Until something changes, I guess I'm sticking with DISH

[ncted]

The Harmony Companion with Hub will control your RF only Rokus just fine using WiFi Direct which is what the Roku remote for those devices use.

What Is Wi-Fi Direct, and How Does It Work?

Many of the handheld Harmony remotes, such as the 650, 665 and 700 do not support WiFi Direct.

Thanks. This is good to know in case I start leaning towards a solution that requires it.

 

[ncted]

I do like that Dish offers specials from time to time, and those are easily found on mydish.com. I currently have EPIX for $3.50/month. Also, when my Internet goes out (once a year on average so far, due to ice storms), I can still watch plenty of content either live or recorded. This would also apply to DirecTV, but I cannot get LOS for DirecTVunless they put a dish at the peak of my roof. I may have to relocate my DISH dish at some point if certain pine trees on Army Corps land keep growing as well. Hopefully I still have a few years before that.

 

[ncted]

If you watch TiVo has some good sales on new/refurbs with discounted lifetime service. I recently got a 4 tuner TiVo Bolt w/500gb drive for about $280. Right now they have a good sale on too, not quite as good as mine, but not bad either. Here’s the link to the sale:
Tivo Bracket Buster Sale! Save Up To $350!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Huh. I think I might actually be able to break even with some of those deals over two years. However, that isn't really an incentive to switch to Spectrum in my mind due to other considerations, like SDV and Tuning Adapters. Still not bad for those who would find the solution fits their needs. Another benefit to Spectrum is no data caps on their Internet. It isn't really a problem for my wife and me, but I still do no like caps, and I am not interested in paying extra to get rid of them with AT&T.

 

[wormil]

Yeah I did the same search with the same result, I can save money but I get less. But I think this is my last year with dish because I don't watch much TV anymore. Netflix and occasional subs to premiums keeps me busy.

 

[4d3fect]

Does it work with a modern Roku? I have an Ultra, Premier+, and Streaming Stick+. I didn't see those listed as supported.

Ah, forgot to specify: I have the Smart remote which includes the base station and IR blaster. AFAIK tho, Harmony database has all your devices covered.

 

[brejust]

YouTube TV + Philo:
This is appealing as we would get more content for our money, and we wouldn't be paying as much for equipment fees as we do for content, like we do with Dish. We would only be paying for the streaming devices we already have to have for Netflix, Prime, etc. The reality is, we just don't watch all those extra channels anymore. A problem that all OTT "live" streaming services have is the "just turn on the TV and start watching" experience doesn't exist. You have to turn on the TV, then choose the app, wait for it to load, and then you can choose what to watch. Occasionally, the streaming device will decide to reboot or the app will crash unexpectedly. This is not an experience we enjoy, especially compared to the very fast and reliable Hopper3/Joey experience we have now. Also, our current streaming devices (Roku) do not include a mute button. If we cannot skip a commercial, we mute it. They've added volume up/down and TV power, why not mute? This is the other side of paying a lot for equipment: sometimes you get what you pay for. Also, it sounds like CBS recordings still cannot be skipped.

DirecTV Now:
I might consider it once they have a decent DVR solution and their own streaming box, if it ends up being any good, especially as it includes HBO now. The same streaming downsides as YTTV/Philo have.

Hulu Live + Philo:
Once we add the enhanced DVR, this becomes the most expensive streaming option. In fact it would actually cost more than if we keep Dish, albeit with access to more content. We like that it includes the Hulu on-demand service. The same streaming downsides as YTTV/Philo have.

Tablo 4-tuner + Sling or Philo:
The whole paradigm of using streaming devices to watch OTA DVRs is intriguing, especially if Tablo is successful with their ad-skipping tech. Unfortunately, it essentially still suffers from the same downsides as other streaming solutions, and it doesn't offer a download facility for out-of-home viewing. Additionally, my house is located in a location that is difficult to receive OTA without a largish antenna on the roof, which my wife is very much against. It is a brand-new roof, and she likes how out of the way our dish is. Even if I could get her on-board, the other downsides of streaming still exist.

