Comments
Pristine-Elk-2902 t1_iyb8jsq wrote
Yall still watch cable TV?
SquirrellyDog2016 t1_iybdq8g wrote
It's why I switched to Fidium and subscribe to YouTubeTV for local & basic cable channels. No fees or taxes. Those franchise fees they tack on are ridiculous. I'm saving myself $100 a month.
dorelda t1_iyble0e wrote
Even though I get nothing with an antenna other than Maine PBS, the fees annoyed me enough that I dropped cable tv altogether, and went to a “slower” Internet.
I have Paramount+ for live Boston coverage, free Peacock through Comcast (as long as that lasts), and Hulu for watching next day. I can also catch NH news with free apps or online. I also support PBS and have the Passport.
I would love to get basic network “antenna” service, but even if it was free, the $27 fee is too much.
I’m happy to binge Midsomer Murders on Pluto, catching up on the episodes I missed. :)
Edit to add: Comcast pretty much has a monopoly here. No fiber option in my town.
ChiefinLasVegas t1_iybyqyh wrote
*CONcast
ForklkftJones t1_iyc887u wrote
They had to be raise more money to pay off Casey Anthony.
spyboy70 t1_iycfsaj wrote
I have Comcast, but only pay for internet, got rid of the TV portion years ago. I can access local news on regular YouTube (and it's posted up as individual news stories, so it's faster to scan for a news story you actually want to watch, vs the 30-60 minutes of blathering they do).
Don't care about "live" TV, most shows eventually come to Hulu or Netflix. Hulu seems to be faster with some shows, with a few showing up a day or 2 after they air.
My GF loves soccer, so I found you can install the Fox Sports app on an Android TV box (you DO NOT have to make a Fox Sports account) and then authenticate w/ Hulu and watch the World Cup without paying for sports (we just have the regular Hulu commercial free subscription).
My setup...
I'm using an Onn Android TV box ($20 from Walmart) https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Android-TV-4K-UHD-Streaming-Device-with-Voice-Remote-Control-HDMI-Cable/636597403
I don't use the native YouTube app since it will force feed you commercials, installed SmartTubeNext which can skip commercials and has sponsorblock filters https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTubeNext
So we watch YT without commercials, it works great, ZERO commercials (a lifesaver during election season).
Extras t1_iycjuur wrote
Fidium is great, I've been using it for around a year. Highly recommend
sweetnsalty24 t1_iyco4ge wrote
I have the same set up. However since I can't bring myself to give up Verizon wireless, I also get Disney + ESPN + and Hulu with my line fees.
movdqa t1_iycr6r8 wrote
We've had Comcast since around 2011 and have only internet. We had a CRT TV from the 1990s and got rid of it about five years ago. We use OTA - one member of the household wanted to watch one show every week.
Network television keeps raising rates and there have been some very public battles between the networks and the carriers and I haven't heard about those kinds of battles for several years so I assume that the carriers have just given up and pass on the costs. Cable television is a declining business model and the networks and carriers are just milking an aging cow to those willing to pay for it. Similar to landline phones.
Clocktowahpowah t1_iycvmg5 wrote
Do you know after the first year the price actually goes up? Or is it like Comcast where you call and they still give you the ‘promotional’ rate again?
kb_klash t1_iycxfhz wrote
> We use OTA
Got any recommendations for a quality antenna? The two I've tried so far have fallen far short of their advertised ranges.
movdqa t1_iycxuda wrote
We got this huge thing from Radio Shack that I put in the attic. I think that it was 10 feet long and five feet wide and that thing pulled in stations from Boston but we were also on a hill. There are a lot of factors that affect reception - at least back before digital.
After the digital transition, my son bought a big square antenna (don't recall the brand or model) and that pulled in a couple of stations but he was able to watch the show that he wanted to watch. This was also in the attic. We tossed everything five years ago and nobody watches TV shows anymore.
occasional_cynic t1_iyd17ee wrote
So happy I ditched them.
itsyounotmeithink t1_iyd2tpn wrote
What is the speed or version of the internet package you have. Im looking into alternatives to what i have now, and my contract is up next month.
spyboy70 t1_iyd3uwg wrote
Not sure the actual numbers but speedtest.net says I get 1400/45. I pay $90/mo.
Once I found out I was getting over 1000 down, I bought a new cable modem with a 2.5gigabit port on it to see how much higher it was.
Fidium just came through over the summer, so I may switch eventually, I think they're $70 for 1000/1000 as a promo then it goes to $90/mo.
