OT - Kinda

[Brooky03]

I'm planning on getting rid of cable and just going with a Roku, but I want to know how this will impact my Syracuse basketball viewing. I'm sure I'm not the first to think of this, so does anybody have any insight? Will pretty much all non-conference games have to be streamed? How much ACC coverage will I get for the games not on the big networks?

I also plan on getting an HD antenna, if that helps.


Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[tptcuse]

I have the exact same question!

 

[zeekay]

ACC only streams a few. You NEED to have ESPN3 access which is either a) paying for cable or b) loaning a login from family or friends who have cable.

I do b) and haven't had actual cable TV for 2 years now. I stream everything.

Exhibitions and early games = Orange All Access
OOC games = mix of ESPN3 and if its a weird channel firstrowsports stream or a bar
ACC season = ACC free stream or borrow ESPN login to watch on ESPN3
Tourney = free CBS stream online or free HD broadcast with antenna since I'm in range of broadcast signals.

I will get ESPN on cable once we pass some anti monopoly laws which force cable companies to offer a la carte. Right now if I just want to have ESPN on my cable I have to pay $50/m since it only comes with third tier package. And I don't watch anything else on TV so that's a joke for me.

 

[Brooky03]

ACC only streams a few. You NEED to have ESPN3 access which is either a) paying for cable or b) loaning a login from family or friends who have cable.

I do b) and haven't had actual cable TV for 2 years now. I stream everything.

Exhibitions and early games = Orange All Access
OOC games = mix of ESPN3 and if its a weird channel firstrowsports stream or a bar
ACC season = ACC free stream or borrow ESPN login to watch on ESPN3
Tourney = free CBS stream online or free HD broadcast with antenna since I'm in range of broadcast signals.

I will get ESPN on cable once we pass some anti monopoly laws which force cable companies to offer a la carte. Right now if I just want to have ESPN on my cable I have to pay $50/m since it only comes with third tier package. And I don't watch anything else on TV so that's a joke for me.

Thanks for the info! Looks like I might go with the Roku and just bump up my internet speed a bit to handle the streaming. I have plenty of family members with Time Warner cable, so I'm sure I can bum a password from them.

 

[cto]

I have Direct TV... and could not be happier. I got all the SU games... both from the Big East and the ACC. And it is so much more reliable than cable. I never lost DIrect TV during Sandy, Irene or the crazy blizzards we've had the past few year.

 

[upperdeck]

for me there are way too many interesting shows that streaming just doesnt work well for and getting stuck watching tv in rooms with internet access its not worth saving $50 a month for the convenience . Also dont like having to try and watch stuff off the hacked sites, too many virus issues.

 

[TexanMark]

Thanks for the info! Looks like I might go with the Roku and just bump up my internet speed a bit to handle the streaming. I have plenty of family members with Time Warner cable, so I'm sure I can bum a password from them.

If you can do this (TWC) you should be okay. Does the ACC Regional Broadcasts come in OTA where you live?

For type of Roku---I'd get a Roku3. BTW, Roku has a TWC app...you can watch a bunch of programs. I have a legit TWC account but with Roku3 but I cut back to only one DVR/HD Cable Box. I stream TWC from my secondary TV through Roku. TWC is expensive but my only option where I live (condo) but there are ways to maximize what they offer. A phone call threatening to cancel a month ago yielded me a $25 savings and free HBO/Epix for a year. Of course they hope I keep HBO.

BTW, I would sign up with Solid Signal and get the daily deal. Lots of good stuff. Today's daily deal might be of interest to you. I bought my OTA antenna the size of a pizza box from them for my Lake Ontario camp and I get most Syracuse channels close to 90 miles from the broadcast towers.

http://www.solidsignal.com/Deal-Of-...m_medium=email&utm_source=inhouse&location=01

One last thing: a subscription to Orange All Access is not too bad. For about $90 a year I get some extra content...some video of games you might not get through ESPN3. Last week I just listened to the Hobart Lax on Audio...but a few other Lax games showed up with Video.

 

[NashvilleOrange]

I did this for last season with AppleTV/HD antenna. A good number of the games were shown on the package that doesn't need a cable login but as mentioned above, to get the full experience you should borrow a cable login. Because of the NBA playoffs being shown so much on TNT I actually just got cable for the first time in a couple years and it's pretty nice. It's also worth mentioning that a high speed connection is needed for the ESPN3 app to function without buffering. I had a 5 MB connection and I had a couple experiences where it buffered in key moments of the game. I upgraded to 50 MB which got rid of the issue but for some reason you can add cable to the package at no cost.

 

[OttoMets]

I tried that this fall and caved after the Virginia Tech game - I was missing too many road games. Unless there's something available via Roku that I'm unaware of, it wasn't the best fit.

But I'd love to dump cable again, provided I could have better luck with college hoops.

 

[Jasoncuse]

You need access to WatchESPN for sure. I have to borrow a login for that because my internet provider only gives me access to ESPN3. And yes, there is a difference.

I'm not sure about the ACC network broadcasts, but I saw what I couldn't get on Directv on the WatchESPN app. Does the ACC app shows games? I think you can watch on their website, though.

 

[TexanMark]

You need access to WatchESPN for sure. I have to borrow a login for that because my internet provider only gives me access to ESPN3. And yes, there is a difference.

I'm not sure about the ACC network broadcasts, but I saw what I couldn't get on Directv on the WatchESPN app. Does the ACC app shows games? I think you can watch on their website, though.

TWC has WatchESPN...yes...it is quite good