Time for a change, is Roku the answer..

[Bayamos]

Time again to address those people/company's that are taking some of my money (cigar money). I dropped cable (Time Warner), then when to Direct T.V.
I have an internet television (Sony) and now I think its time to break up with Direct T.V.  I have been researching  Roku and it seems to be a nice unit, I also, went online to http://channeldata.com/ to see whats available in my area for free using a antenna. I just entered my zip code and I was floored that I had 28 free channels! Without switching to a device such as Roku.  I just feel as though some how, I just jumped on the cable/satellite company's wagon without going back to see whats out there.
 
What are you guys using? Any thoughts?
 
Also, thank you guys for your input on changing my VOIP to OOMA. It is working GREAT!

 

[LarryH]

If you have a Smart TV you may not need a Roku.  I don't believe it comes with any subscriptions to the streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu but I could be wrong about that.  Netflix is about $8 a month and Hulu is  a little More I think.  I didn't like Hulu because they stick a commercial in about every 15 minutes while Netflix doesn't.  They seem to have a most of the same content too.

 

[uptown_isy]

I just picked up the NeoTV made by Netgear b/c it cost about $30 less than the Roku2, which I was looking at as well.  Seems to be working great with Netflix....haven't used it for anything else yet.  Someone recommended Chromecast, but I figured I'd give the NEO a go first.

 

[Joebunaga]

This is something new. I've been meaning to do more research on them but just haven't had the time:
 
https://www.aereo.com/
 
They may still be a localized service and not nationwide yet...

 

[Kingantz]

Larry!  Isy!  What up Fellas!! 
 
I don't watch tv...just get movies off the web and stuff.  But, interesting question and looking forward to maybe leaning something. 

 

[bfreebern]

I cut off Dish over 2 years ago, haven't looked back...............well, during the NFL season I do, but that's another story.
 
We bought a Roku and love/loved it.  It has a ton of channels you can add, some good/some bad, but for the most part it's very user friendly. We have Netflix and it's $7.99/month.  The only thing I hated back then, was the inability to stream to a TV.  Since everyone in my family has some form of Apple product, with the exception of myself, we've since moved on to Apple TV.  The major plus is that you can stream what you're watching/playing on your ipod/ipad/iphone, to your TV.  The downside is that there isn't a lot of channels/applications that you can download.  Now, the major downside of all of this, is that Nickelodeon shows have moved to Amazon.  They cost money now to watch Spongebob, for instance and you have to rent the episodes.  Some are free if you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, but I hate paying for those. 
 
When I switched, I did buy a HD OTA (over the air antenna).  The quality is so much better then when we had Dish, it's crazy.  We generally watch the local channels and that's primarily from 8-10 at night.  Outside that, the kids watch shows on Netflix in the mornings, but we're just not that much of a TV family.

 

[Bayamos]

For $39.00 a year this site (http://www.playon.tv/channels)seems to have a lot of channels that I watch. Larry, I have used Netflicks though my TV without the Roku.for movies.
My thinking is that I would need a "blackbox" device for flexibility for channels.Playon seems interesting and also has a NFL channel for games.

 

[Bayamos]

I cut off Dish over 2 years ago, haven't looked back...............well, during the NFL season I do, but that's another story.
 
We bought a Roku and love/loved it.  It has a ton of channels you can add, some good/some bad, but for the most part it's very user friendly. We have Netflix and it's $7.99/month.  The only thing I hated back then, was the inability to stream to a TV.  Since everyone in my family has some form of Apple product, with the exception of myself, we've since moved on to Apple TV.  The major plus is that you can stream what you're watching/playing on your ipod/ipad/iphone, to your TV.  The downside is that there isn't a lot of channels/applications that you can download.  Now, the major downside of all of this, is that Nickelodeon shows have moved to Amazon.  They cost money now to watch Spongebob, for instance and you have to rent the episodes.  Some are free if you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, but I hate paying for those. 
 
When I switched, I did buy a HD OTA (over the air antenna).  The quality is so much better then when we had Dish, it's crazy.  We generally watch the local channels and that's primarily from 8-10 at night.  Outside that, the kids watch shows on Netflix in the mornings, but we're just not that much of a TV family.

 
Thank you for your insight, it helps me to understand better. I think I am going to be right behind you on this one. Just need to sort out the Playon.com thing. Also, I heard that this site https://gamerewind.nfl.com/nflgr/secure/packages, is a good site for the NFL games cheap. Right now I have the NFL Ticket. During football season, I would be lost without it. Have you ever heard of NFL Rewind?

 

[tone-ny]

I got a digital antenna installed in the space over the garage. I get all the major networks, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC plus several PBS stations and a few local public access channels. I also have Netflix through my ipad using an hdmi cable. This isn't for my primary residence as I don't have internet access and use my ipad's connection to get netflix.

 

[Bayamos]

Thank you guys for your input, I appreciate  it.