Got rid of cable

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Seen on the news last night that people are getting away from streaming. I don't remember all of the details. I know people who do streaming, have the magic plug in in the back of their TV . If it was as good as folks say that it is you would think that it would be more wide spread than it is. I'd probably try streaming if my internet speed was better, who knows one day maybe I can unload my dish too but for now it stays.
 
Dan the man said:
Seen on the news last night that people are getting away from streaming. I don't remember all of the details. I know people who do streaming, have the magic plug in in the back of their TV . If it was as good as folks say that it is you would think that it would be more wide spread than it is. I'd probably try streaming if my internet speed was better, who knows one day maybe I can unload my dish too but for now it stays.
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It's like any new idea that comes along and then gets capitalized. Streaming started out in the 2010s as a cheap (sometimes free) way to watch specific shows and movies you wanted anytime, anywhere with a plethora of options and services. Then when it started catching on and companies realized they could make money off of it they started charging subscription fees and then over the past few years it turned into a business not unlike cable TV; big media corporations (Disney for instance) either created their own streaming services or bought up and consolidated a lot of the existing ones and started trying to force buyers into "packages" nobody really wants and adding fees for things that used to be free. It's a shame but IMO still way better than cable/dish/satellite TV with hundreds of channels to flip through with scheduled content and commercials taking up half the air time.

It might not seem "widespread" because there's also a generation gap to consider. I'm 32 and I have not met anyone under the age of about 45 who uses cable TV and doesn't use streaming. Cable TV and TV news media are things that by and large, only the older generations still use because it was the standard for so many decades but I believe 20-30 years (maybe less) down the road they'll hardly exist anymore.
 
MopaR&D said:
Best way I can describe it that makes sense in the simplest way is you're basically using your TV like a "limited" computer. On a computer you open a web browser and go to YouTube or any of these streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu etc. and watch movies and shows. On a smart phone you download an application for each streaming service to do the same thing. A smart TV or older TV with one of the add-on "boxes" basically also does the same thing but they have the applications for each streaming service installed on the TV itself (smart TV) or on one of the add-on devices. And it all comes through your internet.
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Ok but the only internet I have is through Verizon and I’m very limited on amount of MBs I can use without paying a lot of $
 
Ceedawg said:
Ok but the only internet I have is through Verizon and I’m very limited on amount of MBs I can use without paying a lot of $
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Is that the only internet provider available at all in your area? That sounds like a terrible deal tbh. I also don't think providers charge for the amount of data you use, they charge based on how much data you can download over time (Megabits per second). IIRC my service through Xfinity is 200 Mbps (or 25 Megabytes per second) which works great because I only use one device at a time and never have issues with streaming. All that happens if your service is too "slow" is the streaming will have to buffer (pause) while it downloads the audio and video for whatever you're watching.

My neighborhood is semi-remote and one option I considered for a while was satellite internet which is available everywhere, just check the companies' reviews before picking one (I've read HughesNet sucks). Also if you happen to have 5G cell service in your area, T-Mobile offers internet through that for a good price.
 
MopaR&D said:
Is that the only internet provider available at all in your area? That sounds like a terrible deal tbh. I also don't think providers charge for the amount of data you use, they charge based on how much data you can download over time (Megabits per second). IIRC my service through Xfinity is 200 Mbps (or 25 Megabytes per second) which works great because I only use one device at a time and never have issues with streaming. All that happens if your service is too "slow" is the streaming will have to buffer (pause) while it downloads the audio and video for whatever you're watching.

My neighborhood is semi-remote and one option I considered for a while was satellite internet which is available everywhere, just check the companies' reviews before picking one (I've read HughesNet sucks). Also if you happen to have 5G cell service in your area, T-Mobile offers internet through that for a good price.
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As far as I know only the cell phone carriers have internet here plus my cable company can provide internet, no fiber optics or the like and no 5g. Funny thing we’re 15 miles from a major naval base. Most mornings my phone won’t have any bars showing and I go to the big box stores or a friends house in town with unlimited net to download stuff. 50 miles from DC and we’re in this boat!
 
Ceedawg said:
As far as I know only the cell phone carriers have internet here plus my cable company can provide internet, no fiber optics or the like and no 5g. Funny thing we’re 15 miles from a major naval base. Most mornings my phone won’t have any bars showing and I go to the big box stores or a friends house in town with unlimited net to download stuff. 50 miles from DC and we’re in this boat!
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Sounds about right
 
Well, i did away with our satellite tv and our local wireless internet provider. Then went to starlink and smart tv. A few things i miss, but my actual internet is way better and no downtime in 8 months.
 
Tooljunkie said:
Well, i did away with our satellite tv and our local wireless internet provider. Then went to starlink and smart tv. A few things i miss, but my actual internet is way better and no downtime in 8 months.
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I have 2 smart TV'S but I didn't set either one up for the internet.
 
I don't understand how streaming works, will people's tablets, and all of their electronic toy's still work? I don't have a laptop or I phone, tablet. I have a cell phone and one computer
 
MopaR&D said:
Is that the only internet provider available at all in your area? That sounds like a terrible deal tbh. I also don't think providers charge for the amount of data you use, they charge based on how much data you can download over time (Megabits per second). IIRC my service through Xfinity is 200 Mbps (or 25 Megabytes per second) which works great because I only use one device at a time and never have issues with streaming. All that happens if your service is too "slow" is the streaming will have to buffer (pause) while it downloads the audio and video for whatever you're watching.

My neighborhood is semi-remote and one option I considered for a while was satellite internet which is available everywhere, just check the companies' reviews before picking one (I've read HughesNet sucks). Also if you happen to have 5G cell service in your area, T-Mobile offers internet through that for a good price.
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Thats about the same speed as ours, I think we get 250mbps, but everything we have is streaming. I work from home and download huge CAD models while my kids are on the computers and watching tv, we never have buffering issues.
 
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