How-to tips on cutting the cord

Introduction

As we learned in grade school, every good story answers who, what, when, where, and why. The who in this instance is you, dear reader, whether you’re family, friend, or foe.

As regards what, the focus is on streaming boxes. Two, to be specific, one by NVidia and the other by onn. And like all good stories it’s David vs Goliath (although which is which is not readily apparent).

The when is obvious. Right now, as of the date this is published. And with regard to where, it’s anywhere in the USA because the focus is on Americans who feel the pinch.

That the information is also applicable to Europeans and Asians is obvious but the focus is on we the people. That this also includes everyone feeling like they’ve been taken advantage of, or at the very least aren’t being respected with the love they deserve by the forces of big business, well, this part is on purpose.

Finally, on the subject of why; the best reason of all, sweet revenge!

Don’t understand? You will when you finish reading, trust me. So to be clear, my goal is a) is sharing a few tips on how-to finally cut the cord, whilst b) showing how to get yours back against those who wronged you. There are other ‘whys’. Let me explain.

Real reason why

When I first brought this up, a mate at work had questions, as did my father. So when the old man got curious about all this, because of his hearing (92 y/o), we communicate a lot by email instead of phone.

Note, while it may be true of a lot of elderly folks, I don’t ever confuse old and stupid with him. This, because he’s more ‘techie’ than most. Like he ditched Windows for Linux maybe 10 years ago. So while his body may be letting him down, his brain’s all there ‘and’ readily runs rings around many/most (he’s a retired EE – definitely not stupid).

Point being, email being email, this meant you’d ask a question, press send and before it’s even gone realize you’d forgotten to ask a question. End result being so many emails and information going back and forth it gets confusing. So dropping all the info into a blog post, instead, would be way easier. This way there’s one centralized place with the information (e.g. organized into a useful resource).

Anyway, by the time I was done, it had become so information dense I realized it wouldn’t be a heck of lot more work to make an official askJOHN blog-post (my usual technology haunt is about Android powered IPTV boxes, something totally different, instead).

Saying using the WordPress site for a private blog entry was simple enough. In fact, I do it quite a lot. E.g. there’s a private blog entry for my antique Mercedes-Benz 450SL (because I’m car queer, also).

So because all this took were a few photos, plus I additional links, and a bit of background information (like about antennas and how I mounted one in the attic for catching OTA), then presto, here we are!

Real-real reason for ‘you’

You, however should read this because of the numbers to your personal economy. Saying others may find this useful because the number$ are staggering. Like we have had DirecTV for +20 years. Simple math; what began at $70/month became $100, then $120, and now is over $150. And DirecTV is, like they just snuck in a new $3/month charge!

You do you, but they strike me as sneaky in their business practice. Anyway, just using $100/month as the basis for some numbers to keep things simple, that’s $100/month x 12mo/year, or $1200/year.

And that’s $1200/yr x 20 years or $24,000. This neglects interest and opportunity, e.g. the money-costs an accountant and investor know all about. So just grade school back of the envelop math, and we’re talking enough money to go pay cash for brand new Honda Accord!

So in this article, I’m about to show you how to do it for the next thing to free. How? I’ll save you the time of reading the article by telling by straight up you who killed Cock Robin . . . just by buying a Android streaming box that costs from $30-350 a pop, hooks up to the Internet, and replaces your cable or satellite receiver box.

Even costing 30-minutes of your life, read this and benefit.

Background

I’ve had a DirecTV satellite dish for years. And a few years back, when I got frustrated with them, I told them to fuck off. In a moment of weakness I allowed them back into my life but now I’ve done it a 2nd time.

This actually has a name in the world of cable TV . . . cord cutting.

First time I cut the cord I went 3 years sans the cable TV experience. Speaking of which, did I sign up for cable with Spectrum, instead? Nope, because as is seemingly true in large swaths of America, these ‘players’ often don’t compete for my business head-to-head.

Anticompetitive behavior?

Like, purely by coincidence, Spectrum’s service stops about 1/2-mile from my house. And despite my occasionally desperate entreaties over the course of 20 years, they seemingly won’t ‘trespass’ on AT&T’s service area. Like seriously, you won’t, you refuse, you can’t extend your cable just another lousy 1/2 mile? Are you kidding me?

Honestly? It’s distressingly easy to birdwalk into a rant about government failing us by not preventing what seems (to little guys like me) as outright collusion and anti-competitive behavior, but what’s the use? I’m just one teeny-tiny gear within a transmission comprised of 350-million gears. And if I may mix my metaphors, I don’t want to become road kill by getting caught up within said gears! Or put another way, I’ve given up.

This, because I only have so many grains of sand in my personal hourglass. Saying, besides spending time on model airplanes and old cars, I have a wife, and beautiful grandsons, business interests, and friends. Any, upon which, I’d far rather expend my time and effort.

In short, I absolutely don’t want to spend what remains of my life like Don Quixote railing against windmills (although in my case, against the unimaginably large financial forces of the television industry).

Lobbyists and government

Of course, some say the reason the television industry gets away with this behavior is Congress is bought and paid for. Honestly? Other than going out to vote, I doubt there’s anything we the people (that would be you and me) can do to drain this particular swamp.

Heck, even state and local government are in on the gravy train (campaign contributions by television lobbyists). Saying state and local government are basically doing the bidding of the cable giants.

How? By blocking locals from self-developing their own fiber infrastructure. After all, fiber optic cable isn’t horribly expensive and putting it into the ground or stringing it on poles isn’t rocket science.

For example, I live in Florida, one of 26 states with laws either restricting or banning municipally-owned broadband networks. In our case, it’s because of legislation enacted in 2005 (bill 350.18).

So for ‘reasons’ they restrict cities (that hadn’t already) from deploying fiber optic internet and competing with the cable giants. Reasons likely equates to money in their pocket, aka personal gain. True story. And sad.

Fiber optic cities

Interestingly, this isn’t true everywhere in Florida because some cities had development before the law took effect so they’re grandfathered in. And in fact, throughout the USA there is a movement gaining strength to create fiber optic cities.

Fiber optic cities basically means any municipality that’s invested in building out its own fiber optic network. This, for the purpose of providing high-speed internet access to residents and businesses within the city limits.

Examples include Longmont, CO and Wilson, NC. Then there are so called public-private partnership like that of Chattanooga, TN and Sandy, OR. This reference because they go further. How? Simple, by utilizing what’s called an open access business model.

Open access is where the city says, Here’s the fiber optic infrastructure, feel free to use it and offer internet service.

