Direct TV alternatives ?

[schutzen-jager]

been a subscriber for 30 years - since the AT+T takeover have had numerous customer service problems + outrages price increases - many programing changes, dropping OAN + NewsMax + introducing numerous biased + woke programs have forced me to drop them - looking for good alternatives + cost is a factor - any suggestions ? -

[brassrat]

Get an antenna. Plenty of garbage, but free. Enough decent stuff if looked for.

[ddeck22]

Agree with brassrat....I switched to an antenna about 5 years ago. Depending on where you live, you can get quite a few channels via the antenna. You will lose some stuff, but I find you can just get clips on either YT or Rumble.

I was paying $80/mo for cable and phone...now I just pay for internet. Over 5 years, that's $4800. I doubt I would have received $4800 in enjoyment

[Cast10]

Antenna is ok. I use it cat camp.

At home we stream TV. We are on HULU Live and Friendly. Also, with a Roku stick you get programming from Roku free. There are also other free services for streaming. Good thing is, NO CONTRACT. You can cut off, on whenever. Just have to have a descent internet connection.

[Rapier]

Since Dish was bought by Direct TV / AT &T the choices if you live in the woods has gotten slim. Neighbor has streaming, using a land line, DSL, with You Tube and Netflix Streaming service. I am not a sports nut so that service and setup does not suit my desires. There are other streaming services to choose from.

[ofitg]

At home we stream TV. We are on HULU Live and Friendly. Also, with a Roku stick you get programming from Roku free. There are also other free services for streaming. Good thing is, NO CONTRACT. You can cut off, on whenever. Just have to have a descent internet connection.

Another "thumbs up" for Roku, if you have a DSL internet connection.

Newsmax, Real Americas Voice, RSBN are free. TUBI-TV is free, with plenty of movies/entertainment to choose from. If you want OAN, there is a $5/month subscription.

[GhostHawk]

We cut our 100$ cable bill down to 35$ a month basic. Then added a Fire TV, spent a little on netflix, hulu, britbox. Now we have so many options we almost never watch cable.

You do need a good internet connect and if your using Wifi as your fire TV connection you might want to invest in a 20$ booster.

In the living room I have the bigger fire tv box that is maybe 4 inches square and not quite an inch thick because it had an RJ-45 port. Ran a lan cord to it and no more streaming.

But my wife manages pretty well in the bedroom with just the older fire stick.

Also if you want you can get Roku on the fire TV. We watch it some.

We are also subscribed to HBO + which has some good stuff on it.

Netflix is IMO best for movies, Hulu there are several series we watch there including The Rookie, 911, 911 lone star, Justified, Station 19, and Orville.

[MrWolf]

We dropped Dish awhile ago and switched to just streaming over the internet. I have Frontier which means my internet speeds suck. If we can do it almost anyone can. There was or still is a promotion with Verizon wireless where I get Hulu, Disney, and ESPN free. I couple that with my Roku and find there is plenty to watch when we do. Newsmax is available and we watch some each day. Huge drop in monthly fees and we don't miss it at all. Check with your cell provider to see if they have promotions. Good luck.
Ron

[Tripplebeards]

Get rid of cable and get a an antenna. If you have Internet get a fire stick if you don’t have a smart TV. Did it about 8 years ago and never looked back.

[schutzen-jager]

have not considered antenna because i would miss RFD, AHC, history, NewsMax, PBS + a few orhers - also i can not confirm that Dish is owned by DTV - will check out Verizon + sling today -

[SSGOldfart]

I worry about my internet connection seeing how it drops out a few times a week,my cell coverage uses the internet connection without it the cell phone only has one bar, it's living in the sticks only internet I can get is through the Phone company. Hopefully this thread will shed some light on the streaming services that are available I have to find another service for TV any boby use "Prime"??

