TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by billhoward
TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: billhoward (---.nwrknj.fios.verizon.net)
Date: August 11, 2023 02:58PM
A thread to discuss streaming TV, streaming sports packages, and to rant at ESPN+ pricing.
Might also be a place to share favorite cable-cutter streaming-package recommendations.
Below, recommendations culled from review sites. Top recommendations, but note some of these are Best For X Purpose ranking after the first, overall recommendation:
Tom's Hardware: Sling, YouTube TV (is not not the YouTube channel),
Hulu +
CNet: Hulu Plus, YouTube TV, Sling
PC Mag:
YouTube TV for replacing cable, Fubo for sports, Hulu for live and on-demand
FuboTV is often mentioned if you want sports coverage including Regional Sports Networks (RSNs).
If you're in-town or suburbs, an antenna hooked to the TV for $30-$100 pulls in local broadcast stations. Antennas Direct (several models), Mohu Leaf+, Monoprice, Amazon basics antenna. You can spend more.
[edit add:] Streaming was a good deal until more or less now.
Before: Unstainable (maybe) low prices to lure people from cable. Loose restrictions on your 30-year-old offspring in far off zip codes glomming onto your NetFlix account with no upcharge.
Now: Streaming services are ratcheting up prices, certainly > CPI. Bundles with stuff you don't want (Paranoia sorry Paranormal Channel). Limits on how many active streams your family can have. Higher prices if you want to watch the NFL on anything bigger than a tablet. I thought I heard approaching-$500/year if you want access to any NFL game not just team with the closest stadium. And if you do stream, you'll want to increase the speed of your connection. All of which makes $10 soon $11 a month for ESPN+ a pretty good.
Might also be a place to share favorite cable-cutter streaming-package recommendations.
Below, recommendations culled from review sites. Top recommendations, but note some of these are Best For X Purpose ranking after the first, overall recommendation:
Tom's Hardware: Sling, YouTube TV (is not not the YouTube channel),
Hulu +
CNet: Hulu Plus, YouTube TV, Sling
PC Mag:
YouTube TV for replacing cable, Fubo for sports, Hulu for live and on-demand
FuboTV is often mentioned if you want sports coverage including Regional Sports Networks (RSNs).
If you're in-town or suburbs, an antenna hooked to the TV for $30-$100 pulls in local broadcast stations. Antennas Direct (several models), Mohu Leaf+, Monoprice, Amazon basics antenna. You can spend more.
[edit add:] Streaming was a good deal until more or less now.
Before: Unstainable (maybe) low prices to lure people from cable. Loose restrictions on your 30-year-old offspring in far off zip codes glomming onto your NetFlix account with no upcharge.
Now: Streaming services are ratcheting up prices, certainly > CPI. Bundles with stuff you don't want (Paranoia sorry Paranormal Channel). Limits on how many active streams your family can have. Higher prices if you want to watch the NFL on anything bigger than a tablet. I thought I heard approaching-$500/year if you want access to any NFL game not just team with the closest stadium. And if you do stream, you'll want to increase the speed of your connection. All of which makes $10 soon $11 a month for ESPN+ a pretty good.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2023 09:02PM by billhoward.
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: Trotsky (12.151.182.---)
Date: August 11, 2023 03:19PM
This is a good idea, Bill. Thank you.
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: RichH (104.28.76.---)
Date: August 11, 2023 06:21PM
You can tell how old it is if they call it “Hulu Plus.”
Edit: after actually clicking, I see that’s shorthand for “Hulu + Live TV” (an unfortunate marketing choice) as opposed to “Hulu+” which is what the regular streaming service was once called.
Edit: after actually clicking, I see that’s shorthand for “Hulu + Live TV” (an unfortunate marketing choice) as opposed to “Hulu+” which is what the regular streaming service was once called.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2023 06:25PM by RichH.
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: ugarte (---.nycmny.fios.verizon.net)
Date: August 12, 2023 02:39AM
you honestly wouldn't believe how much a decent digital antenna picks up on a roku tv for basic cable networks
___________________________
quality tweets | bluesky (twitter 2) | ALAB Series podcast | Other podcasts and writing
quality tweets | bluesky (twitter 2) | ALAB Series podcast | Other podcasts and writing
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: billhoward (---.datapacket.com)
Date: August 12, 2023 10:22AM
Our home audio / structured wiring / etcetera guy said he could put a digital antenna up in the attic. But first, he said, try just putting a $50 antenna next to the TV. In our case, we're on a rise that puts us almost line of sight to Manhattan.ugarte
you honestly wouldn't believe how much a decent digital antenna picks up on a roku tv for basic cable networks
All this wouldn't be necessary if community antenna television wasn't a boondoggle for the capitalist -- uh, sorry, been listening to Trotsky -- and it was a community service, at least basic transport of the local channels to houses that don't have good over the air reception. The cable-replacement services (YouTube TV, Fubo, etcetera, noted above) have gone beyond beyond mere aggregators.
