Comcast v BTN

Chickenlounge said:
@thedukeofearl & @MelroseHawkins Tell me more about OOMA. Is the router a full router? Like could I plug in Google WiFi into it for wireless coverage? How configurable is the router itself? Or is it just for the OOMA service and you have to have a separate router for everything else? Is it free long distance? Or only local? Any idea if I can port my existing landline number to them?

Sorry for the laundry-list of questions. :)

Thanks!
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I use CenturyLinks router. Costs $10 a month and is very good. They will replace it for free if there are problems. It is worth $10 to me. Worry free.....

I plug OOMA into my CenturyLink router and set it up. Takes about 30 minutes or less. Instructions are easy. All you need is internet connection with a good router. You only need one router for everything. It will automatically connect with all wireless devices or services. I use one of my Rokus wirelessly on the CenturyLink router.

Ooma has free long distance and every feature you could want. Just buy the Ooma box, plug it into the router and register it online at the Ooma website. It will work with every telephone in the house. No extra wiring needed. One feature I like is that you can access Voicemail in your email account. When I miss a call, I can go to my Gmail and play the message from my account. Very convenient.....

Here is the link to the Amazon page. They are usually $10 cheaper than buying it directly from Ooma. Amazon will accept returns immediately and refund your money as soon as they receive the item back. You can arrange returns easily. Repackage it, seal it, put it on the porch and UPS will pick it up the next day.....

Can't post the Amazon link. Just go to Amazon.com and type Ooma into the search box.....

:cool:
 
MelroseHawkins said:
Do you have the Bluetooth OOMA?
Click to expand...


No, I just use the router and have no problems at all......

Dearly love it.....

:cool:
MelroseHawkins said:
Not sure about the Google WiFi. I know my OOMA box is plugged into my either modem or wireless router. Can't remember without looking. There are different ways to configure/set it up.

YES - Free long distance, I think. May have to verify.
YES - Has typical voice mail, call block features, etc..
YES - You can port your existing land line phone number and use that

It really is a good deal. My techy IT guy at the university told me about it. I needed a phone at home as my young boys could start to be left at home at times and they didn't have cell phones at that time. Was a cheap way to have a "landline". I was very surprised at the clarity of the phone and I just purchased some inexpensive V-Tech phone as I didn't have one lying around the house.

It's been very stable and has all the features of a regular phone. I might have to check on your long distance question. I thought was free but I never use it to call long distance.
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Exactly. Ooma is the goods, Melrose. Love it and never will look back.....

Long distance is definitely free from Alaska to Florida and all points in between.....

Not certain about Hawaii. I have friends living there but we don't communicate by telephone.....

:cool:
 
Fryowa said:
Has anyone here had Hulu live? I've had problems with Vue and I'm planning on making the switch (cheaper also). If it helps, I don't watch one single bit of TV that isn't a sporting event or sports-related news. None. All I want are ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, BTN, and Fox.

Just wondering what the playback experience has been.

Oh, and I also NEED to have 60 fps frame rate. 30 fps is absolute murder when watching anything fast paced. It looks like there's a strobe light on in the room.

EDIT: I see after looking it up that Hulu is 60 fps on everything other than CBS affiliates.
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I tried Hulu. It was in Beta mode and was needed to fix some problems. I didn't like it at all. DirecTV Now and Playstation Vue are better in my opinion, but I prefer Youtube TV. It costs $45 a month, no contract and they have unlimited DVR. You can record the entire season of available shows. I am recording Better Call Saul, Season 4 now. When the season is over, I will probably binge watch it, fast forwarding thru the commercials.....

They have BTN, all ESPN and Fox Sports 1. That covers most college sports. They also have CBS and Fox in DM for Pro Football.....

Just try Youtube TV for free. See if you like it.....

:cool:
 
Chickenlounge said:
Thanks @MelroseHawkins, I'm going to have to look into that.

What is your Internet speed? Both download and upload? I currently have 60Mbps down and 5Mbps up via CenturyLink DSL. I'm wondering if the 5 will be sufficient for this, since DSL doesn't offer any faster upload speeds.
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You might only need download for TV and most internet. Sixty Mpbs should be sufficient for all your needs.....

:cool:
MelroseHawkins said:
I also have the OOMA phone. It's been great. Literally pay about $5 a month just for the taxes, 911 surcharge etc.. No other fees once purchase the hardware.

TV I also have YouTube TV. In my area I get all the locals including NBC. There is absolutely no reason to have cable or satellite now.
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I pay $10 plus fees and taxes, about $14 a month, but I do not get any telemarketing. It is worth the extra, but $5 is excellent. Mediacom was terrible, poor reception, telemarketers calling early in morning, at night and on Saturday and Sundays.....

:cool:
 
thedukeofearl said:
I tried Hulu. It was in Beta mode and was needed to fix some problems. I didn't like it at all. DirecTV Now and Playstation Vue are better in my opinion, but I prefer Youtube TV. It costs $45 a month, no contract and they have unlimited DVR. You can record the entire season of available shows. I am recording Better Call Saul, Season 4 now. When the season is over, I will probably binge watch it, fast forwarding thru the commercials.....

They have BTN, all ESPN and Fox Sports 1. That covers most college sports. They also have CBS and Fox in DM for Pro Football.....

Just try Youtube TV for free. See if you like it.....

:cool:
Click to expand...
Can't. It's only available in CR and Des Moines in Iowa. YouTube is only an option for people living in major metros.
 
Fryowa said:
Can't. It's only available in CR and Des Moines in Iowa. YouTube is only an option for people living in major metros.
Click to expand...


It will come around sometime. Try DirectvNow. They have all the sports channels you want. They also usually have really good deals for first time subscribers, like 2/3 months at half price. That would be about $20/25 a month for all sports channels and the basic cable channels. TBS, TNT, AMC, etc.....