Amazon Fire Recast + Sling/Philo:
Similar to Tablo, but with Amazon tie-in. We'd have to add 3 Fire streaming devices to our TVs, which eliminates price advantage vs. Tablo. I like that the required new FireTV remotes include a mute button, but we haven't had the best luck with our existing 2nd gen Firestick. It is not very responsive to remote inputs compared to our Rokus at times for whatever reason. I am also not confident the Recast is going be to more than a pet project for Amazon anyway. Same OTA and streaming issues.

Tivo Bolt OTA + Sling/Philo:
Too expensive. Same OTA issues.

I can see why people are switching to OTT live services and OTA, but there are definitely trade-offs, and they are still large enough for people like my wife who really doesn't have the time to constantly learn new UIs all the time. Also, the price increases have already started with the OTT services, so it seems like it is just going to turn into something like traditional satellite/cable business, but with higher overhead. Anyway, that is where I am for now.

i will keep dish too, basic welcome pack
i saw that youtube tv for 40 bucks has a lot to offer, they offer locals now, i inserted my zip code and it showed some locals i get now with dish welcome pack.

my internet provider just increased the price but also i am getting a bump in bandwidth
now 100 mb down and 10 up .
...
they do have 1 gig connection but i dont need that. if i ever did i would consider this as for really business.
...
bottom line i agree dish has the best deal out there, youtube and philo as well.
...
but there are tons of freebies out there too. archive.org and other websites etc.

 

[DishSubLA]

TiVo for OTA can work well, but the problem is TiVo for cable as a new customer of your MSO (cable company). All the Cable Cos. are making it next to IMPOSSIBLE to set-up TiVo's for NEW cable customers because they either don't have the Cable Cards, will claim they don't NEED to provide the cable cards (they will even claim that TiVo's won't work on their system) , but even if you do get the Cable Cards (they are getting hard to find from the cable cos.), there is difficulty pairing them that may require three or FOUR separate visits by different techs, and THEN, as mentioned by another poster, the dreaded Tuning Adapters that are JUNK or just out of stock. Techs also providing the WRONG TA's and even completely UNFAMILIAR with the process to successfully get a TiVo to work with their cable system.

Now, for CURRENT cable customers, it isn't quite as difficult (not without its own frustrations), but as a NEW cable customer with a TiVo to use, it seems the cable cos. do everything to sabotage the efforts, and, unfortunately, they often succeed. People can't get it working before the 30 full money back period, so they abandon the effort rather than being stuck with a $700 (or a sale for $400) DVR that is either cable tuners ONLY or the residence does NOT get good OTA signals, and adding that the Bolt OTA tuners are not as good as past OTA tuners, so they can't use it for OTA, either, and even IF they get it to work for Cable, the Tuning Adapters take over the sabotage effort.

All this because the cable cos. know cable card is on a death march (the cable cos. are phasing over to IP) and the FCC is quite pleased NOT to do anything unless someone complains to the FCC, but even then, it may not work out. It is so bad, that some people on the TiVo Forums who bought TiVo's to use with cable service, have just RETURNED the TiVo's before the 30 day full money back period and just given up on TiVo for cable.

However, again, TiVo for OTA is easy to set-up and is easily the best OTA DVR today. I would put the Amazon Fire Recast as 2nd best, but bound to get BETTER. In fact, some TiVo owners have gotten Recast and like it, but a few things can be improved, but the Recast has NO FEES, and that is the closer on the deal for many.

 

[Tampa8]

TiVo for OTA can work well, but the problem is TiVo for cable as a new customer of your MSO (cable company). All the Cable Cos. are making it next to IMPOSSIBLE to set-up TiVo's for NEW cable customers because they either don't have the Cable Cards, will claim they don't NEED to provide the cable cards (they will even claim that TiVo's won't work on their system) , but even if you do get the Cable Cards (they are getting hard to find from the cable cos.), there is difficulty pairing them that may require three or FOUR separate visits by different techs, and THEN, as mentioned by another poster, the dreaded Tuning Adapters that are JUNK or just out of stock. Techs also providing the WRONG TA's and even completely UNFAMILIAR with the process to successfully get a TiVo to work with their cable system.

Now, for CURRENT cable customers, it isn't quite as difficult (not without its own frustrations), but as a NEW cable customer with a TiVo to use, it seems the cable cos. do everything to sabotage the efforts, and, unfortunately, they often succeed. People can't get it working before the 30 full money back period, so they abandon the effort rather than being stuck with a $700 (or a sale for $400) DVR that is either cable tuners ONLY or the residence does NOT get good OTA signals, and adding that the Bolt OTA tuners are not as good as past OTA tuners, so they can't use it for OTA, either, and even IF they get it to work for Cable, the Tuning Adapters take over the sabotage effort.

