What devices and/or services do use to watch tv? If you watch tv.
I use a small silver wire circle antenna from the 70s to get 19 of my local digital channels for free. Tried fancy, expensive new 'digital' antennas from big stores. They didn't work as well as the old fashioned 70s one.
My wireless internet connection for my smartphone is T-Mobile 4G LTE for $70 a month for unlimited high speed data (up to 50Mb of data, then it slows down) it was the most data in a plan when I purchased my plan. I like T-Mobile. On a very rare occasion my signal is weak.
On my smartphone, I use the SlingTV app television service for about $30 a month, the dvr for $5 a month. My plan has lots of good major channels. TNT, FX, MSNBC etc.
The basic set of SlingTV channels is about $20.
I really like being able to watch SlingTV or any tv/video app on my smartphone, with as much tv/video as I want, anywhere I can get a strong T-Mobile signal. When I've watched a pretty good amount of tv/video in a month, I haven't passed the 50Mb mark yet.
I can screen mirror anything that's playing on my smartphone screen (SlingTV, Netflix, YouTube) onto my digital television. The two screens will look identical when connected and working.
Wanted to screenmirror smartphone to digital tv, but didn't which ones to buy. You can't just buy one and hope it works. If you only have a smartphone with a screen mirror option, you can walk through the tv section of a store and test each tv that's on, to see if it will screen mirror with your smartphone.
Had to figure out, by researching totally on the web, which smartphones and digital tvs would work together. Because I didn't have either one. You don't guess, you want to know before buying. It was very frustrating for me, when I did this 3 years ago.
BestBuy told me I couldn't screen mirror without a special cable that would connect my smartphone directly to the new digital tv. They didn't know what they were talking about. They didn't know that you can connect two wirelessly.
I connect my Samsung Galaxy S5 wirelessly to my new digital Samsung television. That's the way they were designed to work.
After a lot of research on the web about smartphones and digital tvs I finally bought my used my Samsung Galaxy S5 for $250 at a Gamestop.
I bought my 40"inch Samsung digital in 2015. It has the screen mirroring capability.
When researching on the web for a smartphone, I was looking for one with the screenmirror and hotspot option. I rarely ever use the hotspot option. So I won't the hotspot option in my future smartphone.
I initially liked this smartphone because it also works as a hotspot. It's kinda like your smartphone working as a wifi modem like in houses or in businesses. A laptop can use a smartphone's wifi to connect to the internet.
When I was a long haul trucker, all my gadgets HAD to be mobile. I only use my smartphone on the road now. My MUST HAVE car GPS is the free Google Maps smartphone app. Since 1997, I've used all kinds of gps devices. My smartphone and the free Google Maps smartphone app is best I've EVER used, by FAR. I have a windshield cradle for my smartphone. When my smartphone is in the cradle I can easily see Google Maps. Google Maps has so many VERY practical options in it. Apple tried to make their GPS own device. They failed. That's how hard it is to make one.
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23 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I have basic cable,plus hulu,amazon prime,and netflix. I had cable through time warner at one time,told them to disconnect it,because im paying for internet,plus those streaming services. They left the basic channels on,i just ran my wire right to my tv. Well,they mustve found out recently,because they cut it off. Fuckers.lol I have hbogo also,i have to have my westworld. Im so addicted to that show.
Tofuqueen
Level 5
July 9, 2018
3
You can use an antenna designed for analog signal to receive digital? I had no idea.
indirect76
Level 7
July 9, 2018
3
I didn't believe it til my dad showed me. I couldn't believe it! He gave me one of his spares.
@JohnINFP Maybe we are giving too much credit to the wrong equipment... maybe the magic is on the tuner in the tv, I reckon that is where the converter is. Some tv stations may be putting out analog signal... it is all in the market. Honest, I don't know if tv stations are forced to transmit in both but I remember old tv tuners were limited by numbers of chanels thus came the use of cable box converters tuning chanels for you and transmiting the signal to one chanel of the tv, 3 or 4.
I use netflix and hulu mostly. My parents have digital cable which I have hooked up in my living room but I rarely use
LadyAlyxandrea
Level 8
July 9, 2018
3
Satellite TV. Nothing else available out here in the boonies. Anything streaming doesn't really work well. But I don't watch TV that much anyway.
graceylou
Level 8
July 8, 2018
3
Satellite tv is so empowering to people where cable has refused to go. I used to install Primestar systems before they were bought out by Dish. I installed Dish and Directv before they hit it big. When I would put one in for a person in eastern Kentucky where there's nothing, they would be so happy and grateful. Many lived in trailers. They were the ones glad to see me. I felt like Santa! They were so friendly and down to earth. They weren't picky at all. Now the rich people were picky as hell. Ukk I didn't like installing for them. Their houses are crazy complicated. Everything in their houses were expensive. A nightmare to run lines from dish to tv receiver.
I didn't know that 70's antennas were digital, I thought they were analog.
GipsyOfNewSpain
Level 9
July 9, 2018
2
No 70s antennas picked up analog TV signals, now they pick up digital signals.
@oldFloyd That do not jive with the poster.
There is no such thing as a digital antenna. It's just an antenna.
@jwd45244 I had seen digital antenna in the market.
@GipsyOfNewSpain marketing ploy
@jwd45244 got you.
i have a ROKU 3 that I use with Netflix, and Amazon. I cut the cord several years ago, and don't miss it at all. I also don't watch a huge amount of tv.
obviouspseudonym
Level 5
July 9, 2018
2
I have a Roku TV but I only use it to play DVD's I get from the library, other than that I don't bother with it, I'd rather read or do other things.
Surfpirate
Level 9
July 8, 2018
2
Netflix through my daughter's PS3. I have Amazon Prime but always forget to use it. I hooked up an antenna the night before Obama's inauguration so I could watch it but, other than that, everything else was awful so after the inauguration, I disconnected the antenna and haven't missed it since.
Lauren
Level 8
July 8, 2018
2
My daughter bought me a roku tv so there is a lot to watch. Hulu, Amazon and Netflix have family plans so my daughter pays and I watch. She also shares others that she has subscriptions to. Isn’t she a great daughter? There are many different apps to choose from that aren’t subscription. Depends on what you like. There’s some games, too. She also sent one of those new fangled antennas but it really doesn’t work.
kltuckmn
Level 7
July 8, 2018
2
Fiber optics and a FireStick. I used to have NetFlix.
Piece2YourPuzzle
Level 8
July 9, 2018
1
I live in a building that is on the National Register of Historic Places so I get free expanded basic cable. I barely watch tv though so it doesn't really matter.
sewchick57
Level 7
July 9, 2018
1
Nice to have the free cable!
@JohnINFP I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay for it otherwise.
I gave up cable and satellite years ago and only use an OTA antenna, but there is little I watch on commercial TV at all. I have a computer connected to my HDTV, use it as my monitor and watch YouTube videos and other things of interest to me from the Internet.
jlynn37
Level 8
July 9, 2018
1
So cool! Computer to HDTV
I don't have cable. Tv with ota antenna. 19 free local digital channels
@JohnINFP Just get a computer, (desktop or laptop), connect to your big screen HDTV using HDMI or VGA depending on your computer output. You will need wireless mouse and keyboard to control from across the room. Open your browser and start watching streaming movies, videos and anything you can find on the internet.
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