The Swamp

Baloney wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2023 10:00 am I dumped Spectrum internet and got T-Mobile home internet for half the price. Works for me.

How is this working for you? I have a pretty good price for what I have but I know a hike is coming soon. There's just two of us here now so we're looking at phones, one TV at a time usually and occasionally a second if I play the PS5.

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:05 pm Looks like Prime has ads on everything now? And you have to get another subscription on top of the normal subscription for them to go away? Membership up in May, think I'm out.

I didn't mean to nextpage this.

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:05 pm Looks like Prime has ads on everything now? And you have to get another subscription on top of the normal subscription for them to go away? Membership up in May, think I'm out.

Yes, you can pay a for a "premium" price for no ads on Prime.

It's getting pretty close to a tipping point with them. Used to be something like $70 a year for all of the perks, now I think it's close to double that.

My wife is a 75-80 online shopper and we have trucks dropping stuff off at our house at least once a day. So... We are their target demo. But, man... If they jack the price again we are going to have to look closely at alternatives.

=-=-=-=-=

I don't necessarily begrudge the streamers going to this model. As long as the commercial breaks aren't brutal, I actually don't mind a few mental breaks in some of the shows I watch.

And, the beauty of YouTubeTV is that for a lot of the shows we watch, we can still fast forward so it's kind of like when we had basic cable and DVR.

But, I can see a day where they make it so painful to sit through commercials on the streamers where you feel like going Premium is worth it. Probably 2-3 years out. Thing is, if they go that route, they're going to see people consolidate to "must haves." It's a fine line.

Yeah there's already free shit out there to watch that is ad-supported (Tubi for one). Not gonna pay for a service and get hit with ads as well.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:17 pm
My wife is a 75-80 online shopper and we have trucks dropping stuff off at our house at least once a day. So... We are their target demo.

But you can still get the free shipping w/o Prime as long as you hit a $ amount threshold, right? I've been leaning heavily on them the last couple years for by biz supplies but mostly because I'm bad at planning ahead and always need things right away. Figure I just need to plan better and can forego a Prime membership altogether. (And purchase directly from suppliers, etc)

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:15 pm

Baloney wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2023 10:00 am I dumped Spectrum internet and got T-Mobile home internet for half the price. Works for me.

How is this working for you? I have a pretty good price for what I have but I know a hike is coming soon. There's just two of us here now so we're looking at phones, one TV at a time usually and occasionally a second if I play the PS5.

Working fine, had a problem one Sunday when a tower was down slowed the connection right down, overall I'm happy with it.

On the one hand, that really seems like it would raise antitrust concerns.

But on the other, I suppose consolidating services will make it easier for people. I hate having a dozen different video subscriptions.

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:17 pm But on the other, I suppose consolidating services will make it easier for people.

Kinda like traditional cable packages.

Who is this consolidating anything for? I already watch everything I want to watch from those networks on the same service. Now I’ll have that and the rest of “cable” that gets left behind.

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:50 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:17 pm But on the other, I suppose consolidating services will make it easier for people.

Kinda like traditional cable packages.

Yes! If my cable system allowed me to stream all the channels I get on cable, I'd be all over it. But that doesn't work for sports - I can stream in my own home where my cable is located, but not anywhere else.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:31 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:51 am I pay $70/mo for YouTube TV. Is your cable tv cheaper than that? And does it include unlimited DVR? And you can watch on your phone, computer, and TV (at the same time if you want)? And you can watch it just as easily when you're traveling?

my directv isn't but I know my setup/needs aren't comparable to the average user

but in terms of the local cable company ... it's not far off. and you can just watch/access everything from their app and/or use your sign-ins on network specific apps when you're not at home. I just built a trial package for $125 a month after taxes and fees for both TV and internet (with HBO max included)

I'm not coming at this from an anti-streaming point of view by any means. just that I don't think that the cost savings are what they are/were advertised to be and that I think we're quickly getting to the point where bundling services is going to be the way to go again.

what do I win

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:33 pm

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:50 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:17 pm But on the other, I suppose consolidating services will make it easier for people.

Kinda like traditional cable packages.

Yes! If my cable system allowed me to stream all the channels I get on cable, I'd be all over it. But that doesn't work for sports - I can stream in my own home where my cable is located, but not anywhere else.

Your system is weird then. (This is where I admit to streaming sports with my parents cable log in.)

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 7:26 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:33 pm

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:50 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:17 pm But on the other, I suppose consolidating services will make it easier for people.

Kinda like traditional cable packages.

Yes! If my cable system allowed me to stream all the channels I get on cable, I'd be all over it. But that doesn't work for sports - I can stream in my own home where my cable is located, but not anywhere else.

Your system is weird then. (This is where I admit to streaming sports with my parents cable log in.)

Comcast wouldn't let me stream it I wasn't on a Comcast internet connection. We don't have cable internet at work. Fuck then. Couldn't stream ncaa tourney.