All this because the cable cos. know cable card is on a death march (the cable cos. are phasing over to IP) and the FCC is quite pleased NOT to do anything unless someone complains to the FCC, but even then, it may not work out. It is so bad, that some people on the TiVo Forums who bought TiVo's to use with cable service, have just RETURNED the TiVo's before the 30 day full money back period and just given up on TiVo for cable.

However, again, TiVo for OTA is easy to set-up and is easily the best OTA DVR today. I would put the Amazon Fire Recast as 2nd best, but bound to get BETTER. In fact, some TiVo owners have gotten Recast and like it, but a few things can be improved, but the Recast has NO FEES, and that is the closer on the deal for many.

That's a better "review" than from many people who review for a living!

 

[comfortably_numb]

The thing about Tivo is the $20 monthly fee. I think that seems high. And the Fire Recast only works with Amazon devices. If you're all-Roku, you're out of luck.

 

[osu1991]

The thing about Tivo is the $20 monthly fee. I think that seems high. And the Fire Recast only works with Amazon devices. If you're all-Roku, you're out of luck.

TiVo monthly fee is only $7 for Bolt OTA and $15 for the cable versions.

 

[comfortably_numb]

TiVo monthly fee is only $7 for Bolt OTA and $15 for the cable versions.

Really? $7 isn't bad. I can't find this info on their website though...

 

[ncted]

Really? $7 isn't bad. I can't find this info on their website though...

 

[ncted]

Really? $7 isn't bad. I can't find this info on their website though...

Here is the URL FYI: Buy TiVo's New BOLT OTA, the Best Antenna DVR | Over the Air DVR

 

[comfortably_numb]

Looks like Best Buy has them cheaper:

 

[comfortably_numb]

Anybody know if you can add an EHD to a Bolt?

 

[lparsons21]

With Tivo you have to watch out for their sales. The more recent sales have been pretty good, especially for the "all in service" part which is what they call Lifetime service now. They also have sales with reduced annual/monthly service fees too. At full retail for both the units and service, Tivo isn't very competitive IMO, but the sales make up for it if you can be patient.

As to cablecars issues, that depends on cable provider. Mine is Mediacom, $1.99/month to use it, 15 minutes on the phone if the CSR doesn't know what they are doing, 5 minutes if they do. Never had an issue with them that was cablecars related, not in obtaining one, not in pairing it. Note that with a Tivo setup the Mini doesn't have service fees, not from Tivo and not from the cable company.

 

[lparsons21]

Anybody know if you can add an EHD to a Bolt?

You can if you can find the one and only one that will work with it. I've got one but they are no longer mfg'd and Tivo hasn't shown any interest in changing how that works. But changing out the internal one to a bigger one is not daunting at all.

Note that even if you could do it, it isn't a great solution. The drives become one big drive instead of looking like 2 drives.

 

[ncted]

Looks like Best Buy has them cheaper:

View attachment 138007

Right. I was just showing the price of the service. You can definitely do better than the Tivo website a lot of the time. They just had a refurb deal expire that was pretty good though.

 

[osu1991]

Anybody know if you can add an EHD to a Bolt?

Only a certain model 1TB western digital can be used and when attached it combines the internal and external into a single drive, so if one goes bad you lose everything.

Replacing the internal drives isn't too difficult although there have been some reported problems with certain drives with the Bolt because it uses a 2.5in drive. It's easier to just use pytivo desktop or kmttg to move recordings from the Tivo's internal drive to a computer storage device for viewing later.

 

[Ganthet]

I was in your exact position a few months ago. My contract with Dish was up and my price lock was expiring. I looked at numerous combinations of OTA and OTT. Before returning to Dish I had tried Spectrum + Tivo and was not happy. (Getting the cable card and tuning adapter was a real pain). As you said, overall nothing combined all the features better than Dish.

In the end I contacted DIRT and they gave me nearly the same price for the same service for another 2 years. I think my bill went up $6/mo. To me that's worth it to keep the programming and hardware I like.