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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2017 22:11:31 GMT -5
We went back and forth this summer because costs are going up and as you know SS is not. We went from Time Warner to Verizon and Dish Network because of constantly increasing costs. Verizon ended up being a horrible internet choice. We ended up paying an exit fee to go back to Spectrum (Time Warner). CB sell your house and move here a two bedroom on SS income would be real cheap. Maybe $260/month or less with electric. And no taxes. |
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Post by Clipper on Aug 11, 2017 23:16:43 GMT -5
We have a 53 inch flat screen TV and a very poor selection of too many re-runs for my liking from spectrum. I am beginning to wonder if there is any other programming aside from Law and Order Special Victims Unit, and Grey's Anatomy. I would love to watch a movie worth watching now and then, but we often end up watching History Channel, National Geographic channel, HGTV, Animal Planet, and Food Network. Our travel trailer TV gets 19 channels on a bow tie antenna on the roof of the trailer, including our local stations, and it is free. I am seriously thinking of buying a similar antenna to be able to pick up those channels in the house, along with netflix or hulu subscription for movies.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Aug 12, 2017 0:49:41 GMT -5
I don't watch a lot of TV other than the news and weather. North Korea is still nuts and we still have weather every day. We have 4 TVs connected to the dish so Barb can watch Law & Order whenever she wants. The TV in our bedroom is connected to the dish, the others have DVD or VCR with a variety of Disney movies available. Perhaps I could rent them out as a B&B with breakfast limited to coffee with me and make your own toast.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2017 9:02:34 GMT -5
That music and low talk on Law and Order puts me asleep. I ver really liked that show. Same with Anatomy.
My evening starts at 3PM on CREATE TV until 4:30PM then I watch my fav Dr. Oz. The news on Newschannel WKTV from 5 to 6:30PM. Then NBC 6:30PM news then Holy Mass each night at 7PM to 8PM on EWTN. Then it is a toss up. Big Brother, American Ninja Warrior, Everyone Love Raymond, part of Bachelor in Paradise, Big Bang Theory and then more Raymond and Queen, Kevin can Wait, EWTN MOther Angelica, EWTN NIghtly News, Hawaii Five O, Blue Bloods, EWTN with Father Mitch, Raymond, Queen, MASH ( when I can find it running). A few movies here and there on my computer those are action filled drama movies( ya that's what I'll call them). Bedtime 12:15PM.
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Post by chris on Aug 13, 2017 12:43:46 GMT -5
When my media cost most of my income its time to reevaluate the situation. I can pull back and look for other cheap options. I am hearing of people pulling the plug all the time. Bad habits are always hard to break but once you do it its so much better. Why should I make them rich and me poor. I can learn to do with out if needed,
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2017 14:46:08 GMT -5
You are right chris. I know a lady who lived at Mount Carmel apartments. They have to pay for full cable no group plan. She watches the TV shows she wants on her computer. If push comes to shove I guess I would have a problem if I could watch my TV Shows especially when you live along and have no one to converse with when home.
I guess if I ever have to go to a nursing home I will experience that. But hopefully I will have dementia and not remember TV as I sit in my diapers waiting for meals and the day to pass.
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Post by kit on Aug 14, 2017 6:42:15 GMT -5
I can't afford Cable TV so I don't subscribe, and save quite a bit of money that way. I'm happy watching Netflix, surfing Youtube, and actually interacting with real people. There are 98 apartments in this building so there are many stories to hear from the residents. I also read for a while before going to sleep which is a great way to end the day.
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Post by Clipper on Aug 14, 2017 8:11:11 GMT -5
Kit, I know very little about netflix or streaming tv programming. With your set up can you stream the local or network news from the computer to your TV? How much does the netflix cost by the month? We are constantly considering cutting the cable due to cost. ($160 per month) We have the bundle that includes high speed internet, land line phone, and expanded basic TV (approximately 70 channels, several of which seem to rerun their programming over and over) If I am correct in my thinking, we could keep phone and internet for less than half of that, and as for TV, we probably only regularly watch 10 or 12 of the channels, but some of them are not included with the "basic TV package." I would like to find a way to watch what we DO enjoy watching at a reduced cost. Someday I will simply be writing the check to Spectrum and I will pull the trigger and cancel their service in favor of something cheaper. I simply don't know if I would be happy with any other internet service for speed and reliability. I do spend a lot of time on-line and like the unlimited internet that I have.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Aug 14, 2017 10:43:04 GMT -5
How much of what you watch is available over-the-air with an antenna?
