Alternatives to Big Cable

[Ohms Lawbreaker]

Fellow vapers, wondering what you guys think of those little smart TV boxes that have something to do with Android and can hook one up with lots of good free or cheap content. Saw one for like $70 at fasttech. We already have a little Roku box. Is it like that?

Sounds great, but I know nothing about it. This have anything to do with the Dark Side? Not looking for anything shady or illegal. I understand you can get Netflix with this, so I assume one still has to pay for services like that and Amazon Prime. But can you also get local channels and many major cable networks? Heard you can surf the web with it too.

Obviously I'd still need internet service. So does anyone know of any alternatives to Big Cable (lol)? A bit fed up with the service and channel selections and lack of features. Have tried AT&T and Comcast. So many modem problems with these guys. The techs who come to the house are great, and so P.O.'d at their own customer service and management departments for making people jump through so many hoops for service or a simple replacement modem. And often poor live help is the only kind you get. Rant over.

Treat me like a noob with his first disposable e-cig. I know nothing of this brave new world. Thanks everybody.

 

[StarsAndBars]

Saw something similar to what I think your talking about on the "As seen on TV" display at Walgreens. Only instead of hooking to your Smart TV it just plugged into your PC USB port. I got all googly eyed at the thought of putting the flashy claims on the box to the test. Instead of buying it I decided to do a little research first.

I was concerned about the legalities as well. From what I found out about this particular device, it is legal. Although, basically all it is, is just an indexing device for free video streaming websites that already exist (Hulu, alluc, projectfree, etc.) That being the case, I decided that it really wasn't worth getting.

This may not be the case with the device you're talking about. I'll be interested to see if anyone has any experience with it.

Forgot to mention, the device I was speaking about came with a ridiculously long free trial. After that there would be a reasonable monthly fee (10-20 bucks a month I think). That being said, I didn't see a need to purchase something that was simply an index of streaming sites.

 

[SilverBear]

I received one of these for Christmas. I'm still not TOO familiar with it, but it is a portal to a bunch of paid services (eg: Netflix, Hulu, etc etc etc) and a couple free content places. You can access the internet as well. The remote is two-sided... one has a keyboard and the other a touchpad and other controls. One problem I have is being able to read anything smaller than "headlines", but that could be due to still having a 42" CRT. It might be better on an HD flat.

Amazon.com : Sony NSZGS8 Internet Player with Google TV : Streaming Media Players : Electronics

ETA:
Cable required:

Amazon.com : AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable Supports Ethernet, 3D and Audio Return (3 Feet/0.9 Meter) : Electronics


The unit is wireless-capable, but we have an ethernet cable running to it.

DISH prices are getting totally out of hand. (Up another $5/month starting in February.) We're hoping this unit will provide access to desired content so we can ditch DISH later in the year... once we are sure of what's out there.

 

[Ohms Lawbreaker]

Thanks, StarsAndBars and SilverBear and all yet to post.

This is all starting to sound a lot like the Roku box I already have, if I'm correct ... free stuff like Crackle, and paid stuff like Netflix.

I have no problem plugging my laptop into the TV with an HD cable and surfing or watching any free stuff on the web, so I guess so far this isn't really an alternative to cable service. Wish they'd let me pick the channels I want and just charge me for what I like instead of providing so much crap I never watch. Bundling stinks.

 

[Criticalmass]

Thanks, StarsAndBars and SilverBear and all yet to post.

This is all starting to sound a lot like the Roku box I already have, if I'm correct ... free stuff like Crackle, and paid stuff like Netflix.

I have no problem plugging my laptop into the TV with an HD cable and surfing or watching any free stuff on the web, so I guess so far this isn't really an alternative to cable service. Wish they'd let me pick the channels I want and just charge me for what I like instead of providing so much crap I never watch. Bundling stinks.

