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It may be more specific to one fire stick which is actually fairly new

I just unplugged the fire stick and using the apps on Sony google tv. Working much better and probably a better interface anyways

I tried that but the native apps on my TV had a lousy picture quality.

The one tv I have issues with uses a fire stick. The rest of my TVs use a Roku. Couldn’t get YTTV on the Roku at the time I set that one up. Might be time to switch it back to a Roku.
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26 minutes ago, Dr Fear said:

So, what is an Android TV box and why would I want one?

a good one is the nvidia shield series. it's nice, easy to use and does lots of different things.

there are a million cheap ones you can use that have a remote and let you add whatever app and sources so you can stream (illegally, no judgement here) anything you can imagine or play games or whatever. this includes streaming local media from a thumbdrive/hard drive/SSD. there are a bunch of them and their selling point has always been they are cheap. but now the Chromecast I mention below is like $40/45...

at this point, the only android-based TV product I like and recommend is the Chromecast with Google TV (4k version, NOT the newer HD version) - https://www.amazon.com/Google-Nest-GA01919-GA01919-US-Chromecast/dp/B08KRV7S22

it works, it has a WORKING VOICE REMOTE, it's easy. recommended it to multiple older folks, have gotten them for both my parents and in laws. its everything i dreamed a cord cutting machine to be/have (i do not stream local media anymore so ignoring that)

What are your goals with cord cutting? just using something like youtubeTV/hulu for TV + netflix/prime TV/HBO max/etc? streaming local media?

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1 hour ago, Dr Fear said:

So, what is an Android TV box and why would I want one?

I use Mi Boxes, but prices for them have almost doubled in the last year. They are pretty solid, the oldest is 3 years and still going strong. 

Reddit has a forum dedicated to discussing Android Boxes, see which one fits your needs.  https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidTVBoxes/

You want one for IPTV, local USB access, Plex, etc. Most HDTVs with onboard Android TV don't have the CPU/RAM for good 4k and x265 streaming.

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I use an NVIDIA Shield as my main and Chromecasts on all other TVs.  Also have an Xbox, but decided to Chromecast that TV. 

It's just another streaming box option like an Apple TV, or XBox, Fire stick, Roku, or whatever.

They all get you what you want, the biggest differences are remotes, user interface in apps, and customizability.

Shield is great. But if you don't plan on doing anything beyond watching TV/streaming apps, you don't need the extra capacity or price.

There's marginal plusses to being all in the same universe. I can use my phones or tablets to control all the Android devices.

Rage...Mi do anything the Shield doesn't? Mine is 4 years old and no issues yet. 

 

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a good one is the nvidia shield series. it's nice, easy to use and does lots of different things.
there are a million cheap ones you can use that have a remote and let you add whatever app and sources so you can stream (illegally, no judgement here) anything you can imagine or play games or whatever. this includes streaming local media from a thumbdrive/hard drive/SSD. there are a bunch of them and their selling point has always been they are cheap. but now the Chromecast I mention below is like $40/45...
at this point, the only android-based TV product I like and recommend is the Chromecast with Google TV (4k version, NOT the newer HD version) - https://www.amazon.com/Google-Nest-GA01919-GA01919-US-Chromecast/dp/B08KRV7S22
it works, it has a WORKING VOICE REMOTE, it's easy. recommended it to multiple older folks, have gotten them for both my parents and in laws. its everything i dreamed a cord cutting machine to be/have (i do not stream local media anymore so ignoring that)
What are your goals with cord cutting? just using something like youtubeTV/hulu for TV + netflix/prime TV/HBO max/etc? streaming local media?
So it's just a set top box that can do more stuff. I guess the biggest issue I have with a few of my TV's is that YouTube TV in 4k really doesn't work well with rewind or channels. Also they speed and lag if switching apps leaves a lot to be desired. Will $50 get me something that will fix that?
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17 hours ago, DCLonghorn said:

Rage...Mi do anything the Shield doesn't? Mine is 4 years old and no issues yet.

doesn't the shield (or shield pro?) do upscaling?

17 hours ago, Dr Fear said:
19 hours ago, NoName said:
a good one is the nvidia shield series. it's nice, easy to use and does lots of different things.
there are a million cheap ones you can use that have a remote and let you add whatever app and sources so you can stream (illegally, no judgement here) anything you can imagine or play games or whatever. this includes streaming local media from a thumbdrive/hard drive/SSD. there are a bunch of them and their selling point has always been they are cheap. but now the Chromecast I mention below is like $40/45...
at this point, the only android-based TV product I like and recommend is the Chromecast with Google TV (4k version, NOT the newer HD version) - https://www.amazon.com/Google-Nest-GA01919-GA01919-US-Chromecast/dp/B08KRV7S22
it works, it has a WORKING VOICE REMOTE, it's easy. recommended it to multiple older folks, have gotten them for both my parents and in laws. its everything i dreamed a cord cutting machine to be/have (i do not stream local media anymore so ignoring that)
What are your goals with cord cutting? just using something like youtubeTV/hulu for TV + netflix/prime TV/HBO max/etc? streaming local media?

