Attention cord-cutters!

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
09/19/2018 at 18:49 • Filed to: I'm sorry wilson

Learn me about replacements for my U-verse subscription. The U-verse subscription just went up in $$, and it’s time to dump traditional TV. I don’t watch much TV, and won’t miss it. My wife, however, loves her college football. She has asked me to look into the best a la carte options for watching with our internet connection.

So, I’m looking at stuff like a SlingTV subscription, Collegesportslive, or even Hulu. Personally, I’m thinking just putting up an antenna and grabbing network broadcast TV is enough, but a lot of the college games will be on ESPN and ESPN2.

So tell me, Oppo, what do you do to see what you want without a cable box (or similar)?

DISCUSSION (54)

benjrblant > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 18:56

I do not own a TV.

I’m aware that this is entirely unhelpful.

That’s all I’ve got. Good luck.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:00

I have Hulu with the sports package and I can watch just about any game from any sport.

Nom De Plume > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:00

It’s called a sports bar and being sociable with the lower strata of society.

Chuckles > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:03

Direct TV now is decent. You can get a one week free trial and the basic package is $40 a month after that for like 65 channels. No contract, no subscription. I say try it for a weekend and see how you feel about it. You can do everything without having to talk to customer service people. Check the site for channel listings but you get espn, espn2, fs1, and plenty of other networks. Plus you can watch on your phone.

Matt Nichelson > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:03

What about ESPN+? I think it's only a few bucks a month or something like that and it will give yall a bunch of games to watch.

Chariotoflove > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
09/19/2018 at 19:06

W hat are you paying, and do you consider it worth the price?

Chariotoflove > Nom De Plume
09/19/2018 at 19:07

I am anti-social. Also, I am lower strata. Why would I want to hang around with riff-raff like me?

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:09

It is $4 0/month but I split it. It has a bunch of other programming included like Fox, CNN, MSNBC, Viceland, Cartoon Network, and a bunch of other stuff. I think it’s worth it and definitely replaces our cable adequately

Textured Soy Protein > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:13

I’m not big into college sports. I have Rokus and antennas hooked up to my TVs. The big TV also has a Chromecast because Roku screen mirroring is a joke. We don't pay for any live TV service but if I did there are the usual Hulu Live, YouTube TV, and similar offerings from Dish and DirecTV. If anything I might be more inclined to not get the services from the satellite companies, because they're spammy as all hell. I used to have Dish several years ago and it took forever to get off their mailing lists.

Chariotoflove > Chuckles
09/19/2018 at 19:13

I just went to the DirectTV site. I r ead the fine print and it says you sign up for a 2 year agreement. The first year is $40/mo , and the second is $90 . This is pretty much what U-verse (also AT&T) is already doing to me . I’m trying to get off that merry-go -round. And I don’t want to pay even $40 for channels I don’t use. I really am looking to just go as a la carte as possible.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:17

The drinks are more expensive than at home, too. Cable will be cheaper when you factor that in ( if you drink like me anyways lol)

Chariotoflove > Matt Nichelson
09/19/2018 at 19:17

That sounds intriguing. I just went to check it out. Here is what I found:

Despite appearances, ESPN+ is not a stand-alone streaming service and isn’t a replacement for your ESPN cable channel. Instead, ESPN+ gives users a new, more convenient way to access ESPN content and live programming through the newly designed ESPN app...

.. Watching live ESPN channels will still require a paid TV subscription (whether cable, satellite, or streaming service). The app acts as a gatekeeper by requiring users to sign in with their TV provider account to enable live viewing.

So, it looks like I’d still have to have a TV package.

Chuckles > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:18

Was that for Direct TV or Direct TV Now? Direct TV Now is the new streaming service.

Chariotoflove > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
09/19/2018 at 19:18

I don’t watch much other stuff, but it might be worth it. I’ll check it out.

Chariotoflove > Textured Soy Protein
09/19/2018 at 19:20

That’s where I want to be. I just have to find a way to get my wife her football without too much extra cost.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW
09/19/2018 at 19:21

That’s the other thing. I don’t think they like customers who watch in their pajamas and keep helping themselves to the soda dispenser.

Chariotoflove > Chuckles
09/19/2018 at 19:22

That was just DirectTV. I read your post of “DirectTV now is decent” as meaning “DirectTV is decent these days”. I didn’t know there was something called “DirectTV Now.”

Chuckles > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:23

If you just want football try

https://www.reddit.com/r/CFBStreams/

https://www.reddit.com/r/nflstreams/

Streams get posted right before kickoff and get taken down after the game.

Chuckles > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:24

My mistake. Direct TV Now is a good cable substitute. If all you want is live sports, reddit has you covered.

Nom De Plume > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:30

Have you looked at the Playstation options. Would seem to check all your boxes if they offer a reasonably priced option.

I have no experience with this. All I know is it got real popular for watching racing.

Chariotoflove > Chuckles
09/19/2018 at 19:39

I don’t understand. Surely you don’t mean you can see the games fro free through reddit.

Chariotoflove > Nom De Plume
09/19/2018 at 19:41

I have not checked. I don’t have a Playstation, and so didn’t even think of it.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:44

is youtube tv in your market?

Chariotoflove > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
09/19/2018 at 19:46

I believe so.

Matt Nichelson > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:47

Well damn. I'm sorry man.

syaieya > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:49

I’ll echo that “Directv Now” is a pretty decent service.

