Cord Cutters Thread

[tbone_ 14126]

Back in the day (80s I think) the Basement in Dallas had a fireplace with a TV in it, showing a VCR video of a fireplace.

I thought that was pretty clever back then.

[WithoutAClue 15378]

HBO Max on Amazon devices now. From the email i received:

HBO Max is now available on Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablet devices. Now there are even more ways to stream over 10,000 hours of entertainment, curated just for you.

 

Start your 7-day free trial today.

[Viper 12109]

23 hours ago, Southland said:

Sorry to interrupt all the streaming fireplace talk, but looks like HBO Max app available tomorrow for Amazon Fire devices.

https://www.cnet.com/news/hbo-max-app-amazon-fire-tv-firestick-fire-tablets-starting-tuesday-roku/

 

4 minutes ago, WithoutAClue said:

HBO Max on Amazon devices now. From the email i received:

HBO Max is now available on Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablet devices. Now there are even more ways to stream over 10,000 hours of entertainment, curated just for you.

 

Start your 7-day free trial today.

username checks out

[BBQ2Bayou 807]

On 10/29/2020 at 3:32 PM, Viper said:

if you like YoutubeTV and will be keeping it for awhile, consider getting the new Chromecast with GoogleTV. The interface is slick and is custom made for youtubetv, comes with a remote that is just like roku's except you can use it for google voice search. It costs $50, but for $40 extra you can get 6 months free netflix ($77.94 value) that works whether you're a new or existing customer.

 

If you're a little advanced you can connect a bluetooth controller to it add a usb stick and download and play android games on it.

Yeah, this really is a good deal if you're going to have Netflix for the next 6 months anyway. I just got mine and in 2 steps, they credited my Netflix $84, so the Chromecast/Google TV cost 6 dollars. 

Don't know if it'll be any better or worse than the Fire TV, but didn't cost much. 

 

[Landomatic 3813]

On 11/17/2020 at 1:56 PM, WithoutAClue said:

HBO Max on Amazon devices now. From the email i received:

HBO Max is now available on Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablet devices. Now there are even more ways to stream over 10,000 hours of entertainment, curated just for you.

 

Start your 7-day free trial today.

Great news.  Refresh my memory... is the right way to do it to add HBO to YouTube TV then my login credentials will work on the Max app, right?  So I’ll have all the HBO’s on my YTTV guide that way, plus still be able to use the app for other shit?

[Landomatic 3813]

5 hours ago, Landomatic said:

Great news.  Refresh my memory... is the right way to do it to add HBO to YouTube TV then my login credentials will work on the Max app, right?  So I’ll have all the HBO’s on my YTTV guide that way, plus still be able to use the app for other shit?

Just figured it out myself.  Thanks for the help a-holes.  I was right, that’s the way you want to do it

[Knoxtnhorn 5976]

I'm confused.  I found where I can add channels on YouTubetv - HBO, HBO Max, Showtime, etc...; however, when clicking on the option, it sets it up as a pay service.  How do I add Max if I've already gpt HBO via my Prime acct?

[DallasHorn26 586]

On 11/17/2020 at 11:27 AM, tbone_ said:

Back in the day (80s I think) the Basement in Dallas had a fireplace with a TV in it, showing a VCR video of a fireplace.

I thought that was pretty clever back then.

 

This has been my go to "Yule Log" for a few years now.

[Landomatic 3813]

4 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

I'm confused.  I found where I can add channels on YouTubetv - HBO, HBO Max, Showtime, etc...; however, when clicking on the option, it sets it up as a pay service.  How do I add Max if I've already gpt HBO via my Prime acct?

You should then just be able to open the HBO Max app and use your login from YTTV.

[Knoxtnhorn 5976]

24 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

You should then just be able to open the HBO Max app and use your login from YTTV.

But if I'm using YouTubetv via a Roku, where can I get the app?  I didn't see it as an option on Roku or within YouTubetv.

[Landomatic 3813]

27 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

But if I'm using YouTubetv via a Roku, where can I get the app?  I didn't see it as an option on Roku or within YouTubetv.

Oh right, it’s not out on RoKu yet from what I know.  It just came out on Amazon FireTV yesterday but I think they’re still negotiating with RoKu.

[Orale 1087]

I have a Roku TV, so would it still make sense for me to get a Chromecast device to plug into it to run all my apps? 

