Who Knows About All This, "Streaming" Stuff ??

First there are the hardware: Roku, smart TV, Fire TV stick, Apple TV, whatever hardware you like out there, even just your laptop or PC with big monitor. There are some differences here and there but they are about the same. You don't get good program if you don't pay or watch a lot of commercials.

Then there's the services: Netflix is the best content wise but the most expensive, like $15 or so a month? Then there are a bunch of stuff like HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Crunchy Roll, and garbage that's free like Tubi, Vudu, Prime Video (some good content but they downstream me to 320x240, what sup with that).

You do get what you pay for and you should check their catalog out before you subscribe them, or you rotate between them every couple months so you can watch a lot then switch to something else. This is the best bang for the buck way to stream if you are not just watching garbage for free.
 
IMDb TV is interesting. They play commercials, but they are very limited in frequency, number, and length. During their few commercial breaks they will play from one to four commercials (typically two), and they are each only 15-30 seconds in length. No five minute infomercials like have become popular in the last year. They also don't shorten/cut the show to fit-in more commercials like some channels do (the SyFy Channel is the WORST about doing this, it is unwatchable IMO).

I agree Sci-Fi is horrible. I just watched "Lone Survivor" the other day, and it ran an extra hour and a half due to all the commercials.

When they show a movie on MLB, they have commercials, but only for a minute or so. No 5 minute breakaway like so many other stations.
 
After you get a Roku or other hardware, down load the Hoopla and Kanopy apps. Link the apps with your library account so they are free to use. Plenty of content and no commercials. If you don't mind commercials every 5 minutes, there are tons of apps like Tubi, and Filmrise. If you want to spend a few bucks, you can try, like others have said, Netflix and Sling,
 
I agree Sci-Fi is horrible. I just watched "Lone Survivor" the other day, and it ran an extra hour and a half due to all the commercials.

When they show a movie on MLB, they have commercials, but only for a minute or so. No 5 minute breakaway like so many other stations.
Just record your shows then play them back and fast forward thru the commercials. OR record 2 shows, simultaneously, and toggle between them when commercials come on.
 
Commercials is why I have to have a DVR. I hardly ever watch anything that I haven't recorded already so I can FF thru commercials. If I had to sit thru commercials I would poke my eyes out.

We have DSL Centurylink so we can only stream on one TV plus having to teach the wife how to use all the different apps is worth the Directv, plus the wife calls them up all the time and threatens to leave and they lower are bill, last time it was for over $50 for a year.
 
I have Direct TV and record just about everything I want to watch and fast forward thru the commercials
I also have Prime,Netflix,Disney and Hulu.
There's always something to watch.

Now for the OP question
Direct TV is satellite.
All the streaming services are thru the internet.
If you have a smart TV all the streaming apps are probably built in.
If still have a stone age TV you need to get a firestick.
 
My 79 year old Dad (who is a retired astrophysicist btw) refused for years to try "streaming" anything until I pointed out to him that "streaming" is no different from getting a signal from an antenna. It's a "stream" of information that the TV converts to picture and sound. Doesn't really matter anymore whether that signal arrives from a VHF or UHF antenna, satellite dish, or "cable" wires - it's all digital now.
I bought him a Roku a couple of years ago and gave him my Disney plus password; he took to it like a fish to water. Now he streams Netflix, Disney, but still uses TiVo for regular cable too.
 
I'm currently getting Direct TV, and I'm not happy with it. It's basically all crap. 400 channels of which there is almost nothing to watch. If I buy this, then what's the catch? Can I still have my Direct TV, or do I have to choose between one or the other?

And I'm willing to bet this box and remote only starts the expense. There is bound to be some type of monthly fee involved. Is "streaming" like watching You Tube? Or can you get local channels or cable news as it's being broadcast?

What if I buy this and sign up, and find out this sucks too? Then what? Would I be trapped into a contract that would cost a ton to get out of? If anyone knows a lot about all of this, I would appreciate some common sense recommendations. I haven't kept up with any of this, and it all seems to change every 15 minutes.


We cancelled DirectTV in November. I was at my limit with price increases and lack of discounts for being a 12 year subscriber. We packed it in and went with Hulu live and upgraded our internet to 100Mbps. We are all in at $150 including NHL hockey which for me was a deal breaker before this year. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We get the local channels and all the majors and we can still stream old shows, movies etc...

After we cancelled DirectTV called my wife to get us back. The package was ridiculously cheap, and she said to the rep you should have tried this hard to keep us before we cancelled!

just my $0.02
 
Get a Roku and start trying the free trials of streaming services. There is a lot out there and the landscape is ever changing.

One things is constant, if you own the content you are king.
 
We cancelled DirectTV in November. I was at my limit with price increases and lack of discounts for being a 12 year subscriber. We packed it in and went with Hulu live and upgraded our internet to 100Mbps. We are all in at $150 including NHL hockey which for me was a deal breaker before this year. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We get the local channels and all the majors and we can still stream old shows, movies etc...

After we cancelled DirectTV called my wife to get us back. The package was ridiculously cheap, and she said to the rep you should have tried this hard to keep us before we cancelled!

just my $0.02
When you cancelled did they come and take the dish off your roof? If so did they leave a bunch of holes?
 
When you cancelled did they come and take the dish off your roof? If so did they leave a bunch of holes?

They just send boxes for you to ship the receivers back in, unless they're really old then they'll tell you to recycle them.

The good thing about the dish is the mast and wiring can be used to mount an antenna on in order to pick up your local channels.

If you're looking to stream live channels such as what you get today on DirecTV, you're going to need to subscribe to a service like Sling, YouTubeTV, DirecTV Stream, etc...
 
This stuff is like the government tax codes. It gets more and more complicated.

I feel for your frustration, and that's coming from a "tech savvy" person like myself.

Hopefully I can summarize your options in a more simple way: You can look at streaming the same as the way you do at Dish service. There's two pieces to the puzzle: a hub, which displays and organizes available content, and content providers which populate said hub with their offerings.

In your current situation, you pay Dish for their equipment and access to whichever package of channels you desire. Most of which is saddled with advertisement and slim selection.

With (for example) a Roku device, you have the exact same functionality with the biggest caveat being FREEDOM. The Roku itself is just a gateway to whatever content you may want access to, on an on-demand basis. Biggest difference? Streaming apps allow multiple users to access a given service for one subscription. This allows one the ability to spread the subscription costs vs. paying the entire Dish bill.

To put it in perspective, here's my current setup: CenturyLink Fiber internet service, gig speed up and down, using a Roku Premiere box in my main home setup. I have access to: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu plus, Disney+, Starz, Paramount+, and HBO Max. Those are just the subscription channels. There's many many more free options available today.

My favorite feature of the Roku is the search: just enter something in the search bar from the home screen and you'll see a list of all the apps where said content is currently available to view.
 
YouTube has alot of information available on different ways to stream the content you want. Do the research and realize there's tons of money saving options.
 
I use a Firestick. I watch a lot on Youtube and some of the other apps out there. My total cost per month is $104 for unlimited cable internet.
 
When you cancelled did they come and take the dish off your roof? If so did they leave a bunch of holes?

The dish is still on my roof. We are having skylights replaced in the near future so I’ll ask the contract to take the dish off the roof. I’ll leave the brackets there so I won’t have holes in the roof.

Just my $0.02
 
Directv will not send anyone to remove your dish. They may require you to return the LNBF-- the electronic part on the front of the dish arm, which is kind of expensive-- then you will have to go up there and remove it yourself.
 
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