Preseason Media Source Question....
-
Greetings everyone!
I’ve always chosen Cox Communications as my TV provider in the past, largely because of their coverage of Jayhawk games.
I’m getting tired of paying a premium price for television, especially since I don’t watch much of it.
I’ve been looking more at DirectTV as the answer, saving me something like $150 a month over Cox.
It would be great if fans could share their experiences with DirectTV and other providers to help me (and others) connect with the best source while saving dollars.
Does DirectTV show all the Jayhawk games? Other good providers?
Methods to get the best deals?
-
If your only concern is watching KU games, ESPN+ is $5 a month, and all KU games are on ESPN network or CBS (over-the-air).
I have PSVUE and like it a lot. I also get the Fox sports channels this way. If I can’t get KMCI to come in (I’m like 65 miles from KC so not a given, and I’ve tried “100 mile” indoor antennas, they lie) I’ll just fork over $5 for a couple months to ESPN for those “JTV” games.
PSVUE has everything I want at $50 a month and supports simultaneous log-ins. There are bigger plans with more channels but I only care about live sports so those options did not appeal to me.
Sling’s $40 a month plan is reasonable as well.
-
@drgnslayr I’v been pondering Directv for months now, because i am being tired of being charged $220 per month for being a “loyal customer of 24 years”.
Good grief - wonder what dis-loyal customers get charged? I’m tired of going into the Cox office every few months and arguing with them about the price they are charging. My service doesn’t get any better. I don’t get more channels. All i get is a higher bill. Doesn’t seem like a great deal to me.
I’m ready to pull the trigger now @drgnslayr - If i have to miss a couple of games, so be it - i’ll go old school and listen to them on the radio. When i was a kid i did that all the time - and really enjoyed it. You get to use your imagination as the game unfolds.
I may get rid of TV altogether…
-
nuleafjhawk said:
@drgnslayr I’v been pondering Directv for months now, because i am being tired of being charged $220 per month for being a “loyal customer of 24 years”.
Good grief - wonder what dis-loyal customers get charged? I’m tired of going into the Cox office every few months and arguing with them about the price they are charging. My service doesn’t get any better. I don’t get more channels. All i get is a higher bill. Doesn’t seem like a great deal to me.
I’m ready to pull the trigger now @drgnslayr - If i have to miss a couple of games, so be it - i’ll go old school and listen to them on the radio. When i was a kid i did that all the time - and really enjoyed it. You get to use your imagination as the game unfolds.
I may get rid of TV altogether…
This is their new plan. Don’t compete. Charge the people that stay on more money because they figure they are dumb and will pay anything. Not a very sound plan…
I recommend looking into those plans I mentioned. PSVUE and Sling. See which is better for you. Either will get you 90% of KU basketball games with the JTV games requiring ESPN+ or being in range of Channel 38 in KC, MO.
-
Also for anyone that does want to stay with traditional cable or satt tv, you have to call them, threaten to switch and re-up your rate at the advertised “discount” rates. They’ll do it, last I knew. They still can’t really compete with stuff like PSVUE though…
I’m currently at $115 a month for phone, tv and internet. Not bundled at all (three different companies in fact), and that’s with crappy rural internet options.
-
Now that you are not held captive by TWC/Spectrum and the 7 games we could not see in KC are now available of 38, I dropped Spectrum when they raised their price after one year but kept their fast internet. The ATT that goes with the DTV bundle is horrible.
-
DirecTV is okay. It didnt have all the KU games under the old contract. I’m not sure about now. DirecTV now is even less expensive and will get you the same amount of games if that’s your concern. I ditched cable a few years back and don’t miss it. I stream pretty much everything. My 3 year old gets upset at his grandma’s place when commercials come on haha only place he has to put up with them.
ESPN+ at $5 per month and an antenna will get you almost all the games. It seems like there’s usually one on cbsSports or fox sports in past years. I can’t pick up even regular cbs with an antenna so I just watch those games at Moms place or the bar.
Netflix is a cheap option for movies. Hulu is a cheap option for tv shows. I prefer to just go to (blu-ray.com) https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=220953&goto=newpost and buy the movie codes for rental prices and own a digital copy (forever?). I’ve been able to amass 1600 movies and 200 tv series over the last few years thru this site to stream on VUDU and don’t even use Netflix other than for cartoons for the kiddos.
At $220 per month you could purchase at least 44 movies per month in blu-Ray.com. Prices range from $1-8 per movie (up to $10 for Disney and uhd on release day, but prices soften fast) and $5-15 per tv season.