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: upprdeck (38.77.26.---)
Date: August 12, 2023 01:34PM
my digital antenna picks up zero channels locally / picked up a dozen before the last upgrade to digital.. Digital is awful when you live in the country with hills.
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: ugarte (---.nycmny.fios.verizon.net)
Date: August 12, 2023 08:39PM
That's the kind of digital antenna i meant.billhoward
Our home audio / structured wiring / etcetera guy said he could put a digital antenna up in the attic. But first, he said, try just putting a $50 antenna next to the TV. In our case, we're on a rise that puts us almost line of sight to Manhattan.ugarte
you honestly wouldn't believe how much a decent digital antenna picks up on a roku tv for basic cable networks
___________________________
quality tweets | bluesky (twitter 2) | ALAB Series podcast | Other podcasts and writing
quality tweets | bluesky (twitter 2) | ALAB Series podcast | Other podcasts and writing
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: marty (---.nycap.res.rr.com)
Date: August 13, 2023 07:30PM
ugarte
That's the kind of digital antenna i meant.billhoward
Our home audio / structured wiring / etcetera guy said he could put a digital antenna up in the attic. But first, he said, try just putting a $50 antenna next to the TV. In our case, we're on a rise that puts us almost line of sight to Manhattan.ugarte
you honestly wouldn't believe how much a decent digital antenna picks up on a roku tv for basic cable networks
For now, but in few years...
[m.youtube.com]
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: ugarte (---.nycmny.fios.verizon.net)
Date: August 15, 2023 03:55PM
i think most of these digital channels want to be picked up for freemarty
ugarte
That's the kind of digital antenna i meant.billhoward
Our home audio / structured wiring / etcetera guy said he could put a digital antenna up in the attic. But first, he said, try just putting a $50 antenna next to the TV. In our case, we're on a rise that puts us almost line of sight to Manhattan.ugarte
you honestly wouldn't believe how much a decent digital antenna picks up on a roku tv for basic cable networks
For now, but in few years...
[m.youtube.com]
___________________________
quality tweets | bluesky (twitter 2) | ALAB Series podcast | Other podcasts and writing
quality tweets | bluesky (twitter 2) | ALAB Series podcast | Other podcasts and writing
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: marty (---.nycap.res.rr.com)
Date: August 15, 2023 04:39PM
ugarte
i think most of these digital channels want to be picked up for freemarty
ugarte
That's the kind of digital antenna i meant.billhoward
Our home audio / structured wiring / etcetera guy said he could put a digital antenna up in the attic. But first, he said, try just putting a $50 antenna next to the TV. In our case, we're on a rise that puts us almost line of sight to Manhattan.ugarte
you honestly wouldn't believe how much a decent digital antenna picks up on a roku tv for basic cable networks
For now, but in few years...
[m.youtube.com]
One of their biggest income streams for local channels is the payments they collect from cable. The Youtube guys who are worried here think that everything will be scrambled so that all viewers will have to pay the equivalent of the cable fee to see the channels.
My crystal ball is cloudy here, but if enough antenna users bitch this will be unlikely to occur.
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: billhoward (---.nwrknj.fios.verizon.net)
Date: August 21, 2023 11:24AM
Channels that originate as over-the-air broadcasts, I believe that can't be broadcast as scrambled or encrypted channels. Something that lives only as a cable channel, say the Paranormal Channel (when in the seventies cable TV proponents said everyone would get 500 channels of diverse programming, is this what they meant?) could be encrypted.marty
One of their biggest income streams for local channels is the payments they collect from cable. The Youtube guys who are worried here think that everything will be scrambled so that all viewers will have to pay the equivalent of the cable fee to see the channels. My crystal ball is cloudy here, but if enough antenna users bitch this will be unlikely to occur.
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: upprdeck (---.lightspeed.miamfl.sbcglobal.net)
Date: August 21, 2023 03:01PM
i dont know why that would be true.. you cant rebroadcast those channels, so that doesnt mean you can just pick them up and offer them
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: marty (---.nycap.res.rr.com)
Date: August 21, 2023 05:03PM
billhoward
Channels that originate as over-the-air broadcasts, I believe that can't be broadcast as scrambled or encrypted channels. Something that lives only as a cable channel, say the Paranormal Channel (when in the seventies cable TV proponents said everyone would get 500 channels of diverse programming, is this what they meant?) could be encrypted.marty
One of their biggest income streams for local channels is the payments they collect from cable. The Youtube guys who are worried here think that everything will be scrambled so that all viewers will have to pay the equivalent of the cable fee to see the channels. My crystal ball is cloudy here, but if enough antenna users bitch this will be unlikely to occur.
