Dropped Cable TV Today

[target2019]

Localcast for Chromecast / DLNA may do this.

 

[sengsational]

I understand now. There are no apps in the TV. So you're dependent on the device for smarts. What about a mini computer with Linux? Or arduino?.

Picking one of those would be a fun project. I really don't need it to "just work" right away, because I've got sneaker net with a USB thumb drive. So one of those might be fun project. And although I didn't really want to use any kind of computer (including a smart phone), your comment about the Android app got me thinking...I DO have an old Android phone that has an HDMI port and I could set it up to do the single duty of streaming local content to that TV.

Added: the old Android phone is too old for the app. Now I'll have to write one myself

 

[target2019]

I think I'll be going off to get a Chromecast device soon. Need to try that out. If it is not all that, it will go upstairs in the bedroom. Then there'll definitely be a Roku in the near future.

 

[kneehigh]

I think I'll be going off to get a Chromecast device soon. Need to try that out. If it is not all that, it will go upstairs in the bedroom. Then there'll definitely be a Roku in the near future.

Roku is probably more useful if you plan on streaming. I would also try MS wireless display adapter. You have to have a WIDI compliant laptop/computer if you plan on using this and most newer models of computers do. It works well with my W10 Thinkpad T430s and Android Samsung S5.

 

[steelyman]

Here are a couple of things about Sling I didn't know before, but am learning as I gain experience.

I thought it was some crazy startup when I first heard of it around the time I was taking a look at streaming options. Apparently, it's a subsidiary of Dish Network.

Second, I notice by playing around with the remote that several (but not all) of the channels available through Sling support pause, rewind, etc. Even a "start over" button that I came across while noticing Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp was in progress, a movie I liked and hadn't seen in a long time.

 

[target2019]

Roku is probably more useful if you plan on streaming. I would also try MS wireless display adapter. You have to have a WIDI compliant laptop/computer if you plan on using this and most newer models of computers do. It works well with my W10 Thinkpad T430s and Android Samsung S5.

We went with Roku3. Having working kid in the house pays dividends.

Will start thinking about how to make bedroom TV smart now.

 

[AdrianC]

DW loves HGTV, DIY, Cooking and all that, so we have to keep some sort of TV service in order to promote marital harmony.

We just switched BACK to cable after an unpleasant two years with DirecTV.

Time Warner has a TV/30Mb internet/phone package for $90. That's half what we were paying for DirecTV + internet and phone. We now get basic cable though the house again, more internet speed and international calls included.

Competition is good.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Now OTA. Was a cable subscriber. Part of that included music channels. Those were sometimes nice and useful. Now I stream using my Roku, using the Roku Media Player. I also have the FREE Plex channel on my Roku. This is much more complicated but it does a better job of picking up iTunes on my PC, video and photos. I looked at some other posts that discussed this. Some were almost 2 years old. Any new things in this area? Oh, I have Pandora, too.

 

[Chuckanut]

Tivo is bringing SkipMode to the older Roamio boxes. On shows where it is available (usually the more popular evening shows) one button and we flash past the commercials to the next segment of the show. Very nice.

The SkipMode feature is available only on certain recorded shows; we hope to make it available for the most popular shows on the most popular channels watched by TiVo subscribers. That means you’ll find SkipMode availability on many shows that you record between 4:30 p.m. and midnight (or 12:30 a.m. on major networks) on the most widely-watched channels.

 

[target2019]

Now OTA. Was a cable subscriber. Part of that included music channels. Those were sometimes nice and useful. Now I stream using my Roku, using the Roku Media Player. I also have the FREE Plex channel on my Roku. This is much more complicated but it does a better job of picking up iTunes on my PC, video and photos. I looked at some other posts that discussed this. Some were almost 2 years old. Any new things in this area? Oh, I have Pandora, too.

Maybe you have suggestions for the following situation. It sounds like what you've done. I have an extensive iTunes music library on a Windows system. It works well in my office.

I thought it would be simple to stream music from there to Roku. Reading about this last evening, I got nowhere. The instructions I found were very confusing.

1. Do I need to run Roku Media Server on the PC? Is that the only way to do this?
2. What about the Plex channel? Would that require a media server that's compatible?
3. Are there other ways to do this?

 

[gromit]

Maybe you have suggestions for the following situation. It sounds like what you've done. I have an extensive iTunes music library on a Windows system. It works well in my office.

I thought it would be simple to stream music from there to Roku. Reading about this last evening, I got nowhere. The instructions I found were very confusing.

1. Do I need to run Roku Media Server on the PC? Is that the only way to do this?
2. What about the Plex channel? Would that require a media server that's compatible?
3. Are there other ways to do this?

