5 ms·

I'm so frustrated by the state of things as I only subscribed to YoutubeTV because I wanted to watch Mets baseball and media blackouts prevent me from streaming

I'm so frustrated by the state of things as I only subscribed to YoutubeTV because I wanted to watch Mets baseball and media blackouts prevent me from streaming despite my MLB.tv subscription. The price has only risen over the years and it's been a pretty bitter pill to swallow. I already pay for Disney+ but am also paying for their content through YoutubeTV, which I rarely consume (never watch the disney channel; sometimes I have to watch baseball on ESPN because of media rights). ABC, which is really only used to record the Bachelor/ette programs in this house, is free with an antenna (but lacking the DVR). Not to mention you can watch it a day later using the Hulu subscription we also pay for. I love the DVR feature of YoutubeTV, but I really only record content that's free over the airwaves. Including This Old House, which is now owned by Roku and has it's own for pay streaming service. I'm paying eight ways to Sunday for this content, and increasingly of the opinion that it's not worth it. EDIT: Anyone know of a DVR + digital antenna solution I could implement? EDIT2: Just pulled the digital antenna out of the drawer and, as expected, the features of the surrounding landscape block all the channels.

ghaff 5y ago
TiVo still exists I guess if you can receive over the air.
wyldfire 5y ago
> EDIT: Anyone know of a DVR + digital antenna solution I could implement? Not sure about the current generation of devices but I had a HomeRun device [1] in the past and it was great. More recently I think I heard of a FireTV product that had an antenna and DVR support. [1] https://www.silicondust.com/ https://www.silicondust.com/
- tacon 5y ago
  I have been using an HD Homerun Extend bought used off eBay since 2015, with an HD antenna on a mast above the roof. For a few years, I used Windows Media Center's free electronic program guide as a DVR. That data feed became unstable, so I switched to program data from Schedules Direct[0], which costs $25/yr. [0] https://www.schedulesdirect.org/ https://www.schedulesdirect.org/
- briffle 5y ago
  Plex works well with the silicon dust boxes and an antenna
zippergz 5y ago
Yes, this is the thing that gets me. I'm paying a lot, for a bunch of separate services that have some but not complete overlap, because it's the only way to get all the stuff people in the family want. If it all worked well and wasn't a huge pain in the butt, I wouldn't even mind paying the amount we're paying. But it DOESN'T work well. Every app is different, things are constantly changing, now I have to explain to the rest of the family (who were skeptical about getting rid of cable in the first place) why they can't get ABC and ESPN on YouTube TV where they're used to getting it. This is probably making all the rights-holders happy because they're making more money, but it's a short-term solution. In the long run, they're going to be driving viewers away and won't be able to win them back. Yes, TV-watching is a pretty ingrained habit for a lot of people, but it's not set in stone. Other forms of entertainment can and will replace it if it becomes too much of a pain, too expensive, or too confusing.
- ghaff 5y ago
  Habit is a good way of putting it. As you say, it's pretty ingrained for a lot of people to switch on Sunday football, the Food Network, CNN, etc. and watch fairly passively/sort of in the background. But there's some point where it all becomes too much of a pain or costs too much. Change does happen over time. I know in my case, it was the realization I was paying $100/month to record shows to my DVR I never got around to watching and maybe have one or two sports games a month on in the background.
gausswho 5y ago
If you're inclined to try (with shields up!), the user experience and video quality of pirate sports streams have improved dramatically in the last few years. It's an interesting ethical quandary. I wouldn't mind chipping in financially but not with the current business model. Bundling TV channels I don't care about? No thanks. Local blackouts? Please. Paying the services that engage in these anti-consumer practices is only exacerbating the problem. I see pirate streams as doing my part to force the parties involved to find another way. As another comment alluded, this is an industry on the precipice of a moment. Along the lines of the arrival of Spotify, or the iPod. We're not far away now.

ghaff 5y ago

TiVo still exists I guess if you can receive over the air.

wyldfire 5y ago

> EDIT: Anyone know of a DVR + digital antenna solution I could implement? Not sure about the current generation of devices but I had a HomeRun device [1] in the past and it was great. More recently I think I heard of a FireTV product that had an antenna and DVR support. [1] https://www.silicondust.com/ https://www.silicondust.com/

tacon 5y ago
I have been using an HD Homerun Extend bought used off eBay since 2015, with an HD antenna on a mast above the roof. For a few years, I used Windows Media Center's free electronic program guide as a DVR. That data feed became unstable, so I switched to program data from Schedules Direct[0], which costs $25/yr. [0] https://www.schedulesdirect.org/ https://www.schedulesdirect.org/
briffle 5y ago
Plex works well with the silicon dust boxes and an antenna

zippergz 5y ago

Yes, this is the thing that gets me. I'm paying a lot, for a bunch of separate services that have some but not complete overlap, because it's the only way to get all the stuff people in the family want. If it all worked well and wasn't a huge pain in the butt, I wouldn't even mind paying the amount we're paying. But it DOESN'T work well. Every app is different, things are constantly changing, now I have to explain to the rest of the family (who were skeptical about getting rid of cable in the first place) why they can't get ABC and ESPN on YouTube TV where they're used to getting it. This is probably making all the rights-holders happy because they're making more money, but it's a short-term solution. In the long run, they're going to be driving viewers away and won't be able to win them back. Yes, TV-watching is a pretty ingrained habit for a lot of people, but it's not set in stone. Other forms of entertainment can and will replace it if it becomes too much of a pain, too expensive, or too confusing.

ghaff 5y ago
Habit is a good way of putting it. As you say, it's pretty ingrained for a lot of people to switch on Sunday football, the Food Network, CNN, etc. and watch fairly passively/sort of in the background. But there's some point where it all becomes too much of a pain or costs too much. Change does happen over time. I know in my case, it was the realization I was paying $100/month to record shows to my DVR I never got around to watching and maybe have one or two sports games a month on in the background.

gausswho 5y ago

If you're inclined to try (with shields up!), the user experience and video quality of pirate sports streams have improved dramatically in the last few years. It's an interesting ethical quandary. I wouldn't mind chipping in financially but not with the current business model. Bundling TV channels I don't care about? No thanks. Local blackouts? Please. Paying the services that engage in these anti-consumer practices is only exacerbating the problem. I see pirate streams as doing my part to force the parties involved to find another way. As another comment alluded, this is an industry on the precipice of a moment. Along the lines of the arrival of Spotify, or the iPod. We're not far away now.