And just like that, instead of the situation I’ve been living with where there’s only ‘one’ provider, these cities deliver to the residents many providers – all utilizing the city’s fiber infrastructure. In turn, the city makes money, the companies make money, and customers get better internet service for less than what the majors want to charge.

So better prices due to price competition. Strikes me as win-win-win!

• If you’re curious to learn more, this link is a good start.

Anyway, please forgive me, but just like that I’ve digressed into politics, into which and about, I didn’t intend to intrude. Meanwhile, back to DirecTV, and my telling them to shove it the 1st time I cut the cord . . . here’s how it went down.

I’m done, take it back!

So 10 years or so ago, when I called DirecTV and told the CSR who answered (CSR is customer service representative) that I wanted to quit their service, they protested and offered to lower the price and add some channels for ‘free’. These, as ‘enticements’ to keep my business.

Honestly? All this did was further tick me off. Like had they offered me this deal all along (instead of hosing me for so many years) then I probably wouldn’t have been ticked off to begin with. Let me explain.

As background, the playlist I’d signed up for with DirecTV included several ESPN channels, but not all. Also didn’t include History Channel, and some others I geek out on, either.

Specifically to ESPN, there was a college game I wanted to watch, and ESPN offered it on their ESPN-U channel, but the way DirecTV has things structured, this required, a) I sign up for a higher cost playlist (what they call a ‘package’ of channels), and b) also meant extending my ‘contract’ for another 2-years. I didn’t ‘want’ to extend.

And, to be blunt, I felt I was paying plenty, already – but – it’s their business and that’s how they chose to play their games. For my part, however, I’m not powerless in the relationship.

This, because I could vote with my feet. And this is what I was doing when I called to speak with a CSR.

I’m not alone

What’s more, seems I’m not alone in this as people are cutting the cord and abandoning the relationship with DirecTV in droves. Proof?

Simple, I went to Statista and swiped this graphic showing the beyond incredibly horrible hemorrhaging of USA-customers, which DirecTV has been undergoing over the last decade (these stats are by quarter from 2014 to 2023).

Honestly? As a business owner, I am speechless at what’s going on!

Like how does whomever is running this shitshow still have a job? Why hasn’t the board fired the entire C-suite? It’s my opinion, not knowing a damn thing about their business, that whomever is in charge of this disaster needs to find another line of work.

Going from a touch over 20M customers to 10M customer, or put another way, losing HALF your customer base in 8 years is a freaking disaster! It’s like someone took How-to Lose Money 101 and not only earned an A+, but then got the plum job of running DirecTV.

And as if it couldn’t get worse, they’ve persisted. Like rule one when you find yourself in a hole is stop digging! Yet this has been going on for almost a decade. Like holy smokes, what’s the board thinking?

Me? If that were ‘my’ business, then something would change. Starting with the suits in charge! Seriously, all they have to do is go back to basics – beginning with;

• Stop hosing the customer with so many playlists, and
• Stop playing pricing games (like introductory pricing), and
• Stop those stinking 2-year contracts

Specifically to the contracts, does anybody want to be married to a company for 1 second longer than they choose to be in the relationship? Please explain how trying to force folks to stay via a contract ever creates good will, e.g. hopes they will some day reconsider and return to the fold? I’m waiting.

But nobody has asked me, so not my circus, not my monkey.

Back to quitting the relationship; saying despite the enticements of a better deal and more channels, I held firm with closing the account. Eventually, the CSR gave up and agreed to cancel my service.

Of course, they wanted their equipment back (satellite equivalent of a cable box). This is perfectly reasonable since it’s theirs. So DirecTV sent a post-paid box into which we placed their receivers (I’d been ponying up for four of them throughout the house).

However, if you think about it, I was actually a pretty good customer, think cash cow. Especially as the marginal cost of keeping me is pretty low because they already have the satellites in orbit, and I had the receivers. Like wouldn’t it be better to cut the price in half and double the customer base? After all, eyeball count is what’s valued!

Anyway, just like that, we returned their hardware. But not all of it.

Everything but the kitchen sink

Strange as it may seem, they didn’t want their iconic dish-shaped antenna back. Whatever.

Fortunately, this wasn’t too much of an inconvenience as I had had the foresight to create a remote antenna pedestal (a mount) in the side yard of our home. This merely involved installing a 2-1/2in steel pipe standing proud of ground level about waist high.

The base of the pedestal sits in concrete about 18in below grade (wanted it ‘sturdy’ in case I bumped it whilst mowing). Plus I also buried 1/2in PVC pipe leading to our home and up the wall before turning 90° and penetrating the wall via an LB box.

This, for the purpose of running the cable to the house in other than bare dirt and/or leaving it exposed to the elements and rodents. Basically, the PVC pipe transitions to steel once it turns up the wall. Underground it serves as cheap insurance against the cable being nicked whilst digging in the future, and once it goes up the wall of the building, it helps preclude weather and rodent damage. Using an LB is just best practice to maintain integrity against critters and bugs gaining entrance to the attic. There’s a right way and wrong way for pretty much everything, and when routing wires and cables, pipe and an LB box is the right way of going about it. not the cheapest, the best.

Why go to all that trouble? Simple, because I don’t want the holes (required for mounting an antenna) being drilled into my roof (remember, Florida, lots of rain). Basically, given enough time and sun, any holes will eventually allow the entry of water, thus damaging the structural integrity of the home. The idea is to avoid penetrating the roof’s shingles, which are your homes first line of defense.

Anyway, as a consequence, deleting the antenna from my life just meant walking over and unbolting it. Amounted to a few minutes and out to the street it went (disappeared before garbage day, probably a scrapper for the metal content, but hey, everybody has to eat). And not my lookout since DirecTV didn’t want it back.

Did this mean we were going without the boob tube? Not hardly because I went out and got an antenna, instead.

Look before you leap

You see, I had a plan before I cut the cord. Like I’m old enough to grok what look before you leap, really means, capsici?

Remember, to begin with I already knew Spectrum wouldn’t perform within AT&T’s territory. Meant if I wanted to watch the majors, plus PBS, and whatnot, I needed a plan. Call it Plan B.

Plan B – an antenna

I’m a simple guy and thus, I had a simple plan. In a nutshell, buy an antenna . . . like we had when I was a kid. Worked before anybody had cable TV (when satellite television was still science fiction), so if it worked then, I figured it would work again.

Fundamental reason this would work is the broadcast majors (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have long been granted free licenses to the airwaves by the US Government (that’s you and me, e.g. we the people). As a consequence, they have stations scattered across the country airing the television signals from their towers. Hence, over the air (OTA). Free is a damned good price on which to found a business, isn’t it?

