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Let's figure out the cheapest option to watch the most games possible 2025


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Posted
1 hour ago, UnivTex34 said:

Work and a 1 month old will likely keep me from being much help before this weekend. I’d check with @speed817 for this first game. I’m happy to help with a longer timetable. But this is the worst week of the year for me with the state having EOY this weekend.

Just send me login creds. I got it from there. 

Posted

I’m confused how Tablo works. I connect an antenna via coax to tablo. Does tablo connect to my router wired or wirelessly? If wired, can I just plug it into an Ethernet port that is in an upstairs bedroom? Then how do I watch that on an LG TV either directly or with Roku or fire stick? When I download the app to one of those three devices how does it find the stream on WiFi? The tablo just rebroadcasts on WiFi?

Posted
3 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

I’m confused how Tablo works. I connect an antenna via coax to tablo. Does tablo connect to my router wired or wirelessly? If wired, can I just plug it into an Ethernet port that is in an upstairs bedroom? Then how do I watch that on an LG TV either directly or with Roku or fire stick? When I download the app to one of those three devices how does it find the stream on WiFi? The tablo just rebroadcasts on WiFi?

Self quote. I found an article that indicates the Tablo can connect to your router network via either wifi or wired.  This could be a game changer.  That means anyone can stick an antenna wherever in the house the signal is the best, but then see local channels on any TV or device in the house via wifi. I assume the wifi connection doesn't hose up the 4k OTA signal?

So, if the above works, then you just buy ESPN and Fox direct to consumer offerings and you have 90% of what live tv offers, minus the bs channels no one watches.

Posted
19 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Self quote. I found an article that indicates the Tablo can connect to your router network via either wifi or wired.  This could be a game changer.  That means anyone can stick an antenna wherever in the house the signal is the best, but then see local channels on any TV or device in the house via wifi. I assume the wifi connection doesn't hose up the 4k OTA signal?

So, if the above works, then you just buy ESPN and Fox direct to consumer offerings and you have 90% of what live tv offers, minus the bs channels no one watches.

Reviews say it is slow and doesnt work. I bet a HDHR and jellyfin is better. No encrypted atsc3.0 is the tradeoff but it's rock solid stable. 

If you really want atsc3.0 (4k OTA) you can get this https://zapperbox.com/products/zapperbox-m1?variant=43532039225388 and a minipc with some 4TB SSDs and have a whole thing for less than 800 or. 

I kinda wanna build one to test it. 

Posted
2 minutes ago, immamac said:

Reviews say it is slow and doesnt work. I bet a HDHR and jellyfin is better. No encrypted atsc3.0 is the tradeoff but it's rock solid stable. 

If you really want atsc3.0 (4k OTA) you can get this https://zapperbox.com/products/zapperbox-m1?variant=43532039225388 and a minipc with some 4TB SSDs and have a whole thing for less than 800 or. 

I kinda wanna build one to test it. 

Do the poor reviews assume the connection between the Tablo and the router is wireless, or is it also slow for a wired ethernet connection? My house is already wired with Cat 5 in all the rooms, so I can just plug the Tablo into an ethernet port in an upstairs bedroom.

Posted
7 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Do the poor reviews assume the connection between the Tablo and the router is wireless, or is it also slow for a wired ethernet connection? My house is already wired with Cat 5 in all the rooms, so I can just plug the Tablo into an ethernet port in an upstairs bedroom.

That signal drops the box is laggy and unstable and generally just super buggy 

Posted
On 8/26/2025 at 7:06 AM, UnivTex34 said:

I'm typically ahead when watching OTA against friends that have cable or streaming. 

Reason #1 for anyone streaming the game to stay off the game threads.  Massive spoilers

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Posted
1 minute ago, Js1 said:

Reason #1 for anyone streaming the game to stay off the game threads.  Massive spoilers

And Reason #2 to stay off the game threads is, well, surly posters on game threads!

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Posted
On 8/26/2025 at 6:48 AM, immamac said:

I also looked on Samsung+ LG TV Plus and Google Channels or whatever. 

Some of them all have a combination of 4-6 local channels and have some fox sports derivatives. All of those are free and come with most major TVs made in the last like 5-6 years. 

Got a new Samsung last year and just finished exploring Samsung TV Plus because I'm YTTV and realized I better get my Saturday game-watching figured out.

Found I had access to hundreds of channels on STV+ I was unaware of, but it's pretty much the kind of filler that's on most cable/streaming/satellite packages. No local channels, but was hoping I might get to add some through the app's auto-program feature ("How to Get Local Channels on Samsung TV Plus" - Youtube).

No such luck -- looks like it just added back the same 488 channels I had just erased by auto-programming, which means it probably set up properly the first time.

