over-the-air or cable TV access with Sonic gigabit fiber?

[Kevind]

Has anyone who has installed the Sonic gigabit fiber router been successful in accessing content they couldn't reach before, like over-the-air or cable TV or other free content? Feel free to reply either publicly or privately.

Kevin

[SonomaPatientsCoop]

Has anyone who has installed the Sonic gigabit fiber router been successful in accessing content they couldn't reach before, like over-the-air or cable TV or other free content? Feel free to reply either publicly or privately.

Kevin

I'm not 100% sure what you are asking? Are you looking for content through your TV or a computer?

There are many options- but almost all cost something (though often cheaper then cable). There are other "free" options but since we are talking about stealing content I will not discuss those- publicly or privately.

Many OTA TV channels have live streams that can be accessed.

Devices such as Roku and Apple TV (as well as the amazon and google alternatives) offer a lot of free programming as well as access to paid programming and movie rentals.

Many networks- including the overly priced premium cable channels (HBO, Showtime) etc often have free content available online, though it may be a season old (and in some cases, is only available for a couple week window before the new season starts).

There is also SlingTv, a paid service but cheaper then cable.

Increasingly there is a massive amount of content that can be accessed anywhere with a coputer (or Roku, AppleTV etc) that simply requires a valid account with a cable company....

There have also long been open source options to hack everything from an X-Box to an old AppleTV opening up a lot of options (not all "legal" ) - Media Center software such as XBMC, Plex, OpenELEC etc. Haven't followed them that much in recent years as I am saddled with sattelite internet or cellular tethering. I think Plex has gone mainstream and is now available on the AppleTV and probably others.


Long story short- anything that is broadcast can be found for "free". It may not be legal, and the quality may suffer. The traditional OTA networks (NBC,CBS,ABC,FOX,PBS) can generally be found for free through the networks themselves. Many of the smaller "cable" networks likewise have some if not all available online- though it may be a season out of date. Premium networks- from Netflix originals to HBO, Showtime etc you will, in theory, have to pay for (or choose to break the law).

[podfish]

Has anyone who has installed the Sonic gigabit fiber router been successful in accessing content they couldn't reach before, like over-the-air or cable TV or other free content?...

The "couldn't reach before" confuses me. It'll be faster, but it's still just internet.

[Sieglinde]

There is nothing that is "free". There are services that bring you TV over the internet such as Slingbox and Playstation Vue but they both have subscription fees. You need an antenna for "free" TV and I don't know what broadcast TV is like in this area.

The "couldn't reach before" confuses me. It'll be faster, but it's still just internet.