So anybody with an antenna can receive said signals and watch television for free. Of course nothing is free (except that chuck of spectrum they get from our mutual Uncle). So we actually pay for this boon. How?

Simple, by watching the commercials they embed in the stream of programming every few minutes. Heck, it’s the American way.

Interestingly, as it happens, these same majors play an outsized role in cable and satellite programming. Basically, they’re hedging their bets. Join me in a brief birdwalk.

Birdwalk – an incestuous relationship

For example, ABC is essentially Disney and ESPN, plus A&E. As background, the Walt Disney Company owns ABC and ESPN. ABC is a division of Disney, and ESPN is owned by ABC, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Disney. ESPN is also owned by Hearst Communications, which holds a 20% interest in the company. Hearst?

Yup, remember William Randolph Hearst? That guy got his beginning in San Francisco with a newspaper and upon moving to New York, ended up creating the largest newspaper chain in the country. As a reminder, he’s the big guy in the movie Citizen Kane. Point being, he may be dead but his media business interests remain. And they, as they should, make bank.

And remember I mentioned A&E? Well, Arts & Entertainment (Lifetime, History Channel, VICE, and others) is another media empire in its own right. And it’s part owned by Hearst and ABC. But NBC are in on the A&E bandwagon to the tune of 25%. Means ABC and NBC are joined at the hip pocket since they own it together. So who owns DirecTV? TPG Inc. and they’re owned by the big money interests of Wall Street, think Blackrock, et al.

Saying watching television is big business. And your eyeballs (your time, attention, and wallet) are worth big money to big business. Else they’re not involved.

And it’s all incestuously intertwined, and while we may have the Internet (along with Netflix and Prime subscriptions), pretty much any and every channel you care to watch is owned by the majors.

Is what it is and I’m not tilting at windmills. But keep this in the back of your mind because the reason I’m relating this is it’s germane to the story. So circling back to what I did, I bought an OTA antenna.

Anyway, OTA means Over The Air, and yes, this means I bought an old-school Yagi antenna.

Anyway, these things are old as the hills (being basically comprised of parallel resonant antenna elements in an end-fire array). They’re cheap (paid <$100 at Radio Shack, but nowadays, Amazon has them even cheaper, hence no more Radio Shack). They’re readily available.

Bigger is better

What’s more, if you’re of a certain age, then you know the bigger the better the better the signal. Saying an antenna twice as large can catch signals from a ‘lot’ further away.

Me? I grew up at a time when everybody had one of these things mounted to a steel pole behind their home. Everybody except that one guy who had a tree obstructing the line of sight to the local stations.

Higher is better, too

So he mounted his pole, complete with guy wires, ‘on’ his roof. And then he mounted the antenna on top of that! In gaining an extra 35 feet of altitude (by putting his antenna higher than everybody else’s), it meant it could see further.

Meant he had the best reception of all the folks in the neighborhood!

The bigger an antenna, the better but because the horizon is about 60 miles away, then the higher, the better, also!

More than one TV

So here’s the thing, when I was a kid everybody had one television. Meant the flat 300? lead brought the signal from the antenna and into the house. There, it served only the one television.

These days, you need more than just the Yagi if you have more than one television, which I do (and suspect you so, also). For example, we have four more televisions in our home beside the one in our living room. This, because there’s also one in each bedroom, too.

Basically, it’s not just Lynn and me anymore. Now we have my Mom living with us. Plus our grown ass daughter. And we have grandchildren to boot! So we consume a fair bit of television.

Add to it, I have a workshop in which I’ve mounted a TV for background noise. Does this mean an antenna for each? Yes.

But also no, because there’s a cheap technological solution to one antenna serving many televisions. So I only bought the one antenna.

Yagis and assorted goodies

Recapping, I bought the biggest ass Yagi I could fit inside my attic. My attic? Yes, I live in Florida and hurricanes are a fact of life. Speaking of wind. Best tactic for me involved ‘not’ mounting an antenna on a pole exposed to the breeze.

Anyway, knowing the frequencies at which television broadcasters operate (I’m an engineer in real life) also meant knowing many building materials are somewhat transparent to these frequencies.

That, and just going to a larger size antenna (all else being equal, a larger size antenna equals more range) meant my plan of using a longer range antenna (bigger) to help make up for it having to ‘see’ through shingles, plywood, and 2×4 rafters stood a reasonable chance of success.

So I say reasonable for the simple reason that I wouldn’t ‘know’ for a fact this would work in my house until I tried it. However, what I definitely did know is this . . . I didn’t want to mount an antenna vulnerable to hurricane force winds on a pole outside my home!

Anyway, as expected, a Yagi within an attic works fine.

Next, since I wanted the signal going to more than the one TV, I needed a way to route said broadcast signal to more than one place because I have a butt load of televisions.

Meant I also needed a gizmo called a signal splitter.

Distributing the signal

More than one television meant I also wanted a signal splitter, or more technically, a distribution box. So in addition to a Yagi antenna, I also bought a Channel Master 1-8.

There are other brands available, some a lot cheaper. But a Channel Master is what I bought. And in case you don’t know, 1-8 means 1-signal in and 8-signals out. All the same signal, of course.

So the physics of the situation are you lose a few dB of signal when you divide it up (trust me, nobody has repealed TANSTAAFL in any form). However, once upon a time a smart cookie invented an amplifier circuit and thus, these things are offered in boosted versions, aka power distribution amplifiers. And this one trick helps make up for the loss of signal due to being divided up!

I bought a boosted version like this. Not horribly expensive <$100.

Low pass filter

Next, because I run a signal booster to help the cell phone signal within my home (crappy signal despite being just 2 miles from a cell tower, don’t ask me why), then I suspected there was a reasonable chance of interference. That wouldn’t be good.

This, because broadcast television signals operate within the range of 54-216 MHz for VHF (Very High Frequency are channels 2-13), and 470-890 MHz for UHF (Ultra High Frequency channels 14-83).

Fortunately, there’s a simple solution. Just install a filter. Few bucks. Amazon has them. Only need one.

It’s mounted ahead of the splitter. So it sits between the antenna and the powered distribution box. Screws in, easy peasy!

Tall cotton

And just like that, I was in tall cotton because with the antenna, I could pick up a butt load of over the air signals. Like, besides the majors (ABC, CBS, NBC, plus several PBS stations), maybe another 40-50 channels.