If you say, go to ESPN's website and go to log-in, it will give you the option of doing so by linking to your cable account. However, if you go to your cable's site and try to watch ESPN, it will probably give you the 'you need to be on your home network' mumbo jumbo.

i can watch everything I need to in the directv app wherever I am

(and their phone app is actually really good surprisingly enough)

1. Article in the Athletic speculated this morning that future ESPN+ or whatever will likely be around $50/month. Like....how is this any better than cable used to be?

2. I miss the old NHL.tv.

(2b. I miss the old NHL while i'm at it...)

3. as for sharing access/connecting to "home" network - i had been glomming off my parents' Spectrum login last year only to watch the shithead Sabres on MSG+ but this year I was blocked. It was a red herring error; something about needing to change name/password but it worked fine for my parents. Solution (which is completely not-doable for 99% of you i realize) was to actually take my Roku TV over to my parents' house - with my TV login to their WIFI - sign in to the Spectrum app there (successfully) - then bring it home. It has worked for the past month so.... ?

I respect this effort so much that I'm going to quote it max style.

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:36 am 3. as for sharing access/connecting to "home" network - i had been glomming off my parents' Spectrum login last year only to watch the shithead Sabres on MSG+ but this year I was blocked. It was a red herring error; something about needing to change name/password but it worked fine for my parents. Solution (which is completely not-doable for 99% of you i realize) was to actually take my Roku TV over to my parents' house - with my TV login to their WIFI - sign in to the Spectrum app there (successfully) - then bring it home. It has worked for the past month so.... ?

PBS is the only channel that gives me that business so now I'm debating how big of a nerd I am if I take my roku to my parents just for that.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 9:37 am i can watch everything I need to in the directv app wherever I am

(and their phone app is actually really good surprisingly enough)

I think all this is also available on YouTubeTV.

yup. yttv still seems to be the best/cheapest option if you don't care about lag or the bally sports channels

duff wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:45 pm

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 7:26 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:33 pm

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:50 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:17 pm But on the other, I suppose consolidating services will make it easier for people.

Kinda like traditional cable packages.

Yes! If my cable system allowed me to stream all the channels I get on cable, I'd be all over it. But that doesn't work for sports - I can stream in my own home where my cable is located, but not anywhere else.

Your system is weird then. (This is where I admit to streaming sports with my parents cable log in.)

Comcast wouldn't let me stream it I wasn't on a Comcast internet connection. We don't have cable internet at work. Fuck then. Couldn't stream ncaa tourney.

I have Comcast internet at our house and cabin, but Comcast won't let me stream sports at the cabin since we don't have cable there.

Kind of apropos of nothing, but...

I have noticed lately that if weren't for sports, I really don't watch anything on traditional terrestrial/cable TV that I can't get on one of the streaming platforms I subscribe to... Between Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+ and Prime (and Netflix, but that's just content, not crossover) I'm really debating even having YTTV.

honestly the best part was me pulling into my parents' driveway (i live ~7 minute drive away) and taking the tv out of the passenger side while watching my dad's reaction. classic 78-year old "what in the hell..." slackjaw.

but it WORKED dammit - who's laughing now OLD MAN!?!

rass wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:39 am I respect this effort so much that I'm going to quote it max style.

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:36 am 3. as for sharing access/connecting to "home" network - i had been glomming off my parents' Spectrum login last year only to watch the shithead Sabres on MSG+ but this year I was blocked. It was a red herring error; something about needing to change name/password but it worked fine for my parents. Solution (which is completely not-doable for 99% of you i realize) was to actually take my Roku TV over to my parents' house - with my TV login to their WIFI - sign in to the Spectrum app there (successfully) - then bring it home. It has worked for the past month so.... ?

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 12:23 pm
I have Comcast internet at our house and cabin, but Comcast won't let me stream sports at the cabin since we don't have cable there.

Try logging in directly to ESPN/Fox/whatever with your comcast credentials (via browser). This is how I stream sports to my fam's cabin in Utah that also doesn't have cable.

yeah; there should never be anything that prevents you from streaming a sporting event anywhere on your phone/tablet/etc if you pay for a cable service

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 12:44 pm yeah; there should never be anything that prevents you from streaming a sporting event anywhere on your phone/tablet/etc if you pay for a cable service

Isn't the problem that "streaming rights" are sold separately from "broadcast rights"?

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 12:35 pm... my fam's cabin in Utah ...

Wait, what? Where?

'Bout the midpoint between Evanston WY and Mirror Lake.

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 1:23 pm 'Bout the midpoint between Evanston WY and Mirror Lake.

Oh, cool. I love it up that way.

Though the beetle infestations have been doing a number on the forests in the Uintas the past few years.

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 1:17 pm

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 12:44 pm yeah; there should never be anything that prevents you from streaming a sporting event anywhere on your phone/tablet/etc if you pay for a cable service

Isn't the problem that "streaming rights" are sold separately from "broadcast rights"?

no?

all of the first-party apps have authentication processes. if you want to watch something on ESPN, you just sign into the ESPN app and log in with your comcast credentials

the easiest way to try that is to go to your iphone's settings (assuming you have an iphone) and enter your TV provider credentials. and then just fire up the ESPN app whenever you're not home and pull up whatever live programming is on ESPN at the current time

have you ever streamed a sporting event on your phone before away from your house?