That's what it is. I use my Xbox 360s as a media hub. Same thing. I have a small laptop as a server running with 100's of DVDs and blu-rays I have collected over the years, plus hulu, Netflix, amazon prime, etc.

sent from my Limited Edition Monkey Island™ Talking Voodoo Doll Head named Murray®

 

[johnnyhobo118]

At my parents house, I set up an old PC with XBMC and hooked it up to the TV, with a remote for it and everything. Through that you can stream Netflix, (with a 3rd party not officially supported plugin, but it works well) and movie/tv streaming sites like Icefilms, solarmovie, 1channel etc.
That's definitely the way to go in my opinion, especially if you have an old PC laying around. Doesn't have to be that good. You can get a nice big hard drive for it and rip all your DVD's/blurays to it as well, and play those through XBMC. or just use the (questionable) streaming services like icefilms

 

[mooreted]

I set up an antenna for local stations, Roku for streaming and Plex for content streaming from my PC. I now only pay for Internet, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Saves me about $130 per month.

Sent from my easy chair using brainwaves.

 

[Jay-dub]

I haven't had cable in more than five years yet I haven't missed a single show that I like either. Hulu + Netflix + torrents. Plus, a lot of new torrent software allows you to stream from the torrent instead of waiting for it to completely download. I use Transmission as a torrent client. Looking forward to the season finally of American Horror story tonight. That's the downside. Most content on Hulu, Netflix, or in torrents, isn't available for a certain amount of time after the broadcast. Actually, torrents are usually available immediately but there aren't a lot of peers for a few hours.

 

[Underwhelmed]

I use a $70 Android stick computer with a quad core processor and a wireless Logitech keyboard with built in trackpad. Works great and I can watch just about anything I want for free (other than the internet and equipment start-up cost). It has wireless and bluetooh, basically it is a tablet, but stuck in a plastic case a little larger than a pack of chewing gum.

You can find free content at many sites. I like couchtuner, project-free tv, but there are many others.

I feel much more comfortable using a $70 stick computer for this than anything from Windoze or Apple.

I have had a Roku box in the past, but I gave that to my parents for Netflix, Crackle, and they love to play Pandora on it.

 

[VapieDan]

Fellow vapers, wondering what you guys think of those little smart TV boxes that have something to do with Android and can hook one up with lots of good free or cheap content. Saw one for like $70 at Fasttech. We already have a little Roku box. Is it like that?

Sounds great, but I know nothing about it. This have anything to do with the Dark Side? Not looking for anything shady or illegal. I understand you can get Netflix with this, so I assume one still has to pay for services like that and Amazon Prime. But can you also get local channels and many major cable networks? Heard you can surf the web with it too.

Obviously I'd still need internet service. So does anyone know of any alternatives to Big Cable (lol)? A bit fed up with the service and channel selections and lack of features. Have tried AT&T and Comcast. So many modem problems with these guys. The techs who come to the house are great, and so P.O.'d at their own customer service and management departments for making people jump through so many hoops for service or a simple replacement modem. And often poor live help is the only kind you get. Rant over.

Treat me like a noob with his first disposable e-cig. I know nothing of this brave new world. Thanks everybody.

I am looking into ROKU. Anyone with experience out there?

 

[Ohms Lawbreaker]

I am looking into ROKU. Anyone with experience out there?

Got my Roku box for $40. Sub'd to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. Supposedly Amazon owns the servers Netflix uses, but the Netflix streaming seems the best for some reason. Hulu has many current TV shows, almost immediately after they air, but crashes the Roku the most and takes about a minute to reboot each time, frustrating.

Lots of free services like movies on Crackle, some good ones, but again the servers for the free stuff are prone to lags and freezes and crashes.

 

[Jay-dub]

You know you can turn any old computer tower into a media server. I run a stand-alone media server at home that way. Just had to upgrade a graphics card and add some RAM. $80.00 total.

 

[johnnyhobo118]

You know you can turn any old computer tower into a media server. I run a stand-alone media server at home that way. Just had to upgrade a graphics card and add some RAM. $80.00 total.

This. It works really well. Use XBMC, it can do everything you'd need and it's free.

 

[Jay-dub]

This. It works really well. Use XBMC, it can do everything you'd need and it's free.

I was going to mention XBMC specifically but I thought us open source nerds were the only ones who would know about it. That's what I use for my home media needs. Well, it has a Hulu plug-in anyway (and many other plug-ins). For Netflix I use a hack since I'm on linux. It's basically a stand-alone instance of fire-fox with a browser mask.