-
@dylans all the games this year are on actual CBS or ESPN+. Pretty awesome actually.
-
I’d recommend getting a fire stick or Roku. I have a fire stick with the SlingTV app and ESPN+ app. I think I pay $45 a month and between the two I get Fox Sports Midwest, FS1, FS2, NBC Sports network and every ESPN channel they have. When I had Direct for the premo sports channels I wanted it was $115 a month and had a ton of channels I never watched. It’s pretty much sports or HGTV or Nick JR in my house lol.
-
kjayhawks said:
I’d recommend getting a fire stick or Roku. I have a fire stick with the SlingTV app and ESPN+ app. I think I pay $45 a month and between the two I get Fox Sports Midwest, FS1, FS2, NBC Sports network and every ESPN channel they have. When I had Direct for the premo sports channels I wanted it was $115 a month and had a ton of channels I never watched. It’s pretty much sports or HGTV or Nick JR in my house lol.
That’s correct. Sling’s combo plan is $40 and ESPN+ is only $5.
I’m splitting a PSVUE plan with a friend or I’d go Sling too.
But yes this is a good point. You need a smart TV or streaming device if you don’t want to just watch on via a PC.
-
@drgnslayr Direct TV Now. You’ll need an internet connection, and a Roku, or Amazon Firestick. Direct TV Now is around 40 bucks a month, and you should be able to get everything you need from it. This is NOT Direct TV satellite- this runs through your internet…through Roku or Firestick. Direct TV Now has all the local channels, which I think makes it the best ( ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX).You can get a decent Firestick or Roku from 40 to 60 bucks. Calculating a 65.00 a month internet cost, it would be around 105 a month. Of course, once you get your Roku/Firestick, that will open up a brand new world of channels and shows that you should find very interesting. I pay 70 dollars a month, and am able to watch everything, including very new movies ( you’re a rookie - that discussion will come later if you decide to cut the cord…hehehehe ).
-
@KUSTEVE Warez isn’t legal SIR.
-
@BShark Most of the programs on Kodi aren’t either…lol. VPN, baby…lol.
-
Off topic, but I finally am going thru an enjoyable hurricane. Work was cancelled…it’s barely raining. I turn on the tv, and all of the satellite and radar pictures make it look like we’re 6 foot under water, and it’s barely even raining…lol.
-
I was assuming that the person had internet lol. I like our Firestick because if you have prime like we do (diapers are worth it alone) you get a free pass for tons of movies and tv shows. @KUSTEVE One of my Buddies has got that KODI set up for free but he says its a pain in the butt to navigate and the picture isnt always worth a crap.
-
@kjayhawks You can’t beat the price. A reliable source tells me that you have to get the right program. He prefers Placenta. A reliable source tells me the new Avengers movie is perfect, since he has watched it at least 5 times. Not that i would ever do such a heinous thing or anything…
-
DirecTV now was offering a free Apple TV 4k (32 gb) for free with 3 months paid subscription ($105 at the time) but the promo was scrapped Sept. 4. Maybe they will resurrect that deal in the future. I was able to snag one, should’ve gotten two.
-
@justanotherfan @BShark Definitely has it figured out, imo. Basically what I would do if I didn’t have my parents DirecTV login information.
Between PSVue and Sling you can get pretty much everything. Personally, I would get an AppleTV to watch everything on. The Roku and Fire are fine, but the apps are just better on AppleTV.
-
If you’re like some of my friends you can get a jailbroke fire stick and watch everything for free. I like to keep it quasi-legal.
-
@KUSTEVE Glad you didn’t ask me how I know about warez-bb.
@kjayhawks Can’t imagine living without Amazon Prime in 2018 lol.
@Kcmatt7 I’m so cheap that I just use my computer, with a long cable run if I want it on my TV instead of monitor. LOL.
-
I did a fair amount of research and tried Hulu and Sling for a month and final,y ended up with YouTube TV. It caries all the ESPNs and Fox sports channels plus a bunch of others including the Big 10 and SEC networks and soccer, tennis and Olympic sports channels. It also carries TBS, TNT, USA, all the the FX channels, all the News networks and as a bonus all 4 network local TV stations. I pay under $40 for all of it (grandfathered) and it allows 6 individual accounts and 3 simultaneous streams plus unlimited storage cloud recording of your favorite shows; you also get the extended version of YouTube. By the time I added all the options to Hulu and Sling, YouTube TV was a no brainer. I use a Roku sticks on the TV sets that are not already capable.