Granted, many weren’t sending out programming I’d want to watch but that’s the beauty, you watch what you want! So life was good for a few years.

Until, that is, I developed an interest in NFL football. And just like that, I got sucked back into the AT&T orbit once again!

It ain’t cheap

Anyway, this time around the joyful relationship with AT&T lasted 7-8 years, give or take. But guess what? The other day whilst trolling through the channels of the playlist, I once again realized History Channel wasn’t part of the playlist.

What? You’ve got to be kidding me! And then whilst paying the bill, I realized they’re hiked the price again. Like I’ve been paying $154/month for television (plus another $76 for DSL at 6MBs down and 768KBs). And I don’t get History Channel? Good grief! Added to which, the Internet is crap.

It’s DSL and we get about 4-6MBs down (it varies, sometimes just 2.5MBs down). And I never see more than 500KBs up. Or ~2/3 what the claim.

Fiber, not the kind that helps you poop

Thing I find aggravating is I can throw a rock and hit the AT&T fiber optic cable box serving the neighborhood across the street. OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, the box is 600ft away. I’m getting old so let’s call it three throws. Point being, it’s tantalizingly close. But guess what?

Yup, they won’t bring us fiber service for love nor money. Been begging asking for maybe 5 years. This, despite me and my neighbors banding together and asking. Yes collectively, all 2 dozen of us. Sorry, you’re not worth our bother, or words to that effect. Proof? We don’t have fiber optic internet, which I lust for! Sigh.

So for now, ‘broadband’ via DSL is by my definition worse than what you get in many other parts of the world. Even worse, I know this to be a fact because I have a customer in South Korea who laughed in disbelief when I told him . . . he has 1000MBs up ‘and’ down and couldn’t get over that me, a citizen of the greatest nation on this earth, 10 miles from downtown Orlando, gets ~5MBs service.

Honestly? Sometimes I could cry.

Starlink – satellite Internet

So in frustration, recently I turned to Elon Musk. Liberals like to hate on him – but – the guy is a freaking genius (in my opinion).

Like, not content with just creating the world’s most popular line of electric cars (Tesla), he is also catching rocket lifters as tall as 20-story buildings with a gantry equipped with chopsticks (SpaceX).

And, he’s also using SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets to launch satellites every 3 or 4 days. And landing those boosters and reusing them, too. What for?

When he’s not carrying loads for others, he’s building out a freaking constellation of the satellites! Thus, he is offering we the people anInternet service called Starlink. That’s right, he’s bypassing the Telcos.

As for the antenna, this sits on the rooftop like a DirecTV antenna, similar-ish size, too. About the size of a pizza box. I swiped this image off their website but mine is on the steel post, which I mentioned earlier.

So for 120 bucks a month Musk gives me over 100MBs down and 5-8MBs up (both vary but are light years better than the DSL). And no, I haven’t told AT&T to take a hike with their DSL. Why not?

Simple, because I learned in kindergarten not to put all my eggs in one basket. A lesson I have never forgotten! So having both means I have options in terms of television beyond the playlist, which AT&T offer me via DirecTV.

Options are good, right?

But it gets better – 5G

So the other day, and totally out of the blue, AT&T calls. I saw who it was on the caller ID and almost didn’t answer. But what the heck, it’s not the CSR’s fault I’m ticked off with AT&T so because my mama taught me to be polite, I took the call.

Glad I did. Surprising me to no end, instead of another DirecTV offer, they were offering me something called Internet Air. Follow the link if you’re curious.

Basically, this thing, not much bigger than your hand, is a 5G antenna. Does Internet off their cell towers.

So Internet Air’s purpose is to receive internet via 5G directly off a cell tower (which like I said earlier, is about 2 miles away). They make big claims for performance. Speedtest said – just now – 69MBs down and 5MBs up. This is in the ballpark with Musk’s Starlink.

And with regard to the price? They say it’s $60/month plus taxes. We’ll see because AT&T has history of raising prices on the quiet. But half price pressures Musk. He surely doesn’t like that!

But like I said, we’ll have to see about the pricing. Especially over time because it’s my experience AT&T has a sneaky history. Let me show you.

AT&T dirty tricks

For example, we noticed the AT&T bill this month was higher. Looked and it’s about $8 more. Amounts to lunch at McDonald’s once a month – no big deal, right? Wrong. Multiply by 12 and we’re talking they’ve just picked my pocket for an extra $91.08 a year (worse than that if you account for lost opportunity cost and interest). Mre like 100 bucks.

Thing is, nobody said anything to me about charging more. They just quietly hiked my bill more than 3% when I wasn’t looking. Grrrr!

Note; grade school math say $91.08 x 10M customers amounts to an extra $910,800,000 each year . . . call it a cool $1B added to the bottom line each and every month going forward. Is it any wonder customers are saying, Bag this!, and departing for greener pastures?

So why all the hoop-de-doo about Internet and antennas? Streaming! Remember streaming? It’s the entire purpose of the article, after all.

Streaming boxes

All these people abandoning DirecTV and the cable guys (who are suffering similar loses as folks get fed up with ever increasing cable bills) are going somewhere else. The somewhere else is toward streaming boxes. Boxes?

First, new televisions have streaming interfaces built in. Click an icon and presto, you have Netflix, or Prime. But second, folks are also hating the clunky interfaces the TVs use.

Unskippable adverts

Worse, those rat bastards making televisions have begun putting unskippable adverts in the television menus. Speaking only for myself only – not – on MY goddamned television you aren’t!

Case in point, recently went TV shopping. So when I discovered the new Samsung TV we bought had adverts, I said screw this! I called Best Buy to come fetch it back to the store and issue me a refund! if enough folks do this, they stop with the adverts, suffer it quietly like sheep and they get worse. You decide, but I digress once again.

So what’s this alternative? A streaming box. And Android boxes are a dime a dozen on Amazon. They range from $35 for some units to ones costing a few hundred bucks. examples of the latter include the likes of vSeeBox, NVida Shield TV Pro, onn.4K Pro, Formuler, and Superbox.

Basically, they’re small form factor unit containing a single function computer. E.g. a CPU, GPU (video), RAM, plus IO courtesy of WiFi, Cat5, Bluetooth, and HDMI . . . and of course, a power supply.

NVidia Shield TV Pro

I ended up ordering this one, an NVidia Shield TV Pro. This particular one is the 2024 version. It set me back $200 plus tax via Amazon, who delivered it the same day.