Occasionally the servers will go full stupid, the dvr isnt’ great, and you can only have two streams going at the base price .

But at 40 bucks a month plus 40 dollar internet service my bill is in half and all I lost was nat geo wild , the SEC network, and FS2 for what i watched .

Honestly though I just went with it because I signed up right before Lemans 24 and they were the cheapest way I could get both history for my dad and velocity for the race

If you want a service comparison though

https://clark.com/technology/tvsatellite-cable/streaming-tv-comparison-best-channel-lineup/

Is the site that i’ve used. Copied their contents straight to a spreadsheet and compared line items.

Chariotoflove > Matt Nichelson
09/19/2018 at 19:49

No no. I welcome the suggestions. They point me in places to look. Not everything pans out.

Chariotoflove > syaieya
09/19/2018 at 19:51

Thanks, that’s helpful!

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 19:56

They also have a 7 day trial, every attached account gets its own cloud dvr as well.

Chariotoflove > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
09/19/2018 at 19:59

They all seem to have a trial, and I like that. Theoretically, I could cycle through all the trials to get the wife through the season and then get her to agree to just sticking an antenna on the TV until next September.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:03

Click your heels together- “ there's no place like home!”

punkgoose17 > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:04

We have Playstation Vue it has a few ESPNs. We watch it through the Roku plugged into the tv.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW
09/19/2018 at 20:05

There’s a restaurant here that plays Notre Dame home games so the local alums can gather, but I think that’s the only place a domer would find much love around here.

Chuckles > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:06

Oh that's exactly what I mean. I'm not saying it's legal, but tv networks have enough money. I used it to watch nfl red zone for the last two weeks.

Chariotoflove > punkgoose17
09/19/2018 at 20:08

I have no experience with that. I’ll have to check into it.

Chariotoflove > Chuckles
09/19/2018 at 20:10

Well, considering that I’m kind of a pirate at heart, that appeals to me. I’m just surprised it’s allowed to happen. I’ve seen reddit threads shut down for less.

Chuckles > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:12

That's why the streams can only be posted like 45 minutes before kickoff and get taken down right after. Keeps the sub from getting a lot of attention.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:14

Plex Live TV & DVR is one to consider. Can’t say I use those particular features of my Plex Pass, but based on how great their media server is, I’d bet it’s a solid option. Minimal up front investment, (potentially) no monthly fees (depending on which Plex Pass you buy).

PlayStation Vue I hear is pretty solid as well. Don’t need to own a PS.

Textured Soy Protein > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:17

Do you know what networks her teams are on? If you don’t subscribe to a full live TV package I believe you can do just ESPN and it has a Roku app. Otherwise just check the different skinny bundles with the live streaming services and see which cover her channels.

Chariotoflove > Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz)
09/19/2018 at 20:20

Okay, didn’t know that.

Chariotoflove > Textured Soy Protein
09/19/2018 at 20:22

Her team is Notre Dame, so all home games are on NBC, and the away games will almost always be featured on network or ESPN. But she’ll also watch any good game that’s on. I’m doing just that, looking for the best deals on the streaming services that have the ESPN variants. That should cover most of it.

Nibby > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:29

boxrocket > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:39

Cheaper out-of-the-box option:

Buy a cheap-ish racer and work on it together and build it up for Rally-Cross. Learn to drive it together, sharing pace notes and such, take video to learn from mistakes and keep improving. S chedule practice runs and/or attend events that are during her handegg games. She’ll have so much fun she’ll forget about handegg and want to go Rally-Crossing.

Joe6pack > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:49

We are big sports fans and after researching my options, I chose Hulu +. You get all the sports channels including FS2 where they park a lot of the IMSA races.

Joe6pack > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 20:51

Check out Hulu+. We are big college football fans (Alabama and Georgia Tech). It has all the ESPNs and Fox S ports networks.

Joe6pack > Chuckles
09/19/2018 at 20:54

DirectTV Now doesn’t have FS2 in the base package , which can be a big deal if you follow IMSA.

Kiltedpadre > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 21:11

We use Sling for sports channels. We get ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, NBC sports, and Fox sports 1. I believe it is $25/month.

We also get a free subscription to HULU through our Sprint cell service, but it doesn’t include the sports package. It is a decent place to find complete series and movies though.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove
09/19/2018 at 21:18

Around Chicago, I think every D 1 school in the country has its own bar, or so it seems .

ND is local really, so there’s plenty of places to watch them.

Still no places that want you serving yourself in your PJs though I suspect.

Maybe that’s an untapped market?

Chariotoflove > boxrocket
09/19/2018 at 23:19

That would be great...except that she doesn’t really like to drive. And she has zero interest in cars.

Chariotoflove > Joe6pack
09/19/2018 at 23:20

Alright, that goes on the short list.

Chariotoflove > Kiltedpadre
09/19/2018 at 23:22

Yeah, Sling looks to be the cheapest option that has all the ESPN channels.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW
09/19/2018 at 23:23

I could start a franchise.

ttyymmnn > Kiltedpadre
09/21/2018 at 12:22

As a current Dish customer, I have looked a bit at Sling. Can you record shows, though? I’m rarely home to watch live sports, and I’d rather zap the commercials.

Kiltedpadre > ttyymmnn
09/21/2018 at 13:31

You can’t with the $25 package. I do believe they have an option where you can record shows.