STOP ... NO, GO BACK ... TOO MUCH ... THE OTHER WAY ... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! ... GO BACK ...
Seemed like the party line was always busy. |
Ahhh the beauty of the "Alliance Tenna Rotor". The joys of an electric motor on top of the pole. We finally got a "private" line around 1967 when the latest "other party" talked ALL the time. _________________ Larry in OB
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
69 Westfalia and 2002 Eurovan Camper. |
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Dwayne1m Samba Member
Joined: December 31, 2011 Posts: 3538 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 2:06 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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We also had the electric motor to turn the antenna. It wouldn't hold it's position though. Try getting it to turn "just a little".....forget it. |
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Q-Dog Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2010 Posts: 8699 Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 3:41 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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Oh, at one time we had the electric rotator, but the wind seemed to always move the damn thing around.
Actually, I think the folks just liked yelling at us! _________________ Brian
'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle |
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Zundfolge1432 Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004 Posts: 12467
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 5:52 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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Dwayne1m wrote: |
I still live in the house I was born and raised, I'm 54, so I remember when we had an antenna we got 4 channels, NBC, CBS, ABC & PBS. We would get 2 UHF channels but they were very cloudy. We also had a party line with 4 houses on it. How many remember those? |
Yes the big three networks and one or two UHF, that was what 90 % of the people had. We didn't get color TV until 1970, I can imagine youngsters reading this trying to imagine a world of black and white TV. Imagine your TV going off around midnight after the national anthem it turned to a test pattern. Nothing to watch nothing to see VCR had not been invented. Here's what folks don't realize cable TV actually dates back to the 1940s and was subsidized by the Govt to provide news to people in areas that could not receive a signal using antenna. We are real close to telling directv to come get their shit once and for all. |
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Dwayne1m Samba Member
Joined: December 31, 2011 Posts: 3538 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:34 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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Zundfolge1432 wrote: |
We are real close to telling directv to come get their shit once and for all. |
I'm at that point now but I want a replacement first. My buddy just said to go to Best Buy and look into something called Amazon Fire Stick. So I guess a trip to Best Buy is on my agenda. |
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cdennisg Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004 Posts: 20271 Location: Sandpoint, ID
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 6:39 pm Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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Zundfolge1432 wrote: |
We are real close to telling directv to come get their shit once and for all. |
Do it. The world will be better for it. _________________ nothing |
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Cusser Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2006 Posts: 31362 Location: Hot Arizona
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:06 am Post subject: Re: Alternative TV |
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OB Bus wrote: |
We have two homes. One in metro San Diego and another in the remote Sierras. San Diego is Cox Cable for TV (no pay channels), internet and our old school land line phone. After threatened to leave they dropped the monthly cost to around $170. Up North we have Dish Network for TV (top-120, no pay channels) and a local ISP for internet. After threatening to leave Dish they agreed to $45/month. The internet (which is really good) is $50/month.
I'd love to cord cut, or at least cord trim. The possibilities are so many that my head starts to pivot every time I think of changing. I'm 64 and starting to feel like those grumpy old folks who can't quite keep up. |
I have similar situation, in Arizona. Phoenix home, I have Cox cable TV and Cox Internet.
For my place up north, I have Cable One high speed internet, no TV. So I bought Slingbox and Fire Stick for there (not sling TV, that's different, so confusing), and when up north I can control my Phoenix cable box through my Fire stick remote control OR through Mrs. Cusser's laptop computer or IPad. So whatever I could watch in Phoenix, I can watch up north through internet. I can even set and access the DVR and other functions of the Cox cable TV.
So how much is Slingbox per month? Zero, one time purchase, think it was like $120. Fire Stick was $40. _________________ 1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297 |
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