Guess I'll make my periodic trip to Best Buy and ask folks there if our regional OTA situation & OTA tech have changed in the last three years, but I suspect they haven't. We're in a region that, despite being relatively flat and only about 35 miles or so from the nearest broadcaster, has difficulty picking up OTA signals without the more intrusive antennas. Some of us just landed in the Bermuda Triangle of TV signals, even with various-sized TV markets centered a couple of hours south, an hour east, and 30-60 minutes north.

I'm also going to check with our internet provider (Spectrum) to see if they'll offer me a better package than YTTV.  Might be provider-hopping time again, or just time to purchase the most basic streaming package for a month until Google reaches the inevitable agreement with Fox and our price goes up again.

Posted
3 minutes ago, Hayduke said:

Got a new Samsung last year and just finished exploring Samsung TV Plus because I'm YTTV and realized I better get my Saturday game-watching figured out.

Found I had access to hundreds of channels on STV+ I was unaware of, but it's pretty much the kind of filler that's on most cable/streaming/satellite packages. No local channels, but was hoping I might get to add some through the app's auto-program feature ("How to Get Local Channels on Samsung TV Plus" - Youtube).

No such luck -- looks like it just added back the same 488 channels I had just erased by auto-programming, which means it probably set up properly the first time.

Guess I'll make my periodic trip to Best Buy and ask folks there if our regional OTA situation & OTA tech have changed in the last three years, but I suspect they haven't. We're in a region that, despite being relatively flat and only about 35 miles or so from the nearest broadcaster, has difficulty picking up OTA signals without the more intrusive antennas. Some of us just landed in the Bermuda Triangle of TV signals, even with various-sized TV markets centered a couple of hours south, an hour east, and 30-60 minutes north.

I'm also going to check with our internet provider (Spectrum) to see if they'll offer me a better package than YTTV.  Might be provider-hopping time again, or just time to purchase the most basic streaming package for a month until Google reaches the inevitable agreement with Fox and our price goes up again.

Spectrum has a digital package of something like locals plus 20 channels or something, that you can choose.  As I recall it's even pricier than YTTV and has far fewer channels which is why I switched.  But if you could get a newcomer discount or something, it might work out okay.

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Posted
8 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Spectrum has a digital package of something like locals plus 20 channels or something, that you can choose.  As I recall it's even pricier than YTTV and has far fewer channels which is why I switched.  But if you could get a newcomer discount or something, it might work out okay.

Yep, I remember that package (and variants over the years) and it used to be about $13 a month for the most basic of all basics. But even in 2025, Spectrum still requires Homer's Odyssey to navigate to a side-by-side comparison of packages, so I usually just drive over to their local office on the way to the liquor store or something, which I'll probably do today (just got off their damn web page -- even signed into the account, or especially when signed in, they try to rope you into talking to a rep so they can sell more).

We've had Spectrum since we gave up on DirecTV about 12 years ago, starting with old-school cable and then switching to streaming because of the stupid receiver rental policy and cost. Still miss the regular remote control for switching channels and programming directly, but generally prefer the flexibility of streaming because of the intrusiveness of cable, which in our old house is pretty evident, especially upstairs and in the basement, which is our workout and utility space. 

Posted
1 minute ago, Hayduke said:

Yep, I remember that package (and variants over the years) and it used to be about $13 a month for the most basic of all basics. But even in 2025, Spectrum still requires Homer's Odyssey to navigate to a side-by-side comparison of packages, so I usually just drive over to their local office on the way to the liquor store or something, which I'll probably do today (just got off their damn web page -- even signed into the account, or especially when signed in, they try to rope you into talking to a rep so they can sell more).

We've had Spectrum since we gave up on DirecTV about 12 years ago, starting with old-school cable and then switching to streaming because of the stupid receiver rental policy and cost. Still miss the regular remote control for switching channels and programming directly, but generally prefer the flexibility of streaming because of the intrusiveness of cable, which in our old house is pretty evident, especially upstairs and in the basement, which is our workout and utility space. 

Yeah I initially switched from Spectrum cable boxes to the Spectrum streaming app.  Saved the money on equipment rental but lost DVR/pause/rewind capability.  Also, they proceeded to crank up the price of that package to the point where it was more than YTTV, so I called up customer retention and they had nothing to say to me.  So I killed Spectrum streaming and switched to YTTV.  Now I have DVR/pause/rewind, a bazillion more channels, split screen viewing, and a less clunky interface.

 

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Posted
37 minutes ago, utee94 said:

And Reason #2 to stay off the game threads is, well, surly posters on game threads!

Yeah that goes without saying though 

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Posted (edited)

Well I just spent 30 minutes digging through all of my various "A/V boxes" at the back of the closet for my OTA antenna.  I dusted it off, set it up, ensured it's still working fine-- so now I have no doubt Fox and YTTV will resolve their issues and make all of that work unnecessary.