Honestly all I want is faster uploads, I'd stay w/Comcast to avoid all the hassle of switching if they'd just increase my upload speed (which supposedly is happening around the area, like in Sanford, ME according to the tech that I spoke to last year)
itsyounotmeithink t1_iyd4yek wrote
Thanks for the info im trying to figure out whats my best move to make. Im thinking of getting my own equipment like modem and my own boxes for each room.
spyboy70 t1_iyd5ugh wrote
Always get your own router and modem, they rip you off on the pricing.
Boxes for each room? A couple of Roku or Android TV boxes work great if you just want streaming stuff.
DerekPDX t1_iyd85z7 wrote
Signal quality is highly dependent upon many factors including your location relative to the station broadcasting the signal, local terrain, etc. That being said if you can get a good signal, OTA HD signals, unlike cable and satellite, are uncompressed so they provide a higher quality signal.
itsyounotmeithink t1_iyd8evb wrote
I was talking to a girl at comcast when i called about my contract, she said she bought her own equipment and has never had any problems and saves alot of money. I think i will buy a modem and one box for a room and see if i like it. I was thinking about the roku with voice remote. I was told theres an app for Xfinity you can use through roku.
redditthrower888999 t1_iydf2hn wrote
Dumped cable tv over 10 years ago. Still use Comcast for Internet, isn't any competition in my area. We subscribe to different streaming options and switch between them as we see fit. Currently Paramount+, Disney and Amazon. We have an outdoor OTA antenna but don't use it very often.
Boats_are_fun t1_iydlftu wrote
Fuck Comcast! That is all
Sirhc978 t1_iydt18m wrote
>Got any recommendations for a quality antenna?
It is more about your location than the antenna. There are parts of nashua where the best antenna on the market can't get a signal, and other parts where a $20 antenna will pick up 15 channels.
uglykidjohn t1_iye5t1p wrote
I dumped Comcast TV, went with youtube tv for $65 a month just for football.
ThunderySleep t1_iyef3vq wrote
I only subscribed a couple of years in college 12+ years ago.
I don't watch sports, and I've never had an issue pirating whatever I want to watch, so it's never been a consideration for me.
Cantide756 t1_iyeklfx wrote
>Cable television is a declining business model and the networks and carriers are just milking an aging cow to those willing to pay for it.
They are going to milk that until it's coughing out dust, then blood.
MentllyDisnfectd t1_iyevjhw wrote
I just made the switch to fidium a few days ago. I was paying almost $200 a month for internet and just enough channels to watch the Patriots, I still couldn't even watch the Celtics.
​
I still have to figure out what I'm going to have to do to watch the Pats but at least I'm not being bled dry by comcast anymore.
beachTreeBunny t1_iyf3hha wrote
Not me. I have TMobile Internet ($50/mo), antennas on 2 TVs, Netflix and Paramount Plus. It’s $60/month less than when I had Comcast. The antenna picture is more HD, but of course, you need to be in a good location to get many channels.
beachTreeBunny t1_iyf48lv wrote
If you are in the Boston area, try an antenna. CBS has the highest broadcast range of any of the local channels. I bought my digital antenna for $30, and I get CBS, FOX, ABC, NBC 7/10, 38, 56, and a bunch of PBS channels. Digital antennas are great.
ShortUSA t1_iyf7puw wrote
Most Pats games are on Paramount+, right now on promo for 99 cents a month for a year. Otherwise, I pay $4.99 / month for the three months needed for the Pats.
akbrown81 t1_iyf9g6k wrote
Similar experience for me near Philadelphia. Free hdtv is great!
DietCokeMachine OP t1_iyb3ye1 wrote
"The Comcast "Broadcast TV" fee that isn't included in the company's advertised prices is rising again, tacking as much as $27 onto the monthly bills of cable TV users. Comcast's Broadcast TV and Regional Sports Network fees combined could add nearly $40 to a customer's monthly TV bill after next month's price hikes, all while Comcast advertises much lower prices than people actually pay.
...
The Broadcast TV fee is rising from $24.95 a month to $27.25 a month starting on December 20 in Sandown, New Hampshire, a letter from Comcast to town government officials said. In Sandown, the Regional Sports Network fee is rising from $11.85 to $12.
...
Comcast's advertised prices do not include the Broadcast TV or the Regional Sports Network fees even though these fees account for a large portion of customers' actual monthly bills. On Comcast's ordering website, the base prices are listed along with a message stating that Broadcast TV and Regional Sports fees are "extra" and that the price is "subject to change." The Broadcast TV and Regional Sports fees also aren't included in how Comcast calculates promotional pricing and thus can be raised even when a customer's promotional rate hasn't expired.
...
The letter to Sandown officials listed increases to base monthly rates for TV and Internet service and hikes to several fees in addition to the Broadcast TV and Regional Sports ones. TV box fees are set to rise from $8.50 to $10 a month, modem rentals from $14 to $15 a month, and in-home service visits from $70 to $100, the letter said."