Semi OT: Cutting Cable's Cord and Still Watching UConn? Advice Needed

[Sargassoc]

Hi all,

Recently I have become more and more disillusioned by my cable service. (Unlike many others, I have not had a terrible experience with cable.) I would have no trouble canceling cable altogether. There are fewer and fewer things I feel compelled to watch (or watch live) and already have Netflix and Apple TV and Amazon Prime to give me nearly everything I want.

BUT what about watching the UConn Women? The Yankees?

So my questions are two-fold:

1a. If you have cut your ties to cable (or dish network), how are you able to watch UConn Women's basketball in-season? 1b. Has that been a satisfactory solution? Why or why not?

2. As a native New Yorker, I also am a Yankees fan; I already get audio broadcasts on the mlb.com app on my iPad and iPhone, but cannot ever watch Yankees games on that app. (because I'm in the in-market viewing area -- and that's against MLB rules. Grr.) Has anyone found a no-cable, no-dish solution to this issue? (I do know that there are some illegal ways to watch MLB, but they are not only illegal, but a hassle) I also know I could mess with my Location Services and.or IP address to fool MLB.com. Do any of you do that?

Thanks for any solutions you can offer.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

First of all, I hope I have adequately understood your post...

I hope you have no solution...many people are employed as a result of fees paid to watch games. That is the way it works in our economy as I see it...no offense intended, but I just don't see why you should be entitled to free access off the backs of compensated employees. I have always expected to get paid for my work, and to a pay others for services provided.

 

[Sargassoc]

Yes, you have misunderstood. I want to watch UConn women, just not on cable or dish. Nothing untoward or illegal about it.

Over the air or online streaming, I mean.

 

[HoopsFan21]

UConn WCBB is a form of entertainment, and like any other, needs money to stay in existence, so you either go in person or pay to watch on TV or the internet.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Yes, you have misunderstood. I want to watch UConn women, just not on cable or dish. Nothing untoward or illegal about it.

Over the air or online streaming, I mean.

I simply do not understand. I thought a direct paid for source was needed to stream a game.

 

[Sargassoc]

I am not talking about NOT PAYING, just not paying my cable company. Thus--I might be talking about paying some else (depends on the over-the-air choices, for example). I also pay for some games I currently receive on cable anyway, as I am a long-time season ticket holder. I want to know what people who DO NOT HAVE cable do to watch the games. (Games, for instance, I cannot see live because they are not in Connecticut.) I do not want to cheat someone out of money. I do not want to steal anything.

The world of TV delivery has changed greatly in the recent past. Given the new technology available, I simply want to know what people do when they choose not to have cable (or dish).

For instance, do people watch SNY online and pay? If that's what some people do, I want to know how many games they get. What is their experience? What about people who live across the country who cannot get SNY on cable.

 

[j66kicker]

Hi all,

Recently I have become more and more disillusioned by my cable service. (Unlike many others, I have not had a terrible experience with cable.) I would have no trouble canceling cable altogether. There are fewer and fewer things I feel compelled to watch (or watch live) and already have Netflix and Apple TV and Amazon Prime to give me nearly everything I want.

BUT what about watching the UConn Women? The Yankees?

So my questions are two-fold:

1a. If you have cut your ties to cable (or dish network), how are you able to watch UConn Women's basketball in-season? 1b. Has that been a satisfactory solution? Why or why not?

2. As a native New Yorker, I also am a Yankees fan; I already get audio broadcasts on the mlb.com app on my iPad and iPhone, but cannot ever watch Yankees games on that app. (because I'm in the in-market viewing area -- and that's against MLB rules. Grr.) Has anyone found a no-cable, no-dish solution to this issue? (I do know that there are some illegal ways to watch MLB, but they are not only illegal, but a hassle) I also know I could mess with my Location Services and.or IP address to fool MLB.com. Do any of you do that?

Thanks for any solutions you can offer.

I have had great results streaming all the SNY games and and a few others broadcast by the "away" team's home network on ESPN3. The problem is, most of the more interesting games are carried by ESPN or CBS - mostly the ESPN channels, which you have to have cable or dish for, or pay ESPN to stream. So (as far as I know) you could only stream the 30-point blowout games, and would miss the more competitive nationally-televised games.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Sorry for any misunderstanding, but I still don't get it. What I do know, is that w/o (no need for)cable or satellite SNY is out of business, as technology stands now.

 

[FLhuskey]

Sargassoc - I understand your disillusionment about the always happening increase in prices when one provider is the only source -- (cable internet, telco DSL/FIOS, etc) -- tvfool.com can help with OTA reception planning too. Even just having an internet plan with a cable company can approach 60$+ . I am also interested in getting SNY directly too. Cable charges for a modem rental too -- and thats one of the reasons the Justice Department broke up Ma Bell in the late 70's (charging rental for a phone set).

 

[ndmb]

In response to Sarg, yes, depending on your circumstances, you can (legally) watch ESPN and SNY UConn games for free on ESPN3. However, if you live in the SNY "footprint" you cannot watch it live (the games usually come up an hour or so). Likewise, if the game is on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU, you either need to have a subscription from one of the approved cable providers or watch it after the fact. None of this helps with the games that are on other networks, like CBS Sports.

 

[sarals24]

Sorry, you need cable. And paying for cable and watching the games is the best way that we can show that WCBB (and especially UCONN) is worth having on TV. Two seasons ago, SNY offered a package for I think $70 that showed all the UCONN games not on ESPN or CBS. This year, they partnered with ESPN and showed all the games on ESPN3. I live outside the SNY footprint, so that's how I watched. But you have to be a paid subscriber to a cable service that offers ESPN in order to sign in to ESPN3 games.