[Viper 12109]

maybe for hbo max until it's on the roku, or if you have youtube tv and want a chromecast with google tv to run it. I'm not sure how that runs on a roku, but it's pretty seamless and integrated on a chromecast with google tv

[ChickenSandwich 9836]

On 11/19/2020 at 11:21 PM, Orale said:

I have a Roku TV, so would it still make sense for me to get a Chromecast device to plug into it to run all my apps? 

No

[MonkeyDoughnut 10243]

On 11/19/2020 at 11:21 PM, Orale said:

I have a Roku TV, so would it still make sense for me to get a Chromecast device to plug into it to run all my apps? 

Having used a bunch from chromecast to fire stick, fire cube and now new to Roku... Roku is really nice, much preferred on my TV that has built in. Easy and fast. Love it.

[Zone Read 299]

I've had T-vision for about a month now.  I'm pretty happy with it.  Good picture, gets LHN, Fox, FS1, and ABC so all Horns games are covered.  Works on Apple TV, Fire TV and iPad.  

Edited November 24, 2020 by Zone Read
added info

[DCLonghorn 244]

mesh wifi??? Comcast data cap?

TL:DR...looking for wifi router suggestions for analytics and less dropped signals.

I have a small enough place that a regular wifi router reaches all corners, and the back yard save a couple of dead spots. In this case, is a mesh set up worth it? Seems to me that a wireless mesh network creates additional wireless bottlenecks? Anyone got some knowledge?

I am asking this here because Comcast/Xfinity just announced they are instituting a data cap of 1.2 TB across the countrty in Jan, and my family busts that cap just about every month. So I went about trying to find the big drains...NVIDIA Shield or XBox YTTV streaming? Kids Chromebooks Zooming class all day? Video doorbell uploading? Dozens of devices background junk? Turns out it's not as easy to work out per device/user on the wifi as it is on cell phones unless your router has the functionality. My Netgear Nighthawk only give aggregate data.

So I'm thinking of getting the Google Mesh wifi router as it does give that granular data by device, which I think I will need moving forward. Secondarily, it may be time for a new router as the one I have drops several times a day and is getting old. I planned to wait for Wifi 6 to be more ubiquitous and cheaper, and for the recent bandwidth the FCC just designated for Wifi this month (5.9 GHz) to be added to devices to buy, but may go now if I can solve two issues...dropped wifi and better wifi analytics....but this get to my original question.

Does a mesh network do any better, and can it be worse, than a traditional single point router, if I don't need the extra points? Worth it to just get the Google Nest single router? Any other routers recommended for analytics and all around goodness.

I have a Netgear Modem, so likley would have gotten another Netgear so they play nicely together...but lots of awful reviews for Netgear as of late....for...dropped wifi. (-:

P.S. I have diligently checked every device that tells it's wifi data usuage and estimated based on the Googles for heavy-use devices/services and there is a HUGE gulf between what I can account for and what we use. Even assuming really high streaming usuage, really high Zoom usage, and the real stats from devices, I can only account for 2/3rds under the cap, and we are around 1.4 TB a month...ish.

#cordcutterfirstworldproblems

Sent from my SM-T970 using Tapatalk

[Viper 12109]

what's your internet speed? Yes a mesh with a wifi backbone it will cut your wifi top speed roughly in half, however if you're internet speed from comcast is only, say, 100mb then it won't really have an effect. Of course it is always better to mesh with a wired backbone to prevent this.

there's a ton of good google router deals out there right now

https://slickdeals.net/newsearch.php?src=SearchBarV2&q=google+router&searcharea=deals&searchin=first

the other, more technical option would be to see if you can flash a custom bios on your router that would give better analytics. Or you could try changing your wifi password and reconnecting everything you need and seeing if that cuts down on the bandwidth usage.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10243]

45 minutes ago, DCLonghorn said:

mesh wifi??? Comcast data cap?

TL:DR...looking for wifi router suggestions for analytics and less dropped signals.

I have a small enough place that a regular wifi router reaches all corners, and the back yard save a couple of dead spots. In this case, is a mesh set up worth it? Seems to me that a wireless mesh network creates additional wireless bottlenecks? Anyone got some knowledge?

I am asking this here because Comcast/Xfinity just announced they are instituting a data cap of 1.2 TB across the countrty in Jan, and my family busts that cap just about every month. So I went about trying to find the big drains...NVIDIA Shield or XBox YTTV streaming? Kids Chromebooks Zooming class all day? Video doorbell uploading? Dozens of devices background junk? Turns out it's not as easy to work out per device/user on the wifi as it is on cell phones unless your router has the functionality. My Netgear Nighthawk only give aggregate data.