So it's just a set top box that can do more stuff. I guess the biggest issue I have with a few of my TV's is that YouTube TV in 4k really doesn't work well with rewind or channels. Also they speed and lag if switching apps leaves a lot to be desired. Will $50 get me something that will fix that?

what are you using for it now? the built in app?

i've had YTTV and the 4K add on since Day 1 - with a 4K Chromecast with Google TV and haven't had any issues. can't recommend it enough - plus if you are lazy, they sell it at walmart and you should be able to return it if you have issues or it doesn't meet your expectations.

i would absolutely recommend that 4K Chromecast with Google TV in your situation.

 

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On 12/27/2022 at 2:36 PM, DCLonghorn said:

Rage...Mi do anything the Shield doesn't? Mine is 4 years old and no issues yet. 

 

Not that I know of. Never got a Shield mainly due to the price. I got a couple of Mi boxes for $30 a few years back and the last one I bough in 2021 was $40. They do everything I need.

Never got into chromecasts due to lack of dedicated USB and ethernet ports.

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1 minute ago, Okie State said:

Lol it started at like $35. I canceled when it went to around $60. Fuck them.

on one hand, i get it. on the other hand they have what i want, the best DVR of the services i have tried, they work flawlessly and i can easily watch it. so...yeah.

 

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I only use YTTV for sports. They don't carry RSN's so can't watch any local sports with MLB,NBA or NHL. MLS has now moved to Apple TV. So  no FC Dallas. They dropped MLB Network so my baseball viewing goes down tremendously as this channel had a game every single day and from all across the league. I now can only depend on ESPN and Fox's games, which are usually from the same combination of 8-10 teams it seems. And this is only a few times a week.

This isn't worth it any longer. This might be where I bow out and just go back to finding streaming links. Not as convenient but the price increases are never going to stop and I'm sure even more will be taken off and distributed on other streaming services.

They need to go to a tier system at some point. I know a true ala carte will never exist, though. But I'd love to see how many people cancel vs new signups at these increasing price points. 

This is reaching the price of satellite/cable many wanted to get away.

Edited by Vic Mackey
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This now pushes YTTV well past Hulu with Live TV added to Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle. It was within a couple of bucks now, but that is with a $10 discount from cell phone. Hulu already cheaper without the discount, now $8/month more for YTTV. 

I love the YTTV DVR, and the UI. But not that much. And like above, I pretty much only watch sports on YTTV, so can deal with slightly less quality with Hulu.

But I'll wait a bit to see if Hulu follows suit and raises prices. I need one or the other for sports. Fubo and Sling don't have all the needed channels for the price.

 

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12 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

I only use YTTV for sports. They don't carry RSN's so can't watch any local sports with MLB,NBA or NHL. MLS has now moved to Apple TV. So  no FC Dallas. They dropped MLB Network so my baseball viewing goes down tremendously as this channel had a game every single day and from all across the league. I now can only depend on ESPN and Fox's games, which are usually from the same combination of 8-10 teams it seems. And this is only a few times a week.

This isn't worth it any longer. This might be where I bow out and just go back to finding streaming links. Not as convenient but the price increases are never going to stop and I'm sure even more will be taken off and distributed on other streaming services.

They need to go to a tier system at some point. I know a true ala carte will never exist, though. But I'd love to see how many people cancel vs new signups at these increasing price points. 

This is reaching the price of satellite/cable many wanted to get away.

T-Mo gives MLB.tv for free and $10 off a month for YTTV, if that's enough to switch. They also give one year of Paramount+ for free (champions league) and free Netflix if on the higher plans. Free Hulu for old Sprint people instead of Netflix. 

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Just now, DCLonghorn said:

T-Mo gives MLB.tv for free and $10 off a month for YTTV, if that's enough to switch. They also give one year of Paramount+ for free (champions league) and free Netflix if on the higher plans. Free Hulu for old Sprint people instead of Netflix. 

Ahhhh well I need to look into that because I have T-Mobile. We take advantage of the discount price for Netflix. And Paramount. Now is this MLB the tv channel or on the phone? I need to watch it on tv lol.

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on one hand, i get it. on the other hand they have what i want, the best DVR of the services i have tried, they work flawlessly and i can easily watch it. so...yeah.
 
Yeah if it's worth it to you then you should do it obviously. It was for me at $35, but isn't at $60+. I don't watch much TV and don't miss it.
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I’m still paying out the ass for U-verse and was planning to switch to YTTV, but it’s starting to approach slimmed down U-verse territory. 