For question 3: For video and audio types that the Roku Media Player channel supports, you can always just put the files on an external disk drive or flash drive and plug it into the Roku. The Roku Media Player will find them and show you a list to select.

I'm not familiar with whether the RMP channel supports the file types typical in Itunes.

 

[Focus]

Tivo is bringing SkipMode to the older Roamio boxes. On shows where it is available (usually the more popular evening shows) one button and we flash past the commercials to the next segment of the show. Very nice.

Surprised by this. Won't they encounter the same problems Dish Network faced when it rolled out a similar feature on its Hopper DVR? From this Feb. 11 Variety article announcing that Dish and Fox had settled their suit:

Broadcasters challenged Dish Network’s new Hopper DVR features in lawsuits filed in 2012, including one, AutoHop, that automatically skips over ads for subscribers. But ABC and CBS settled their litigation against Dish as they sought to renew carriage agreements.

 

[Katsmeow]

DW loves HGTV, DIY, Cooking and all that, so we have to keep some sort of TV service in order to promote marital harmony.

We just switched BACK to cable after an unpleasant two years with DirecTV.

Time Warner has a TV/30Mb internet/phone package for $90. That's half what we were paying for DirecTV + internet and phone. We now get basic cable though the house again, more internet speed and international calls included.

Competition is good.

Sling TV has those, although I don't think you can record. But, you can watch shows for a couple of days after they air as I recall. Playstation vue has those as well and I think it records (if it is in your area)

 

[Dawg52]

There is a cord cutters group on Facebook that has a lot of good info with respect to technology and programming. A closed group, but anyone can join. They let me in. Key words to input...........

Cord Cutting Tech Support

 

[W2R]

Some who drop cable TV don't need or desire any services or devices/hardware other than a homemade antenna. I am perfectly happy with this setup although I understand others need more and that is their choice.

In retirement I have found that I am overloaded with other entertainment options, and cutting back a bit on TV when there is nothing on just gives me more time for them. I listen to podcasts, play video games, watch youtube videos, read, surf the net, and more. I still have more to do than I have time for.

 

[Gone4Good]

We haven't had cable since we left our apartment to travel nearly six years ago.

At first we made do with our RV TV antenna plus we'd buy DVDs of the shows we wanted to watch. This was in the old days of about 4 years ago before streaming was a big thing. In the RV we also never had great internet reception so streaming wan't an option.

In the last two years we've ditched the RV and just travel with our laptops. So we mostly watch Netflix but can also stream most U.S. broadcast channels and even watch live sporting events with a borrowed cable log-in. We still occasionally buy shows on iTunes that aren't on Netflix. We choose iTunes over Amazon because the former still allows us to download programs to our hard drives, something you can no longer do with Amazon. That's useful when wifi blows.

Traveling internationally we've needed to add a VPN to continue to watch programs in the U.S. when overseas. Netflix has now gone global but their libraries are different from country to country - something we also exploit with our VPN, so we get far more programs with Netflix than are available in the U.S.

Overall we're paying less for TV than we did with cable. But I think it's going to keep getting harder to do as the market keeps fragmenting from one big streaming service (Netflix) to a half dozen or more.

 

[redduck]

Gone4Good: I've been meaning to ask--in the avatar that you use, which one of you is ER Forum member, Gone4Good?

 

[Gone4Good]

Gone4Good: I've been meaning to ask--in the avatar that you use, which one of you is ER Forum member, Gone4Good?

On the interwebs nobody knows you're a monkey.

 

[steelyman]

On the interwebs nobody knows you're a monkey.

I wouldn't be too sure about that.

 

[tulak]

We choose iTunes over Amazon because the former still allows us to download programs to our hard drives, something you can no longer do with Amazon. That's useful when wifi blows.

The latest version of the Amazon Video iPad app allows you to download shows/movies. I've done this recently for long flights.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Music

Maybe you have suggestions for the following situation. It sounds like what you've done. I have an extensive iTunes music library on a Windows system. It works well in my office.

I thought it would be simple to stream music from there to Roku. Reading about this last evening, I got nowhere. The instructions I found were very confusing.

1. Do I need to run Roku Media Server on the PC? Is that the only way to do this?
2. What about the Plex channel? Would that require a media server that's compatible?
3. Are there other ways to do this?

For 1, you need to enable your PC to be a DLNA server. Search for this based on your operating system. Once you enable this, Roku Media Player will find you PC.

For 2, you need to install a Plex media server on your PC and add Plex as a Roku channel. Then you should be good.

You do not need to do both 1 and 2. I have because I was experimenting. You asked for more ways to do this. Someone suggested a flash drive loaded with tons of music. You could then plug this into your Roku, depending on the type. Didn't try that but I bet it would work.