So I'm thinking of getting the Google Mesh wifi router as it does give that granular data by device, which I think I will need moving forward. Secondarily, it may be time for a new router as the one I have drops several times a day and is getting old. I planned to wait for Wifi 6 to be more ubiquitous and cheaper, and for the recent bandwidth the FCC just designated for Wifi this month (5.9 GHz) to be added to devices to buy, but may go now if I can solve two issues...dropped wifi and better wifi analytics....but this get to my original question.

Does a mesh network do any better, and can it be worse, than a traditional single point router, if I don't need the extra points? Worth it to just get the Google Nest single router? Any other routers recommended for analytics and all around goodness.

I have a Netgear Modem, so likley would have gotten another Netgear so they play nicely together...but lots of awful reviews for Netgear as of late....for...dropped wifi. (-:

P.S. I have diligently checked every device that tells it's wifi data usuage and estimated based on the Googles for heavy-use devices/services and there is a HUGE gulf between what I can account for and what we use. Even assuming really high streaming usuage, really high Zoom usage, and the real stats from devices, I can only account for 2/3rds under the cap, and we are around 1.4 TB a month...ish.

#cordcutterfirstworldproblems

Sent from my SM-T970 using Tapatalk
 

I went with Google Nest Wifi for similar reason, wanted to be able to track per device data use over ranges of time. Works great for this.

I've got lots of electronics going on with wife and 4 kids at time of switch and nothing in the house was anywhere close to an iPhones use. Half android / half Apple house and Apple data use was roughly 8:1. I'm not an Apple guy so don't know what was consuming it. Could have been the Apple users taking more pics, bigger cloud sync, more video, really no clue. I ended up just paying for no-cap plan as saw likely no way we were going to get anywhere under it.  Non phone use accounted for maybe half at most in a month..

TLDR: check the phone wifi data use as was way more than I expected

Edited November 24, 2020 by MonkeyDoughnut

[DCLonghorn 244]

what's your internet speed? Yes a mesh with a wifi backbone it will cut your wifi top speed roughly in half, however if you're internet speed from comcast is only, say, 100mb then it won't really have an effect. Of course it is always better to mesh with a wired backbone to prevent this.
there's a ton of good google router deals out there right now
https://slickdeals.net/newsearch.php?src=SearchBarV2&q=google+router&searcharea=deals&searchin=first
the other, more technical option would be to see if you can flash a custom bios on your router that would give better analytics. Or you could try changing your wifi password and reconnecting everything you need and seeing if that cuts down on the bandwidth usage.

Spot on...100 Mbps.

Wired beyond the base isn't practical....yet.

Do you mean that at 100 Mbps, it's so slow that a mesh won't have a benefit/not enough speed to make a a difference, or that it won't cut the speed in half at that speed? I'm guessing the former.

By the way, we often talk about needing more speed on here. I have 3 highschoolers on Zoom and me and the wife in Teams at the same time...5 video chatting at the same time, and don't have any issues with speed...except when the random drops happen. When it does drop...speed is great just before and just after drop...still trying to diagnose that...current theory is that it's the router.

I'm not sure I want more speed with the new data caps!

[MonkeyDoughnut 10243]

13 minutes ago, DCLonghorn said:

Spot on...100 Mbps.

Wired beyond the base isn't practical....yet.

Do you mean that at 100 Mbps, it's so slow that a mesh won't have a benefit/not enough speed to make a a difference, or that it won't cut the speed in half at that speed? I'm guessing the former.

By the way, we often talk about needing more speed on here. I have 3 highschoolers on Zoom and me and the wife in Teams at the same time...5 video chatting at the same time, and don't have any issues with speed...except when the random drops happen. When it does drop...speed is great just before and just after drop...still trying to diagnose that...current theory is that it's the router.

I'm not sure I want more speed with the new data caps!

Higher speed past 100 really will only come into play if your moving a lot of data around like file transfers, remote desktop use, or multiple 4K streams. If your comfortably at the 100 speed, I'd look around at any available internet options you have.  I know ATT (fiber) is awesome, 100M is $45/mth and starting last month all their plans have no data cap. Question is if it's available where you are at.

[Viper 12109]

25 minutes ago, DCLonghorn said:

Spot on...100 Mbps.

Wired beyond the base isn't practical....yet.

Do you mean that at 100 Mbps, it's so slow that a mesh won't have a benefit/not enough speed to make a a difference, or that it won't cut the speed in half at that speed? I'm guessing the former.