That is what they are supposedly planning to change. Listen to Lon's Youtube rant. I have no idea how likely this is to come true.
The worriers think that the broadcast channels are planning to change the covenent they have with the feds.
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: jtwcornell91 (Moderator)
Date: August 22, 2023 03:51PM
billhoward
Channels that originate as over-the-air broadcasts, I believe that can't be broadcast as scrambled or encrypted channels. Something that lives only as a cable channel, say the Paranormal Channel (when in the seventies cable TV proponents said everyone would get 500 channels of diverse programming, is this what they meant?) could be encrypted.marty
One of their biggest income streams for local channels is the payments they collect from cable. The Youtube guys who are worried here think that everything will be scrambled so that all viewers will have to pay the equivalent of the cable fee to see the channels. My crystal ball is cloudy here, but if enough antenna users bitch this will be unlikely to occur.
[www.youtube.com]
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: RichH (104.28.76.---)
Date: October 08, 2023 10:46PM
A reminder that the subscription rates for the Disney family (which includes ESPN+) are all increasing this Thursday, Oct. 12.
Monthly increases from $9.99 to $10.99. If you subscribe today through Wednesday, you get the 2 exhibitions, UMD(2), @Yale, @Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard games at the lower rate. Save a buck.
The annual rate increases from $99.99 to $109.99. I checked my credit card "offers" and found a 15% off discount for ESPN+. I don't watch sports as much as I used to, but I decided it's worth $7-$8 a month to take me through lax season and some MLB.
It looks like the only CU hockey games not on ESPN+ this year are the ones @ASU in early Jan. The Lake Placid tournament before New Years has the ESPN+ logo on the Athletics website.
Monthly increases from $9.99 to $10.99. If you subscribe today through Wednesday, you get the 2 exhibitions, UMD(2), @Yale, @Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard games at the lower rate. Save a buck.
The annual rate increases from $99.99 to $109.99. I checked my credit card "offers" and found a 15% off discount for ESPN+. I don't watch sports as much as I used to, but I decided it's worth $7-$8 a month to take me through lax season and some MLB.
It looks like the only CU hockey games not on ESPN+ this year are the ones @ASU in early Jan. The Lake Placid tournament before New Years has the ESPN+ logo on the Athletics website.
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: Beeeej (Moderator)
Date: October 09, 2023 10:18AM
RichH
A reminder that the subscription rates for the Disney family (which includes ESPN+) are all increasing this Thursday, Oct. 12.
Monthly increases from $9.99 to $10.99. If you subscribe today through Wednesday, you get the 2 exhibitions, UMD(2), @Yale, @Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard games at the lower rate. Save a buck.
The annual rate increases from $99.99 to $109.99. I checked my credit card "offers" and found a 15% off discount for ESPN+. I don't watch sports as much as I used to, but I decided it's worth $7-$8 a month to take me through lax season and some MLB.
It looks like the only CU hockey games not on ESPN+ this year are the ones @ASU in early Jan. The Lake Placid tournament before New Years has the ESPN+ logo on the Athletics website.
You sir are a national treasure.
___________________________
Beeeej, Esq.
"Cornell isn't an organization. It's a loose affiliation of independent fiefdoms united by a common hockey team."
- Steve Worona
Beeeej, Esq.
"Cornell isn't an organization. It's a loose affiliation of independent fiefdoms united by a common hockey team."
- Steve Worona
Re: TV sports packages, streaming, ESPN+
Posted by: upprdeck (38.77.26.---)
Date: February 02, 2024 12:52PM
So ESPN+ is going to start locking down password sharing like Netflix.. That is fine.
My question is the same one that Netflix cant answer..
I have 2 ISPs.. I cant even watch the service within my own house because they dont have a system that handles multiple ISPs yet the policy they use to enforce the rules clearly states a household..
Its like they made up a rule and don't know how to define a household so they decided to use another service like ISP to define it.. What happens if your ISP does not give you a dedicated IP address? There is no real reason an ISP needs to dedicate one unless you require it and ask for one.
My question is the same one that Netflix cant answer..
I have 2 ISPs.. I cant even watch the service within my own house because they dont have a system that handles multiple ISPs yet the policy they use to enforce the rules clearly states a household..
Its like they made up a rule and don't know how to define a household so they decided to use another service like ISP to define it.. What happens if your ISP does not give you a dedicated IP address? There is no real reason an ISP needs to dedicate one unless you require it and ask for one.
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