At this point, I’m seriously thinking about doing more reading instead and just dropping it all. Ugh. Gross. 

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4 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

I’m still paying out the ass for U-verse and was planning to switch to YTTV, but it’s starting to approach slimmed down U-verse territory. 

At this point, I’m seriously thinking about doing more reading instead and just dropping it all. Ugh. Gross. 

Technically, the price increase is a price drop if you paid for 4k content (and the additional streams that come with it). 

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On 3/16/2023 at 3:06 PM, Vic Mackey said:

Ahhhh well I need to look into that because I have T-Mobile. We take advantage of the discount price for Netflix. And Paramount. Now is this MLB the tv channel or on the phone? I need to watch it on tv lol.

MLB channel requires a cable provider log in to watch on MLB.tv, so no if you have YTTV. But I never noticed that since I just fire up the game I want. I don't live in my MLB teams market so I've never run into blackouts. 

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2 hours ago, DCLonghorn said:

MLB channel requires a cable provider log in to watch on MLB.tv, so no if you have YTTV. But I never noticed that since I just fire up the game I want. I don't live in my MLB teams market so I've never run into blackouts. 

I can always use my parents Dish Network login info if Dish still carries MLB Network. I can't keep up with who carries what any longer, though. 

1 hour ago, Skipper said:

The Multi-View feature on YTTV is great.  That will be a game changer come football season.

Absolutely. This was great for the 1st round of the tournament. Especially with all the commercials every 5min. I could keep an eye on each game playing and go full screen at the end if it warranted. 

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To exemplify how fractured streaming and cable is, I have a damn spreadsheet to track all the various services, the cost, and the discounts.

I knew that if YTTV upped the price and Hulu didn't match, that for the first time, Hulu with Live TV, which includes the full Disney bundle, would be cheaper for me than YTTV and the Disney bundle even with the various discounts, which seems to collectively be slowly going away. The Disney bundle has become cheaper straight out than the various piecemeal discounts and freebies from cell providers. 

Hulu Live TV with all bundles (with ads) is $69.99, and YTTV+D bundle will soon be $85.98. $75.98 with T-Mo discount.

Since I really only watch sports on YTTV, might as well jump to Hulu despite their crappier DVR and UI. 

EXCEPT... I just noticed that my local ABC channel is not offered on Hulu Live. Damn.

I realize Mouse doesn't own their own affiliates, but it's perverse that I can't switch to Mouse for streaming TV bc they don't offer Mouse ABC in my market.

And fucking around with an antenna for one channel, albeit a very important channel for \m/ football to save $6 a month isn't worth it to me...yet. or the $10 a month over Sling+Blue+Orange+Sports+antenna. Yet.

They got us sports fans. I have to have a full cable/cable replacement and three additional streaming services to watch my two sportsball teams that are must watch. Oh well. Take my money fuckers.

They fully knew this before the price increase, but YTTV really is still the best for sports and the price while so much higher than in the recent past, is still a comparable or better deal. Fuckers.

Still *way better than the $165.65 from DirecTV circa 2018.

 

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11 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

I can always use my parents Dish Network login info if Dish still carries MLB Network. I can't keep up with who carries what any longer, though. 

Absolutely. This was great for the 1st round of the tournament. Especially with all the commercials every 5min. I could keep an eye on each game playing and go full screen at the end if it warranted. 

It made me realize just how many stops and commerical breaks there is in NCAA tourney hoops. It tried to take a picture of the four streams and waited until all four games were showing. I never saw four games on at once, and rarely three. I gave up and took a photo of commercials.

It is very cool though.

 

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21 minutes ago, DCLonghorn said:

Since I really only watch sports on YTTV, might as well jump to Hulu despite their crappier DVR and UI. 

Another NVM detail. Hulu Live only allows two concurrent streams and doesn't allow watching in a different location, and limits how many times you can change your home location. (If anyone knows of a workaround, let me know). This blows up Mom in Houston and kids in college using the family YTTV. Another low key advantage for YTTV. Sling Blue pretty limited too, but Blue+Orange allows three streams. 

Anyone know how Sling works in two locations? Home network locals shown in second location? Mom gotta have here Marvin Zindler local news. RIP. 

 

Edited by DCLonghorn
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2 hours ago, DCLonghorn said:

Sling Blue pretty limited too, but Blue+Orange allows three streams. 

Except for certain channels, LHN included, where only one stream is allowed.  Just a totally shit move by Sling.  Their app and customer service are complete shit.  Owned by DISH, so no surprise there.

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On 3/16/2023 at 3:06 PM, Vic Mackey said:

Ahhhh well I need to look into that because I have T-Mobile. We take advantage of the discount price for Netflix. And Paramount. Now is this MLB the tv channel or on the phone? I need to watch it on tv lol.

MLB.tv will be in the T-Mo Tuesday app...on...Tuesday. 

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