By the way, we often talk about needing more speed on here. I have 3 highschoolers on Zoom and me and the wife in Teams at the same time...5 video chatting at the same time, and don't have any issues with speed...except when the random drops happen. When it does drop...speed is great just before and just after drop...still trying to diagnose that...current theory is that it's the router.

I'm not sure I want more speed with the new data caps!

the mesh is going to use the bandwidth of the wifi to communicate basically cutting available wifi bandwidth in half. If the internet wire coming into your home is only 100mbs then that wouldn't really be a big deal since the wifi bandwidth should be anywhere from 3-6x that, so the bottleneck will still be the wire internet coming into your home just as it is now.

[Landomatic 3813]

HBO Max app is slower than dirt.  Anyone else finding this?

[bschoolprof 6255]

1 hour ago, Landomatic said:

HBO Max app is slower than dirt.  Anyone else finding this?

Yes.  Very clunky.  

[Buzzrock 14921]

Anecdotal but I picked up a new firestick on Prime Day and it’s much faster than the OS on my Roku sticks or TCL Roku TV. 4K Apple TV is still the fastest. Very noticeable for changing channels on YTTV. 

[Landomatic 3813]

7 hours ago, bschoolprof said:

Yes.  Very clunky.  

I think I'm going to have to cancel.  I can't imagine anyone is paying for this thing if it's half as slow as mine.  I mean, it will just sit there and grind for several minutes before loading a screen.  And I've got as fast a connection as you can get and every other device, app. etc works flawlessly.  Very disappoint

[bschoolprof 6255]

Just now, Landomatic said:

I think I'm going to have to cancel.  I can't imagine anyone is paying for this thing if it's half as slow as mine.  I mean, it will just sit there and grind for several minutes before loading a screen.  And I've got as fast a connection as you can get and every other device, app. etc works flawlessly.  Very disappoint

Which streaming box/device do you run the app on? I'm on apple TV and mine is sluggish, but not to the extent you're describing.  

[Landomatic 3813]

6 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

Which streaming box/device do you run the app on? I'm on apple TV and mine is sluggish, but not to the extent you're describing.  

Fire TV.  YTTV, Netflix and Hulu are all fine.  This thing is dreadful

[TwiceHorn 31484]

HBO apps have always sucked cock in one way or another.  No casting, terrible format, slow as fuck, so on so forth.

Really only fully usable on a PC.

[NoName 16352]

anyone have the new Chromecast w/ Google TV? thoughts on it? considering getting one for my parents who basically only watch YTTV and Netflix so it should be pretty easy for them there.

 

 

[Viper 12109]

9 minutes ago, NoName said:

anyone have the new Chromecast w/ Google TV? thoughts on it? considering getting one for my parents who basically only watch YTTV and Netflix so it should be pretty easy for them there.

 

 

I got two and love it. The remote is nice, though not the most ergonomic but better than the Roku remote. The software is great and I love the recommendations they offer. It combines your wishlists from the different services into one. You can just press the google assistant button and speak "play the Mandalorian" and it will open up disney+ to the Mandalorian ready to play. From what I understand it's great with YTTV, there's a google app called live channels that hooks up to YTTV and you can flip through channels like on a tv. It also does 4k for cheaper than the chromecast ultra.

If you have ethernet, don't bother with the google adapter, it only goes to 100mbs. Get a usb-c hub with ethernet and you can get up to around 350mbs. Can also add an sd card or usb stick to the hub to increase the storage and then download android games to play on the tv.

 

Annoyances are that there doesn't seem to be a way to sign into a different google profile for youtube so I'm getting a lot of recommendations based off my wife's viewing history.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Anyone reading anything about these streaming services, Hulu live/yttv adding Fox sports regional back with NHL and NBA returning soon?

[DCLonghorn 244]

I got two and love it. The remote is nice, though not the most ergonomic but better than the Roku remote. The software is great and I love the recommendations they offer. It combines your wishlists from the different services into one. You can just press the google assistant button and speak "play the Mandalorian" and it will open up disney+ to the Mandalorian ready to play. From what I understand it's great with YTTV, there's a google app called live channels that hooks up to YTTV and you can flip through channels like on a tv. It also does 4k for cheaper than the chromecast ultra.
If you have ethernet, don't bother with the google adapter, it only goes to 100mbs. Get a usb-c hub with ethernet and you can get up to around 350mbs. Can also add an sd card or usb stick to the hub to increase the storage and then download android games to play on the tv.
 