 

[johnnyhobo118]

I was going to mention XBMC specifically but I thought us open source nerds were the only ones who would know about it. That's what I use for my home media needs. Well, it has a Hulu plug-in anyway (and many other plug-ins). For Netflix I use a hack since I'm on linux. It's basically a stand-alone instance of fire-fox with a browser mask.

Ah yes, gotta love open source software. It's not always as easy to use as some paid for, closed source software but I love the open-ness of it.
There is a plugin for Netflix called NetfliXBMC that uses XBMC to browse and Chrome to play videos. It works on Linux if you install pipelight (Silverlight for linux, I think)
But yeah, XBMC is awesome, and really not all that difficult to set up (in my opinion)

 

[Underwhelmed]

You know you can turn any old computer tower into a media server. I run a stand-alone media server at home that way. Just had to upgrade a graphics card and add some RAM. $80.00 total.

Yeah, but since the Op asked about an Android stick specifically, and I use one, I replied with my opinion and experience using one.

I have old PC's that I could use as you do, but I don't really like having a PC sitting in my living room, nor do I enjoy hearing it run while I am trying to be entertained.

I ran XBMC on my Hackintosh'd netbook several years ago. Unfortunately the video output on the netbook didn't work very well under OSX, so I didn't use it for much, but it does look cool.

Just like we all seem to enjoy different vape gear, juice, etc., we all seem to go about getting our entertainment differently as well.

Personally, I won't pay for Hulu since they insist on making me watch commercials. To me that defeats the purpose of paying for the service.

I do happily pay for Netflix, but for any current TV content I just find it online and watch it for free.

 

[Infernal2]

For those who are interested in the idea of a media server, Lifehacker just updated their Media Center "HOWTO." Worth checking out.

How I Built the Media Center of My Dreams for Under $500 [UPDATED]

And I went off cable a few years back and haven't had any trouble really. I run a media center as well as a digital antenna so I can get pretty much anything I want for a much, much lower cost.

 

[Jay-dub]

Yeah, but since the Op asked about an Android stick specifically, and I use one, I replied with my opinion and experience using one.

I have old PC's that I could use as you do, but I don't really like having a PC sitting in my living room, nor do I enjoy hearing it run while I am trying to be entertained.

I ran XBMC on my Hackintosh'd netbook several years ago. Unfortunately the video output on the netbook didn't work very well under OSX, so I didn't use it for much, but it does look cool.

Just like we all seem to enjoy different vape gear, juice, etc., we all seem to go about getting our entertainment differently as well.

Personally, I won't pay for Hulu since they insist on making me watch commercials. To me that defeats the purpose of paying for the service.

I do happily pay for Netflix, but for any current TV content I just find it online and watch it for free.

Varying answers gives the OP options. Search results.

 

[malkuth]

I set up an antenna for local stations, Roku for streaming and Plex for content streaming from my PC. I now only pay for Internet, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Saves me about $130 per month.

Sent from my easy chair using brainwaves.

I am looking into ROKU. Anyone with experience out there?

Our DirecTV mandatory subscription ends in April. I have purchased a Roku 3 device and have been testing it out. I do not (as yet) have anything paid on it, but will be adding Hulu and Amazon when I turn off cable. I have watched a lot of free stuff on it, and it operates nicely. I will be purchasing 2 more units once I turn off cable. In addition, I will be purchasing an antenna for local channels, which I watch occasionally. The quality of the video is basically the same as with cable.

So far, the disadvantages I have found are: 1) You must have one device per TV. 2) The selection of channels/programs to watch take some time, as there is no channel guilde, like with cable. I am going to look into possibly doing scheduling from their web sites.

The big disadvantage is this..... The cable companies are seeing their market share decreasing steadily from the streaming video paradigm. To combat this loss of revenue, Comcrap has begun to put caps on download capabilities for residential use. This means that when you exceed their download cap, they will charge you more for it. I have also seen Comcrap lower their speed for commercial service. I can foresee that as more people convert to streaming video, this will become a larger factor.

 

[VapieDan]

Nice to know and thank you!