"Modern" Television

2 weeks ago we had to replace the AT&T Uverse Gateway to get TV back up and running. Then it quit again... Today supposedly we will be getting a replacement DVR Receiver to replace the one the feel has gone bad....

AT&T Uverse had been rock solid up until this round of failures. But it got me thinking what the cool kids are doing for TV these days?

My old school antenna has been working fine and we have been "casting" a few things to the TV during the outage. Only issue is it is cumbersome I'm the only one who can sort of make it work.

So how are you "modern" kids interfacing with the TV experience in a manner that doesn't require 6 remotes, cord swapping, owners manuals, online help,googling, and a monkey named Rico to watch an episode of The Fixer Upper on HGTV??

Read the last PM I sent you.

I'm also building a new (budget) OTA DVR.... < $300.

PS
ATT is evil...I quit giving them any of my money years ago.

I looked at the PM and it doesn't really fall in the "easy to use" category.

I don't really want an PC in the Mix, we don't hardly use the DVR Provided by AT&T now.

I'd like to dump AT&T but since they are buying Time Warner it would appear if you live in Ft. Worth your going to have AT&T. Since our current list of choices in my part of Ft. Worth are AT&T or Time Warner......

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Originally Posted by POS Racing

... it doesn't really fall in the "easy to use" category.

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That's my sticking point. I would love to "cut the cord", even if it meant using a PC. However, my wife can barely turn on the stereo in the media room as it is (I know; white people problems).

Both AT&T and TWC are evil, so we're all screwed.

Both Dish and DirectTV give you a killer dear for the 1st year on a 2 year contract. When the rates go up, I reduce by channel package and switch providers at the end of the contract. It actually pays NOT to be loyal, and I get upgraded equipment every time i switch. Really, the only downside is you get accustomed to one style of remote. I do wish one of those bastards would offer illuminated remote buttons. Since AT&T now owns DirectTV, I was able to bundle uVerse high speed internet at a pretty good rate. (around $30/month for stupid-fast 100Mbps download speed)

Now, if I just had an affordable NC to go with everything...

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Originally Posted by TexasStig

That's my sticking point. I would love to "cut the cord", even if it meant using a PC. However, my wife can barely turn on the stereo in the media room as it is (I know; white people problems).

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I'm glad I am not alone.....

We have a Harmony Remote and that helps switch stuff around now. The Harmony style remote is the level of simplicity that we would like to maintain.

We are old and set in our ways and are slightly afraid of technology.... ::hal::

https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/g...op-660x665.jpg

^ Do the books help? Our TV isn't currently sitting on books. Wonder if that is part of our problem???




;-)

^It does. Be sure to alternate hardback and paperback when stacking.

A nice universal remote can make it easier. I have a Harmony Smart Control, and I have activities set up for every way I watch TV (netflix, chromecast, antenna, bluray, etc.). I just push one button on the remote and it sets all the inputs. It does take some time to get everything set up initially, but it's not difficult.

One thing to keep in mind is that the rf remotes with a ir hub are far and away better than the ones without. If you just get an ir remote, you have to point it at everything for the duration of the sequence, and if any signal gets dropped because it's not pointed right, you're gonna have a bad time.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ce_Command.jpg

Still miss a good old Space Commander Remote...

^I still have one of those somewhere....back when my Gramps owned a small appliance store. Sold Maytag and Zenith.

The crackpipe team of support technicians at AT&T Uverse got it fixed shortly after I asked for RMA's for all my Uverse boxes.

But now the seeds of discontent have been planted. I dug out my Amazon TV and have been messing with it some I think it may have some potential along with the Antenna.

Netflix is the king of streaming, but Amazon has some good stuff too (and comes with Prime). You may also want to check out Hulu, Sling, or the like.

PS - SWMBO was a huge HGTV fan, but got over it shortly after we cut the cord.

But if I understand correctly depending on who provides your interwebz you may still have access to some of the stuff.

As an Example:

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Watch HGTV anytime with access to live TV and full episodes of your favorite shows such as Property Brothers, Fixer Upper, Flip or Flop, House Hunters and more. Included in your cable or satellite subscription through participating TV providers.

Current service providers include:
AT&T U-verse
Bright House Networks
Cox
DIRECTV
DISH
Google Fiber
Midcontinent Communications
Optimum
Time Warner Cable
Verizon FiOS
Comcast XFINITY (tablet/phone only)
and hundreds more.

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Originally Posted by POS Racing

But if I understand correctly depending on who provides your interwebz you may still have access to some of the stuff.

As an Example:

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I think that refers to your TV content provider; not your 'interwabz' provider.

^Correct...you need more than an internet connection with a provider. You need some sort of TV channel package with them too.

^ OK well that makes sense.

I use my Roku for just about everything: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc . . . cheap, simple, capable. Love it!

I still get Blu Rays from Netflix so I keep the DVD player in the mix.

We have Roku on one TV, a Tivo OTA DVR on the other, and just picked up a cheapo "built-in" Roku TV for the kid to use with the PS3. The Roku interface is simple and very good. I have no issues beyond doing a hard reset 2-3 times a year when the auto-updates seem to trip it up. Very easy to add channels, and it interfaces perfectly with Netflix and Amazon Prime. I assume its good with Hulu and HBOgo, but I don't pay for that stuff.

The Tivo was a concession to my wife who really wanted to keep some DVR capability instead of relying on the on-demand choices. Its 4 years old, and the interfaces are slower and less-sophisticated, but it has a great OTA schedule/guide and the DVR works fine. Its $14/mo for the service so its a bit of a step backwards when trying to eliminate TV costs, but still far less than cable/satellite when paired with Netflix. My cable internet (100mbps), Netflix, and Tivo add up to about $60/mo total with taxes and fees. I also have Amazon Prime, but I'm not counting that expense since I already buy it just for the free shipping.
We still watch more TV than we need to, but at least we only watch what we actually WANT to see, rather than surfing the channels or leaving the TV on for no reason. Also, Roku has a great "fireplace" channel...

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Originally Posted by sammm

^I still have one of those somewhere....back when my Gramps owned a small appliance store. Sold Maytag and Zenith.

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Found it. ;)

Right up until my circa 2007 Sony PS3 bit the dust about a month ago, I used it exclusively for playing Blu-Ray discs and for streaming Netflix and Amazon. I have an Oppo that does well enough for playing Blu-Ray, so I bought a Roku Premiere+ for streaming. The Roku is the best streaming device I've ever used. Reliable, fast, with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. I highly recommend it.

I bought the "plus" version (Premiere+) because it has a 10/100 ethernet port, faster and more reliable than WIFI. Generally I prefer wired connections over WIFI whenever practical. If you are OK with only WIFI connection to your local network, you can save some money by going with the regular Roku Premiere.