Replies: 14
| visibility 1
|
110%er [6009]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 1663
Joined: 1/13/12
|
Help. Got Sling TV not long ago and need help
Sep 2, 2020, 4:24 AM
|
|
With the best and cheapest way to get local channels. I see they offer something called Air tv but can I just get an antenna and plug in somehow? Always had cable TV so all this is new to me. TIA
|
|
|
|
All-In [25385]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 14696
Joined: 11/3/11
|
Good luck. My Grandson has been urging me to
Sep 2, 2020, 5:05 AM
|
|
switch to something like Youtube, as I currently have pricey cable.
He thinks I could save about $100 monthly. My reason for not yet doing so: "Then, I'd have to learn new channel numbers," followed by a roll of the eyes. lol.
|
|
|
|
|
Heisman Winner [139883]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 33847
Joined: 12/5/10
|
I like cable.
Sep 2, 2020, 5:09 AM
|
|
Dependable, easy, etc...
PS: Good morning, Hartins.
|
|
|
|
|
110%er [6009]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 1663
Joined: 1/13/12
|
Re: Good luck. My Grandson has been urging me to
Sep 2, 2020, 5:11 AM
[ in reply to Good luck. My Grandson has been urging me to ] |
|
No you don't have to learn new channel numbers. When you turn it on all the programs are visual boxes that you scroll through. To me it is much easier to find what I want.
|
|
|
|
|
Heisman Winner [105574]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 44178
Joined: 12/22/08
|
Wow! You should tell your grandson to respect his
Sep 2, 2020, 8:17 AM
[ in reply to Good luck. My Grandson has been urging me to ] |
|
elders and let you use whatever cable provider you want hartins! Did you explain that you lived through 13 years of prohibition in America, two World Wars, and the Great Depression so paying a little more for cable doesn't seem difficult or painful at all?
|
|
|
|
|
All-In [30766]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 34465
Joined: 6/22/03
|
|
|
|
|
All-TigerNet [13036]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 22353
Joined: 4/24/04
|
Well YTT is becoming more and more like cable each year
Sep 2, 2020, 12:09 PM
[ in reply to Good luck. My Grandson has been urging me to ] |
|
It was amazing 2Y ago when it only cost $40/month. Last year they added channels (that i don't care about) and raised the price to $50/month. This year they've added even more channels (that i don't care about) and raised the price to $65/month. Live TV + internet now costs me $125/month up from $100 a couple years ago. It's still cheaper than actual cable, but not the same level of savings i was getting before. I've basically responded to this by canceling my subscription from around Feb/March until September when football starts back up. I end up paying for YTT about half of the year. The rest of the year we just watch stuff on Netflix, Prime, and Disney+
|
|
|
|
|
All-TigerNet [13233]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 9986
Joined: 5/11/99
|
|
|
|
|
110%er [5391]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 3156
Joined: 9/25/18
|
Re: Help. Got Sling TV not long ago and need help
Sep 2, 2020, 5:22 AM
|
|
Yes, you can get an antenna and scan for local channels. We just put one up at my brother’s house. We decided to go with on one the roof. I have also installed a leaf antenna near a window. As expected, the one on the roof picked up the channels much better. You are going to be at the mercy of the closeness of the signals being transmitted. My brother gets local channels better than my cable. The leaf antenna pixelated quite a bit.
|
|
|
|
|
Orange Blooded [2987]
TigerPulse: 91%
Posts: 2499
Joined: 1/23/10
|
Re: Help. Got Sling TV not long ago and need help
Sep 2, 2020, 5:30 AM
|
|
Just buy an amplified internal digital antenna as long as your TV is a digital tv which you are almost guaranteed if tv is less than 10yrs old. The digital antenna will get you many local channels, like 5-9 channels depending on location. You can buy from $19- $119, i would suggest $40 maybe $50 range. You can plug into your most elevated cable outlet and then use all outlets around house or you can plug direct to TV. They are small, usually 8"x8" or smaller. Then keep your Sling for all other channels, just have to switch your input/source which is simple, then run an antenna scan on that source whether its HDMI, or cable input. Antennas are on Amazon, at Best Buy and Walmart. Just dont buy cheapest.
