Being the Geek that I am...I knew that I could get all of the channels that I pay close to $100 for with DirecTV online-I actually do not watch much TV.
My son, Connor, suggested Sony Playstation Vue for an alternative to satellite. They offer a free trial, so I went for it. He suggested the Amazon Fire Stick to access the Playstation Vue network since I do not have a Playstation. The Firestick offers a "guide" similar to what you are accustomed to on a cable system or satellite.
I actually do NOT watch much TV, so I asked my wife, "What channels do you HAVE to have?" Her answer was less than five...pretty much cementing our decision to cut the cord.
Playstation Vue actually had MORE channels for $34.95 than I was paying $51.99 for on DirecTV, including ESPN, BTN and others. The next challenge was to purchase a HD antenna that would be able to get all of our local channels. This one supposedly has a 150 mile reception, and it seems to work fine. After some research, I purchased this one from Wal Mart:
This is working for me, but your individual situation may be different. You can find what channels you can get from this site: http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/
After assembling the antenna and mounting it, I was able to scan for available channels and receive all of the local networks available, with awesome clarity.
I was hoping the switch would be easy, and so far, it is.
When I called DirecTV today, they of course, wanted to keep me as a customer and offered me a $15 savings/month (for ONE year), which I declined. I informed them that I can get all of the channels I currently get PLUS more for less than I am paying now. I did not think I should have to pay an additional amount for EACH television that I wanted to watch THEIR (DirecTV)'s content on. (they could not argue with this fact.)
If you have multiple TV's, you can use a splitter from the antenna for the over-the-air antenna channels. I used my existing cable wiring that I had for DirecTV. For the Playstation Vue, you can use various technology to accomplish this with the Amazon TV and Roku, or Playstation on each television-still in the long run, spending less than you do for DirecTV.
The cool thing about the Vue is that you can select certain shows as "favorites" and they will, basically, "DVR" them so you can watch later.
Hopefully this will help you "cut the cord." I feel that the big "dish" companies take advantage of the fact that they think they are the only way to access the various network channels, which is obviously not the case.
Feel free to contact me with any questions you have about "cutting the cord" at mike.liz.peterson@gmail.com
Happy cutting.
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