[SSGOldfart]

I worry about my internet connection seeing how it drops out a few times a week,my cell coverage uses the internet connection without it the cell phone only has one bar, it's living in the sticks only internet I can get is through the Phone company. Hopefully this thread will shed some light on the streaming services that are available I have to find another service for TV any boby use "Prime"??

[GhostHawk]

SSGoldfart We have prime and use it along with others. I would venture to say close to half of what we watch comes from Prime.

Some 6 years ago I had Amazon contact me via email about getting prime. They had a fairly sweet deal but I did not know enough about them.
A year later I got another email showing that if I had taken prime the year before I would have saved 267$ in shipping charges. Well that convinced me. I joined. Shortly afterword we got our first Fire TV stick and wow, there was all that good stuff to watch on prime.

Now I do think that since 2 day shipping has pretty much gone out the window. Most of our stuff takes 4 days to a week. So I think our cost for prime should be drastically reduced. And while I may threaten to quit I really doubt I ever would.

Good deal all around IMO.

[MaryB]

I told DirectTV where to go 3+ years ago... now I use a Roku box to stream SlingTV, Netflix, FreeVee(great for movies!) etc etc... no off the air TV here to speak of so it was my only choice.

[parson48]

We cancelled Dish about 3 years ago and are using roku. We subscribed to Philo ($20 per month) because it carries the 3 Hallmark channels which the wife likes to watch. Not much in the way of sports or news, but I pick up most of the Indianapolis channels (50 miles away) with a small outdoor antenna.

[contender1]

I live in an area where an antenna is not an option. Almost zero reception here. (mountains, trees etc.) so that idea got shot down. But we have discussed the idea of dropping Direct a lot. We do enjoy a FEW regular channel programs,,, and we could stream stuff. But my better half says she's not so sure.
See,,, I'm technology challenged & can screw up just about anything with a remote thingy. Too darn many buttons & trying to figure out which one does what & how.
We have 3 remotes sitting by our chairs,, and it's EASY to hit the wrong button on the wrong remote at the wrong time.

Too bad we don't have a 10 yr old to run such stuff for me.

[MUSTANG]

Currently use "Century Link" for landline and Internet and Cell service extender. Have been dissatisfied with their service for years; but given remote location of the Montana House - that's been the only solution. Dumped Direc TV about 5 years ago due to continual cost increases and ability to get same service from Internet.

I am thinking of dumping the Century Link in March, Will move the Internet to Musks' Starlink Satellite, and have the Land Line telephone number moved to something like "Magic Jack". That will give me the Cell Phone extender, Land Line, Internet, and Streaming Television (Amazon Firestick, Roku, and AppleTV devices - each kids family visiting uses something different). Price Starlink lists would be less than what I am paying Century Link. Bandwidth would be similar as Centurylink is limited to 10Mbps (actual tests indicate max 8Mbps) over fiber (copper interface to house) in our area.

[schutzen-jager]

still checking + trying to compare options - FYI Verizon made me aware of the FCC ACP program that gives discounts to low income + government programs on services - reduced rates + computer purchase allowances available to those that qualify -

[Harter66]

We have a Roku and a Fire edition smartish TVs probably 1/3 of what I wanted to watch when we dropped the satellite services were either subscription, buy the box set , or high cost add ons . My gross phone bill is more than my house payment as was the Dish and Direct before it . We started checking out features on the TV apps . Yep there's a few things I miss that require a subscription to a service but with the www cost and $5-12/month with annual discounts we would still be ahead of the cable/sat cost . We're up about $1800 since the drop .
Tubi , Xite , FreeVee , and 3-4 for the tots and teen plus the Disney via Verizon pretty much keep us happy Disney is I think $12/mo now but it's 20 directly vs attached to the phone . We have the same the same 15 sec spot commercials 1-6 at a time on the free stuff and none on the subscription apps . I avoid the news like the plague , I get enough feed via the phone . Probably everything you can want is logged under common names you'll recognize if you use the search function , just like Google or duck duck .

We are rural but have land line www and 4 bar phone service in a Hamlet of 300 .