I also installed a very unobtrusive externally antenna with an amplifier and I feed the signal to all the TV set via the house existing coaxial cable network. I get channel 38 in KC that has the KU games not available otherwise. When I cut the cord, I got a decent deal from Consolidated for internet only for $40 for 100 Mbps. I also have 4 VOIP landlines through VOIPO for a very reasonable rate although I am thinking about doing away with them since 95% of the calls now come through my cell phone and I use the fax machine maybe once or twice per year.
-
@BShark Lol hey I’m not judging. Whatever gets the job done for cheap is by far the best way to go. I just really like that I can watch 4 in 1 picture on the Apple TV ESPN app haha.
-
@KUSTEVE stay safe!
-
@JayHawkFanToo Yeah, I have an external antenna with an amplifier as well. I’m outside of Topeka and I get all Topeka and KC channels. Sometimes 38 in particular gives me trouble for w/e reason though. Comes in when it feels like it lol.
-
What I did forget to mention was my need for a DVR and the ability to record several channels at the same time, hopefully 4 or more.
I record a few old movies from some channels that offer movies, but not premium channels, like HBO.
Of course I like sports and record the Royals season, most sports playoffs, some NBA, some college football, Chiefs, etc.
Also like some kids channels for my kids.
-
One other thing… ATT just dropped a fiber optic cable in my backyard a couple months ago.
I know that means more data potential, but I don’t know how that could impact my decision.
I have two TVs, both internet capable. 1080P
-
nuleafjhawk said:
@drgnslayr I’v been pondering Directv for months now, because i am being tired of being charged $220 per month for being a “loyal customer of 24 years”.
Good grief - wonder what dis-loyal customers get charged? I’m tired of going into the Cox office every few months and arguing with them about the price they are charging. My service doesn’t get any better. I don’t get more channels. All i get is a higher bill. Doesn’t seem like a great deal to me.
I’m ready to pull the trigger now @drgnslayr - If i have to miss a couple of games, so be it - i’ll go old school and listen to them on the radio. When i was a kid i did that all the time - and really enjoyed it. You get to use your imagination as the game unfolds.
I may get rid of TV altogether…
I’ve been a loyal Cox customer for a long time. What I found is that in much of today’s consumer world, loyalty is punished! They think they own you so you are always swimming against the trend of more competitive pricing. The competitive pricing is about winning market share. Once they got you, they want to keep you at their old, less-competitive price. It isn’t just Cox.
You may discover this is a game, and the most savvy players in the game get the best deals. I’m discovering you can negotiate many of your bills and pricing today. Start with utilities. Everything from trash service to phone service. And don’t stop there. Unfortunately, it requires a level of commitment: time and energy!
So who is getting burned worse? Unfortunately, the elderly and less-educated are targeted the most. If you don’t watch your bills, you’ll get nailed with bogus price increases hidden in several areas. They make it complicated and difficult to challenge. What ever happened to consumer protection?
-
@BShark I need to put an antenna on my roof and see what all i can get here in the middle of nowhere. I have an indoor one with amplifier but it still only get like 3 channels.
-
@kjayhawks I got next to nothing with an amplified “100 mile” indoor antenna. I tried one for shits and giggles last week, then returned it.
@drgnslayr Definitely check out the VUE plans then, they have some higher level plans with more channels. Plus that DirectTV Now that @KUSTEVE mentioned. Always good to shop and compare.
Sadly you are correct about loyalty being punished. You have to call and threaten to switch to keep good rates. Looks like you know this, but just confirming for anyone reading.
-
Living in Southern California, I get by with Internet, ROKU and Apple TV. For KU games, I get 5 months of Sling Orange @ $25/ month for KU games (except exhibitions). It has all the ESPN channels and is currently offering a free ROKU Express when you pay 2 months in advance. I dunno if ESPN+ is included in that. Anyone know?
-
The thing that stops me every time from DirectTV is the contract.
@KUSTEVE They say Tampa Bay is in a tornado watch. If your house gets picked up, please wave as you go by!
-
@mayjay Ah yes, contracts are nasty. I hadn’t looked into it at all since I have no desire to switch.
@Gorilla72 ESPN+ was just rolled out, the way I understand it is to get anything that requires it is to buy it for $5 a month. I don’t believe it’s included in any of the services.
-
Be careful of ESPN+ because you might still get hit by blackouts. From their Customer Agreement:
Blackouts. Certain live sporting events and other content available through the ESPN+ service subscription may be subject to blackouts. For example, if you are in the home television territory of a team participating in a game, then the game may be blacked-out for viewing or live viewing as part of your ESPN+ service subscription (or other applicable third-party service). Blackouts will be enforced according to the location from which you are accessing the ESPN+ service or the applicable third-party services, and we may use different technologies and methods to verify your geographic location. If you do not enable location access on your device, you will not be able to access the ESPN+ service.
