Ditching cable for web/smart tv only...

[EarthDog]

Ok, so... thinking about ditching cable and just rocking some fast web (50/25) and this 55" Sammy smart TV. I dont watch too much TV that cant be seen with Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon, outside of sports. Sports are potentially my dealbeaker. So my questions are....

1. Those that love sports, what can you watch 'online'? I guess there is the 'watch espn' app, I suppose I can get that with my tv...
2. How do I view my local channels for sports? I assume an OTA antennae is required to get those stations? And will I really regress to 'rabbit ears' just to save a few dollars in the long run?
3. What other 'apps' can I get, with regards to watching TV, on that Sammy TV?

TIA!

 

[GoD_tattoo]

You can always look at either a small Htpc or an Apple TV 1/2 to run XBMC. Once running XBMC, you can install Navi-X, fast pass tv, and others. I got rid of cable about 4-5 months ago. Wish I had done it sooner. I don't watch sports though.

I download all the shows I want to my server, and watch them through my Apple TV. All in HD, and free. Only difference is I watch them the day after they air. Other than that, it's great!

None of this really answers any questions you asked. Just throwing it out there in case you start looking for alternatives to just the tv.

 

[Janus67]

Firstrow.eu for sports. I watch red zone on it.

I would recommend hooking up a laptop/htpc or something as the smart TV apps unfortunately are relatively lackluster or laggy on a lot of sets unless it has a dual core in it (as I've read anyway).

 

[EarthDog]

Excellent suggestions! Thanks!

Just a note for others that may reply, I will not start being a part of the apple machine. Im afraid I will like it and then be stuck with its great services! (and I dont want that)

 

[ssjwizard]

PS3 media server or PLEX are also good options to boost the capabilities of your smart TV as it offloads the hard work to your desktop.

Local channels you will need an antenna.

 

[hokiealumnus]

This isn't exactly helpful, but build a HTPC instead of trying to get a TV to do it for you, you ninny.

 

[EarthDog]

Ninny....

I will consider this as well... there are some shortcomings with my TV though... only ONE HDMI input so I have to switch between BrDVD, Xbox, and HTPC (I already do this with the same options + cable).

 

[MattNo5ss]

The specs say 3 HDMI and one Component. If you have only one HDMI, then you could at least use Component for one of the devices.

Also, what is a ninny? Is that old people language?

 

[EarthDog]

HTPC with my current tv, my bad.

 

[GoD_tattoo]

PS3 media server or PLEX are also good options to boost the capabilities of your smart TV as it offloads the hard work to your desktop.

Local channels you will need an antenna.

Come to the dark side (apple) hehe

As far as the PS3 goes, I use it with ps3 media server, but have found it has issues with some movies. It has some security on it that stops the audio half way through. To me it's not reliable enough as you never know what movies it may happen in. ATV2 hooks directly to my server and plays everything. Before setting this up, I used a laptop with XBMC on it.

 

[ssjwizard]

The protection you refer to is CinaVia it occurs when the original DTS audio gets transcoded because it has an extra channel with a watermark in it. The way to avoid that is to rip your disks with the original DTS audio and set PS3 media server to "DTS audio pass through" and let the PS3 decode the audio itself.

If your downloading media, well I cant help you with that...