direct tv vs timewarner

[BroadHopper]

Very happy with Roku Stick with Netflix and Sling TV. Not recommended with Metrocast ISP. They limit your data usage to 250GB @ month. Check your ISP data usage.

[Wiezy]

Good point BroadHopper, definitely check your cap in case it is low, however I do know that the Slingbox system (which is different than SlingTV oddly enough) only uses about 1GB every hour or two hour of streaming. So 250GB would be plenty enough for watching 10 hours of TV every day for a month.

[Winni_Bay]

thanks for replys
im a little old school
no net flix at home no roko or things like that
weizy
where do i get a sling box do i just hook it up to my tv
do i need to buy smart tvs

so basic cable and internet and a sling box will work
how does t work to get boston channels

thanks

[FORMULA-Ss]

I dumped Metrocast and now use a slingbox to view all my verizon fios channels from home (Mass) via wifi and added a RoKu. Greater entertainment and only pay one cable bill now.

[Pineedles]

The one thing that should be mentioned regarding things like Roku, sling, fire, etc. is that if you are a sports fan or 24/7 news channel watcher you will not get them from the typical show suppliers like hulu, Netflix, etc., without paying big bucks after you cut the cable.

[Bear Islander]

At our lake house I have DirecTV and Metrocast. DirecTV is good and the better boxes can record, but it does not have any On Demand programing. For that reason I prefer cable even though Metrocast TV is terrible. I have Verizon Fios in Mass and it beats Metrocast hands down.

Metrocast internet is OK.

[songkrai]

The Direct TV receivers are dumb.
They do not know where they are.

I have had Direct TV since Pegasus.

Whenever you change or upgrade with Direct TV you start a new 2 year contract. I own my equipment and have not had any contract in decades.

When I upgraded to HD television I purchased my own receiver.
I hired a private independent (not Direct TV) to install the HD dish. I paid for the dish and the installation. When I activated my HD receiver - it was just a call to Direct TV with the ID number of the owned receiver. I did have to pay $20.00 for an access card. Access card is mailed.

Since the receivers are dumb, they will operate anywhere. Whether the receivers are owned or leased they will work anywhere. Local channels are dependent on where the receiver is stated to Direct TV.

[Wiezy]

Originally Posted by Winni_Bay

thanks for replys
im a little old school
no net flix at home no roko or things like that
weizy
where do i get a sling box do i just hook it up to my tv
do i need to buy smart tvs

so basic cable and internet and a sling box will work
how does t work to get boston channels

thanks

Dave-
They are relatively easy to set up, you can see in the picture I attached what the back of the entry level model ($90 direct from Slingbox) Slingbox M2 looks like. You put it between the cable box and your TV, no smart TV required. At the place you want to watch, you buy a Roku Stick (or something similar) for $50 that comes with a remote and connects to WiFi. You use that remote to change channels and it will show the identical thing that is being shown on your TV at home.

Pros: Use your cable anywhere, watch DVR'd programs, watch what is locally on where the Slingbox is, great quality - often so good people can't tell it isn't local

Cons: Channel changing is slow, whatever is being watched on the cablebox at home is what is shown - meaning if someone is at home watching the Red Sox on the cable box that the Slingbox is connected to and you are at the second home and want to watch something, you both have to watch the same thing, setup can be a pain - but once it is set up it will work for years without any changes.

-Wiezy

[joey2665]

I had Slingbox several years ago. I found it very slow and the quality sketchy at times. They really need to upgrade to HDMI from the traditional patch component cords which I think would help tremendously

[Wiezy]

Originally Posted by joey2665

I had Slingbox several years ago. I found it very slow and the quality sketchy at times. They really need to upgrade to HDMI from the traditional patch component cords which I think would help tremendously

Joey-

Sorry to hear your experience wasn't great. I actually just watched an NFL game from the Caribbean on my phone using the Slingbox Solo and the quality was great.

The reason for not going to HDMI has to do with HDCP, as it turns out this can cause issues with having it pass through in some cases https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-b...ent_Protection although they do have Slingboxes with HDMI available: http://www.slingbox.com/Products/Sli.../Features.aspx

Regardless, the upload speed at the Slingbox location can affect the quality significantly, but Boston area internet shouldn't have this issue.

-Wiezy

[Winni_Bay]

Thanks for all the great info
for me just want something simple to get
Boston channels
Should of had kids they would have figured it all out for me by now

[wifi]

Originally Posted by Winni_Bay

Thanks for all the great info
for me just want something simple to get
Boston channels
Should of had kids they would have figured it all out for me by now

LOL, use your Boston address and sign up for satellite, install yourself. You will get the Boston channels if you keep it under your hat.