And it’s compact. The remote is about what you’d expect and the box itself is scaled properly in this photo, which I swiped off NVidia’s site.

onn. 4K

Then I also ordered (from Walmart) an onn. 4K and received it the same day, also. Smaller but similar size, it too is totally unobtrusive.

But this unit costs only $50 – and – for whatever reason (not that I’m ungrateful), but when we went go to check out, they had a $5 off coupon. Yipppee, so call it $45 plus tax!

$50 beats hell out of $200, right? So what’s the difference? Patience, I’m about to get into this.

TiviMate

Next, I bought an app called TiVIMate. This is perhaps described better as more of an interface for your playlists.

At the time of this writing, it costs $10/year, or a one-time fee for the app. I ponied up for the one-time. And note, there are other apps that do the same thing as TiviMate, you have to poke around.

Me? I don’t need another hobby so because TiviMate is the one everybody recommends, I figured why fight city hall? Anyway, is the software you’ll use for your playlists.

Playlists are IMPORTANT, but more later.

So which is the better box for you, NVidia Shield TV Pro or the onn.4K Pro? Well, they’re really very, very much the same when using TiviMate.

However, the NVidia Shield TV Pro also does gaming. This is a big deal for some, rather a big fat zero for others (me, for example). But what I’m really saying is I’m beginning to suspect the actual box itself is not so important. Let me explain.

You see, when someone I’ve grown to trust said buy the onn.4K Pro and TiviMate, for $50 I figured, what the heck? Like, let’s see what we can learn! And in what follows, maybe my experience will help you suss out on which side of your bread is buttered.

Like the very purpose of adding this entry to my blog is to share my thoughts and insight about this subject with my friends and family members. Ones maybe interested in cutting the cord but who aren’t as techie. If this paints a picture of you, too, then read on.

Credit where credit is due

But first, credit where credit is due. Both to Lynn, without whose invaluable help this process would have been MUCH slower. And a new pal Rob, because without his unstinting help, this article may never have come about. As usual, it takes a village.

How are they alike?

Honestly, they’re almost the same-same for my purposes, which is to replace the cable-box experience. Honestly, better by a country mile than DirecTV or Spectrum (and all the others).

In fact, it’s my opinion as a businessman that if those guys don’t sharpen their pencil and make the ‘deal’ better for the customer, that they’ll go bust before too many more years. Especially as unjustified price hikes take their inexorable toll. Like, DirecTV, what more are you giving me in exchange for 3% more money?

Anyway, price hikes fuel customer departures. My suspicion is they probably have a room full of bean counters determining just how elastic their prices actually are. Especially as people twig to how badly they’re being screwed when they learn about streaming boxes.

Speaking of which, maybe this white paper helps open the spigots of departures. Hope so because honestly? I’m still rather ticked off with DirectTV, and not just for the deal, or the quiet price hike, but for how they mounted my antenna this time around. More on this, later.

Anyway, in the interests of full disclosure, I’m not a fair arbiter. In fact, I feel like I have a bone to pick so bear my irritation with DirecTV in mind when reading to help balance my objectivity vs. my anger.

After all, fair is fair. And most importantly, always do what’s in your interests. Especially as I’m reasonably sure their recent 3% price hike wasn’t in my interests. Take my meaning?

Point being, I won’t pretend to shed crocodile tears if they go bankrupt. Why not? Simple, because this just means someone else gets to buy their assets – and – with a hopefully dramatically lower cost basis, lower prices.

But true only is the new guys have two spare gray cells and do what AT&T management has been too stupid to do. E.g. improve the deal for we the people. Like obviously we are getting more and more fed up with being sheared hosed and the proof is in the subscriber loses.

Me? Like everybody else subscribing to their service, it’s not that I can’t afford it. More like I don’t want to afford it. There’s a difference.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s delve into the pros and cons of NVidia Shield TV Pro vs onn.4K Pro streaming boxes. Both fairly represent, respectively, the high end – and – the low end of the pricing models.

Installing TiviMate

The first step is paying for TiViMate. When you first turn on both devices, after setup (there’s a manual) they’re very similar.

Looks a lot like Prime, Netflix, and most smart TVs, too.

Next, go to Google Play (their app store) and search for TiviMate. It’s free to download – but – you’re going to want the pro version. At the time of this writing, it’s $10/year, or almost $40 for a lifetime license. So as usual . . . You pays your money and makes your choice!

Find the apps button along the top, select it, and off you go.

Loading a playlist

You’ll remember how earlier I said playlists are important. Honestly? They’re everything with these streaming box devices.

And when you use the built-in Google-powered Android interface to load software, it’s six-of-one, half-dozen-of-the-other for the purpose. This is because they both look exactly the same-same!

Anyway, you have three choices within TiviMate . . . these being M3U, Xtream Codes, and Stalker Portal. We selected M3U for the highly technical reason it was the only one with playlists included within the manual (more than 20).

Next, we had to insert the information for ‘a’ playlist in M3U. with more than 20, since one said United States, we went with that one.

As it happens, it is available on github.io.

And since you can’t see what this tiny photo is all about, then this close up helps. All it wants is a URL, we used:

• https://iptv-org.github.io/iptv/countries/us.m3u

So after entering the URL, it asks for an EPG (electronic program guide) and after entering that, Bob’s your uncle, and you have a playlist! Remember DirecTV’s channels? All those channels are nothing but what in the streaming box world is referred to as a playlist.

There are others. For example, Tubi, Pluto TV, and maybe a million more. Google themselves give you a free playlist with 159 channels. Free!

Good television, too. How good? You’ll have to look for yourself but honest to God, I’d be plenty happy if they’re all the channel I had. Did I mention they’re free? Like not a heck of a lot different than what I get with DirecTV – Headline news, FOX News, some sports, an lots and lots of interesting channels.

Anyway, we opted to install Pluto TV, too. This, because it’s free (like the Google playlist, advertiser-supported so you see the television commercials just like you would with DirecTV programming).

Difference being, other than the Internet fee, now you’re not ‘also’ paying DirecTV or Spectrum a monthly fee for the privilege!

So as you can see, TiviMate looks basically identical on either box. One box cost $200 and the other costing $50. What’s different?

Differences: NVidia Shield TV Pro vs onn.4K Pro

So here’s the thing. There are differences. If you like playing video games, the NVidia Shield TV Pro is the easy choice. No brainer. This kind of stuff.

But here’s the thing, the NVidia Shield TV Pro is really an interface for games you already own, like;

• Borderlands 2
• Doom 3 Half-Life 2 + Episodes
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
• Portal Resident Evil 5
• Super Mega Baseball
• The Witness
• Tomb Raider (2013)

. . . and which you bought using Steam – or – are cast to the NVidia Shield TV Pro from a GeForce GTX-powered PC using GameStream technology. Saying the games don’t come with it.