Annoyances are that there doesn't seem to be a way to sign into a different google profile for youtube so I'm getting a lot of recommendations based off my wife's viewing history.

Just installed one last night. Haven't been able to put it through its paces yet, but set up was very easy. And the interface is amazing. I have previously side loaded the interface on my Nvidia Shield. And it is exactly as expected. It is kind of a pain in the ass to have to install passwords and usernames for all the various apps. But it's amazing to actually have the apps and not have to cast it from the phone.

The remote does feel a bit cheap/plasticy... But so great to finally have one with Chromecast.

I did experience a couple of glitches here and there trying to load apps for the first time or add username and passwords. Had to restart a couple times. I expect those will work themselves out with use.

Worlds better than older chromcast or watching streaming service on the Xbox.

[DCLonghorn 244]

Anyone reading anything about these streaming services, Hulu live/yttv adding Fox sports regional back with NHL and NBA returning soon?

Haven't seen that yet, but I'll always bet against Sinclair doing anything that consumers like.

And their newly negotiated name. Ballys Sports Channel. All of them. Although I don't see how they can avoid sticking a regional name at the end or they all have the same name. That doesn't work when they all show different teams and content.

[Okie State 3821]

I have the new Chromecast and other than some software glitches with the remote I really like it.

[DCLonghorn 244]

I also got the Google Nest Wifi with one mesh point per our discussion above. So far no drops or slow downs...but it's only the first day. I was reluctant to get a mesh system in my smaller sq ft place, and a device that doesn't have Wifi 6. So far so good.

And the kids are besides themselves with the Google Assistant features of the mesh point. I reminded them there were already 4 Android devices in the room with the same capability, plus four Amazon tablets/Alexa, and 4 laptops/Cortana. Somehow, a speaker/router point on the dresser is much more fun.

A couple of quirks/notes: The Google Home App does not give historic wifi data usage, only real-time. You have to download the Google Wifi app for that. Took me a bit to figure that out.

The Google Assistant on the mesh point is quirky. Cool = tell it to watch the soccer game on NBCSN. It turns on the TV and the Shield and turns on the right channel. Not Cool = it isn't playing the channel on the usual YTTV, it's some sort of weird bizarro YTTV shell that doesn't have the same controls to pause and start, and hangs up and freezes.

Also, the wife was none too pleased at 4a to hear the "ocean sounds" the app told me would only play for 1 hour. She thought there was a water leak somewhere and went hunting for it! And never thought to just tell it to turn off. While I enjoy the inadvertant prank, I will pay for that.

[NoName 16352]

15 hours ago, DCLonghorn said:

The Google Assistant on the mesh point is quirky. Cool = tell it to watch the soccer game on NBCSN. It turns on the TV and the Shield and turns on the right channel. Not Cool = it isn't playing the channel on the usual YTTV, it's some sort of weird bizarro YTTV shell that doesn't have the same controls to pause and start, and hangs up and freezes.

I may be wrong but I think it literally is "chromecasting" it vs opening it in the app when you tell it to do something via voice, used to use it with my setup and got super annoyed when I would hit play/pause and it would go to the home screen

[MonkeyDoughnut 10243]

On 11/30/2020 at 9:25 AM, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Anyone reading anything about these streaming services, Hulu live/yttv adding Fox sports regional back with NHL and NBA returning soon?

With their recent Bally corp partnership their are upping their sports betting / viewing capability. They have indicated they will likely not ever be returning to Hulu or YTTV etc but said will stream direct to consumer in 2021.  So I would expect a Netflix type regional sports network streaming setup pretty soon. Frankly I'm all for it if can get rid of much of the blackout situations and I can pick any/all of their markets to watch.

Good article on it: https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2020/11/23/sinclair-says-it-will-be-offering-standalone-rsn-products-as-soon-as-next-year/

Edited December 1, 2020 by MonkeyDoughnut
added article link

[DCLonghorn 244]

Are blackout rules dictated by the league? The team? Sport by sport differences? My guess is Bally/Sinclair won't be able to change the nature of blackouts without renogotiations and paying more.

Or VPN!

[Buzzrock 14921]

The ESPN blackout thing is really fucking annoying when you’re a YTTV subscriber and have no way to access the Fox regional feed. 

[DCLonghorn 244]

I know this isn't the TV cord to cut...but it's a cord to cut nonetheless. Anyone have any good recommedations for a VOIP provider?

Ooma? Others?

