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Summer Banter & General Discussion/Observations


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1 hour ago, Nikoss427 said:

I have a big antenna on my roof and get most local stations. The quality is all HD and looks great. I never paid for cable after leaving my parents house. At first we didn't have the money for it, but now I have no desire to pay. We use Chromecast for Netflix and that's about it. I do have to say Comcast is still nuts in terms of their internet prices. I went from paying 50 bucks to 90 per month for 35 mbps. It's down to 75 now but that's still ridiculous. 

The funny thing about people looking to ditch cable is that while it sounds good on the surface, eventually most pay some how someway.  $50.00-$100 for an internet service (which most likely still comes from a cable company, unless you still go with a DSL connection from a phone company), then you start adding up the monthly costs to the internet channels...Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, and on and on, and now you are over 100 or more again without local stations...Some people can't get reception with the antenna, or they live in a situation where the antenna is not allowed (apartment, etc).  

 

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16 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Unless I get something that's a lot better from someone else, it ain't happening at that price... we'll try Comcast next but I'm not optimistic. 

Im going to have to bite the bullet for internet and wifi so if we have that we can utilize Netflix among other things at least for now.

I can't believe what they want for 2 tvs and internet service in a small apartment... just laughably expensive like everything else

not sure if its been mentioned, have you looked at satellite, dish has intro offers with lots of tiers where you can get your basic sports channels for <$100

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1 hour ago, Cold Miser said:

The funny thing about people looking to ditch cable is that while it sounds good on the surface, eventually most pay some how someway.  $50.00-$100 for an internet service (which most likely still comes from a cable company, unless you still go with a DSL connection from a phone company), then you start adding up the monthly costs to the internet channels...Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, and on and on, and now you are over 100 or more again without local stations...Some people can't get reception with the antenna, or they live in a situation where the antenna is not allowed (apartment, etc).  

 

I tried to do the same thing, but when you try to get just internet from a provider the price is jacked up.  When i tried to do it with Verizon about 4 years ago.  It was $80 for just the internet and I think $100 for their second tier and a box.  So there wasn't a point just getting internet.  Maybe the prices have come down since then.

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Wow Doodlely dewless

Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Northwest wind 3 to 5 mph.
Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Light west wind becoming southwest 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Tuesday
A chance of showers between 11am and 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
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2 hours ago, Cold Miser said:

The funny thing about people looking to ditch cable is that while it sounds good on the surface, eventually most pay some how someway.  $50.00-$100 for an internet service (which most likely still comes from a cable company, unless you still go with a DSL connection from a phone company), then you start adding up the monthly costs to the internet channels...Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, and on and on, and now you are over 100 or more again without local stations...Some people can't get reception with the antenna, or they live in a situation where the antenna is not allowed (apartment, etc). 

I cut the cord years ago and have never looked back or been happier.  The thing is that most people are going to have an Internet connection whether they have cable or not so in the past you would bundle it.  Either way you are going to save money AND you get to choose what you are going to watch and when.  You're correct in that SOME people won't be able to get OTA channels but you're talking about a very small population.  There are solutions for people who live in apartments and 98%+ of the population will be able to get something with an indoor antenna.

I always recommend that people just get "slowest" possible package that cable or fiber operator will provide.  You only need about 5Mbps for an HD stream and even if you're using a phone or other device, even a 10Mbps connection will be good enough for most people.  You'll need the higher connection speeds for multiple stream or latency issues with gaming and other specialized applications but for most people a 10Mbps+ connection would suffice.

There are just so many options today it's ridiculous to pay $100+ for programming that is pushed at you when you don't use 95% of it.

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15 hours ago, Damage In Tolland said:

http://5EE779A0-4F3B-4AD2-A702-07886B6196FA_zpsThe fungus has arrived. Death en masse. Every Oak is covered in hundreds of dead gypsies frozen in tracks http://08F15454-5BE5-4BA9-A053-549E23257690_zps

Glad to see this (and read confirmation from others), but I seem to recall a number of posts earlier this month about how the hordes of caterpillars were far too great for either the fungus or the polyhedral virus to have any impact on the population.

 

Dropped sat and cable long ago. We have a multidirectional antennae outside and pull 20+ channels. Sync that to a TiVo box for $15/month.

Sometimes your elevated location is an advantage.  When HDTV became the only game in town several years ago, we got the box (and had a rotation-capable antenna on the roof) and were able to get only PBS - sometimes and sometimes not.  Then being on dial-up (Fairpoint offered nothing for our area at that time), internet was not an option, so we had the sat receiver mounted on the roof - got half my winter's firewood from the trees that had to go down.  Not real cheap, but at our location, probably the best option.

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32 minutes ago, tamarack said:

Dropped sat and cable long ago. We have a multidirectional antennae outside and pull 20+ channels. Sync that to a TiVo box for $15/month.

Sometimes your elevated location is an advantage.  When HDTV became the only game in town several years ago, we got the box (and had a rotation-capable antenna on the roof) and were able to get only PBS - sometimes and sometimes not.  Then being on dial-up (Fairpoint offered nothing for our area at that time), internet was not an option, so we had the sat receiver mounted on the roof - got half my winter's firewood from the trees that had to go down.  Not real cheap, but at our location, probably the best option.

