Community Chat

[Sapphiregal]

I have tv and internet through a company called Suddenlink. They have increased their prices twice in the three years we have been using their service. We currently pay $155.00/month and as it is, 90% of the time, my husband and I watch one channel - FOX news. I think I may find another internet provider and stick an old fashioned antenna on my roof. 

[Kachina624]

@Sapphiregal    It's easier than that.  If you live anywhere near an urban area, you can screw an interior antenna into the back of your TVs and set up the antenna inside.  Mine, for which I paid $12. Looks like a 1/4 sheet of poster board and is on the wall near the ceiling.  I get 50 or so local channels, including network news, I subscribe to Netflix and stream regular programming through YouTube TV. 

[Black Cat Back]

---

@Kachina624 wrote:

@Sapphiregal    It's easier than that.  If you live anywhere near an urban area, you can screw an interior antenna into the back of your TVs and set up the antenna inside.  Mine, for which I paid $12. Looks like a 1/4 sheet of poster board and is on the wall near the ceiling.  I get 50 or so local channels, including network news, I subscribe to Netflix and stream regular programming through YouTube TV. 

---

@Kachina624 

How does the streaming work?   When I think of streaming, I think of downloading content like You Tube videos on my computer.  I don't understand how it works on the TV.   I would appreciate any info you can share.  Thanks.

[Kachina624]

@Black Cat Back  You must subscribe to a streaming service and they direct the programming to you I guess by satellite thru your Wi-Fi.  It's a lot cheaper than cable or satellite.  There are now many options at different prices.  I tried Sling and am now on YouTube TV, also tried Discovery+.  Most offer a free trial period.  I access them thru a Roku unit which also has free programming. 

[Snowpuppy]

I had a Mohu Leaf antenna in the city to free myself from cable. Got it at Best Buy. I placed it on the slider with suction cups. It needs a clear site line. I got about 6 channels.

Call your cable company and threaten to cut the cord. Works wonders at reducing the bill.

[judianne]

There are a ton of free channels with a huge variety of stuff free . I have the fire stick from Amazon .

[Nuttmeg]

---

@Sapphiregal wrote:

I have tv and internet through a company called Suddenlink. They have increased their prices twice in the three years we have been using their service. We currently pay $155.00/month and as it is, 90% of the time, my husband and I watch one channel - FOX news. I think I may find another internet provider and stick an old fashioned antenna on my roof. 

@Sapphiregal 

You have a good provider. I don't know how fast your internet speed is or how many channels you have. 

I would look into streaming content. YouTube has lots of news programs free. 

Most people cut the cord and buy internet from their provider and add the programs you want. 

DslReports. Com has a Suddenlink forum that might be helpful. 

---

[chiclet]

I signed a new contract with Dish and a month later lost the two channels I watch most.  Now I hardly watch it and still paying for two years.  I am thinking of paying the penalty and canceling.  The whole streaming thing was overwhelming but I went to walmart and bought a roku device.  It took two minutes to hook it into the back of tv.  It has a very tiny box.  Then you just turn on with the remote it comes with and it will guide you to hooking up to internet.  Now you can add what you want to stream through like Hulu, discovery+ netflix etc. etc.  You might go online and do some research to see what each streaming channel offers.  You can get regular programming on Hulu but a day later than on cable.  It is a little work to get it all the way you want but it is so much cheaper because you pay for what you want and you can cancel at any time.  I had watched mostly everything I wanted to see on Netflix and cancelled  and a couple months later got it back.  It is very easy once you get it all down.  The part with streaming I don't like as much as  with cable I set up all my shows to record and forget about it.  I go to the place to watch and they are all there and I watch.  I don't have to remember anything.  Now I have to remember which show is on which streaming channel.  I am sure I still have a lot to learn and will keep trying new stuff since I can cancel it at any time.  One thing I learned is set it all up through Roku and I only have one place to go to change it.  

[CalminHeart]

I changed from cable to satellite 8 years ago and never looked back. I call them every 6 months and they apply a $40-$50 credit per month to my account. It brings the cost down to what's affordable for me. 

I recently started streaming. I haven't yet decided but I may cancel satellite and just stream. But the cost of the streaming options I want are nearly what I pay for satellite. So it's a toss-up for now.

[SilleeMee]

I'm staying with DirecTV. Using an aerial antenna around here doesn't work b/c of the mountains, hills and valleys. I can only get just a few channels with an antenna. Streaming is out of the question for me b/c of the high cost of the required high-speed internet (average cost of that is $70 mo.). I always get discounts which last a year and that usually saves me about $50 a month on my satellite bill. Satellite picture quality is tops and it's one reason why I bought my big 4K TV. No streaming for me.