Don’t give a shit about games? Like you only want television? Well, in truth, with the same playlist loaded they both play the same content. However, one more trick up NVidia’s sleeve is it harnesses the horsepower of its GPU to provide an improved look to the content.

I think the verdict for most will be the Walmart onn.4K Pro for $50. However, it’s worth noting the onn.4K Pro’s Ethernet port is 10/100Mbps vs Gigabit for the wired connection of the NVidia Shield TV Pro.

Interestingly, the situation is reversed with WiFi where the onn.4K Pro gives you WiFi 6 (802.11ax) vs WiFi5 (802.11ac) on the NVidia Shield TV Pro. However, in the real world, the difference in connection speed isn’t quite so stark because as Rob explained, you’re fortunate to get better than 90Mbps through a wired VPN.

Meanwhile, in terms of RAM and storage, the onn.4K Pro tops the NVidia Shield TV Pro once again. This time with 32GB vs 16GB of storage (both have 3GB of RAM). Does this matter? I’m not sure.

Reason is, the 3GB is for the processor to use, and they both have 3GB. So the 32GB vs 16GB is for storage. Like the hard drive on a PC or Mac. This begs the question, does the CPU or GPU do tricks to use some of this RAM, also? Dunno, that’s above my pay grade, sorry.

What about as a DVR, do they do this?

Digital Video Recorder functions?

I had strong hopes these streaming boxes would also function as a DVR. However, I haven’t determined any way to use these things as a DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

Thus, while the ability to record programs to play later would be a tremendous benefit, none of the devices I’ve found offer this. And note; I’ve specifically been seeking this one feature. But it’s been zip, zero, nada, e.g. nothing on that score. Heavy sigh.

So other than consuming storage RAM whilst updating, I don’t know what else uses the storage RAM.

Honestly? It seems strange to see the $50 box beating a $200 box in terms of WiFi and storage, both. Makes perfect sense for the $200 box boasting a better hardwired Ethernet connection as getting down to $50 means counting pennies at the manufacturing level.

And on the flip side, the NVidia Shield TV Pro offers gaming and AI image processing. Is this worth the extra $150? Dunno, everybody makes their own call. Remember, this is the same NVidia that’s just been added to the DOW index.

Like NVidia print money on the strength of their GPUs for AI. So this box using AI off it’s 26-core GPU to make a standard definition or HD image look more like, if not genuine 4K content, then like darned good HD content is fantastic. And it’s really, really good at it.

Worth the extra dough? may be for me. Here’s why. I like to watch B&W westerns sometimes (think 50s and 60s vintage). Shows like Chuck Conners in the lead of the Rifleman and Raymond Burr in the role of Perry Mason. What the NVidia Shield TV Pro can do is absolutely magic in terms of cleaning up those old videos and making them look sharp as a tack. Honestly, it’s an astonishing difference. And for serious aficionados of old flicks, this benefit alone makes it worth the extra dough.

And honestly, if I only had to get one or maybe two boxes for the house, the the NVidia Shield TV Pro is no brainer. Especially as I don’t have to mess with two different interfaces and I do appreciate what the AI brings to the game.

But I have to buy six boxes, so at $50 a pop it’s $300 to equip the entire house whereas at $200 a pop, then I’m staring down $1200. Easy decision, right? Nope, not really. After all, if I ditch DirecTV it means I save $150 a month, so in six months I save enough to pay for the difference.

So what will I decide box-wise? Dunno, haven’t made up my mind. Not least because while I don’t play video games, I have grandsons who do. And both the missus and I appreciate old movies and programs. Sound like I’m leaning toward NVidia Shield TV Pro? maybe.

Means I’ll have to give this some more thought, take my meaning?

So as usual, the answer to which box is best is, it depends!

Remotes: NVidia Shield TV Pro vs onn.4K Pro

So the remotes have the same basic functions, but are vastly different execution. While NVidia gives you a direct access Netflix button, the onn. gives you Netflix plus a few more to include YouTube, Paramount, and Disney plus one labeled Free TV for accessing the Google TV playlist (channels).

So one thing I immediately disliked about the NVidia remote is the triangular cross section. Basically, it won’t lay flat with the keys visible. Whomever the design genius who thought this was a good idea, scores no points with me – but – my hat’s off to him/her for their skills at persuasion.

However, when it comes to their manager . . . they should be fired for greenlighting the stupid thing. I strongly dislike how it won’t lay flat!

Remote: CI 60 Pro

So my disdain for the NVidia Shield TV Pro remote is so freakin’ strong (hate’s a bit much) I went shopping for a replacement the moment I opened the box and spied the triangular shape and handled it. And no surprise, there are a butt load of aftermarket suppliers of remotes for this streaming box.

Many think they have a better idea. So I didn’t spend an inordinate amount of time making this decision and $26 later (Amazon again, and no, I have no affiliate relationship), I’d ordered one in that a) lays flat and interestingly, b) it has a QWERTY keyboard on the flip side. Even has a touchpad.

Folks, this thing is pretty darn neat. Connects via Bluetooth, or with a supplied dongle-thingy, via Infrared. So on the remote side, pointing it in the direction of the television and the cursor as an airmouse. But flipping it over to the keypad side locks out the airmouse mode and now navigation happens with the touchpad. Someone had their thinking cap on.

Downsides are the lack of direct connect buttons (so no single press and you’re at YouTube or Netflix). And note, this photo is both sides of the same device due to Photoshop and a few minutes of my time.

onn.4K vs onn.4K Pro

So the onn. decision gets more complex. For example, onn. offer the 4K as well as the 4K Pro we’ve been talking about thus far. Costs $32 vs. $50. Has 2GB of RAM instead of 3GB, and 8GB of storage instead of 32GB. Same CPU in both.

Few other differences to keep the price down. For example, no hardwired internet, so forget connecting it to Cat 5 from your router because it’s WiFi only. And it’s WiFi5 vs WiFi 6, so the same 802.11ac, which the NVidea Shield TV Pro relies on versus the more advance 80211.ax, which the onn.4K Pro offers.

So we bought one and watched a couple of programs. Streamed fine. No complaints. Guess what, else? They have a Firestick size device for $15. Haven’t bought one but expect it works fine, too.

The remotes are a bit different and the less pricey streaming box’s remote isn’t backlit. The large blue Free TV button on the remote for the onn.4K Pro is the other differentiating feature.

