Cord Cutting

[GburgNatsFan]

I’m only keeping Fios tv for MASN at this point.

Watching via location spoofing and MLB TV this week convinced me that it's plausible.

[machpost]

Watching via location spoofing and MLB TV this week convinced me that it's plausible.

I'd been convinced it's plausible before last night, when I kept getting error messages when trying to stream various games on the Apple TV. These errors went away when I switched back to automatic DNS, so hopefully MLB isn't catching up with the technology.

[The Chief]

Of course ABC local is VHF

We found a couple of above-board very cheap streaming services that carry the small # of cable channels we want (minus MASN of course) but getting local channels appears to be dependent on luck with an antenna, a much more expensive streaming service (Hulu/YouTube) or plain old cable.

[GburgNatsFan]

Of course ABC local is VHF

We found a couple of above-board very cheap streaming services that carry the small # of cable channels we want (minus MASN of course) but getting local channels appears to be dependent on luck with an antenna, a much more expensive streaming service (Hulu/YouTube) or plain old cable.

We found, even being 20+ miles from the broadcast antennas, that we could pick them up reasonable well with an HD antenna. Even an indoor one.

Care to name the streaming services you are talking about?

I'm enjoying just listening to C&D while I accomplish. Still run to the TV is something awesome happens.

[The Chief]

We found, even being 20+ miles from the broadcast antennas, that we could pick them up reasonable well with an HD antenna. Even an indoor one.

Care to name the streaming services you are talking about?

I'm enjoying just listening to C&D while I accomplish. Still run to the TV is something awesome happens.

Philo and AT&T WatchTV both have the 3-4 channels we care about.  I tried both a leaf-style antenna and a smaller plate + rabbit ears.  The Leaf knockoff didn't pick up VHF at all and the hybrid just barely picked up ABC and CBS.  Oddly neither of them picked up NBC which according to online tools is about the same signal type, distance, and direction from us as Fox (which came in fine).  Both antennae were mounted as close to the ceiling as possible, but interior of the house - our arrangement isn't near a window and we have no interest in re-arranging.  Putting the antennae near a window and running coax would be tedious and unsightly.  Basically we want this easy or not at all

[GburgNatsFan]

Interesting. Havent' heard of either of them, but worth looking at everything.

I'm assuming that you used antennaweb.org to figure out where to point your antenna? (I know. I don't think you're an idiot. I just had to check.)

Philo and AT&T WatchTV both have the 3-4 channels we care about.  I tried both a leaf-style antenna and a smaller plate + rabbit ears.  The Leaf knockoff didn't pick up VHF at all and the hybrid just barely picked up ABC and CBS.  Oddly neither of them picked up NBC which according to online tools is about the same signal type, distance, and direction from us as Fox (which came in fine).  Both antennae were mounted as close to the ceiling as possible, but interior of the house - our arrangement isn't near a window and we have no interest in re-arranging.  Putting the antennae near a window and running coax would be tedious and unsightly.  Basically we want this easy or not at all

[The Chief]

Not that exact site but a similar one.  All the channels we get clearly and the ones we wanted to get but don't are pretty much at the same distance and heading.  I would have chalked it up to VHF vs UHF but NBC (which didn't pick up at all on either antenna) is UHF, like the many channels we received perfectly (PBS, Fox, Telemundo)

[skippy1999]

Not exactly cord-cutting but, we gave up directv as of yesterday because they took away CBS and NBC two months ago, never decreased our bill and their customer service was abysmal. So, I no longer get MASN. Or NESN. Or even SNY which I adored watching after Mets and Jets losses because I’m immature and petty  I told myself I’d be fine but not having the post game show tonight, and knowing I can’t have Nats Talk Live on in the background while I clean tomorrow I mean, I’m saaaaad       Effff u directv we had a good thing going and you blew it! 

[HalfSmokes]

For NESN and SNY you can probably find a legal streaming service. MASN on the other hand...

[The Chief]

Seems like you basically have to cancel FiOS to get their attention now.  Threatening doesn't work anymore and their offers for existing customers are a joke.  Good news is we managed to get ABC to come in with some antenna shenanigans.  Looks like we're going to need a small outdoor (probably wall-mounted) antenna.  Thankfully we can just piggyback off of the existing cable run since it won't be needed for TV if we can the TV services.

Anyone recommend a particular antenna?  It's going to be in the back of the house so appearance isn't a huge concern, but it doesn't hurt if it looks nice.

