Help me understand TV options...

Hulu+ is dope, highly recommend.

originally posted by: elevatedone
a reply to: horatio321

I agree, go play around with the operating systems / interface and see what you like best

Now that I/we understand much better what we're looking at and looking for, that's probably the best idea for finding a good TV. We'll definitely do that.

My husband will probably enjoy it more than me though!

a reply to: Boadicea

Just plug the Firestick or the Roku into the HDMI port on your TV. They turn your "dumb" tv into a "smart" tv. They both have "live" TV options, and you can download PlutoTV, Plex, and TubiTV, which are the most popular ad-based live TV options (TubiTV just has news, but PlutoTV and Plex have tons of "live" channels, and they all have have most of the same non-Netflix movies on Netflix).

I'd probably recommend the Roku over the Firestick. Amazon's interface is an absolute mess. But if you're a Prime member, it's extremely well integrated into the Firestick interface.

If you really want to buy a new TV, the plain old Android TVs probably have the cleanest interface, and they have a "Live Channels" app which pulls in the channels from multiple apps into one traditional TV Listing style app.

T-Mobile home internet is terrible, though. They deprioritize home internet traffic in favor of cell phone traffic during peak hours, which are the hours you probably want to be watching TV.

a reply to: rounda

T-Mobile home internet is terrible, though. They deprioritize home internet traffic in favor of cell phone traffic during peak hours, which are the hours you probably want to be watching TV.

That would explain much! Right now it tells me I have an "excellent" connection but that can change on a dime. I'm going to call tomorrow and talk to someone about that and a couple other things, including for a TV connection. I'm just going to ask them to explain a few things to me like I'm a stupid child, and probably ask a few stupid questions, and hopefully understand what I'm doing a little better.

But I now know I need to get the internet figured out before anything else, so that's my first step.

If you get a Smart TV, there are apps all over the place to allow you to watch just about anything you can imagine. TUBI is a really good one for documentaries on all of the paranormal and Conspiracy stuff. FreeVee, apple TV, and if you have Amazon prime, you can watch Prime Video. You honestly do not need cable as if you have TUBI you can watch your local news in real time.

They have some vintage crazy stuff on TUBI. It is my rabbit hole of channels.

originally posted by: Boadicea
So I need to pay my satellite bill again... and I really REALLY don't want to. We only have the bare bones package with a sports channel add-on and we probably only watch a dozen of those channels with any regularity. I've been trying to understand what's up with all the different options now but it just pisses me off because I feel like it's just a way to nickel and dime us to death (thanks McCain!). And that's probably why I'm having a hard time understanding how it all works -- the red mist is getting in my way!

So can someone help me understand all these options and how it all works?

We've got an ancient Panasonic TV, so it's not a "SmartTV", but I'm prepared to buy a new SmartTV if need be -- especially if I can find free or cheap alternatives. I have TMobile WiFi right now... at least when it's working. Sometimes it loses the signal for no apparent reason, then comes back all on its own. When that happens, I either stick to my phone or tether my phone to my PC. (I much prefer my PC to my phone!) Anyway, I don't know what's up with that, but I'm not happy about it. They're still charging me for the downtime. So I'd like to cancel it, but I think I'm going to need it (or another service) for anything except satellite/cable. Is that right?

Even if I could use the Hotspot or tethering for the TV, that would be a pain in the ass too.

We also have a Roku stick and a Fire stick (I think the Fire stick is from Amazon)? But we don't use them. We're not even sure how! I guess they plug into a Smart TV (yes?)... then do we have to sign up with Roku or Amazon for a subscription? Would Amazon Prime include their TV options? I have a Samsung phone, so I guess I would already be eligible for Samsung TV?

For what it's worth, the few channels we tend to watch regularly are Paramount, Travel, Nat Geo, Discovery, and TMC. Oh! And whatever channel Young Sheldon and Big Bang Theory are on. My husband watches sports, particularly F1 Racing -- that's non-negotiable! New movies would be nice, but not a must. Will I have to subscribe to all of these individually if I want them? Is it possible to find all these and maybe a few more on one service?

If these are all stupid questions, well, that just shows how much skooling I need! Do I want too much?

PLEASE SKOOL ME!!!