Me? Unless the $20 made a substantive difference in my life I’d opt for the pro version if for no other reason than the backlighting.

What really surprised me? DirecTV is in on the streaming game, too.

DirecTV Stream

So DirecTV offer a streaming product, also, just $40. So if you like DirecTV and how they allocate their playlists, then stick with them!

This is what you get when you open the box, a unit, remote, power supply, and cables to hook it up.

Unlike the rest of the streaming box I’ve looked at, this is a DirecTV product so it’s all about their playlist selections. Pick the one that’s right for you – these 3 are your choices – at the time of this writing.

So will DirecTV continue losing customers because of how they price and allocate playlists, or will this product offering mean they find their mojo once again? Dunno, only time will tell because people only do what’s best for them (human nature).

onn.4K playlists continued

We’re all different in terms of what we want to see. Moving away from the hardware to the software (playlists), some of you will want more and different type of content (channels).

Adult type, for example. And sports, plus VOD, foreign films and foreign television, like Korean or Indian-language programming.

Take sports, which is what started me on the journey. The ESPN app’s built into the NVidia Shield TV Pro but I have to add it to the onn.4K Pro.

And no, this doesn’t mean the ESPN content is free, you still have to pay but with the onn.4K Pro, you first have to go to the Google Play store and load the app while with the NVidea Shield TV Pro, it’s already there ready for you to input your credentials.

Adding an app is not exactly difficult. Step 1, surf to the Google Play store and search for ESPN. Brings up this screen.

After selecting the ESPN app, this is step 2 . . . installing it.

And once that’s done, then you’re at step 3, and you’re almost ready to watch sports on ESPN to your hearts desires All you need to do is pony up the old credit card number and complete the sign up process for your account.

But there are MORE playlists that you can believe if you poke around. Some legal, some rather less so.

Legal . . . aren’t they all legal?

What is legal? You can buy pot in Colorado and nobody says boo. Light up a hogleg in Florida, and it’s an open question. Like it’s legal if purchased in a dispensary with a doctor’s order but if you bought it from the dealer on the corner, nope! Similarly, light one up in Indiana where recreational marijuana is illegal, and you may end up with a misdemeanor charge, 6 months of jail time, and poorer to the tune of a $1,000 fine. So with playlists, it’s not just a matter of legal . . . but where.

For example, you recall I mentioned television is big business because it involves big money, right? Like a lunch money hike of $7.59 by AT&T for DirecTV each month results in nearly $1B to the bottom line . . . each and every MONTH. So big, big money is at play!

Soooo when some guy in Lithuania (plucking a country out of thin air to use as an example) uses his brain and compiles a playlist and offers it for sale, is this illegal? Let’s put numbers to it. Say $50 a year and now you can stream any program you want.

Talking about all the ESPN you can consume. Ditto adult films in the gazillions, plus foreign language series, movies, etc. as VOD (VOD incidentally is the acronym for video on demand). Anyway, with VOD, then ‘you’ decide what to watch and when. And you’re gonna get access to content Mrs. Grundy would rather you didn’t.

But first and foremost, the ones most upset are the rightsholders because you’re getting essentially unlimited access to content for which they’ve not been paid. That’s right, the rightsholders are the owners of the copyrights to TV programs, videos, and films. They have exclusive rights to their work, which means that you must consider them when you want to use their content

In the USA, their rights are protected. So what the guy in Lithuania is doing is totally ILLEGAL in the good old USA. No question. But overseas? Maybe rather less so.

And stopping him is nigh near impossible because he doesn’t even have a video server like Pirate Bay. This guy is literally selling the product of his brain. And using a laptop and a VPN connection to remain anonymous. Saying who is ever going to catch him?

Anyway, what he does – the service he offers – has a name. It’s called an IPTV service. And said service is for sale. Some services, like the guy in Lithuania, those may be perfectly legal, or rather less than legal. Depends. In a way, it’s kind of like buying pot off the street corner where it’s illegal, e.g. you have to know somebody.

I’m not condoning it, and I’m not condemning it. Just informing you.

IPTV services

As for finding IPTV services, my advice is to Google that phrase and begin to read up. What I ‘think’ I’m learning is this whole streaming thing is not quite as straightforward as I’d hoped when I started off.

Some of it is more like semi-legal, maybe illicit is the better terms. This, because when people talk about VOD (video on demand), and a million channels, they’re not buying subscription to Paramount, Hulu, Netflix, ESPN, et al.

Instead, they’re relying on intellectual sources largely outside the USA for gaining access to some of this stuff. No, and not for ‘free’ because these IPTV services charge on the order of $50/year. Note; IPTV is the acronym for Internet Protocol Television).

And how much they charge varies based on the number of concurrent connection. Like 5 is a common number. And no, this doesn’t mean you can’t have 10 televisions, just means that only 5 can be streaming at the same time (concurrent = at the same time).

So if you ‘subscribed’ for $50/year (plucking a number out of thin air, this varies) then you’ll have access to a really, really, really LARGE playlist which may include ESPN, and porno, Hulu, Netflix, etc. Basically, all the channels (playlists) being promoted by others – like Pluto TV, Google Play – plus all the rest combined!

And their being outside of the USA means American laws pretty much don’t matter and they may not be breaking the laws where they reside. That’s what I mean by semi-legal, or illicit.

It’s also a game of cat and mouse between them and the forces of law and order. Disney, for example, has lots of lawyers.

Why we don’t run, or hide

Does this mean Disney will unleash lawyers on the likes of you and me if we’ve loaded a playlist created by a guy in bumfuck Egypt? Remember, you’re just inputting a URL (Universal Resource Locator) In theory, yes, this is possible. As a practical matter, no. Not in my estimation (and no, I’m not a lawyer so I’m just expressing what I have reasoned to be true). Anyway, my advice is find something else to fret about.

Why don’t I fret? Simple, because they can maybe go after some guy in Lithuania, or Spain, Russia, Philippines – but – not super easily because, a) they hide, not physically but their connection using technology like VPN, and b) they’re not storing terabytes of data like in days of yore, they’re basically selling access, so c) it’s their brains they’re offering for sale.

They have access codes, which is what they’re selling you. And really saying even Disney-class money – as a practical matter – can’t sue millions of ‘we the people’ . . . aka the likes of bit players like me and you.

But who knows? Maybe I can expect a knock on the door at the crack of dawn, when with loaded rifles, they barge in and drag me off for saying the quiet part out loud. Dunno.

