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Need TV service with DVR capability lots of channels for under $100 a month. Yes, actual TV service...let's all pretend its 2003!

2,484 1,022 July 27, 2023 at 07:03 AM
Hi! YES! REALLY!

C'mon and help me out. AS CRAZY AS IT MAY SEEM in the age of streaming.

For more years than some of you have been alive, I have had either TIVO (which I won by seeing a post on here!) OR DirecTv. Now they want $188 a month for a Choice Xtra plan (199 channels, most crap but some great) with a DVR system and 3 boxes. No premium channels. 10-year-old equipment. They want me GONE. I posted in the DTV thread, and no one has answered. So, hop in the time machine and help a luddite, ok? (FWIW I already DO have streaming with Amazon Prime, Disney + and Netflix) But I need other channels. And local channels. So, please stop laughing at me and LMK if you have any ideas. Thanks!

Per the forum rules:
WHEN YOU POST PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

*Your budget: $78-$100 a month for a ton of channels including locals (not premium like MAX or Showtime, but fine if included in budget))
*How soon you need it: NOW!
*What you need including specific features:
DVR TV service with 3 boxes and lots of channels in Los Angeles, Ca.
*What it will be used for: Television watching. (please stop laughing)
*Any brand preferences NOPE!
*Anything else you can think of
We already have Cable Internet, so Spectrum is a possibility (currently on a plan so we can bundle but the prices there are high without a code, got a code?) but they are also the devil.
I know I am a luddite for using this system to watch TV. I can't deal with commercials and where we live an over the air antenna is not a good option. We tried that and it sucked. No way to get a consistent signal and lots of commercials.

Thanks for the help. I know I am a luddite for using this system to watch TV but the heart wants what it wants. Enjoy laughing at me. And have fun pretending it is 2003!

PeacePeacePeace
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Joined Aug 2008
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> bubble2 2,484 Posts
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Original Poster
minifigg
07-28-2023 at 09:04 AM.
07-28-2023 at 09:04 AM.
My Dudes: 140 reads and ZERO responses? Come on! Help me out here! laugh out loud
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> bubble2 2,484 Posts
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minifigg
08-02-2023 at 09:46 AM.
08-02-2023 at 09:46 AM.
Now 300 views and NOTHING. Thanks everybody! laugh out loud
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> bubble2 687 Posts
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zeroflight
08-11-2023 at 10:10 AM.
08-11-2023 at 10:10 AM.
Can't help with physical TV service as that's entirely dependent on your area, even down to the neighborhood. But if you have reliable internet, you might need to switch to a streaming TV service. You'd provide your own streaming box, something like a Roku or Fire stick or use a SmartTV that has that stuff built in. The services all have access to the on-demand stuff that individual networks make available. Some of them have additional libraries of their own but all are accessible (including their DVR) on any smart device - phone, tablet, laptop, TV, hell probably a smart fridge somewhere. There are quite a few providers now and they have different packages of channels, but the big ones worth looking at are:

DirectTV: They seem to have the most normal channels on offer for any of the streaming TV that I've seen though YouTube claims more. Unlimited Cloud DVR and various channel packages starting at $75. My folks switched to this a couple of years ago when their cable company wanted to charge them an extra $100/month on top of their service for a mandatory DVR box. This is about as close to normal cable TV that you're used to but not necessarily the most options.

Hulu: Unlimited cloud DVR. They advertise 75+ channels for their LiveTV service (as opposed to their regular streaming service). Their big draw is that it's not much more to add regular Hulu and get access to both the channels and their regular service/library. They have separate tiers for ad-basd or ad-free with the ad-free just LiveTV starting about $70. Not sure how that works with their LiveTV since TV channels have their own commercials but I'm guessing the ads are only as part of their regular Hulu service. Of course they want you on the ad version of anything so Ad-based Hulu + LiveTV is the same price as just the LiveTV, or bump to ad-free Hulu + LiveTV for $83. Limited to two simultaneous viewers but can be upgraded to unlimited for another $10/mo.

