Alternatives to $$$$ Direct TV?

We’ve had Direct for many years. Their pricing is just going out of our reach. We do use both Netflix and Amazon. What economical alternatives are there to Direct? I see references to Roku, Hulu, etc. We want to be able to record most programs so we can FF commercials.

What’s working for you and what’s your ballpark cost (if you don’t mind sharing)? Thanks in advance.

Are there particular networks/shows/genres that are important to you? That may strongly influence which options are better for you.

I find CNET’s article the best for ‘at a glance’ comparisons.

Where it will give you a chart including the FF and virtual DVR storage options you mentioned in the OP.

When my father cut the cord, I advised Sling Orange + Blue, which gave him about 80% of his channels of note of the prior service at half the cost. But again, @kenobi_65 is absolutely correct, if there are channels that are a must for you, you need to check each service to make to find what you are happy with.

Stranger

Yup, I’ve made the list and checking it twice.

Thanks for that link. great resource. Lots of homework tonight.

Sling TV with DVR could be a good option

Is there anything now which is unique to Direct TV? I thought there were streaming alternatives for almost everything now.

One thing is their Sunday Ticket package, which gives you access to every NFL game broadcast (and which only they have); however, I think that one can now buy a streaming subscription to Sunday Ticket through an app.

I got a Roku stick and cancelled my cable two days later. It’s fantastic. I’m only annoyed it took me so long to try it. Not only do Netflix, Hulu and Prime work much better through Roku, but it has a bunch of other channels and Pluto TV which is a whole series of channels that basically cover what I was getting with Direct.

I watch football for free on my iPad or computer through Yahoo Sports.

I cancelled DirecTv about 4 or 5 years ago and I miss Turner Classic Movies. No current tv connections, streamers, etc. I could not stand the commercials. Now I have to see them, distractive zoomers too, while on the SDMB, etc., on line. I have a lot of dvds and Blu-Rays and a few select vhs movies when I want to watch them, but not a lot of recent ones.

A couple of months ago, I received a robotic recorded marketing telephone call at home from DirectTv. AT EFFing MIDNIGHT!!!

We cut the cable, but you don’t want to hear how happy we are with an over-the-air antenna.

Because we get commercials. Downside? See the Annoying Commercials thread; I’ve suffered through every one of those.

Upside? I get more time here. Show fades out, and before the first commercial comes on, I’ve got the laptop open to check random insanity in MPSIMS, then Café Society for upcoming movie news, and hmmm… is that rabid Trumpster in The Pit still around? Annnd, “How long has the show been back on? I got lost in the Dope…”

Oh, we have a Firestick for a few streaming services, too.

I’ve had some of those issues using streaming TV options that include commercials: PlexTV channels and Pluto TV. Admittedly, you are getting those services for the low, low price of free, but… I find I’ll just put on one of my archive of movies or TV shows in the background, or just enjoy streaming music from Amazon Prime Music (not the unlimited option, the basic one for prime members).

It’s not just that the commercials are annoying, but that it’s the same 2-3 commercials every commercial break for the whole show, which means I’m seeing about 5 minutes of each of the 3 commercials in an hour. And sometimes that pattern repeats in the next block. At which point, I -AM- the commercial.

Just kidding, I can barely make it through an hour, it’s the anti-binge effect.

I finally axed our DirecTV subscription. Been a subscriber for about 20 years. Last time we moved, about 5 1/2 years ago, we opted for the Genie server and wireless receivers for about 6 TV’s throughout the house. Service was good, but the momhtly prices just kept going up.

I looked at DirecTV’s streaming option, but wasn’t impressed with it. I opted to go with YouTubeTV’s streaming option. It’s less than a 1/3 of what I was paying for DirecTV and has most of the same channels I had, plus I got unlimited DVR. This along with many of the other streaming media services we have (Netflix, Prime, AppleTV, Disney+, ESPN+, Peacock, Hulu, etc.) should satisfy our entertainment needs.

One doesn’t have to record streaming. The shows are there for you at your leisure.

Not for live TV streaming. They don’t save that shit forever.

How about an antenna (we get about twenty channels that way) and record your shows to a hard drive?

That’s my plan…

I’m tired of the high cost of DirecTV as well. Does the DVR work on local channels?

Yes. Your local channels show up in the live guide based upon your zip code.