- Location
- Milwaukee, WI USA
- Name
- Luke
My wife and I are moving next month and when I went to contact the cable company about the move, they said that there was now a charge for set-top boxes when there wasn't when I signed up with them (in 2007 I might add). So for the same service, they expect me to pay an additional $16 per month (on top of the $120 a month for combined internet and cable). I am fed up. I've looked into alternatives and they all have some drawbacks, but I think I'm willing to live with some of them.
I signed up today for "PlayOn" which charged me $65 (this is a lifetime subscription.....that's all they're ever gonna get). It seems like a service that basically aggregates all the free programming that various outlets provide and gives you a fairly simple to use interface to find what you want. I will use my Playstation 3 to stream the "PlayOn" material from my laptop to my TV. My first experience with it is a bit like watching video on the internet. It's not high def...that's fer sure... and there are occasional hiccups, quality glitches and pauses/hang-ups.
Now I'm quite far from tech savvy, but that's why I'm here.....some of you are. My internet speed is technically a "high speed" connection, but I have the bottom level of service (which has always been more than enough for email and light youtube kind of video stuff. I just did a speedtest and my downstream is 3.65Mbps. For $10 more per month, I can get 12Mbs or $25 per month, I can get 24Mbps. As we're chopping $70 per month off our cable bill, I have no problem with either, though obviously, I'd like to get away with only the extra $10 (otherwise it'll cut into the camera buying budget). Is this enough speed to cure what ails my quality issues? Or is part of the problem of going from the router/gateway wirelessly to the laptop and streamed through the PlayStation? In the new house, I could have my PC hardwired to the router (and the PS3 as well) if any of that would help?
Is this even my best solution?
What other options should I consider?
Also, anyone here get HD local programming via an antennae? My wife remembers antennae reception from the 80s, but I think it's a bit different now. Am I wrong in that?
I appreciate any of your opinions on the matter. Thanks for your time.
I signed up today for "PlayOn" which charged me $65 (this is a lifetime subscription.....that's all they're ever gonna get). It seems like a service that basically aggregates all the free programming that various outlets provide and gives you a fairly simple to use interface to find what you want. I will use my Playstation 3 to stream the "PlayOn" material from my laptop to my TV. My first experience with it is a bit like watching video on the internet. It's not high def...that's fer sure... and there are occasional hiccups, quality glitches and pauses/hang-ups.
Now I'm quite far from tech savvy, but that's why I'm here.....some of you are. My internet speed is technically a "high speed" connection, but I have the bottom level of service (which has always been more than enough for email and light youtube kind of video stuff. I just did a speedtest and my downstream is 3.65Mbps. For $10 more per month, I can get 12Mbs or $25 per month, I can get 24Mbps. As we're chopping $70 per month off our cable bill, I have no problem with either, though obviously, I'd like to get away with only the extra $10 (otherwise it'll cut into the camera buying budget). Is this enough speed to cure what ails my quality issues? Or is part of the problem of going from the router/gateway wirelessly to the laptop and streamed through the PlayStation? In the new house, I could have my PC hardwired to the router (and the PS3 as well) if any of that would help?
Is this even my best solution?
What other options should I consider?
Also, anyone here get HD local programming via an antennae? My wife remembers antennae reception from the 80s, but I think it's a bit different now. Am I wrong in that?
I appreciate any of your opinions on the matter. Thanks for your time.