Computer help

[THEsocalledfan]

I was a channel flipper until I realized I was flipping channels because I was bored with what was on all of them. That and just wasting time, sitting around with nothing to do. Cut the cord a little over 3 years ago, quickly realized I watched way less TV when I had to actually choose something to watch instead of being able to mindlessly flip from channel to channel for hours ultimately not watching anything. I still watch plenty of TV in the evenings but now I enjoy watching entire seasons of shows 2-3 episodes at a time almost like watching long movies. You can go back and find great series from 5,6 even 10 years ago that if you haven't seen are new to you. My one complaint about cutting the cord is NFL games. It's the one thing I have to "do something different" to watch. (Like hookup my cheap ass antenna for a few hours on Sunday)

Yes, antenna is the cheapest way and best if you just want your local team (Vikings for those around here). But, you can also put in a DNS block easily and subscribe to international gamepass and get every game. Not hard to do; wiling to walk you through it.

[THEsocalledfan]

You have all the sports channels?

Yes. I have Sling TV sports pack which gives me most national sports channels. Then, I subscribe to MLB, NHL, and NFL and get every single game, so no need for fsn, NFL network (which comes with gamepass; also get redzone). Simple DNS block, and walla, the Twins, Vikings, and Wild are on. (Not to mention Vikes usually on the antenna with full 5.1 sound.....)

The ONLY nugget I will concede is B1G network is a tough nut to crack on football. However, if you get a password for their app from someone, you are good. (I would pay to access content if they were more progressive.....)

I save so much money that all this "ala cart" stuff is just fine with me! (BTW, much less honest ways to get this stuff, but not a fan of promoting it here.)

Key, I always state is set it up right. That is the "inconvenient" part in my mind. Hardwired connections are the way to go if you can.

[56BISON73]

Yes. I have Sling TV sports pack which gives me most national sports channels. Then, I subscribe to MLB, NHL, and NFL and get every single game, so no need for fsn, NFL network (which comes with gamepass; also get redzone). Simple DNS block, and walla, the Twins, Vikings, and Wild are on. (Not to mention Vikes usually on the antenna with full 5.1 sound.....)

The ONLY nugget I will concede is B1G network is a tough nut to crack on football. However, if you get a password for their app from someone, you are good. (I would pay to access content if they were more progressive.....)

I save so much money that all this "ala cart" stuff is just fine with me! (BTW, much less honest ways to get this stuff, but not a fan of promoting it here.)

Key, I always state is set it up right. That is the "inconvenient" part in my mind. Hardwired connections are the way to go if you can.

So how much money was the "set up"? Equipment. subscriptions etc. How much do you pay now per month?

[BisonTeacher]

So how much money was the "set up"? Equipment. subscriptions etc. How much do you pay now per month?

I would love to know this too. I'm going to post the channels I watch later. If you would tell me if they are all available and where id love to know.

[THEsocalledfan]

I would love to know this too. I'm going to post the channels I watch later. If you would tell me if they are all available and where id love to know.

You bet; we have a bunch of us on here at this point ready to help. I am not the only one......

[THEsocalledfan]

So how much money was the "set up"? Equipment. subscriptions etc. How much do you pay now per month?

Pat, always a tricky question and really depends on "how far you want to go" and what you already have. Examples:

1. Depends on if you already have a TV antenna installed somewhere. (I got lucky that one was already in my attic.)
2. Depends if you want DVR for antenna TV.
3. Depends if you want full capability on every TV.
4. Depends if you already have cat 5 or 6 cable already strung in your house

With that said, answer these questions:

1. Do you want full bore capability on each TV, or is antenna enough on some?
2. How many TVs do you want full bore capability?
3. Do you have network drops near your TVs? (You MIGHT be able to get away with wireless if no obstruction and close to router.) (MOCAs and solve no drops, but adds cost)
4. Do you want DVR? If so, antenna enough? Or also for "cable" channels? And do you consider "on demand" an acceptable alternative?
5. Do you want to be able to access content from antenna, or you recorded on your phone, ipad, etc?

I can get a start for you if you answer those.

[BisonAccountant44]

My quick math when I've looked into it was that I could take my full cable/internet/security bill from about $275/month down to at least $150 for about $700 in hardware. If I cutout the security system completely, I think I can get down to at least $130 for less than $200 in hardware. My comcast contract doesn't expire until June though, so I haven't really gotten into the details of what I'll be doing and didn't look into anything special for sports packages.

[56BISON73]

Pat, always a tricky question and really depends on "how far you want to go" and what you already have. Examples:

1. Depends on if you already have a TV antenna installed somewhere. (I got lucky that one was already in my attic.)
2. Depends if you want DVR for antenna TV.
3. Depends if you want full capability on every TV.
4. Depends if you already have cat 5 or 6 cable already strung in your house

With that said, answer these questions:

1. Do you want full bore capability on each TV, or is antenna enough on some?
2. How many TVs do you want full bore capability?
3. Do you have network drops near your TVs? (You MIGHT be able to get away with wireless if no obstruction and close to router.) (MOCAs and solve no drops, but adds cost)
4. Do you want DVR? If so, antenna enough? Or also for "cable" channels? And do you consider "on demand" an acceptable alternative?
5. Do you want to be able to access content from antenna, or you recorded on your phone, ipad, etc?