What kind of antenna are you using and do you have a pre-amp?  I'm lucky where I live being between 4 different TV markets (Hartford, Springfield, Providence and Boston) and I use one of the highest gain UHF antenna's with a low noise pre-amp and I'm able to pull stations in from 90 miles away.  Geography makes it difficult for me to get some stations but I know that without the right equipment I wouldn't get some stations.

I did a search on tvfool.com for New Sharon and it also brings up a CBS, FOX and NBC that should be possible but again, I don't know your geography.  You just need enough gain for the tuner to be able to render them.  ABC might be an option too under the right conditions and who knows what sub-channels might offered.

The beauty of HDTV is that you're getting the full HD signal, not some compressed version that the cable or satellite company tells you is HD.  It just looks so much sharper OTA..

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5 hours ago, Nikoss427 said:

I have a big antenna on my roof and get most local stations. The quality is all HD and looks great. I never paid for cable after leaving my parents house. At first we didn't have the money for it, but now I have no desire to pay. We use Chromecast for Netflix and that's about it. I do have to say Comcast is still nuts in terms of their internet prices. I went from paying 50 bucks to 90 per month for 35 mbps. It's down to 75 now but that's still ridiculous. 

Yup - a lot of people are amazed at how good the picture quality is over the air. A relatively cheap antenna in the attic (or better yet the roof) can pick up more channels than most people think and the quality is incredible. All cable and satellite companies degrade the signal to save on bandwidth but at least the Hartford/New Haven and Boston stations are all broadcasting over the air in 1080. There are a bunch of options for apps through a chromecast or PS3 that can get you a skinny bundle of channels you may be interested in - when you combine with OTA broadcast you can get pretty much everything you want. 

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55 minutes ago, MetHerb said:

What kind of antenna are you using and do you have a pre-amp?  I'm lucky where I live being between 4 different TV markets (Hartford, Springfield, Providence and Boston) and I use one of the highest gain UHF antenna's with a low noise pre-amp and I'm able to pull stations in from 90 miles away.  Geography makes it difficult for me to get some stations but I know that without the right equipment I wouldn't get some stations.

I did a search on tvfool.com for New Sharon and it also brings up a CBS, FOX and NBC that should be possible but again, I don't know your geography.  You just need enough gain for the tuner to be able to render them.  ABC might be an option too under the right conditions and who knows what sub-channels might offered.

The beauty of HDTV is that you're getting the full HD signal, not some compressed version that the cable or satellite company tells you is HD.  It just looks so much sharper OTA..

Do you get us OTA? 

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4 hours ago, Cold Miser said:

The funny thing about people looking to ditch cable is that while it sounds good on the surface, eventually most pay some how someway.  $50.00-$100 for an internet service (which most likely still comes from a cable company, unless you still go with a DSL connection from a phone company), then you start adding up the monthly costs to the internet channels...Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, and on and on, and now you are over 100 or more again without local stations...Some people can't get reception with the antenna, or they live in a situation where the antenna is not allowed (apartment, etc).  

 

Yeah that's the thing - though a lot of people are paying for Netflix, Amazon, and HBO/Showtime on top of cable already. 

I have to say I love the Comcast X1 platform. It's pretty sweet and a nice way to integrate all the content... but it's definitely not cheap. 

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41 minutes ago, CT Rain said:

Yeah that's the thing - though a lot of people are paying for Netflix, Amazon, and HBO/Showtime on top of cable already. 

I have to say I love the Comcast X1 platform. It's pretty sweet and a nice way to integrate all the content... but it's definitely not cheap. 

Violently agree. Comcast is expensive, but 110% worth it. Tv/  cable/ sports/ Netflix are not something to skimp on

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Agree on the quality of Comcast X1.  It's worth the expense.  

 

I built this HD antenna a couple years ago to see if it works.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/tv/how-to/a6608/build-your-own-digital-tv-antenna/

Being right between Boston and PVD markets, I got about 25 channels with it and at a much higher quality than cable.  Couldn't believe the quality with this dopey looking thing that cost me about $8.  It's sitting in my basement doing nothing now.  It's all yours if you want it Brett

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Damage In Tolland said:

Violently agree. Comcast is expensive, but 110% worth it. Tv/  cable/ sports/ Netflix are not something to skimp on

Agree.  I want everything on demand and access to all that's out there.  Working hard has to bring me perks and this is one of them.

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15 minutes ago, butterfish55 said:

Agree on the quality of Comcast X1.  It's worth the expense.  

 

I built this HD antenna a couple years ago to see if it works.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/tv/how-to/a6608/build-your-own-digital-tv-antenna/

Being right between Boston and PVD markets, I got about 25 channels with it and at a much higher quality than cable.  Couldn't believe the quality with this dopey looking thing that cost me about $8.  It's sitting in my basement doing nothing now.  It's all yours if you want it Brett

 

haha, I built that same one! It works (but not as good as a quality multi-bay channel master) but I still use it now as my FM antenna. 

 

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