[imref]

Seems like you basically have to cancel FiOS to get their attention now.  Threatening doesn't work anymore and their offers for existing customers are a joke.  Good news is we managed to get ABC to come in with some antenna shenanigans.  Looks like we're going to need a small outdoor (probably wall-mounted) antenna.  Thankfully we can just piggyback off of the existing cable run since it won't be needed for TV if we can the TV services.

Anyone recommend a particular antenna?  It's going to be in the back of the house so appearance isn't a huge concern, but it doesn't hurt if it looks nice.

have you looked at https://antennaweb.org ?  It's usually pretty reliable in terms of telling you what's available in your area, and what kind of antenna you'll need.  I know a few folks who have had good results with inside the attic antennas without having to put one up outside.

[1995hoo]

In Kingstowne we've had good luck on the master bedroom TV (top floor of a three-level townhouse with no below-ground level) with a Mohu Beam amplified indoor antenna I got at Best Buy earlier this year. Prior to that we had rabbit ears up there and they worked pretty well, but the Mohu pulls in more stations (even Channel 2 from Baltimore) and is less prone to interference. I really didn't want to bother with an outdoor antenna and have been quite pleased that this one is working well.

[imref]

this month's issue of Consumer Reports has an extensive set of articles on cord cutting:
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2019/09/index.htm

[The Chief]

Went with a Clearstream 2Max and picked up 55 channels including all the locals and some Baltimore stuff.  Just sitting in a 2nd floor window at the back of the house for now, but I'll mount it to the exterior when time permits.  Already called Verizon and dropped all the TV stuff

[imref]

Went with a Clearstream 2Max and picked up 55 channels including all the locals and some Baltimore stuff.  Just sitting in a 2nd floor window at the back of the house for now, but I'll mount it to the exterior when time permits.  Already called Verizon and dropped all the TV stuff

what are you doing for Nats games?

[The Chief]

Radio mostly, which was already the case anyway.  If I've got time to watch there's a place across the street that carries MASN.

[1995hoo]

Does Unlocator still work for MLB.tv on the Apple TV? Now that RCN is allegedly dropping MASN on July 1, I may have to go that route.

Seems to be working fine, other than occasional rebuffering (my brother in New Orleans was complaining about that last night too), and the MLB.tv app on our Samsung smart TV seems to work with it too. This is kind of key for us because we plan to switch to Vue and Vue won’t give you the correct local channels if you block your location (that includes the stations that air the Caps, so it’s not a trivial issue). So we can use the TV’s app for baseball and the Apple TV (without Unlocator) for other programming.

There seems to be a lot of freezing and buffering that we didn’t get while streaming a 4K movie the other night. I wonder if I’ll need to put in a WiFi repeater or mesh device or similar to boost the signal for our downstairs TV, which is the one with the built-in MLB app.

[imref]

mlb.tv now free for college students for the rest of the season:

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-tv-free-for-students

guessing normal blackout rules apply

[HalfSmokes]

Has anyone tried YouTube tv? Now that fox is off of sling, I’m looking to get a new service before the weekend

[GburgNatsFan]

Has anyone tried YouTube tv? Now that fox is off of sling, I’m looking to get a new service before the weekend

You like Fox so much that you need it by the weekend?

[mitlen]

You like Fox so much that you need it by the weekend?

Probably a 'skins fan.               

[UMDNats]

Has anyone tried YouTube tv? Now that fox is off of sling, I’m looking to get a new service before the weekend

yes, i have had it for a year, it is by far the best cord-cutting option. it's been nothing but amazing for me, and the channel selection is the best of any option. it is doubly better if you plan on watching on your phone when traveling like i do

[HalfSmokes]

You like Fox so much that you need it by the weekend?

Bundesleague and NFL. My billing cycle is up on Sunday and I’d rather not pay full price when they pull half the local networks and the fox sports networks.

[GburgNatsFan]

yes, i have had it for a year, it is by far the best cord-cutting option. it's been nothing but amazing for me, and the channel selection is the best of any option. it is doubly better if you plan on watching on your phone when traveling like i do

I'm going to give this a shot now that baseball season is over, see how I like it.

[GburgNatsFan]

Bundesleague and NFL. My billing cycle is up on Sunday and I’d rather not pay full price when they pull half the local networks and the fox sports networks.

Got it.