YouTube TV: This is probably the most inclusive one, probably because they're Google. They claim to have the most channels but I don't feel like verifying Big Grin Unlimited cloud DVR. Part of what makes them more versatile is that you can divide the service up into up to 6 separate accounts, like you would for Netflix. Each has their own DVR library, preferences, etc. which is nice when you want to record Antiques Roadshow, your kid wants endless Bubbleguppies, and your spouse can't get enough of Grey's Anatomy because then you don't have to see all of their entries clouding your list. You're limited to 3 simultaneous viewers but if you get the 4K TV add-on for $10/mo it bumps you to unlimited. Note that this doesn't make YouTube itself ad-free, all this is doing is giving you live TV on the YouTube platform. To make your YouTube videos ad-free you still have to get YT Premium which I think is $13/mo.

Additional note: some of those numbers are intro pricing but ultimately don't go up too much. At least, nothing like with cable companies' games. Some of the add-ons/upgrades have their own promos. This is just to give you an idea of where to start and some pros/cons.
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Last edited by zeroflight August 11, 2023 at 10:19 AM.
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Original Poster
minifigg
08-23-2023 at 04:35 PM.
08-23-2023 at 04:35 PM.
Quote from zeroflight :
Can't help with physical TV service as that's entirely dependent on your area, even down to the neighborhood. But if you have reliable internet, you might need to switch to a streaming TV service. You'd provide your own streaming box, something like a Roku or Fire stick or use a SmartTV that has that stuff built in. The services all have access to the on-demand stuff that individual networks make available. Some of them have additional libraries of their own but all are accessible (including their DVR) on any smart device - phone, tablet, laptop, TV, hell probably a smart fridge somewhere. There are quite a few providers now and they have different packages of channels, but the big ones worth looking at are:

DirectTV: They seem to have the most normal channels on offer for any of the streaming TV that I've seen though YouTube claims more. Unlimited Cloud DVR and various channel packages starting at $75. My folks switched to this a couple of years ago when their cable company wanted to charge them an extra $100/month on top of their service for a mandatory DVR box. This is about as close to normal cable TV that you're used to but not necessarily the most options.

Hulu: Unlimited cloud DVR. They advertise 75+ channels for their LiveTV service (as opposed to their regular streaming service). Their big draw is that it's not much more to add regular Hulu and get access to both the channels and their regular service/library. They have separate tiers for ad-basd or ad-free with the ad-free just LiveTV starting about $70. Not sure how that works with their LiveTV since TV channels have their own commercials but I'm guessing the ads are only as part of their regular Hulu service. Of course they want you on the ad version of anything so Ad-based Hulu + LiveTV is the same price as just the LiveTV, or bump to ad-free Hulu + LiveTV for $83. Limited to two simultaneous viewers but can be upgraded to unlimited for another $10/mo.

YouTube TV: This is probably the most inclusive one, probably because they're Google. They claim to have the most channels but I don't feel like verifying Big Grin Unlimited cloud DVR. Part of what makes them more versatile is that you can divide the service up into up to 6 separate accounts, like you would for Netflix. Each has their own DVR library, preferences, etc. which is nice when you want to record Antiques Roadshow, your kid wants endless Bubbleguppies, and your spouse can't get enough of Grey's Anatomy because then you don't have to see all of their entries clouding your list. You're limited to 3 simultaneous viewers but if you get the 4K TV add-on for $10/mo it bumps you to unlimited. Note that this doesn't make YouTube itself ad-free, all this is doing is giving you live TV on the YouTube platform. To make your YouTube videos ad-free you still have to get YT Premium which I think is $13/mo.

Additional note: some of those numbers are intro pricing but ultimately don't go up too much. At least, nothing like with cable companies' games. Some of the add-ons/upgrades have their own promos. This is just to give you an idea of where to start and some pros/cons.
Thanks! I appreciate the effort that went into this post. Great work!
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