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 2:32 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 1:17 pm

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 12:44 pm yeah; there should never be anything that prevents you from streaming a sporting event anywhere on your phone/tablet/etc if you pay for a cable service

Isn't the problem that "streaming rights" are sold separately from "broadcast rights"?

no?

all of the first-party apps have authentication processes. if you want to watch something on ESPN, you just sign into the ESPN app and log in with your comcast credentials

the easiest way to try that is to go to your iphone's settings (assuming you have an iphone) and enter your TV provider credentials. and then just fire up the ESPN app whenever you're not home and pull up whatever live programming is on ESPN at the current time

have you ever streamed a sporting event on your phone before away from your house?

Some broadcasters allow it, some don't. And I think it definitely depends on the sport and whether the sport is a big enough deal to warrant separate streaming rights.

When I stream games on my phone or laptop, it's either through a sport-specific service like mlbtv, or a specific streaming service like Peacock, ESPN Plus, etc.

I know we've tried to go through our Comcast cable account to stream NFL games that were being broadcast by our local station. We've been rejected every time. I assume it's because YouTube wants us to buy NFL Sunday Ticket.

Actually the local games should be available over the air so the rules are different for that I believe. I've used YTTV in the car (I was the passenger!) and every so often when we'd cross a team's boundary I'd have to close app and restart to get a new location.

yeah, we're getting into the vagaries of in and out of market stuff here

in-market OTA NFL games are available via the Fox app with your cable credentials. for CBS games, you can access them via Paramount Plus (which you can get for free/bundled with a lot of stuff). as AB said, you can also put a good 100-150-mile HD antenna on the cabin if you're within range of a tower (I have no idea if that's feasible or not)

MLBTV and Sunday Ticket are out of market products

everything on cable will be accessible through a first-party app. I also was given an Xfinity Stream account a while back and have had no issues with it whatsoever either in KC or StL. I have no idea if that's the app that Comcast uses for its mobile viewing or if it's a different product altogether.

So FiOS quietly dropped Monumental Sports. No wiz or caps for me. Verizon has the name on the arena. Wonder if this was related to the Teddy L trying to move to Virginia. But no statement from either side or the radio station that has the morning show on the station.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 12:29 pm Kind of apropos of nothing, but...

I have noticed lately that if weren't for sports, I really don't watch anything on traditional terrestrial/cable TV that I can't get on one of the streaming platforms I subscribe to... Between Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+ and Prime (and Netflix, but that's just content, not crossover) I'm really debating even having YTTV.

And even with sports, you can find streams online. Just have a pop up blocker and ad blocker installed on your web browser.

I got into Brooklyn 99 as a casual mindless enjoyable show, but then they had to put in a really good cliffhanger at the end of season 4. Netflix has just the four first seasons and YouTube TV has 1-4,7-8. Now I'm deciding if I should do the PeaCock trial and steam through two season, or just wait until it pops up somewhere else.

EdRomero wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 12:22 pm I got into Brooklyn 99 as a casual mindless enjoyable show, but then they had to put in a really good cliffhanger at the end of season 4. Netflix has just the four first seasons and YouTube TV has 1-4,7-8. Now I'm deciding if I should do the PeaCock trial and steam through two season, or just wait until it pops up somewhere else.

Peacock is worth a month, but spring for the no ad version. There’s probably at least a few movies worth checking out (Holdovers, Oppenheimer for example) you can binge Brooklyn 99, and there’s Premier League.

It’s next up to get the axe for us though.

So there I was with my VPN on using Panama as a tunnel (or whatever it's called) and I got curious to HBO Max's price.

I Googled and it has their middle plan for $110 for the year and I figured, ok fine. I'll do it.

Well, I go to their website and lo and behold it's showing $49.90. So, uh yea. I created an account and got charged that amount. It's working.

Either no one knows about this 'trick' or everyone does and I'm last to find out.

We'll see if anything happens. Worst case I just always turn my VPN on first before logging in.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:50 pm

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:31 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:51 am I pay $70/mo for YouTube TV. Is your cable tv cheaper than that? And does it include unlimited DVR? And you can watch on your phone, computer, and TV (at the same time if you want)? And you can watch it just as easily when you're traveling?

my directv isn't but I know my setup/needs aren't comparable to the average user

but in terms of the local cable company ... it's not far off. and you can just watch/access everything from their app and/or use your sign-ins on network specific apps when you're not at home. I just built a trial package for $125 a month after taxes and fees for both TV and internet (with HBO max included)

I'm not coming at this from an anti-streaming point of view by any means. just that I don't think that the cost savings are what they are/were advertised to be and that I think we're quickly getting to the point where bundling services is going to be the way to go again.

what do I win

folks,,,