OT: Good Read on 'Cord Cutters' Watching the NFL

upstater1 · Aug 30, 2015

Pyerardi said:
I haven't cut the cord yet but it would be easy. I have the Amazon Fire TV box, to it I added a program called KODI and with some addons to KODI I can get every movie, every tv show even expanded cable channels. I live in Maryland but I never miss a Pats game now.

I thought KODI was banned this summer

Wheelman · Aug 30, 2015

Bill Lee said:
So, are we guaranteed the Pats games are on local TV even for ESPN and NFL Network games? I should know this but this is my first year as a cable cutter so it hasn't mattered to me in the past.

I believe the ESPN game should be on ABC for both teams local market. Pats-Dolphins game should be on CBS. Not sure what happens if the game was on later in the season when CBS isn't airing the thursday night games.

Pyerardi · Aug 30, 2015

upstater1 said:
I thought KODI was banned this summer

No. In fact it's growing.There is more and more content everyday. And now you can even run it right from a computer so you don't really need the Fire TV

Cunk · Aug 31, 2015

goheels22002 said:
Since you don't miss it anyway. what's the unit number and the combination on the lock?

It's stored in my Mother's garage. So you'll have to get by her first.

Bill Lee · Aug 31, 2015

Pyerardi said:
No. In fact it's growing.There is more and more content everyday. And now you can even run it right from a computer so you don't really need the Fire TV

I've done a bit of googling and KODI is still easy to install (via what is called side-loading i.e. not loading from Amazon Store) without needing to root-kit the device. I think the "ban" might refer to the fact it might have been in the Amazon Store at one point, but now it is not.

I haven't installed KODI, so am wondering what features it would add that would help me stream NFL content.

I have noticed a lot of NFL apps that are on Android for phones and tablets aren't being made available for Android TV and/or Roku -- any reason for that?

Pyerardi · Aug 31, 2015

Bill Lee said:
I've done a bit of googling and KODI is still easy to install (via what is called side-loading i.e. not loading from Amazon Store) without needing to root-kit the device. I think the "ban" might refer to the fact it might have been in the Amazon Store at one point, but now it is not.

I haven't installed KODI, so am wondering what features it would add that would help me stream NFL content.QUOTE]
If you are local to New England you will have all the local channels to watch the game. I use a couple streaming addons and as soon as the game starts someone is streaming it. I can even get a stream of the NFL Network redzone

Bill Lee · Sep 2, 2015

Mark. said:
We just cut the cord and couldn't be happier. We went with a Mohu Sky outdoor antenna because we are surrounded by hills and trees. With a bit of adjustment we are able to get CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox. We found we got better reception by not putting the antenna on the roof.

Nunchucks said:
I haven't had cable for 4 years and could not be happier with the result. We use a leaf antenna and the picture quality is great. I am unable to watch the games on ESPN and NFL Network, but surprisingly enough, I haven't really missed it.

unoriginal said:
If anyone here is interested in cutting the cord and picking up their NFL /local news / broadcast networks over the air, TVfool.com will take your address, the FCC tv antenna database, and terrain data accurate to the size of a football field, and tell you how strong OTA signals are where you live, and what direction to point your antenna to pick them up

Great advice, wish I had done it weeks or months ago! I followed the advice and tvfool predicted I'd be able to get all the channels I need (FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC) for football with an indoor antenna. I'm 35 miles from Boston and all the channels are out of Boston so no need to adjust antennas. I went with:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BN5Z2WM

cuz I'm a nerd and liked the idea of the amplified antenna that turns off when I turn off the tv because it's plugged into the tv's usb port. It's working great! What surprised me is that it's picking up stations in full digital mode that I couldn't get at all back in the analog days.

upstater1 said:
One of the things I've found by "cutting the cord" that isn't immediately noticeable is that you become very reliant on your internet. You need bandwidth. Everyone in the house is streaming. With no one streaming, we're drawing 40 mbps.

What? According to Netflix you should need 4.5 mbits/sec or so for one HD stream. Your house is generating 8-9 streams worth of traffic even when no one is streaming? I don't think you're the typical case.

upstater1 said:
Then people start streaming one by one, and you see it drop drop drop. When all four are going at the same time, you practically have to be within a decent distance of the router, and that defeats the purpose.

