Dump the DISH

[Charlie B53]

Wife was seriously P.O.'d when DISH suspended ALL of the Fox networks from DISH service.   She actually called in to complain.   And was successfully bought off with the promise of a few 'free' channels for three months.   Pfffft!

Today I see as notice scrolling across the screen on the CBS network, that DISH is going to suspend the CBS networks on July 16 if negotiations fail to come to an agreement.

It's time to

Dump the DISH!

Seriously!  I am tired of paying $80 every month just to get the few channels that I seldom watch.   In order to get those few that I do have interest I have to subscribe (pay more) for an UP-graded package.    It is time I put that new huge special antennae that Son gave us last year up on the roof.    When, not if, when the lightning melts it and burns the house down the Insurance company will pay off as I have 'Replacement Value' on everything.   And the house and contents are very well insured.

Fortunately I have three desktops, so I will be synching them again and moving one out to the barn.  I need one out there anyway so I can look up parts without having to come clear back inside here.

Only problem as when to get up on the roof.  The weather is so unstable right now with my luck the lightning will strike WHILE I am standing up the pole!

[Xplantdad]

You be careful ...send your son up there.....we don't need to have anything happen to you!!

[cattlekid]

DISH also dumped WGN here in Chicago.  Why anyone in Chicago would keep DISH at this point is beyond me.  WGN is one of the most important channels when it comes to local news and sports.

[Deanne]

I dumped it about a year ago and have more to watch now than I ever did before. I bought an indoor antenna and a Roku, and I subscribe to Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. I already had Netflix and Amazon Prime, so I only added Hulu. I upgraded my internet service, which I needed to do anyway since I work from home. It took about a week to adapt and now I only regret that I didn't do it sooner. My monthly charges went from around $190/month to ~90/month and $60 of the $90 is for Internet service that I need for work.

Since your weather is bad, start by installing a Roku. It's easy and I watch programming through the Roku more than I do through an antenna. I got everything set up and unplugged my Dish connections for a couple of weeks before I called to cancel to make sure it would work for me. The only thing I missed was having the DVR to record programs. I know I could add one, but I don't care that much anymore.

[Rerun]

I'm what they call a "Cord Cutter".  I bought Clear TV an antenna square thing that I stick to my window and plug into my TV's and I get FREE television.  About 15 channels.  CBS, NBC, ABC about 4 PBS, an ION and several cooking channels and some religious and QVC.  Enough for me.

I do miss FOX News but I can go on my tablet and get yesterdays.  They won't let you watch it live without paying some cable entity.  So I just watch old news.

At dialysis I get to catch up with Fox   

I should add up how much $$ I've saved.

[Charlie B53]

LOL  Son won't even get on a ladder, much less a roof.   And ours is a low slope, not even as much as a normal home.  He is kinda afraid of ANY height.  He makes me laugh.     I've never had a problem with hanging out at heights.

I didn't notice WGN was gone.  I used to see that channel surfing and sometimes landed there depending what was on.

We are about 70 miles West of St Louis.   The little antennae won't work this far out.  Son bought us a good one for remote location like ours.   I just need to get it up at least to the top of the trees.  We are surrounded by trees.   Son isn't, and tries to tell me how his isn't much higher than his house.   Right, but he doesn't have the TREES that I do.    And I am NOT cutting down any trees!   At least not while they are still living.  I do take out the dead ones.

It won't be today, but hopefully soon, I'll get up there.   I may have to get one or two of the neighbors as this much pole could be a problem.  I know it will have to have guy wires to stabilize it, maybe two levels if I use all the pipe.

I am wondering about sticking an LED on top, just cause I can, and it will make the people that drive by talk.

Maybe I should use that crystal ball thing the Wife has stuck in the flower bed, a little solar panel to keep it charged daily, and the crystal ball changes colors, red, green, yellow, blue.   That ought to look good almost 50 feet above the house!

[trenton6013]

I didn't have dish but DirecTV and after canceling them, I saved myself a hundred bucks.  I couldn't understand how the monthly price started creeping up and I never made any changes to the service after the introductory price ended.  I even tried talking to customer retention to downgrade my service and they only gave me a $20 price difference, so I canceled and used an indoor hd antenna with a 25db amplifier, signed up with netflix, hulu and amazon prime and never looked back.  Now I'm using Kodi which has channels similar to dish, directv and cable...I have to get a tv tuner card in order to watch live tv on my pc, but it's the next best thing to satellite and cable.  I wondered why I never installed it a long time ago.  And you get the same quality as with satellite or cable channels in HD

[Riki]

I would LOVE to cut our cable.  It's probably the biggest bill we have, and we don't have a whole lot when it comes to channels.  We have the basic channels (CBC, CTV, Global) and the American network channels (CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, Fox) one specialty package (cuz Mom likes her Food Network *G*) and the Time Zone package.  Our home phone and internet are bundled in, but if we could take the TV out of the cable bill, that would cut the bill considerably.  I wouldn't have a problem doing it, since I don't watch that much tv, but I watch a lot of CBS and I don't really want to lose that.

