There is more to TV than just three channels.

iahawkeye83

My first 24 hours with the Dish Hopper has been positive. I now find myself watching more than the Weather Channel and news stations. I find it easier to find shows on the Hopper than it is to find on X1. Watched a few shows today, first was Home Improvement, second was Guy’s Grocery Games, third was Bar Rescue.

I guess I like finding shows either by channel surfing or with a grid guide. And I watched the shows as they broadcast. But I had a day off of work and nothing to do (other than laundry and return the cable boxes to Xfinity).

lesmikesell

iahawkeye83 I find it easier to find shows on the Hopper than it is to find on X1.

You could just ask the X1 to find it for you and then set it to record. What’s easier than that?

urbanriot

iahawkeye83 Yea, I miss having DirecTV because I was never in a situation where there was nothing on, even if my favorite shows weren’t on I could still find lots of news channels, outdoor shows, food shows, houses for sale in random ass locations, etc..

HooRU

Your choice of shows may be different from mine (I can’t stand Guy Fieri), but yes, there are a lot of shows out there. Still, for me, most of it is junky.

Discovery used to be real Discovery.

Science was real Science.

Arts and Entertainment had real art.

Headline news was actual news headlines.

News was, at one time, real news and not all opinion.

Even the Food Network has turned to garbage in my opinion.

Too many viewers like staged TV (“Reality TV”).

But TV is not monolithic, there are many types of viewers, like lonely white women watching Hallmark, so many types of shows, sadly, very little of it interests me any more.

I miss the days of TechTV.

HooRU

And White paper panels on Science Channels.

I like Curiosity Stream a lot, though. It’s educational. Magellan isn’t too bad either. And BritBox is pretty cool (I don’t have it right now, though). And, by the way, enough with the Zombie shows, please!

lesmikesell

urbanriot Yea, I miss having DirecTV because I was never in a situation where there was nothing on,

There must be a thousand or more live channels on free streaming services like tubi, Sling freestream, roku, plex and fire tv. One that surprises me for being free is Qello Concerts which is carried by Sling, Plex, and Amazon Video.

Guy54435

HooRU Here you go

urbanriot

lesmikesell There must be a thousand or more live channels on free streaming services like tubi, Sling freestream, roku, plex and fire tv.

That’s a good point. Google TV has (or had, i haven’t watched much TV this summer) a Tiny House Nation TV station and I love that kind of stuff. But I feel I have way more targeted variety on DirecTV than what I get on those free stations. Like people buying luxury homes in the Caribbean, I’m like… that’s a thing!?

lesmikesell One that surprises me for being free is Qello Concerts

Agreed! I love Qello Concerts! I listen to a lot of obscure music and they once had a show of a producer I enjoy that I was shocked they carried. Ever since then I check the free TV guide to see what’s coming up in case there’s something I might enjoy.

Zer0Cool

i love FAST stuff like tubi but i cant lie theres just something nice about having a real remote with actual channel numbers to use too

telcodad

Zer0Cool just something nice about having a real remote with actual channel numbers to use too

DirecTV’s Gemini Air provides a cable-like feel with a traditional cable-style channel guide and a remote with number buttons for selecting a channel number or you can select channels using your voice.

It’s as close to the traditional cable box experience as you’ll get from a streaming service:

DIRECTV Gemini Air

iahawkeye83

Some people consume media differently. When I walk the dog in the morning there are a few elderly neighbors who still get print newspapers. And given the fact that most people who get print newspapers are 65+ the paperboys toss the paper at the end of the driveway making the subscriber (who is likely frail with limited mobility) go out to get their newspaper. A good paperboy will bring it to the porch.

I think print newspapers will disappear before cable and satellite tv.

You can get the same content from different media formats. Some people are just more comfortable with certain formats. Some prefer the tech they grew up with. Some embrace new technology. Yes I stream certain content but I prefer live TV from cable or satellite. Considering our local cable company is neglecting their outside plant satellite is the weapon of choice for my TV source.