Just have to use an indoor antenna for local channels. They work well and cost about $20. I have a flat one that I fasten to the North wall with push pins.....

Right now you can get Directv Now for $10 a month for the first 3 months. That is an unbelievable deal.....Damn

:cool:
 
thedukeofearl said:
I use CenturyLinks router. Costs $10 a month and is very good. They will replace it for free if there are problems. It is worth $10 to me. Worry free.....

I plug OOMA into my CenturyLink router and set it up. Takes about 30 minutes or less. Instructions are easy. All you need is internet connection with a good router. You only need one router for everything. It will automatically connect with all wireless devices or services. I use one of my Rokus wirelessly on the CenturyLink router.

Ooma has free long distance and every feature you could want. Just buy the Ooma box, plug it into the router and register it online at the Ooma website. It will work with every telephone in the house. No extra wiring needed. One feature I like is that you can access Voicemail in your email account. When I miss a call, I can go to my Gmail and play the message from my account. Very convenient.....

Here is the link to the Amazon page. They are usually $10 cheaper than buying it directly from Ooma. Amazon will accept returns immediately and refund your money as soon as they receive the item back. You can arrange returns easily. Repackage it, seal it, put it on the porch and UPS will pick it up the next day.....

Can't post the Amazon link. Just go to Amazon.com and type Ooma into the search box.....

:cool:
Click to expand...


Might be a very stupid question on my part, what do you get when you have your Roku plugged into your wireless router? I'm not that techy. What does that enable you to do?
 
MelroseHawkins said:
Might be a very stupid question on my part, what do you get when you have your Roku plugged into your wireless router? I'm not that techy. What does that enable you to do?
Click to expand...


No problem, just plug it in the router with an ethernet cable, and set it up on Roku. Have to put the router Passcode in the Roku setup page. You can register it wired or wirelessly if your Roku model has wireless connection. I have had Roku for years, 10 or more. I have 4 of them right now. Two wired and 2 connected wirelessly using the same router.....

Just need to connect the Roku to the TV with an ethernet cable if you don't have a wireless Roku box.....

:cool:
 
Fryowa said:
Has anyone here had Hulu live? I've had problems with Vue and I'm planning on making the switch (cheaper also). If it helps, I don't watch one single bit of TV that isn't a sporting event or sports-related news. None. All I want are ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, BTN, and Fox.

Just wondering what the playback experience has been.

Oh, and I also NEED to have 60 fps frame rate. 30 fps is absolute murder when watching anything fast paced. It looks like there's a strobe light on in the room.

EDIT: I see after looking it up that Hulu is 60 fps on everything other than CBS affiliates.
Click to expand...

Honestly, PSVue is little more user-friendly for some stuff, but I really like Hulu/Hulu Live for programming "favorites". PSVue sucks for that, but the movement from channel to channel might be a little easier with PSVue than Hulu.

Frankly, I see zero reason to have cable or satellite these days. Especially NOW, when my wife has openly stated "I don't really need Hallmark Channel". THAT made my week!
 
MelroseHawkins said:
Might be a very stupid question on my part, what do you get when you have your Roku plugged into your wireless router? I'm not that techy. What does that enable you to do?
Click to expand...

I think--if I read correctly--he doesn't plug it in, he uses it "wireless". I'm not even sure you COULD plug a Roku directly to a router, at least not the one we have.

But it begs the question: can I take my FireStick "anywhere" that has wi-fi and plug it into my laptop for watching? If so, that is too awesome.
 
thedukeofearl said:
No problem, just plug it in the router with an ethernet cable, and set it up on Roku. Have to put the router Passcode in the Roku setup page. You can register it wired or wirelessly if your Roku model has wireless connection. I have had Roku for years, 10 or more. I have 4 of them right now. Two wired and 2 connected wirelessly using the same router.....

Just need to connect the Roku to the TV with an ethernet cable if you don't have a wireless Roku box.....

:cool:
Click to expand...
Ah. I just have the Roku sticks for each TV. Not a Roku box.
 
I have Comcast with the sports package out here in Washington state and while BTN is listed in the guide, it isn't available.
 
hawkeyebob62 said:
I think--if I read correctly--he doesn't plug it in, he uses it "wireless". I'm not even sure you COULD plug a Roku directly to a router, at least not the one we have.

But it begs the question: can I take my FireStick "anywhere" that has wi-fi and plug it into my laptop for watching? If so, that is too awesome.
Click to expand...


You can take your FireStick almost anywhere that has an internet connection and use it. Just have to put the different wifi password in and probably have to use your personal password for the FireStick.....

Some take the Stick with them when traveling. They use them in Hotels and at friends/relatives homes.....

:cool:
 
hawkeyebob62 said:
Frankly, I see zero reason to have cable or satellite these days.
Click to expand...
My old lady has to have TVJapan. $25 a month for one channel. And it is only on a handful of cable providers and Dish. So I have cable with AT&T, but my neighborhood has AT&T fiber and Charter, so my cable with pretty much all the channels except the premium ones is only $40 a month before adding TVJapan, which is the same price as a decent streaming service. But if you don't have competition among carriers you are gonna get hosed on cable.
 
HawkeyeDenis said:
I have Comcast with the sports package out here in Washington state and while BTN is listed in the guide, it isn't available.
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I think they are in negotiations and Comcast is holding the BTN hostage until the BTN caves, which I'm not sure they will this time. this is nothing new wiht providers right before football season. It's a huge pizzing match and chess game between them. The BIG 10 folks have warned people they may want to find a different provider.
 
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My son and I both have been very happy with YoutubeTV. Not that we won't keep an eye on others. I kind'a think the writing is on the walls for cable companies much like the state of land lines 10 years ago.
 
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