I can get a start for you if you answer those.

I have Direct TV. I have everything except, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, NFL Sunday Ticket. I have 4 TVs with 3 receivers and one hooked up wireless.
I have Cat5 and could go with a local provider but that was more expensive so I only do my phone and internet thru them.
I have never done Netflex, Hulu etc. Content on phone or ipad? Since I dont know what you are talking about I would say no.
I want full capability for all TVs. Yes I want DVR record ability.

Antennas? Dont know if they will work here as I use a network extender for my cell phones where we live. And Im not a gammer.

[Hammersmith]

I have Direct TV. I have everything except, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, NFL Sunday Ticket. I have 4 TVs with 3 receivers and one hooked up wireless.
I have Cat5 and could go with a local provider but that was more expensive so I only do my phone and internet thru them.
I have never done Netflex, Hulu etc. Content on phone or ipad? Since I dont know what you are talking about I would say no.
I want full capability for all TVs. Yes I want DVR record ability.

Antennas? Dont know if they will work here as I use a network extender for my cell phones where we live. And Im not a gammer.

You didn't really answer many of his questions, and what you gave him won't really help him answer you. Let's try again.

I'm not sure you understand what he means by full-bore. Let me break it down.


On each TV, you can have different levels of access/capabilities. Many times, you don't really need full capabilities on every TV. To do that adds significant cost with no real gains. So let's look at the different levels and see what you need.

1. Antenna - Good, old fashioned, over-the-air(OTA) content. Can either be a whole-house antenna that is split between your TVs through coax, or individual "rabbit ears" for each TV. Considering where you live, the rabbit ears are out, but a good whole-house antenna will get you some channels. Looks like you can get CBS, FOX & PBS this way(and some subchannels).

2. Internet content - This is to fill the void from antenna. Considering how few OTA channels you have, this is a big void. Here's where things get complicated and then simple again. To fill the void for the channels you like, you will probably have to get multiple services(Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sling TV, MLB, NFL, WatchESPN, etc.). This feels very complicated. But once you make those choices, you can often find an interface system like Roku that pulls it all back together in an easy to use format. But all that comes later. Right now, he just needs an idea on how many TVs need access to internet content(I'm going to guess all of them in your case).

3. Antenna DVR - Live recording from your antenna channels. This is separate from...

4. Internet DVR - Live recording from the internet content.

5. On demand - This means going and finding what you want to watch rather than channel surfing to it. Example: One of the few current "TV shows" I'm watching is The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime(new version of Top Gear). New GT episodes come out once a week, but you watch them whenever you want to. There's no need to use a DVR to record them to watch later. You go to the Amazon Prime website(or use an app) to select the show and watch it whenever you choose. The same is true for movies and series on Netflix and the like. If just about all of the things you like to watch are available on demand, then there isn't really a need for a DVR on every TV. Maybe one DVR for the whole house and then use on demand for the rest. Depends on your viewing habits/needs.

6. Accessing recorded content on other devices - Tech is available to take content from your antenna or DVR and stream it to a phone or tablet device. Maybe you want to be able to watch something on a tablet while sitting on your porch. Or maybe you don't want a TV in your bedroom but want to be able to occasionally watch your recordings there. Stuff like that. It's nice tech to have if you've got tablets and want to use them for this, but it adds to the cost of the system.


So now for the other questions:

1. How many TVs are we talking about total?

2. How many of those TVs need to have antenna access and do you already have an antenna?

3. How many of the TVs must be able to access internet content?

4. How many must have separate DVR capabilities and what kinds(antenna and/or internet)?

5. Do you currently have a Cat5/6(network) outlet near every TV location? If not every location, how many do not have network jacks nearby and how many of those TVs need internet access?

6. Do you want the ability to stream recorded content to phones and/or tablets?

7. He didn't ask this, but do you have any old computers or laptops that are just gathering dust? It may or may not save money.


I'll give you an example of what he's looking for by providing my situation.

1. I've got one TV.
2. I don't have an antenna and an antenna is not an option in my case.
3. My one TV must have access to internet content.
4. I'd like to have internet DVR, but it's not a deal-breaker. I think I can get everything I want live(sports) or on demand.
5. I have a network connection near my TV.
6. I don't need to stream to a phone or tablet, but I do want to stream to a Win10 laptop.
7. I have two old laptops that can be repurposed. Both have HDMI ports and are fairly powerful.

[MAKBison]

I have Direct TV. I have everything except, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, NFL Sunday Ticket. I have 4 TVs with 3 receivers and one hooked up wireless.
I have Cat5 and could go with a local provider but that was more expensive so I only do my phone and internet thru them.
I have never done Netflex, Hulu etc. Content on phone or ipad? Since I dont know what you are talking about I would say no.
I want full capability for all TVs. Yes I want DVR record ability.

Antennas? Dont know if they will work here as I use a network extender for my cell phones where we live. And Im not a gammer.

Pat are you doing this in the FM if so PM me and I will give you the name of someone to call.....they can get you in the best situation.