Netflix is just under $10/month. In the past they were noted for recent (but not still in theaters) movies. We got it because we sometimes get on-demand movies for the kids when they are over and it's about the cost of one rental per month.
Netflix also does some original programming available only through them. Barb has been watching a political dramatic series called House of Cards. She seems to like it.
Your TV is relatively recent so it may have internet connectivity or WiFi capable. Or the last replacement DVD player I got included WiFi. Or you can get one of the little devices like a Chromecast or Kindle Firestick to connect a TV to WiFi.
The DVD cost less than $100 (maybe less than $50). The Chromecast was $30. Last week my 9 year old grand son sent a YouTube video on Grandma's tablet to the Chromecast on the TV in the family room so they are not real complicated to use. You do need to have an internet connection and a WiFi router which are fast enough to stream video without buffering but most modern stuff is good enough. If you can watch video on your laptop you should be good.
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Post by Clipper on Aug 14, 2017 11:32:14 GMT -5
Thank you Clarence. Yes, our relatively new TV does have internet connectivity through a cable. I would have to break out the book and check to see if it is wifi capable. The kid that sold me the netgear router told me it was capable of streaming TV from a computer. I think about making the change often, but have been afraid to pull the trigger, lol. Once the Spectrum boxes and modem are gone I would most likely have to pay another installation charge if I wanted to go back.
I will probably die, still contemplating and trying to decide.
If I get one of the antennas, is there a selector like splitter for the coax that would allow for jumping back and forth from antenna to streaming from the computer or netflix?
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Post by clarencebunsen on Aug 14, 2017 12:25:05 GMT -5
There are splitters and switch boxes available but I suspect your TV has 2-4 inputs available. On the back where stuff plugs in there is probably a line of connectors labeled HDMI1, HDMI2 ... below that there maybe a a row of other types of connector. On your TV remote if you press "Source" you should get a display listing something like Antenna, HDMI1 ... If you plug a DVD into HDMI2 the display will probably change from HDMI2 to DVD. If it doesn't change it's not a big deal you just have to remember what is plugged in where.
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Post by kit on Aug 14, 2017 15:06:16 GMT -5
Clipper, I can't afford subscribing to a bunch of high-tech services so I get a few local TV stations using the Antenna input of my TV rather than the Cable input. Digital antennas are relatively cheap at Walmart and with one you should be able to pick up all the local stations with their news and programming, including network prime-time shows. NO installation charge if you do it yourself, which is fairly easy. And it's FREE, any time, all the time.
There are different levels of Netflix, each having a different price. The current lowest price is $10 per month and includes several movies and older TV shows. If you want current movies and TV shows, of course you'll pay a lot more, which stands to reason.
Youtube is free and there are MANY different things to watch, including old movies, TV shows and songs as well. The content is downloadable to your computer using a little piece of software called "Youtube Downloader" which is also free.
So you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to be entertained, providing you don't need all the latest and greatest technology.
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Post by chris on Aug 25, 2017 17:17:21 GMT -5
I know people that subscribe to Hulu, Sling, Netflix and watch tv that way. I have basic cable and only pay 39.00 bulk rate from the apt. complex. Do you have Greenlight in your area. Supposedly cheaper than Spectrum or Frontier.
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Post by kit on Aug 26, 2017 6:30:12 GMT -5
Chris, we don't have Greenlight here in the Utica area... at least not that I've ever heard of.
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Post by Ralph on Aug 28, 2017 22:06:43 GMT -5
Clipper, Get a Roku or Firestick and you can stream Netflix for about $10 a month. If you have Amazon Prime, not only do you save on shipping costs, you get Amazon Video along with it.....about $12 a month, or $100 for the year. You will still need internet service from someone though.
While doing that, buy a good size TV antenna and throw it on the roof, or thereabouts. One time fee for the antenna and you surely have enough cable already installed to reach your TV set. My antenna(s) was a little under $100 and the cable I had all over the house anyway!
And you only pay for it ONCE, for all your local channels, and then some.
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