[kristina]

... When I suffered a stroke (which left me half-sided paralyzed and unable to speak & unable to express myself for quite a while),
... and ...  the stroke also shattered my language skills and my languages were all mingled-up and I needed an urgent chance to rehabilitate,
my husband and I felt that it might be a good idea for me to watch different films in different languages for a little while
in order to get my languages "back in better shape" again and because of that we paid for the services of a cable-network for a while...
...When my languages were "sorted" much better again and I was on my way to recovery, ready to go for walks again
and ready to try and continue with life as best as possible again etc., we needed to cancel the cable-network
and it suddenly became a full-time-job to do that, because the cable-network made it very difficult for us to cancel its services...
... But finally we succeeded to cancel the cable-network and we also took the opportunity to cancel TV and that was that ...
I am still very grateful to cable-network for being there and I am still very grateful that I was given a chance to rehabilitate ...
 

[trenton6013]

I would LOVE to cut our cable.  It's probably the biggest bill we have, and we don't have a whole lot when it comes to channels.  We have the basic channels (CBC, CTV, Global) and the American network channels (CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, Fox) one specialty package (cuz Mom likes her Food Network *G*) and the Time Zone package.  Our home phone and internet are bundled in, but if we could take the TV out of the cable bill, that would cut the bill considerably.  I wouldn't have a problem doing it, since I don't watch that much tv, but I watch a lot of CBS and I don't really want to lose that.

you should using Kodi then

[Jean]

 I live in California, and we get all the Fox channels one could want. Confused as to why you dont have them Charlie. Maybe a lack of sponsors there? Or a lack of Buyers? Sorry you are doing without Fox.
I suppose you could call Dish and say well, you know they get them all in Ca!!!!!!!

[kitkatz]

I had an argument with Dish Network when we cancelled their services and switched to ATT Uverse, they wanted equipment that was on out roof sent back to them.
I told the lady she was nuts if she thought I was going to go on my roof o get their equipment.  She could send whomever she want to send to gt their damned equipment.
We will charge you.  No you will not.  I said you can come get your equipment. 

[Charlie B53]

DISH put all the Fox channels back on after that period of 'negotiation'.  It was just another attempt to get more money from Fox for carrying their channels.

I really REALLY want to dump the DISH and go with the antenna, but WIFE wants all the channels she is used to AND she has called in and subscribed to the Starz movie channels.  INCREASING our bill.

Can I say Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

What's a Guy to do?

[trenton6013]

DISH put all the Fox channels back on after that period of 'negotiation'.  It was just another attempt to get more money from Fox for carrying their channels.

I really REALLY want to dump the DISH and go with the antenna, but WIFE wants all the channels she is used to AND she has called in and subscribed to the Starz movie channels.  INCREASING our bill.

Can I say Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

What's a Guy to do?

show her what she can get using Kodi

[Charlie B53]

I will have to look into that more.  Thanks

[trenton6013]

I just wish that the Kodi app could be run on the ps4.  I can use the netflix, hulu and amazon prime video app on the ps4 but no kodi

[Charlie B53]

We don't have any 'game' machines other than the Grandson's Wii.  I do have a number of computers, however nothing newer than XP and if I read correctly the minimum requirements for a Windows platform is Win 10.  I don't think any of my computers have enough memory to run 10 very well.

I may have to build a new computer.  I don't watch TV hardly at all.  Not too sure this may be worth it.

[Riki]

I would LOVE to cut our cable.  It's probably the biggest bill we have, and we don't have a whole lot when it comes to channels.  We have the basic channels (CBC, CTV, Global) and the American network channels (CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, Fox) one specialty package (cuz Mom likes her Food Network *G*) and the Time Zone package.  Our home phone and internet are bundled in, but if we could take the TV out of the cable bill, that would cut the bill considerably.  I wouldn't have a problem doing it, since I don't watch that much tv, but I watch a lot of CBS and I don't really want to lose that.

you should using Kodi then

The Kodi website needs to explain itself better.. I don't understand how it gets content from broadcasters... if it takes them from their online streaming, then I still can't use it, because I'm in Canada, and I am blocked from viewing their videos... the site does say that you need to provide your own content, which, in my mind, defeats the purpose

[trenton6013]

you can still get new copies of windows 8.  I won't ever use windows 10 because of the way it forces windows updates on you instead of giving you options to install them or not.  Now instead of blue screens of death, with windows 10 you get green screens of death!!

[Simon Dog]

Kodi is best described as a framework for plugins.   The plugin provider provides the content - much of it in violation of copyright.    A friend who uses Comcast as his feed is collecting an albumn of copyright violation notices Comcast keeps sending him.

Kodi will run on the Amazon Firestick, but you ahve to push it from a PC ... it is no longer the the app store supported by Firestick.

[trenton6013]

well people wouldn't be using kodi if the cable and dish companies would stop monopolizing the drm market and allow you to save digital content to other media and stop slowly raising their prices.  They don't offer good bundles or packages and force you to buy channels that you can't possibly all watch