[Long Island Baba]

From my experience...
1. Contact independent firm to connect you. Orbit Satellite for example
2. In set up it asks for zip code. Moultonborough is Carroll County. That gives you Maine. Enter Center Harbor zip code in Belknap County to get Boston.
3. Go to Center Harbor and get a mail box. $66/year.

Done. This is pre-ATT procedure many used successfully. I would still stick with independent installer. You can get the start-up deals with them also and plenty of hand holding.

Good for us old school types.

[Winni_Bay]

Thanks for that info
looking into satellite service now

Thanks to all

[longislander]

Moultonborough has a Time Warner franchise. Center Harbor has a Metrocast franchise. Theoretically, a "cable company" competitor could come in. Practically, won't happen, because stringing more wire for the town footprint would be cost prohibitive. If Fairpoint were bought-out by a cable company, that would be an interesting!

Also, cable companies have legal and market constraints on their target market; e.g., Time Warner gets the Maine stations. It does have a couple of Mass. stations however.

"Address" is not the determining factor for cable (might be for satellite). It is the cable company franchise of the town.

Broadband (internet) is not bound by the same Federal and State laws, no matter the medium! So "streaming" is a different approach to watching TV. In my opinion, the future of TV watching etc.

[wifi]

Originally Posted by longislander

Moultonborough has a Time Warner franchise. Center Harbor has a Metrocast franchise. Theoretically, a "cable company" competitor could come in. Practically, won't happen, because stringing more wire for the town footprint would be cost prohibitive. If Fairpoint were bought-out by a cable company, that would be an interesting!

Also, cable companies have legal and market constraints on their target market; e.g., Time Warner gets the Maine stations. It does have a couple of Mass. stations however.

"Address" is not the determining factor for cable (might be for satellite). It is the cable company franchise of the town.

Broadband (internet) is not bound by the same Federal and State laws, no matter the medium! So "streaming" is a different approach to watching TV. In my opinion, the future of TV watching etc.

Hmmmm... there are some truths here. YMMV

[IslandRadio]

The biggest problem with direct TV or something like that is you don't get Internet.

One can live without TV, but live without Internet access ?

That's asking too much!

[phoenix]

yes you would need to either get another dish for Hughes net or use the phone company

[wifi]

So AT&T thru their relatively new offspring of DirectTV is offering a deal at:

https://directvnow.com/

of one their packages are almost half price, caveat is you need broadband to access. It is almost half off, but some ISP's offer crippled internet access for internet only access. I got it for evaluation, YMMV. Worth checking out.

[BroadHopper]

I notice many units with disks in the SD/LB development as well as here in Wildwood. I guess many are fed up with Metrocast and willing to put up with the occasional storms that cloud satellite reception. I would love to try satellite but the direction of the satellite is blocked by heavy trees. Direct TV came over once about a 20 years ago and pointed this out. Have technology improve since?

My uncle has a number of disks installed through the years, including the huge 12 foot array. All are sitting in the back yard. They don't remove the old disk. 'You own it' the technician will say. What can he do with all the disks?

[DickR]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

..... I would love to try satellite but the direction of the satellite is blocked by heavy trees. Direct TV came over once about a 20 years ago and pointed this out. Have technology improve since?

A few years ago, a neighbor had Direct TV come out to check for aiming angle and direction. They told him that if he took out a couple of trees from the big hill in back of his house they'd be able to connect him up. A week or so later, and with a lighter wallet, he had the installer back. They put up the dish, but finally told him there still were too many trees, and the signal just wasn't strong enough. They left with their dish.

A little while after that, he had Dish come. They point at different satellites, more in a southerly direction and, just as important, at a higher angle up from the horizon. That made all the difference.

There is a satellite aiming tool (http://www.dishpointer.com/) that lets you home in on your house on the image from space, put the crosshair on a location on your roof, select satellite from a list, and it will show you the direction and angle to it. Direct TV would have been an iffy attempt for me, but for Dish it would work. When I get fed up enough with TWC's TV service and cost, I may drop TV from the package, but keep cable for internet. I'd love competition. Armed with information, I perhaps could threaten TWC with pulling out in favor of Dish to get a lower rate. If they didn't, I could actually do the switch.

[fatlazyless]

There's supposedly no way to know how a credit card thief got your numbers as was told by the Meredith Village Savings lady employee when I got a replacement card. Their security worked good and quickly shut down my cc due to irregular activity including a 85-dollar cc charge to a Domino's Pizza in Los Angeles..... which seems like a lot of pizza ...... hope it was yummy pizza!

I strongly suspect the DirecTV lady employee for stealing my cc info, because the stolen use started immediately after I verbally gave her my cc info over the phone.....last month.....November, 2016.....and am very thankful the MVSB apparently has cc security that was fast and effective.


By the way.....last time I checked two years ago.....the Tennis Channel www.tennischannel.com was not available on MetroCast Cable for any price....which is too danged bad.