You're welcome.

 

Edited by utee94
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Posted (edited)

I also just pulled out two OTA antennas, both with pre-amps, and thrushes around the house with the antennas, and a Samsung tv, to see if I could get good enough reception anywhere in the house or walk in attics that I could use to feed the HDHR. What would I lose with no encryption for 4k OTA?

Edit: I assume without jelkyfin I can’t get dvr functionality? I experimented with plex a few years ago and found no value for our needs with a lot of technical confusion. I don’t want to go down that path if I can avoid it. 

Edited by Dbeasy
Posted
11 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

I’m confused how Tablo works. I connect an antenna via coax to tablo. Does tablo connect to my router wired or wirelessly? If wired, can I just plug it into an Ethernet port that is in an upstairs bedroom? Then how do I watch that on an LG TV either directly or with Roku or fire stick? When I download the app to one of those three devices how does it find the stream on WiFi? The tablo just rebroadcasts on WiFi?

 

7 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

Self quote. I found an article that indicates the Tablo can connect to your router network via either wifi or wired.  This could be a game changer.  That means anyone can stick an antenna wherever in the house the signal is the best, but then see local channels on any TV or device in the house via wifi. I assume the wifi connection doesn't hose up the 4k OTA signal?

So, if the above works, then you just buy ESPN and Fox direct to consumer offerings and you have 90% of what live tv offers, minus the bs channels no one watches.

I've got a Tablo. Yes, it can connect with wifi or wired. Think of it as a device that takes an antenna signal and redistributes it on a (wired or wireless) network. You download the Tablo app to your TV/iPad/phone and use it to watch whatever is coming in over your antenna.

The pros are that it comes with a nice guide, and has a built-in DVR that works surprisingly well. The con is that navigating the app is slow. I wouldn't say it's buggy per se in my experience, but it's pretty sluggish. As far as signal reception goes, I think it's probably at least as good as plugging your antenna straight into the TV. It has a built in amplifier that you can turn on or off (doesn't seem to make much of a difference for me).

Posted
20 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

I also just pulled out two OTA antennas, both with pre-amps, and thrushes around the house with the antennas, and a Samsung tv, to see if I could get good enough reception anywhere in the house or walk in attics that I could use to feed the HDHR. What would I lose with no encryption for 4k OTA?

Edit: I assume without jelkyfin I can’t get dvr functionality? I experimented with plex a few years ago and found no value for our needs with a lot of technical confusion. I don’t want to go down that path if I can avoid it. 

FOX is DRM for atsc 3.0 in Austin everything else is not. You lose fox in 4k. Add storage to HDHR and you are good to go for DVR stuff. For remote viewing you need jellyfin (or Plex). Happy to help with your setup if you want. 

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Posted
20 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

I also just pulled out two OTA antennas, both with pre-amps, and thrushes around the house with the antennas, and a Samsung tv, to see if I could get good enough reception anywhere in the house or walk in attics that I could use to feed the HDHR. What would I lose with no encryption for 4k OTA?

Edit: I assume without jelkyfin I can’t get dvr functionality? I experimented with plex a few years ago and found no value for our needs with a lot of technical confusion. I don’t want to go down that path if I can avoid it. 

To use the HDHomerun and have DVR capabilities, there are two ways to do it.  You can pay extra to use HDHomerun subscription for the tv guide data and plug in an external hard drive or point to storage on your network.  Or if you have a media server set up like Jellyfin and use their guide data (which is free I think).  For plex users, DVR guide data information is free for plex pass members.  Since I'm already invested as a plex pass user, I chose to go that route.

image.thumb.png.7396d2154ea08553a0e9621b9f42ff34.png

You can click on any upcoming show and choose to record and it will be stored on whatever PC or server you have your plex server set up on.  My current upcoming recordings...

image.thumb.png.e55bb8545ea49ff0607a07338b9e43fa.png

Posted
1 hour ago, utee94 said:

Well I just spent 30 minutes digging through all of my various "A/V boxes" at the back of the closet for my OTA antenna.  I dusted it off, set it up, ensured it's still working fine-- so now I have no doubt Fox and YTTV will resolve their issues and make all of that work unnecessary.

You're welcome.

 

In case nobody else has said so, thank you! 

OTA is problematic when you live at the bottom a hollar more than 50 miles from a major market. 

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Posted
21 hours ago, TheGivingTree said:

I've purchased a couple of antennas over the years and they haven't worked in our house (East RR). Not sure if it's distance, the interference in the house, or us being at the bottom of our neighborhood with limited west-facing view. Might have to give this one a try, can always return it.

Posted
8 hours ago, utee94 said:

And Reason #2 to stay off the game threads is, well, surly posters on game threads!

Might want to reconsider your ranking methodology….

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