Buy a Samsung smart TV. They have free channels. LG does too, I think.
Buy a cheap unlimited hotspot smart phone service. Mine cost $40 a month.
Buy this antenna, put it together and mount it outside.
www.amazon.com...=sr_1_2?crid=HI7T6VD1TDED&keywords=MATIS+Digital+Outdoor+Ampl ified+hd+tv+Antenna&qid=1673965975&s=electronics&sprefix=matis+digital+outdoor+amplified+hd+tv+antenna%2Celectronics%2C248&sr=1-2
Stream and broadcast TV.
Check out PlutoTV FREE - streaming.

a reply to: fishy6

Buy a cheap unlimited hotspot smart phone service. Mine cost $40 a month.

Doh! I didn't even think about that as an option. But I kinda like it...

Thank you!

a reply to: Fairtrade141

TUBI is a really good one for documentaries on all of the paranormal and Conspiracy stuff.

That's right up my alley -- thank you!

I'm really surprised at how many free TV options there are. Pleasantly surprised! We're probably going to have to sit down one day and just check them all out and see what fits for us. My husband will enjoy that. I'll probably have to fortify myself with a couple Angry Orchards...

So we've got a semi-plan now.

I can get an additional line on my cell phone plan for $10 a month, unlimited data, and right now I can get a free 4G hotspot box if I add an additional line. I can purchase a 5G hotbox for about $100. So we're going to give the free 4G hotbox a go and see if it works. It says we can run up to 8 devices from one hotbox, and the most it would ever have running at the same time would be the TV and either my PC or laptop. (A brand new laptop that I've never been able to finish setting up because of internet issues!) If the 4G box works okay, we'll probably purchase the 5G box just to have the latest equipment.

We will also be purchasing a new Smart TV -- again, just to have the latest equipment for maximum longevity. My husband seems partial to Samsung or LG, and I've given him a maximum budget and dimensions for the new TV, so the rest is up to him. (I refuse to buy a new entertainment unit, so it cannot be more than about 48" wide!)

So, if all works as planned, with an initial investment of less than $1,000, we can lose the home internet bill ($50 per month) and the DISH bill ($70 per month), in exchange for a $10 per month additional phone line!!! Actually, I'll eventually have to add an ESPN subscription for the F1, but that's easily do-able. So about $100 per month savings.

I LOVE IT!!!

Thanks to everyone for your very VERY valuable input. You've all been really great. I was totally lost trying to figure all of this out. Everyone taught me a lot and it is very much appreciated. Thank you!!!

It's official... the cord has been cut! DISH was good enough to light a fire under us yesterday morning when our service went out, and when I contacted them I was told our equipment was too old, we would need to upgrade our equipment and to contact another appointment, and I was then cut off. So we figured it was time to just cancel the satellite, make a final decision on a new TV (we'd been looking around at sizes and options already), and do it.

I bought the new TV this morning, and it will be delivered tomorrow. An LG 50" 4k OLED. It has good reviews, it's a little bigger than what we have now (42"), much much better picture, and it fits our entertainment unit!

Just canceled DISH -- and boy did they try to get me to stay!!! Offered me free equipment upgrade, more programming, lower monthly fee, free movie channels for six months... but I said nope!

So tomorrow we'll get it set up and start playing with it. Thanks to you all, we've got lots of options to try. It will either be lots of fun... or a huge nightmare!

Assuming you have good enough wifi you should be fine with the new smart TV.

But to watch some of the things that you stated earlier you might have to pay for a channel subscription or two. ~$30 or so. Much better than the 100s the cable companies charge.... or you could ask your friends or family if any are willing to share their subscription.

If you don't really care what you watch there are plenty of free options... besides the cost of the wifi.

originally posted by: dandandat2
Assuming you have good enough wifi you should be fine with the new smart TV.

Thank you for the optimism! I've done my best to school myself on the options and not screw this up!!!

I'm going to keep the T-Mobile home internet set up. I still can't get my PC to hook up to it, but we got this old TV to hook up to it with the Firestick, so that will work.

But to watch some of the things that you stated earlier you might have to pay for a channel subscription or two. ~$30 or so. Much better than the 100s the cable companies charge.... or you could ask your friends or family if any are willing to share their subscription.