Just curious, what kind of router is it? When I became a cord cutter I had just upgraded my wifi router, and bought a new cable modem too since I had been renting the old one.

upstater1 said:
The nice thing is that we've done this so many times that there is almost no installation process than hooking up the boxes. The satellite stays up, all the cables stay up.

I thought the satellite people were making people sign contracts so you couldn't hop around so easily. Also most of use won't happen to have a full satellite setup waiting to go when we bounce back and forth. I suppose it'd be worth it in the end, but seems to be a bit of a hassle at first.

Mark. said:
You will get the NFL network Pats games, but not the ESPN games. If you really want those games, Slingtv is $19.99/month.

Probably worth it, depending on the match up. Does slingtv have a contract? Heck if they pro-rate it, you could turn it on and off depending on when you want to watch a game. There's not much else on ESPN that I'd pay for.

Nunchucks · Sep 2, 2015

upstater1 said:
This is the problem I have though. For me Extreme would be a lot more expensive because there is no competition in my area.

So when I started elevating into the Extreme internet, I was already approaching $80. At that point, it was $15 more for cable and cable phone for a year.

This is how they get you.

You think cutting the cord is a good deal, and then you need so much more bandwidth when you cut the cord because suddenly you're streaming on a lot of devices. We have Netflix too. And Amazon Prime.

You really can't win, that's my conclusion, unless you're willing to change to new services for intro offers every 1 or 2 years.

We just don't watch much TV or use the internet that much except when we watch a show together.

nabwong · Sep 2, 2015

So, I just signed up for NFL Sunday ticket streaming service at student price which is $99. I still have a student email since I haven't finished my monograph.

hambone1818 · Sep 2, 2015

I've gone the KODI + indoor antenna route. Also have Netflix which is overkill, tbh, but there are times when the KODI app crashes/performs poorly and we just flip to something on Netflix. No issues whatsoever, the reception on the HD network channels is fantastic, and you have the world of tv and movies at your fingertips with KODI.

My problem now is our wireless reception through Comcast is horrendous. I've run some speed tests and I'm only getting ~14-16 mbps download, despite having Extreme 150 (I never expected 150 mbps but come on, 10% of advertised speed???).

Aside from the internet speed, which I can get figure out once I call, I'm incredibly, incredibly happy with our decision. Saving ~$70 a month and far, far more options than we had before.

Mark. · Sep 2, 2015

Bill Lee said:
Probably worth it, depending on the match up. Does slingtv have a contract? Heck if they pro-rate it, you could turn it on and off depending on when you want to watch a game. There's not much else on ESPN that I'd pay for.

No contract with Slingtv. Quite a few channels with it-Not just BSPN.

Betterthanmost · Sep 2, 2015

I just called to cancel my service. I timed the number of times we watched tv for a whole two weeks and it was a total of 24mins. 24mins for two fecking weeks and I was paying all of this stupid money for naught.
As long as you have the skills and a few gadgets, there is nothing you can't get to watch.

Nunchucks · Sep 2, 2015

hambone1818 said:
I've gone the KODI + indoor antenna route. Also have Netflix which is overkill, tbh, but there are times when the KODI app crashes/performs poorly and we just flip to something on Netflix. No issues whatsoever, the reception on the HD network channels is fantastic, and you have the world of tv and movies at your fingertips with KODI.

My problem now is our wireless reception through Comcast is horrendous. I've run some speed tests and I'm only getting ~14-16 mbps download, despite having Extreme 150 (I never expected 150 mbps but come on, 10% of advertised speed???).

Aside from the internet speed, which I can get figure out once I call, I'm incredibly, incredibly happy with our decision. Saving ~$70 a month and far, far more options than we had before.

Get a new router and plug it into the modem. Often, the wireless modem that the company provides sucks. Run your own wireless network.

hambone1818 · Sep 2, 2015

Nunchucks said:
Get a new router and plug it into the modem. Often, the wireless modem that the company provides sucks. Run your own wireless network.

Yeah, I have my own modem and wireless router, researched them both before buying and they're solid mid- to high-range personal use devices.

As I said, I've just recently been experiencing the streaming issues, just haven't had time to get on the phone with Comcast.

Mark. · Sep 2, 2015

hambone1818 said:
Yeah, I have my own modem and wireless router, researched them both before buying and they're solid mid- to high-range personal use devices.

As I said, I've just recently been experiencing the streaming issues, just haven't had time to get on the phone with Comcast.