Somewhat-Reticent

iahawkeye83 newspapers

… came in flimsy plastic bags.
Back when, free ad circulars were delivered the same way.
Didn’t keep ’em from getting soaked if they slid out of the bag.

A wise customer had a delivery tube at the curb.
Miss the tube, no tip.

px_eliezer_

iahawkeye83 And given the fact that most people who get print newspapers are 65+ the paperboys toss the paper at the end of the driveway making the subscriber (who is likely frail with limited mobility) go out to get their newspaper. A good paperboy will bring it to the porch.

I think “paperboys” are not who is delivering newspapers these days, but rather adults, tossing from a car.

Unless a customer is a super-big tipper, they ain’t gonna receive the newspaper on the porch.

BTW, 65+ is not old, you’ll see soon enough. 🙂

And getting some daily exercise is not so bad either.

g121

iahawkeye83 the paperboys toss the paper at the end of the driveway

i had an after-school paper route grade6-thru-8 .. about 40 customers .. papers were always put in the mail/milk box or inside the screen door; never tossed onto the driveway/porch/lawn .. chuckles the Saturday paper was too blinking thick to toss regardless !!

MacLeech

iahawkeye83 You can get all of live TV from streaming too. It’s far from limited to only cable or satellite. Some streaming services have full number pad remotes too. You just like to overpay for old style video delivery.

What you think is a neglected cable system isn’t. It’s getting better performance now than ever. You just don’t understand it and are hung up about unused drops that are still connected.

dave

iahawkeye83 65+ … who is likely frail with limited mobility

You seem to have odd ideas about older people. I and most people I hang out with are about 70. I still meet up annually with a bunch of my school peers; part of the program of events is a walk of about 10 miles.

HooRU

g121

g121 i had an after-school paper route grade6-thru-8 .. about 40 customers

I had 3 paper routes and 2 Sunday Routes and did it all on my bicycle my parents never helped, I would not have let them. Rain, snow, whatever- I was out there. I even had snowshoes. I always did some farm work in the summer and yardwork, gardening, lugging, and entertaining old ladies who would watch me work.

Those were good days; I made a lot of money. I was bitten by a dog, though, and the owner sicked the dog on me and whined when I wanted to sue. I felt bad for the dog, so I backed off; big regret there. Real creeps sicking a dog on their paper boy who they never tipped or paid.

I get that one might still want the cable-like experience, but honestly, I prefer streaming except for the load times. On my Amazon TCL, Sling loads so slowly it’s awful. (No, I don’t sub to Sling)It’s shared with me. Also, Dish doesn’t have things like BritBox, Magellan, Curiosity Stream, or the Roku Channel, does it?

I have to say, though, Roku is better than Amazon in my opinion, but I got the TV for cheap years ago.

I don’t watch enough TV to justify spending much.

Somewhat-Reticent

HooRU … on my bicycle … a dog …

Bicycling on a rural road, a dog took exception to my passing by.
Wanted to chew on my ankle. I had a lock on a chain.
Didn’t expect to connect with its nose so well.
After that, it snarled from inside its fenced yard.

lesmikesell

HooRU On my Amazon TCL, Sling loads so slowly it’s awful.

Sling is probably the least-efficient app, at least in the android-ish versions. Works nicely on an iphone. You might do better to use a streaming stick with more memory than the native TV OS has. There are difference in chipset speeds and included memory and storage among the streaming boxes and sticks and what is built into TVs - probably more difference between low and high end units than between different vendors or OS types.

iahawkeye83

MacLeech You just like to overpay for old style video delivery.

I even have it hooked up via a phone line for the return path. I have a phone line through GoNetSpeed (which is not very expensive and gives E911 the exact location in the rare event I have to call 911). The ONT delivers carrier grade landline service.

I know satellite providers require that their receivers be hooked up via a return path (either landline telephone or high speed internet) to authenticate the receivers and for PPV ordering. They also want to make sure they are not being used outside the United States. DirecTV and Dish have a huge issue with their receivers being used in Canada and the Caribbean islands as their signals can be picked up there.