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Got everything hooked up, really pleased. ChromeCast is pretty cool. Never knew there was a RedbullTV channel.
Anyone with ChromeCast know if there is an app yet, or planned for live sports? I got WatchESPN, but it is reliant on having a Cable or Dish provider. If I could get Avalanche and Rockies, I would be set.
After 19 years in the business.. yes it is.Originally Posted by MarkCO
sent from a soup can and some string..
Last edited by def90; 01-02-2014 at 20:47.
If you are going chrome cast route take the time and build a plex server if you have the technical ability. That way you can throw on about any movie from sources shall we say "less than legal"? and stream them to your TV and other devices (tablets,pcs,phones etc.)
Wanted to do a little update...
I got a cheap HDTV antennae for the TV in the gun room, and a micro PC. It works pretty good and I can watch OTA HD and it is really good quality. Then I hooked up the ChromeCast, it was okay, but not marvelous. Since I got it a year ago, they have added a lot to it and I can now cast from any device (music, photos, my content, etc) running Chrome as a browser. I have figured out how to do pretty much everything I want except sports that are not network broadcast. I also got a FireStickTV dongle and I think I actually like it better than than Chromecast, but I use Amazon Prime so that increases the value there. I did end up getting a better HDTV antennae for the main TV. My wife really wants a DVR, so I am looking at getting one that will record OTA live HDTV so she can record her shows and watch them when she wants. So for about $300 or so in total hardware, I have a wider selection, the shows we wanted and no monthly bill.
I was able to get some sports, but not everything. It looks to be better in 2015 than it was a year ago, but then a few Rockies games a few Avs games and the Broncos are about the only sports I watch anymore.
Sling Television, just announced as a sister company of DishNetwork looks to be the final piece of the puzzle for me. $20/month with no contract for live sports and several other channels.
Honestly, I have no idea why anyone would keep Dish, Comcast or Direct with the options available in 2015. I am not a tech genius, but I was able to figure it all out with about 10 hours of research and 5 hours of configuration and set-up over the course of a year. I am sure there are others interested, and still others that are WAY beyond me, but this thread has had so few responses, I figure I will at least outline what I have and what I am doing with it all. I looked at the Roku a little, but the Chrome and Amazon integration seemed easier to me for what I choose.
First, I have a Samsung Plasma as the main TV that has two HDMI ports. One has a Chromecast ($30) in it, the other a FireTV ($20) stick. I took down my Dish Satellite and replaced it with an RCA outdoor DTV OTA antennae ($50) and connected the cable from the Satellite dish to the antennae. I also have a Tablo OTA DVR with USB connected HDD. The antennae connects directly to the Tablo which I then use to tune the OTA stations. Our smart phones control all of the devices and apps, the ChromeCast, the FireTV Stick and the Tablo. The Tablo streams any of the live or recorded OTA stations through the ChromeCast, to our smartphones, tablet or PC that is on the network. It is really pretty cool and seemed like the best combination to be able to watch live, as well as record, network TV for no fees. ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and about 25 other stations, some I have never heard of that are pretty cool, come through the Tablo. From the Tablo app, tap on a station to watch, tap on a show to record.
I have Amazon Prime through work, so that was a pretty simple choice to add the FireTV stick. Since I run the Chrome browsers, casting my PC or laptop screens to the HDTV is pretty cool there. I can also play my entire music library from Amazon.
The only downside I see it that the Tablo requires a $4.99/month or $149 Liftetime fee for access to their menu based recording app. But you can still watch live and record manually if you don't want to do that.
So, I went from about a $90/month DishNetwork bill to $0/month for the total cost of about $500 and right now, the only thing I can not get is the ESPN stations, and for $20/month, I will probably do that in the winter months. I have not added up all the content, but it is easily tripple what we had. I also prefer the searchable menus on the smart phones to find the shows/content I want. Just looking for stuff, we have enjoyed watching some of the movies we enjoyed as kids/teenagers with our kids.
How I started was with ChromeCast and DishNetwork and slowly, we found shows and content we wanted through apps or online streaming. Then I put my DishNetwork into a suspended mode ($5/month) for 6 months and we watched the DVR shows that we had recorded and started using the Tablo for live TV.
I hope this helps someone. While I am sure the 20 somethings have the whole digital age all figured out, I never used a computer until college, and it had punch cards, really. Satellite TV seemed easy, and while I know we all watch too much of the crap, there are shows the wife and I enjoy. I decided last year that the I was going to learn what I needed and figure out how to get rid of Satellite/cable and still get the content I wanted. From what I have learned and seen over the past year, if I had a job reliant on Satellite/Cable I would be looking for a job real quick.
Mark,
Do you need a separate Chromecast stick for each TV?
What would you lose without the Firestick?
If you don't mind moving the chromecast from tv to tv, then one is fine, which is what we do, but I'm over it and about to buy another one, or get the Amazon option.
You can move it. The Fire gives me Amazon prime video, some games, apps and music not on Chrome Cast.
if u got a streaming device one of these downloads is the hot ticket for streaming tv...might have to jailbreak your d
kodi.tv/download
search the youtube for kodi and xbmc. joenobody and spoonfed productions make helpful guides....
USAF - 1989-2011
The reason most people will always pay a service provider is because they don't want to have to research, install, and maintain their own stuff. They want to pay $100 a month for cable, phone, and internet and have someone else do all the work. Most people won't troubleshoot simple stuff like the tv being on the wrong input, they will wait two days for a tech to come out and change that input for them. More and more people are useing Roku, and apple boxes etc, then when it quits or they can't figure stuff out and that provider can't help them they call their cable/satellite provider for help because they are lost. Even the younger college age kids, which are actually the worst at troubleshooting abilities, will call a service provider and pay a $70 service call before they try changing the batteries in the remote. But then again IT guys will pay a $99 service call for internet speed problems before they even see if the problem is with their equipment. The people that will spend the time and effort to maintain their own home entertainment set ups are few and far between.
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