[abunaitoo]

What ever you do, do NOT go with spectrum cable.
We call it rectum here.
They promise all kinds of things, then slowly raise prices, and cut back on service.
Most cable TV have so many useless channels, but what rectum does is count HD channels, that are the same as non-HD, as the channels you get.
So we end up with 1/3 of the same channels.
For now I'm stuck with rectum.
There are a few stations that I watch most of the time, not on antenna.

[Grayone]

Roku here as well. Giving DirectTV the boot after 21 years. Too woke for me. I am not missing anything.

[gc45]

living far away from cable and also high speed internet, we depend on our Dish TV and Dish Internet service. Yes I hate their high prices but one must pay for what one wants and I like getting stations like sports channels, Newsmax, Fox on occasion although the Sons of Rupert Murdoch are Libs who have changed much of Fox programming I like Varney and and a few others. My Wife and I enjoy Christian Tv like Sunlite Broadcasting and John Haggee. We like the Western Channel and it's old movies, the Outdoor channel, Golf channel and a few others I can't think of..I dislike watching movies or anything that moves on a computer, it is bad for the eyes. ya I could hook up to my TV but without a high speed connection no cigar. We enjoy the country more than having conveniences so are happy with out Dish TV. My only dissappointment is not getting my favorite baseball games and also the occasional dropped tv channels due to money issue contracts.

[Three44s]

Roku, Sling and Friendly (extended) plus air channels off an antenna.

Three44s

[BD]

We have had an antenna on the roof since we built our home in 1986. At the time I asked the local cable provider if we could get cable where we are and he said, "nope, never gonna either". So far we cannot "see" any satellites either. Over the years I have worked out of town quite a bit, occasionally for a few years at a time. I've had cable of various types and dish TV once, and the reality is that there is really nothing on TV that is worth paying money for. You can get the "news" from Fox, CNN, Newsmax, or NBC/CBS/ABC on line much more efficiently than sitting through their broadcasts. Since going digital the picture from the antenna is better than cable ever was, and it is free.

[Baltimoreed]

I overpay for direct tv and have a Genie that I do like and use all the time. I prerecord multiple channels and most of the shows, movies and news that I watch and fast forward through all the junk. Had whatever spectrum cable was before, maybe warner? and hated it. Always kills me when spectrum talks crap about the satellite dish in my yard but they get their feed via satellite dishes in their yard.

[warren5421]

Anyone know anything about Apple TV on mac's? Looking at a new laptops and seen it on a MacBook Pro

[gkainz]

Apple TV (the app) as opposed to Apple TV (the hardware) has been around for years.
I’m researching dropping cable tv and using Over The Air and internet TV only. I bought an Apple TV 4K hardware device and subscribed to Apple TV+ app, which provides movie, TV, etc content.
I’m still trying to get a handle on what provides the things I want to watch.
Apple TV 4K allows download of multiple apps, free and subscription to air almost anything one would ever care to watch.

[schutzen-jager]

still looking + comparing - turned off on Dish practices yesterday - called for a price + asked about installation given a good price + multi perks + discounts, clearly stated that i would call back with decision - hour later i get an email stating that my new installation would be on Tuesday - called them back + was told that it was scheduled + at a price $20. + more than quoted - took 1/2 hour on phone to cancel something i never ordered !!

[pworley1]

Roku and YouTube TV.

[GregLaROCHE]

I get everything I need from the internet (Starlink). Nothing else is available here. Most of the major news outlets have YouTube channels these days. It drops out from time to time, but nothing I can’t live with. It’s very fast. Nothing like our old satellite company. Fifty bucks a month I can live with.

[MrWolf]

I get everything I need from the internet (Starlink). Nothing else is available here. Most of the major news outlets have YouTube channels these days. It drops out from time to time, but nothing I can’t live with. It’s very fast. Nothing like our old satellite company. Fifty bucks a month I can live with.