-
@mayjay so far I’ve watched several Vb games and 1 fb game w/no problems on espn+. I have cox too. Wouldn’t give it up.
-
When the DTV guy came to our new house to install the dish he asked me if he could borrow a drill. Said he was borrowing someones DTV van and it didn’t have a drill in it. I give him my drill with the chuck key. When he’s leaving he puts the drill on the steps with no chuck key. I said where’s the chuck key? He says he put it by the drill. I said it’s not by the drill. He said it was and left. I’m pissed.
-
@Crimsonorblue22 You must be loaded. With money, that is.
-
In a situation where I had infinite money, I wouldn’t go with Cox or Comcast.
-
@nuleafjhawk every year when they raise it, I say give me to disconnect and they always find me a deal.
I have one tv I use and an Apple TV box. I have what I need, share what I can.
-
@mayjay Direct TV NOW has no satellite, or contract. You watch it on a device, such as firestick or Roku on your tv.
-
@Crimsonorblue22 I canceled it after I realized I couldn’t watch MNF.
-
@Crimsonorblue22 " I have what I need, share what I can "
Those are great words to live by !!
-
@KUSTEVE come by!
-
FWIW. A friend here in Olathe got the package with ATT and Direct TV. Even when the internet came via fiber optic, it did not have the capability to carry cable so they installed a dish. As soon as the equipment was installed she was told she would need to pay insurance for the equipment; apparently if it goes bad you are responsible for it…never ran into anything like it before. The dish would not work well when there was storm or even rain and when she sold her house, she had to pay a huge termination fee. Be very careful with the contract they offer, lots of fees that you are not told in advance. Comcast is even worse.
-
Also, I should have mentioned that YouTube TV is also a month to month contract and you can stop it and restart it any time you want. I believe it has a free one week trial that you can get to see if you like it. Also, you can record as many shows as you want simultaneously and they are all stored on the Cloud. I have my account set up to automatically record all the shows I like and it will even record reruns. Pretty cool considering that other services charge you extra for it and have limits on how much you can store.
-
Youtube good, PSVue good- maybe others, no experience. The equipment requires- The tv you already have and the computer you already have and the phone you already have- you don’t need all- but they work on all.
Cable companies… $$$$$$$$$$$, DirecTV is fine unless the wind blows, the sun shines or god forbid there is a gentle mist in the air.
-
@JayHawkFanToo What has kept me from Cloud recording is that you can’t access it if your internet is out, right? Our Spectrum internet is fast but it seems to reset a lot. I like having the DVR when we get cut off from the world.
Which, come to think of it, I think is going to happen tomorrow morning when 50 mph+ Michael breezes through.
-
@BShark what one did you get??
-
Yes, if the internet is down you cannot stream live or recorded shows. When the internet is down I just enable the hot spot on my cell phone and connect the Roku sticks to it and I have full access to the Internet and YouTube TV.
-
Does anyone know… if I switch away from a Cox bundle, can I keep my old Cox email address?
-
@drgnslayr Looks like you cannot. I have wondered the same about my provider. So I googled “can I keep my Cox email” and this came up from the Cox support page on cancelling accounts:
Cox Email
Per our email policies, if you wish to keep messages and contacts after disconnecting Cox High Speed Internet service, you must move your Cox Email content to another email provider. After the disconnect is complete, we send you notification emails to your preferred contact email address on file to remind you to take action to save or move your Cox Email content.
We know switching email providers is never easy. Below are a few resources to help you move content from your Cox Email to an external account.
Note: To use the following tips, be sure to first set up your Cox Email in an email client program such as Outlook. Refer to Setting Up an Email Account in Windows for details.
In your email client program, export the files you want to keep to a local file. For example, Outlook uses the file format .pst.
Set up your new email account from your new provider in your email client program. Contact your external email account provider for assistance. To gain access to your saved Cox Email content, import the local file to your new account.
Mayjay again: A couple of sites that Google brought up said that Cox used to let you keep your email for $10 a month, but those were a few years old and newer posts say they terminated that offer. In addition, some posts suggest that there might be a 90 day temporary period to keep it active while you transition to a new provider. But you should check with Cox directly.
-
I am not sure, you might be able to keep it for a while but likely not permanently. Might as well get a free generic e-mail from gmail.com (zero privacy), yahoo.com or outlook.com or get your own domain.
