Author Topic: TV options when living in the sticks  (Read 2591 times)

Offline Eagler

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TV options when living in the sticks
« on: August 12, 2024, 01:10:06 PM »
Old fashion Cable tv with dvr baby here..

What are the options for television if cable TV is not available?

I thought starlink was both but it's only data..

DirectTV isn't the best with rain and poor footprint

Youtube tv is about as customer friendly as nothing and seems to like to buffer alot

Do you guys just use an outdoor antenna and stream netflix?

Eagler
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Offline AKIron

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2024, 01:14:54 PM »
HD antenna in the attic with a booster gets me the Dallas stations 50-70 miles away.
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Offline Banshee7

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2024, 01:22:52 PM »
Old fashion Cable tv with dvr baby here..

What are the options for television if cable TV is not available?

I thought starlink was both but it's only data..

DirectTV isn't the best with rain and poor footprint

Youtube tv is about as customer friendly as nothing and seems to like to buffer alot

Do you guys just use an outdoor antenna and stream netflix?

Eagler

We were lucky enough to have fiber installed by our rural power cooperative.  Before that, I liked Dish Network.  I grew up with Direct, and Dish was always super easy to deal with and hardly ever went out unless it was storming bad.

I currently use YT TV, and it doesn't buffer.  What are your download speeds?
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Offline Shuffler

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2024, 02:02:44 PM »
HD antenna in the attic with a booster gets me the Dallas stations 50-70 miles away.

Over towards Jasper, I noticed the HD connects to nothing. We were camping at Martin Dies Jr State Park. My setup in my RV usually reaches out quite well. No big deal as we rarely watch TV while camping. I like to test it everywhere though.
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Offline RichardDarkwood

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2024, 02:47:21 PM »
streaming apps
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Offline xanax

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2024, 03:10:52 PM »
YouTube TV. We use it at home and get all the cable channels plus the local ones. The “local ones” are determined by the IP address you use.tv.youtube.com


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Offline Tumor

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2024, 04:26:13 PM »
I have Starlink... and it's a long silly story.  I also have ADSL (based on my Landline provider).  IF my Starlink Antenna had an unobstructed view, Starlink is all I would have.  For the Computer (Gaming), Starlink is not an option.  The wife uses Roku via Starlink for TV and it seems to work fine given buffering & Starlinks very fast reconnect speed.  I don't watch TV.  I just don't.  I didn't even have to wean myself off.  Just found that anything worth watching on TV (which is very near nothing IMO), I can find in other ways.... and have a lot of control over it.

Bout to shut off Starlink but first I'm going to figure a way to mount the antenna at a different location on the roof without paying them $300 for a stupid pole on a V shaped mount. There's a chance, however slight, that there are no 100yr old Oaks in the way (already took one down).  If there is, I'm really going to miss Starlink.  If no obstructions, I'm sure it would be perfect.  I've never had a "clear" view for the antenna... but, before I was in the service area proper, I could game up to an hour.  The view area was almost all North. Once they got more Sats up and I got covered by the service area, the antenna view area opened up (at least to the West) and found a HUGE old Oak essentially blocking the Western sky, and now gaming is maybe 10min at best before a disco.   So ya, in my world Starlink is fine for TV.  Had both Direct & Dish over the years and you couldn't pay me to go back to either of them.  Well, you could but it would be obnoxiously expensive. ;)
« Last Edit: August 12, 2024, 04:30:23 PM by Tumor »
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Offline Animl-AW

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2024, 01:46:02 PM »
I use Amazon Fire Stick $50 one time fee, it's a streaming device that plugs into your TV via USB, size of 2 fingers, I have more channels than cable by far,. you can buy it as Best Buy.. simply runs off the intardnet. Good solid picture with HD. I subscribe to Sling for $40 per month, 400 channels. But you have a tons of options to subscribe to.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2024, 01:47:48 PM by Animl-AW »

Offline Eagler

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2024, 04:59:27 PM »
I use Amazon Fire Stick $50 one time fee, it's a streaming device that plugs into your TV via USB, size of 2 fingers, I have more channels than cable by far,. you can buy it as Best Buy.. simply runs off the intardnet. Good solid picture with HD. I subscribe to Sling for $40 per month, 400 channels. But you have a tons of options to subscribe to.

Ended up getting the 4k max fire stick via prime last night - crazy at the door in under 3 hours

With an ethernet adapter I hooked it up via hardline to the router

Youtube tv with the 4k package and it blows away the picture on cable tv

We can use yt tv at the in-laws too once we get starlink going

Thanks for the information and ideas!

Eagler
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Offline xanax

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2024, 05:28:52 PM »
Ended up getting the 4k max fire stick via prime last night - crazy at the door in under 3 hours

With an ethernet adapter I hooked it up via hardline to the router

Youtube tv with the 4k package and it blows away the picture on cable tv

We can use yt tv at the in-laws too once we get starlink going

Thanks for the information and ideas!

Good choices. Also remember you have DVR capabilities with Youtube TV using the "save to library" feature.

Eagler
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Offline Meatwad

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2024, 06:18:01 PM »
Which plan did you get and how much is it? I was looking and for the $72 a month it doesnt look like you get all that much
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Offline Eagler

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2024, 06:42:11 PM »
Yep that's it with another $10 for 4k

Getting used to the menu navigation as it's very different from the cable converter box interface

Eagler

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Offline Animl-AW

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #12 on: August 14, 2024, 11:26:44 AM »
If you have a smart tv, it should have USB connections on the back, fire tv stick will plug right into it.

There is also a free tv option, channels are questionable. But it has a list of different plans like Prime Apple tv, sling  yt etc.. pick your prefrence.

Offline Animl-AW

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2024, 09:12:34 PM »
Which plan did you get and how much is it? I was looking and for the $72 a month it doesnt look like you get all that much

What are you referring to?
With Fire TV Stick you can sub to many options. It even has 100s of free channels.
I didn’t see anything for $72.
Sling alone for $40ish has all the Xfinity channels.
Again, not sure what you’re referring to.

Offline Eagler

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Re: TV options when living in the sticks
« Reply #14 on: August 18, 2024, 05:40:02 AM »
What are you referring to?
With Fire TV Stick you can sub to many options. It even has 100s of free channels.
I didn’t see anything for $72.
Sling alone for $40ish has all the Xfinity channels.
Again, not sure what you’re referring to.

He is referring to the monthly fee for youtube tv..then add $10 to that for 4k

Eagler
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Intel Core i7-13700KF | GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS Elite AX | 64GB G.Skill DDR5 | 16GB GIGABYTE RTX 4070 Ti Super | 850 watt ps | pimax Crystal Light | Warthog stick | TM1600 throttle | VKB Mk.V Rudder