Its pretty simple! Good luck.
|
|
|
|
|
All-TigerNet [12233]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 5388
Joined: 9/12/04
|
IMO Sling is the worst of all the streaming TV services
Sep 2, 2020, 5:37 AM
|
|
out there. My recommendation is to ditch Sling and pony up a few more bucks a month and go with Hulu or YouTube TV where your local channels are integrated into the service. You will have a lot less headaches, more reliable reception of local TV, and overall better service quality.
Bottom line - Sling does not natively offer local channels within their service. Sling's offer of "free local channels" is misleading to say the least. Sling is not streaming your local channels through their service but relying on you to procure and hook up an HDTV antenna to your TV in order to get your local channels for "free". Essentially Sling is taking you back in time to the way we watched TV before cable where we used "rabbit ear" antennas and/or that big clunky (Yagi) antenna on the top of your house.
You don't need Sling or their AirTV package to get over the air TV broadcasts. Almost every TV has a built in tuner that is capable of capturing the free over the air TV signals transmitted by TV Stations. You just need to hook up an external antenna to your TV to help capture these "free" signals. This method works so long as you live in an area where the "free" over the air TV signals are strong enough to be received at your home location. Depending on the distance and obstructions between your home and the particular TV Station transmitting tower - your reception of these free signals can be hit or miss. Very rarely have I seen it that any one home location is capable of receiving all 4 major networks (Fox, CBS, abc, NBC) over the air from their local affiliates without issue.
The AirTV package being advertised by Sling is nothing more than an external HDTV antenna and a TV Tuner that can be used to capture over the air signals. Since most TV's have built in tuners - it seems like a waste of money to me to buy an AirTV package as you could buy your own HDTV antenna from Amazon and use your TV's internal tuner without need of AirTV's fancy box.
If you want reliable local TV - I'd forego the "free" over the air HDTV antenna route and either get a streaming service that offers it in their packages (i.e. Hulu Live or YouTube TV) or even a bare bones cable package. There is a reason most people jumped on the cable bandwagon when cable first became available in their local areas; over the air TV tends to be very unreliable for most home locations. Some stations may come in strong while others fade in/out or are not received at all. While today's over the air digital broadcasts have great picture quality - the problem still remains that most households are unable to reliably get all their local channels through this method.
|
|
|
|
|
110%er [6009]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 1663
Joined: 1/13/12
|
Over the Air Antenna...
Sep 2, 2020, 6:13 AM
|
|
Before cable my Dad would pay me a couple bucks to sit on the roof and move the antenna when a big Sports game was on. So I remember those days well.
|
|
|
|
|
Commissioner [961]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 1932
Joined: 11/30/98
|
Re: Help. Got Sling TV not long ago and need help
Sep 2, 2020, 9:00 AM
|
|
Antenna, Tablo, Roku work great for me. Then sling sports during football season. I’m rural and can only get telephone co. Asdl @ 25 mb/ sec but I am able to watch hd with this setup with no buffering. Can’t wait for spacex starlink.
|
|
|
|
|
Oculus Spirit [97677]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 64821
Joined: 7/13/02
|
Best to go with Hulu and you get locals. We are in a hole
Sep 2, 2020, 9:26 AM
|
|
and can't get antenna local TV, so that's how we went. Sling only pairs with an antenna tuner.
|
|
|
|
|
CU Medallion [64519]
TigerPulse: 100%
Posts: 88961
Joined: 3/27/01
|
Hulu or YouTube TV is the way to go IMO
Sep 2, 2020, 11:45 AM
|
|
YouTube doesn't have Fox Sports Southeast so I had to drop them.
|
|
|
|
Replies: 14
| visibility 1
|
|
|