I am still waiting on Starlink for over two years now. Equipment cost bumped up to around $500 if I remember right and monthly will be around $100. Would gladly pay that versus this Frontier garbage I have now. I will admit my outages have gone down significantly since I had to go with their "bonded" wire (coincidence?) but the speed is still very slow.

[ascast]

Roku here , DSL through Frontier on fiber optic line. Requires me to have my own wireless hub which is OK. I think the hub will support 6 devices simultaneously, and operate from my barn 100yds away. I have no neighbors within 1/2 mile so no security risks. Frontier speed is dismal compared to what they advertise. Spectrum is my other option. We ALL HATE Spectrum. flat out crooks with great connections. Must have smart TV. Once on Ruko, you can get a lot of other free channels, and loads of pay stuff.

[Ithaca Gunner]

We pay for internet and also have Roku, the wife added a few pay channels for stuff she just can't live without which add up to around $40.00 a month maybe. Roku or Fire Stick is the way to go. Pick what you want free, ignore what you don't want, pay for any extras. It's about as close as you're gonna get to T.V. liberty.

[MUSTANG]

I get everything I need from the internet (Starlink). Nothing else is available here. Most of the major news outlets have YouTube channels these days. It drops out from time to time, but nothing I can’t live with. It’s very fast. Nothing like our old satellite company. Fifty bucks a month I can live with.

How are you getting $50.00 per month with Starlink? Is it because it's outside of US (France) and you get a better billing - or is it because of a subscription rate I am not using here in Montana? Prices I am seeing for Star Link is $110. monthly plus a $600. hardware procurement. (Higher for RV options).

Currently the SPOT BEAM does not cover our Montana House (Although a spot beam does currently cover our Nevada House in the Desert North of Las Vegas) This is why I am looking at March or later in 2023 to procure as they indicate "Coming in 2023" for out Montana Address.

[MaryB]

I live in an area where an antenna is not an option. Almost zero reception here. (mountains, trees etc.) so that idea got shot down. But we have discussed the idea of dropping Direct a lot. We do enjoy a FEW regular channel programs,,, and we could stream stuff. But my better half says she's not so sure.
See,,, I'm technology challenged & can screw up just about anything with a remote thingy. Too darn many buttons & trying to figure out which one does what & how.
We have 3 remotes sitting by our chairs,, and it's EASY to hit the wrong button on the wrong remote at the wrong time.

Too bad we don't have a 10 yr old to run such stuff for me.

SlingTV carries all the "cable" channels for less than half the price of DirecTV, add on packages if you want sports, outdoors etc

[MaryB]

Amazes me more don't have fiber by now... I live in the middle of nowhere and have 1gigbit fiber! I can stream 4k TV...

Living alone the TV is noise, otherwise the house is to quiet... tiny town of about 100 houses so traffic is minimal unless it is harvest season

[GregLaROCHE]

I am still waiting on Starlink for over two years now. Equipment cost bumped up to around $500 if I remember right and monthly will be around $100. Would gladly pay that versus this Frontier garbage I have now. I will admit my outages have gone down significantly since I had to go with their "bonded" wire (coincidence?) but the speed is still very slow.

The equipment has gone up, but the monthly rate has gone down to around fifty bucks per month. And it is really fast. You just need to be careful you don’t have big trees close to interfere.

My son in Alaska was supposed to get one last year, but didn’t. I think they sent all available to Ukraine.

[Bored1]

I suggest getting an Amazon firestick. As long as you have a good internet connection you can add all sorts of streaming apps for free. Pluto plays quite a bit in our living room. The "channels" are actually tv shows like Survivor, NCIS, Andy Griffin, Love boat, etc. They will play episodes in order of the season then repeat after 3 or 4 whole seasons have played. Last time we went through them it was an amazing amount of tv of basically anything wed want to watch. The even have themed movie channels like James Bond all the time. Commercials play about as often as over the air tv. You can also watch the daily local or national news from different major cities.