We currently have VOIP phone through Comcast, but they no longer offer phone and internet bundles and the price is about to go up. Turns out my $100 for 100 Mbps and phone was an intro offer! Wow.

It goes up to $120 month in Jan, or I can switch to a cheaper internet only plan and get some other provider for home phone as I can't get the Mrs. off that legacy phone thing.

Suggestions? Pitfalls? I'd prefer a one time charge over a monthly, buf fine with whatever works well and ends up cheaper in the long run.

By the way, the current offers, which I can't tell if they are intro/locked in for two years or open to all for internet only is:

$55 - 100 Mbps (my current speed...which seems to work well with a big family and loads of streaming/zoooming/gaming)
$70 - 200 Mbps
$80 - 300 Mbps
$90 - 600 Mbps
$100 - 1 Gb

I am pretty sure these prices are BEFORE they up the rates nationwide in Jan....edit from serching the Googles...these prices will likely go up by $3 a month:

https://www.cnet.com/news/comcast-will-raise-prices-for-tv-and-internet-in-january/

If you have Comcast/Xfnity...you should read this...lots of prices going up...including on RSNs.

I wanted to let the fam get used to the new Google Nest wifi for a week to see if our dropping Internet would improve before I decide if more speed would help. Since the speed just before and just after the periodic and short drops is near 100 Mbps, I am guessing that speed isn't the issue and won't improve the situation, but still trying to figure that puzzle out. Any bigbrains...holler if you got insights.

[LosIllini 91]

42 minutes ago, DCLonghorn said:

I know this isn't the TV cord to cut...but it's a cord to cut nonetheless. Anyone have any good recommedations for a VOIP provider?

Ooma? Others?

We currently have VOIP phone through Comcast, but they no longer offer phone and internet bundles and the price is about to go up. Turns out my $100 for 100 Mbps and phone was an intro offer! Wow.

I switched my Att voip service over to voip.ms in the summer.  Experience has been really good.  I'm using a $60 Obi/Polycom box for my existing Panasonic cordless phones, and a $150 Polycom speakerphone from amazon for my home office (which I plug into my home net via ethernet).  Poly also makes a speakerphone that works over wifi, if you aren't hardwired.

I talk a lot for work- and my total monthly bill has been running ~$10-15.  I pay $4.25/ month for my service, and am billed for incoming ($0.01/minute), but, not outgoing calls.  Has all the bells and whistles- voicemail, forwarding, waiting, conference, voicemail to emailbox, etc. and works with nomorobo (for spam calls).  And, I was able to port my existing landline number over- took about 5 days, from start to finish.

Little bit tricky to setup, but, they have online guides, and customer service via chat has been good.  Works great.

Edited December 1, 2020 by LosIllini

[Godzillatron 292]

ATT TV Now has lost all the local stations owned by Tegna, which includes KVUE in Austin.

[Buzzrock 14921]

I’m genuinely curious why you want a home phone service at all. We ditched ours when we moved a couple years ago and haven’t missed it. The two adults and one high-schooler have cell phones, and if the 5th grader needs to call us for some reason he can use one of several Alexas we have sprinkled around. 

[DCLonghorn 244]

I’m genuinely curious why you want a home phone service at all. We ditched ours when we moved a couple years ago and haven’t missed it. The two adults and one high-schooler have cell phones, and if the 5th grader needs to call us for some reason he can use one of several Alexas we have sprinkled around. 

Wife.

But after researching, I see now reason to have voip phones as a back up to cell phones, when the cell phones can make voip calls if needed...at no cost.

Working the wife to let me cancel.

[Buzzrock 14921]

There are plenty of apps that will let you make a call, like FaceTime and WhatsApp. I have no idea what international phone call rates are these days. 

[Viper 12109]

10 hours ago, Godzillatron said:

ATT TV Now has lost all the local stations owned by Tegna, which includes KVUE in Austin.

more people are going to need to get their own antenna again for local stations. that, or stop watching dancing with the stars.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13512]

someone always blinks in the carrier vs local station battles. The carriers starts to lose subscribers that miss dancing with the stars, and the local station receives less in advertising dollars. Not agreeing is a lose-lose situation. 

[BBQ2Bayou 807]

Is Apple TV my best bet for my olderish parents, as opposed to Fire, Roku or Google? They have a few apps that aren't on their smart tv that they want. I use Fire and Google, so I can easily show them that, but is Apple more elderly friendly? They aren't too bad. Yet 

[Buzzrock 14921]

I don’t think so. In fact I think the Apple Remote is kind of maddening. I think Roku has the easiest interface.