Yeah, I'm figuring we'll have to subscribe to something, at least for the F1 racing my husband enjoys so much. Just dropping DISH is saving us almost $100 per month, so we can squeeze in one subscription or another. I feel like we're going to have to take this in steps and kind of feel our way along until we find what fits best. I'm not as big a TV watcher as my husband is. That's how he unwinds and lets his mind go "lazy and stupid." I have a feeling that he'll have a lot of fun checking out various options!

My son has given us his login info for Netflix and a couple other of their subscriptions, but we just don't feel right about it. I know... everyone does it and we're just weird! But thats how we roll -- for better and worse!

Thanks again for the encouragement! I'm still a little leary of it all, but kind of excited to get it figured out and done.

originally posted by: Boadicea
My son has given us his login info for Netflix and a couple other of their subscriptions, but we just don't feel right about it. I know... everyone does it and we're just weird! But thats how we roll -- for better and worse!

I can understand this opion if it ment you are stealing something. But that is not how the providers see it nor how the system is set up.

For example your son is paying for a certain amount of devices allowed to long into Netflix at one time (two devices for the base package I believe). So if your son is only watching Netflix on one TV at a time he is technically paying for a second device that he never uses. Its not stealing if your tv becomes his second device. If your son does use all of his allotted devices than your TV simply wouldn't be able to long in while he is maxing out. It might then be more cost effective for your son to go to the next package level to get another device slot add than for you to get a new subscription. You give your son the $5 a month rather than giving Netflix $12.

I do this with my own parents though I just eat the extra cost. They spent more than $5 a month raising me so I can spot them some TV.

a reply to: dandandat2

Ahhhh... gotcha! Thank you for explaining it to me. And, in fact, he does only use one device - a huge ass TV that's the size of a damn wall! Maybe not quite that big, but it's huge.

The TV just arrived, and I see that Netflix is preloaded, so we'll probably give it a try. LG offers 180 free channels, plus some other options.

You're like my son. He wouldn't let us pay for it either and says we still do more for him than he does for us, so he's happy to share. And at the time, he was using my DISH sports package to watch his sports, so he said we were even anyway. Hmmmm.... I'm pretty sure he doesn't use it anymore, but I should probably let him know I cancelled it just in case!

Thanks for sharing those app recommendations! Pluto TV, Freevee, and Tubi TV sound like awesome options for free content, and dealing with a few commercials is a small trade-off. Bathroom breaks make those interruptions manageable, indeed.

Having a solid internet connection is the key to seamless streaming. If you're looking for more insights on optimizing your setup or exploring other streaming options, you might want to check out multitechverse.com...

They could have some useful tips to enhance your streaming experience. Happy binge-watching and thanks again for the app suggestions!

originally posted by: HolyMallam
Thanks for sharing those app recommendations! Pluto TV, Freevee, and Tubi TV sound like awesome options for free content, and dealing with a few commercials is a small trade-off. Bathroom breaks make those interruptions manageable, indeed.

Having a solid internet connection is the key to seamless streaming. If you're looking for more insights on optimizing your setup or exploring other streaming options, you might want to check out multitechverse.com...

They could have some useful tips to enhance your streaming experience. Happy binge-watching and thanks again for the app suggestions!

The thing about Netflix and Hulu and Disney is outside of the one or two series or movies that are worth watching, I spend most of the time I could be watching something sifting through all the junk they have on their platforms. Disney and Hulu tend to have higher quality stuff, but I've seen most of the stuff I want to watch on those platforms.

I'm old enough to remember a time before the internet, hell, even before digital cable boxes. Before channel surfing, because the TV didn't have a remote. You had 10 channels and you liked it. And then when you got the remote, you were able to change the channel and instantly watch something, and if it was good, you stopped changing the channel.

Digital ruined that. Streaming isn't any better in that regard. Even the "live tv" apps has that delay before it starts playing. "Find something to watch" means reading a sh!t ton of descriptions now.

I don't care about ads anymore, especially since the majority of the time I had something playing, it was just background noise. And most of the ad supported "on demand" stuff on Tubi and Pluto is the non-Netflix stuff on Netflix.