I get that it's expensive, but please don't cheat and watch through some loophole that won't be tracked. We need ESPN and SNY to continue to broadcast games for us, and the only way to do that is to pay for access.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

In response to Sarg, yes, depending on your circumstances, you can (legally) watch ESPN and SNY UConn games for free on ESPN3. However, if you live in the SNY "footprint" you cannot watch it live (the games usually come up an hour or so). Likewise, if the game is on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU, you either need to have a subscription from one of the approved cable providers or watch it after the fact. None of this helps with the games that are on other networks, like CBS Sports.

Very interesting...question...how do you get to the internet(espn3) w/o cable or satellite?

 

[FairView]

I read the OP as disenchantment with the cable company, not wanting to get something for nothing, I hate Comcast. They are expensive, make me pay for lots of stuff I don't want in order to get the stuff I do want, and there always seems to be yet another increase. It wouldn't be as bad if they at least had decent service, but it is atrocious. If you finally get through to a live person, they are often poorly trained and not empowered to do much of anything. I tried switching to Direct TV, but I can't get a sight line to the satellite. In addition to the cable fees, we do pay for the games by watching the commercials, which bring in significant revenue to the broadcaster. Cable companies make piles of money through a monopoly that is poorly regulated and hardly policed. I don't mind paying -- as a person who sells ideas and creative services for a living, I would never participate in or condone theft of services. It's wrong. But the greed and power of cable companies is frustrating. Some day, it could become dangerous.

 

[Icebear]

An example of watching without a cable company or satellite dish would be paying for an internet provider and then watching the games that are available over HuskyVision. The question what pay sources are available online to cover as many or all of the UCONN games.

 

[oneresult]

Sargassoc
check AT&T U-verse [check the plan's that have SNY included] available all over the country]
If you have a land line that can be included also [home phone]
No charge for a DSL modem

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I give up...where I live in CT ATT UVERSE is at my door monthly, trying to see me cable TV and internet. I am seriously missing something here, so I'll bow out and wait to be enlightened.

 

[zonetrapper]

You can watch a lot of WCBB via the Watch ESPN channel on Roku, if you have a Roku box and Internet connection. This (if you are paying just for the Internet, i.e., the cable modem portion of cable) includes ESPN3 coverage and a lot of replays of other ESPN coverage. To get most of the ESPN/ESPN2 women's coverage live via Roku you need an actual cable TV account, which defeats the idea of cable-cutting. Or, you need a login from someone who has cable TV, which raises ethical questions.

Assuming that you are not using the latter strategy, this is not about avoiding paying for what you are getting. You are still paying someone for high speed Internet, and you are receiving slightly less than if you paid for cable TV, mainly in that you miss a lot live content. Replays are usually available within minutes after the end of the broadcast. You also don't get DVR features, such as slow motion and freeze frame. And, the HD quality can vary, although sometimes it is really good.

 

[oneresult]

Ozzie Nelson:
There's No cable only phone line.
Talk to salesmen and ask for bare min plan [W/SNY]

 

[Sargassoc]

I consider U-Verse also to be cable, except it's fiber-optic cable. Comcast uses coaxial cable, but receives a QAM signal. Dish is satellite. Though one is a phone company, one is a cable company, and one a satellite company, all three of them provide television service to a house.

I am talking about options that are OTR (over the air) OR available through the internet. I am not talking about canceling internet-- just television cable.

For example, if CPTV were still broadcasting the UConn Huskies, those games would have been available to anyone in the local CT area, even if they didn't have cable-- if they had a digital tuner and received CPTV over the air.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Ozzie Nelson:
There's No cable only phone line.
Talk to salesmen and ask for bare min plan [W/SNY]

You need to review the OP for this thread.

 

[Husky25]

The Women's games are now on ESPN, not on OTA channels. Basically, If you don't subscribe to a package that 1) carries ESPN, 2) don't want to find a loophole (yes there is one), and 3) don't want to watch those games illegally, then it can't be done.

 

[ndmb]

Sorry, you need cable. And paying for cable and watching the games is the best way that we can show that WCBB (and especially UCONN) is worth having on TV. Two seasons ago, SNY offered a package for I think $70 that showed all the UCONN games not on ESPN or CBS. This year, they partnered with ESPN and showed all the games on ESPN3. I live outside the SNY footprint, so that's how I watched. But you have to be a paid subscriber to a cable service that offers ESPN in order to sign in to ESPN3 games.

I get that it's expensive, but please don't cheat and watch through some loophole that won't be tracked. We need ESPN and SNY to continue to broadcast games for us, and the only way to do that is to pay for access.

That's not true. You can access ESPN3 games without a cable subscription. And, games that were on another channel on the ESPN family of networks are available on ESPN3 on replay, without a cable subscription required.

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/faq#faq5

 

[ndmb]

Very interesting...question...how do you get to the internet(espn3) w/o cable or satellite?

I'm not sure what you're asking. I pay for access to the internet without getting cable television.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I'm not sure what you're asking. I pay for access to the internet without getting cable television.

Thanks..now it is clear.

 

[Wbbfan1]

To make sure I understand, if you subscribe to Cable Internet Service Only (NO TV) you're still authorized/allowed to receive ESPN3 Streaming Service

In response to Sarg, yes, depending on your circumstances, you can (legally) watch ESPN and SNY UConn games for free on ESPN3. However, if you live in the SNY "footprint" you cannot watch it live (the games usually come up an hour or so). Likewise, if the game is on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU, you either need to have a subscription from one of the approved cable providers or watch it after the fact. None of this helps with the games that are on other networks, like CBS Sports.