Free playlists

Anyway, it’s due to this HUGE demand, and demand created expressly by ‘we the people’, which is fueling this rise in IPTV boxes of various sorts. Like just surf to Amazon and type in IPTV box within the search box. Believe me, your mind will boggles as page after page of these things load on Amazon beginning at $30. Like 20pages worth!

Meanwhile, I have a Netflix account (monthly or annual fee), ditto Disney, Hulu, ESPN, et al. And we set up the credentials on both the NVidia Shield TV Pro and the onn.4K Pro because I’m intent on giving them both a really good test drive – both Mr. Bezo’s Amazon and Walmart offer stellar return privileges. They’re ones, which I try hard not to abuse. Point being, after a few days, I may return one, or both streaming boxes – or – keep one, or both . . . dunno.

Anyway, my wife downloaded Pluto TV playlist and got a butt load more channels. These Pluto channels I especially like because they have a bunch of History Channel type stuff. Did I mention Pluto TV is free? Free!

Added to which, Google loads 159 free channels from their Play store, and which they force on you (doesn’t take a genius to figure out why since advertising money makes the world go around).

Allow me to make what I think is an important point. The Play and Pluto offering are effectively them saying, I’m like Spectrum or DirecTV and here’s a list of programming you get with me for free that’s almost exactly like their . . . a list of channels, a playlist.

So think about it, Google just gave me free access to 159 channels. Channels for which, DirecTV was charging me through the nose! And no monthly fee beyond that for Internet, which I already incur, anyway.

Believe me when I say one of these boxes alone – even without TiviMate – just the free Google Play content plus free Pluto TV content, is a VERY fair substitute for DirecTV. Add TiviMate and a few playlists and it’s an Oh My God! content orgasm.

Yes, a one time $50 purchase for an onn.4K Pro box and all by itself, and totally free, and totally legal. Me? I don’t miss DirecTV. Not at all.

And these free playlists are subsisting on the original OTA business model – advertising within the programming. And of course, no surprise, Google has their fingers in the advertising pie and is gathering data on what we watch.

Privacy concerns

Google, and, my privacy!?!? Fret about something else because the rules of TANSTAAFL haven’t been repealed (there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch). So as I’ve explained, another term for these 159 channels is playlist. Google gives it to us for free.

You know what this means? We’re the product!

Final thoughts

Anyway, I’m thinking of these boxes in a similar kind of way as having DirecTV receivers and/or Spectrum cable-boxes. So just like switching between the cable box and the DirectTV satellite box can be confusing at first because their interfaces are a bit different, but then you get the hang of it, right? Same with these streaming boxes. But this is where TiviMate comes in . . . sort of.

Sort of because there are competing interests in all this and thus, NVidia Shield TV Pro has an interface for accessing apps, also. Honestly? It’s a fucking mess, think wild, wild west without the law and order. By way of analogy, it’s like visiting the Apple website. Like Apple websites have a certain look and feel.

Next, surf to Lowe’s or Home Depot’s website – both selling the same kind of stuff. However, the experience is different as you encounter an entirely different look and feel.

Finally, go to the New York Times or Washington Post. Again, their respective websites, both delivering largely the same news have yet another totally different look and feel.

So in this streaming video world, nobody has really figured it out. This is why going to Netflix is kind-of-sorta like going to Prime. Both curate content into categories like movies you might like (based on your history), Westerns, Comedy, News, Sports, etc. But like the websites, the interfaces are all slightly different.

Guess what? While the onn.4K Pro has a slightly different interface from the NVidia Shield TV Pro, and the Superbox and vSeeBox 3 boxes are slightly different too, we’ll figure it out. Me? Since I have four more televisions scattered throughout the house, plus another in my shop, I’m thinking it behooves me to see if a $50 box is as suitable (as someone I respect has said it is) as the $200 box. Especially as the boys have both PS4 and Nintendo Switch to play games.

This, obviously, being because each television needs its own streaming box just like they each needed their own cable or satellite box. Of course, everybody’s financial circumstances are different and if you only have one television then buying a $200 to $350 box matters not an awful lot. But it’s a wholly different kettle of fish if you need to factor in the cost of six boxes. Or at least, I suspect this would be the case for most folks. Me included!

Circling back around to Netflix. Why did I activate it on the NVidia Shield TV Pro ‘and’ onn.4K Pro boxes when I already have a Netflix account, which I access within my living room through a laptop’s HDMI to the television? Simple reason, first, to try it out, and second, to have a backup method of accessing the account – and like why not?

Final thoughts on DirecTV

Anyway, in case you’re wondering, I’m ill as a rattlesnake with DirecTV. I didn’t mention it earlier, but now I will. The receiver boxes we have, they’ll send post pair boxes to retrieve them. But the antenna itself? Once again, they don’t want it.

Here’s the rub. Back when the installer came, despite instructions to the use the pedestal mount besides the house, once I left to go back to work (I’d taken time off to be there and meet him) promptly ignore the instructions and did what was expedient. He leaned a ladder against my home, climbed on my roof, drilled holes, and anchored it through the shingle like he wanted, anyway.

Added to which, it’s an eyesore against the skyline, and the cable has been exposed to weathering. That, and he drilled a hole in the side of my home to route the cable! Had he done it my way, the cable would be within pipe and penetrating the side of my home via an LB box, no new holes required.

Honestly? It hasn’t really caused me any grief. The exception being, now my fat ass, which recently turned 66 y/o, will either have to risk climbing a ladder and working on an inclined surface upon which I am not accustomed in order to remove it, or pay someone to go fetch it off the roof for me. And repair the surface. Grrrr!

Seriously, does this seem right to you? Add to it, we’ll have to plug the deck holes with dowel, and replace a shingle or two. Damn job is bound to cost me $250 labor just to return my home to the condition it was in before the DirecTV installer arrived.

Worst part is this was totally unnecessary because the pedestal mount was there. The DirecTV-installer, for reasons totally unknown, simply didn’t want to use it.

Anyway, I’ll readily admit this has been a bit of a burr under my saddle ever since they installed the antenna. in all sincerity, I’ll be glad when it’s gone!

Closing

I hope these thoughts help guide you on your own streaming access journey. Any errors and omissions are mine alone. I’ve done my best to share what I’ve learned and if you still have questions, and especially ideas for how I can improve this article, feel free share them with me – please!

Remember, all we know when we’re born is how to poop and cry, we even have to be taught to latch in order to feed at a nipple. So no shame in learning new stuff, there’s only shame in refusing to learn!

Anyway, as usual, I’m easy to find. Call or email and I’ll try helping.