My router can serve as a DLNA server. So, I plugged a flash drive with music and photos into it's USB port. It worked great.

Some NAS will serve as a Plex media server. Not mine. If yours does, it would be great as you don't need to have a PC on to play music.

 

[target2019]

For 1, you need to enable your PC to be a DLNA server. Search for this based on your operating system. Once you enable this, Roku Media Player will find you PC.

For 2, you need to install a Plex media server on your PC and add Plex as a Roku channel. Then you should be good.

You do not need to do both 1 and 2. I have because I was experimenting. You asked for more ways to do this. Someone suggested a flash drive loaded with tons of music. You could then plug this into your Roku, depending on the type. Didn't try that but I bet it would work.

My router can serve as a DLNA server. So, I plugged a flash drive with music and photos into it's USB port. It worked great.

Some NAS will serve as a Plex media server. Not mine. If yours does, it would be great as you don't need to have a PC on to play music.

NAS may be the way to go to transition my library away from itunes.

I settled upon plugging USB into Roku 3. Then install the Roku Media Player channel. I think I may also have installed USB Roku Media Player. It's very easy to get confused with the various concepts. I inserted a 32GB USB stick, and was able to play the music. However, if your media is sorted into folders, you need to select a folder to play it. Or at least that's what I found so far. So the free solution is limited. I'm sure if you pay to play with other apps, there are more features. For now I've drawn the line there.

Our router has DLNA, and I use that as a data dump between PCs. I'll try that soon for streaming.

I use itunes to manage the music library, and primarily play that in my office, where I have some better-sounding speakers. Apple is quite crappy in this regard. What I expect of an industry leader is a Roku app that allows me to catch and stream what's playing on my itunes library PC. Maybe that exists, but I haven't found it yet. Here's a discussion link about things itunes, DLNA, etc.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4967024?start=45&tstart=0

Not that I've read it yet. LOL

 

[Done]

I have been searching for a way to access my music without leaving a PC running. I hadn't tried a USB stick in the Roku, so thanks for the suggestion. Some routers serve files from a USB stick or drive, but I haven't played with that yet. Another option to consider is a cloud service, but they are not perfect and some charge a subscription fee.

Amazon Music allows Prime members to upload 250 songs for no additional fee, or 250,000 songs for $24.99/year. You can play the music from various platforms including a Roku app. I use the free version for my current favorite songs. Prime members also get free access to Prime Music, like Spotify with a smaller library, but this portion is unfortunately not in the Roku app.

Google Play Music lets you store 50,000 songs for free. You can play from iOS/Android/web/Sonos/Chromecast but not Roku. I use this as a free backup service for my music and to play from mobile devices.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[JOHNNIE36]

I've been reading all these posts for months now and have decided to stay put with Verizon for now. I just heard the other day that some changes are coming later this year with regard to the rental of cable boxes. Don't know the details.

TV is our only form of entertainment as we don't go out to the movies, concerts, stage plays, etc. Just too old to get into that and don't feel like driving into Tampa to see all that. Right now we pay $215/month total bill. Breakdown as follows:
$30 phone, $70 for HD high content TV, $50 for 50/50 internet, $42 for equipment rental, $32 for FIOS Quantum service and $9 for Netflix streaming. Then there is $22 for taxes, surcharges and misc fees. Also, we are getting a $40/month credit for bundle service which expires in May. I think I can continue getting this discount. I know all that is a lot, but we are running five TV's and wife wants to record up to six different shows. That required Quantum. We "budgeted" $2500/year for entertainment and that's about where we are right now.

 

[Dawg52]

I've been reading all these posts for months now and have decided to stay put with Verizon for now. I just heard the other day that some changes are coming later this year with regard to the rental of cable boxes. Don't know the details.

TV is our only form of entertainment as we don't go out to the movies, concerts, stage plays, etc. Just too old to get into that and don't feel like driving into Tampa to see all that. Right now we pay $215/month total bill. Breakdown as follows:
$30 phone, $70 for HD high content TV, $50 for 50/50 internet, $42 for equipment rental, $32 for FIOS Quantum service and $9 for Netflix streaming. Then there is $22 for taxes, surcharges and misc fees. Also, we are getting a $40/month credit for bundle service which expires in May. I think I can continue getting this discount. I know all that is a lot, but we are running five TV's and wife wants to record up to six different shows. That required Quantum. We "budgeted" $2500/year for entertainment and that's about where we are right now.

We don't all spend money the same way. If tv is your main form of entertainment and you are pleased, it's probably worth it. I pay around $3k a year on golf which is probably absurd to some people. But I enjoy it. For me....tv is important but I'm happy with just the local channels, Sling TV and Netflix. My cost is $720/year including internet. Works for me.