We had some streaming issues when we first cut the cord and it turned out to be a problem on Time Warner's end. It wasn't just us-many people in our area were having similar problems. They did fix it after several days.

adam941 · Sep 2, 2015

hambone1818 said:
I've gone the KODI + indoor antenna route. Also have Netflix which is overkill, tbh, but there are times when the KODI app crashes/performs poorly and we just flip to something on Netflix. No issues whatsoever, the reception on the HD network channels is fantastic, and you have the world of tv and movies at your fingertips with KODI.

My problem now is our wireless reception through Comcast is horrendous. I've run some speed tests and I'm only getting ~14-16 mbps download, despite having Extreme 150 (I never expected 150 mbps but come on, 10% of advertised speed???).

Aside from the internet speed, which I can get figure out once I call, I'm incredibly, incredibly happy with our decision. Saving ~$70 a month and far, far more options than we had before.

I can take this conversation elsewhere if need be, but I'm curious about KODI. From what I saw, it looks like a software interface similar to Roku in that you add streaming channels that would be accessible. If that's the case, where can I find info on those channels or maybe a list of the more popular ones as far as what content they offer? I really wasn't interested in checking out each channel one by one.

hambone1818 · Sep 2, 2015

adam941 said:
I can take this conversation elsewhere if need be, but I'm curious about KODI. From what I saw, it looks like a software interface similar to Roku in that you add streaming channels that would be accessible. If that's the case, where can I find info on those channels or maybe a list of the more popular ones as far as what content they offer? I really wasn't interested in checking out each channel one by one.

Yeah, it's really just an app with various streaming applications within it, sites will host the content that'll be available for you to stream for free. If you search on eBay you should be able to find some Fire sticks preloaded with KODI and various add-on apps that are useful. Sportsdevil is a must if you want to watch any live sports that won't be available in your area, for instance. You can do the sideloading business yourself, then download the add-ons you want, but it's only like $50 to have it all done for you (at least when I bought it a few months ago).

The difference with these apps--and what's available on the Roku, for example--is these are pretty unregulated, whenever a hosting site gets shut down it seems more pop up, so you'll always have great options for any show or movie you want to watch, with no subscription fees associated with it.

adam941 · Sep 2, 2015

hambone1818 said:
Yeah, it's really just an app with various streaming applications within it, sites will host the content that'll be available for you to stream for free. If you search on eBay you should be able to find some Fire sticks preloaded with KODI and various add-on apps that are useful. Sportsdevil is a must if you want to watch any live sports that won't be available in your area, for instance. You can do the sideloading business yourself, then download the add-ons you want, but it's only like $50 to have it all done for you (at least when I bought it a few months ago).

The difference with these apps--and what's available on the Roku, for example--is these are pretty unregulated, whenever a hosting site gets shut down it seems more pop up, so you'll always have great options for any show or movie you want to watch, with no subscription fees associated with it.

Have you found any source for descriptions of the channels?

hambone1818 · Sep 2, 2015

adam941 said:
Have you found any source for descriptions of the channels?

I haven't, no. There are four out-of-the-box apps that each have some form of 'tv shows', 'movies', etc type of setup, when you drill down you get 'genres', 'most popular', 'search', etc. That's the vast vast majority of what we watch.

Then there are add-ons that are kinda self-explanatory: Ted Talks. SportsDevil. XXXFilms (whoever does it preloads half a dozen porn sites for some reason).

So there are no 'channels', per se. Hope this makes sense.

upstater1 · Sep 2, 2015

Bill Lee said:
What? According to Netflix you should need 4.5 mbits/sec or so for one HD stream. Your house is generating 8-9 streams worth of traffic even when no one is streaming? I don't think you're the typical case.

Just curious, what kind of router is it? When I became a cord cutter I had just upgraded my wifi router, and bought a new cable modem too since I had been renting the old one.

I thought the satellite people were making people sign contracts so you couldn't hop around so easily. Also most of use won't happen to have a full satellite setup waiting to go when we bounce back and forth. I suppose it'd be worth it in the end, but seems to be a bit of a hassle at first.

Probably worth it, depending on the match up. Does slingtv have a contract? Heck if they pro-rate it, you could turn it on and off depending on when you want to watch a game. There's not much else on ESPN that I'd pay for.

Let me be clearer: when we're NOT downloading stuff, when we're just on Google or something, our stream is above 40 mbps download.

But when all 4 of us are doing something, the download stream starts lagging.

A satellite contract is for 1 year.

So you can jump around.

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