[Carla B]

To summarize, OBB, you're stuck with bigger bills if he just has to have the Golf Channel.

[MorTech]

If you are good with those free network news station and need the Golf Channel then go with Sling Blue at $15 and add Sports Extra at $10 = $25/month. They will give you a Roku Express device "When you subscribe and prepay two months of Sling TV"

Sling.com

LOTS of free Movies and TV on Roku devices !

[pacjag]

See my earlier posts (6 and 7) for further links and info.

Roku is NOT a service, so to speak. It is the hardware device which connects your TV to the internet and allows you access to content from the internet and plays it on your TV. Think of it as a DVD player and the internet is the DVD. You have to buy or rent the DVDs to play in your DVD player. For the Roku, you have to buy the service so the Roku can play the content (although some internet content is free, the main US networks and the Golf Channel are NOT).

The Roku Streaming Stick or the Roku Express+ should work with your older TV. See Roku

Most network feeds are NOT free. They will REQUIRE you PAY for a streaming service.

The Golf Channel is NOT free, nor is it available over the airwaves with an antenna. You MUST pay for a streaming service to gain access to that channel’s content.

This link, which I posted previously, will show your options to purchase (YES IT IS NOT FREE) a subscription which will give you access to the content (stations) you want.

Ditch Your Cable Subscription. Become a Cord-Cutter Today.

Put in your zip code, select the channels you want to receive, and it will list the services that can supply them.

I don’t think I can make it any simpler or plainer than that.

[Nucky]

Buy the cheapest current Roku you can find. This is the key to the investigation into all the things that you desire. You can get a free trial For All The Big Guys. Hulu, Sling, DirectTV Now, Netflix and the Grand Salami of them all YouTube TV. You can investigate your head off once you risk the funds on the ROKU device. I rest my case. I predict you go in another course than the one you are set on now. As long as you get TGC = The Golf Channel.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by pacjag

See my earlier posts (6 and 7) for further links and info.

Roku is NOT a service, so to speak. It is the hardware device which connects your TV to the internet and allows you access to content from the internet and plays it on your TV. Think of it as a DVD player and the internet is the DVD. You have to buy or rent the DVDs to play in your DVD player. For the Roku, you have to buy the service so the Roku can play the content (although some internet content is free, the main US networks and the Golf Channel are NOT).

The Roku Streaming Stick or the Roku Express+ should work with your older TV. See Roku

Most network feeds are NOT free. They will REQUIRE you PAY for a streaming service.

The Golf Channel is NOT free, nor is it available over the airwaves with an antenna. You MUST pay for a streaming service to gain access to that channel’s content.

This link, which I posted previously, will show your options to purchase (YES IT IS NOT FREE) a subscription which will give you access to the content (stations) you want.

Ditch Your Cable Subscription. Become a Cord-Cutter Today.

Put in your zip code, select the channels you want to receive, and it will list the services that can supply them.

I don’t think I can make it any simpler or plainer than that.

It looks like the ONLY bundle available in my zip code that has ABC, NBC, CBS, and the golf channel is Playstation Vue for $49.99 a month. But then when I go to check the channel lineup, the Golf Channel and CBS are not in the listings.

There's nothing simple or plain about this, though it should be. You should be able to just click "yes sign me up for Live NBC and all the channels that NBC offers including the golf channel." "Yes, sign me up for ABC live network." "Yes sign me up for CBS All Access." "Yes, add Netflix to this order." Sure here's $20/month for these 4 things, plus whatever you toss in for free.

[pacjag]

I find that very difficult to believe. What is your zip code?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by pacjag

I find that very difficult to believe. What is your zip code?

32159

and when it asks what I like to watch I plug in

ABC, CBS, MSNBC, the Golf Channel

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

pacjag, I get the feeling that website you recommended is just faulty. I checked the Hulu website directly and their $49.99 Youtube TV has all these channels. Playstation Vue has them too except the service is being discontinued in January. Hulu has it all, for $44.99 now but is going up to $54 in December.

I might have to do some creative convincing (or maybe club him over the head) to get spouse to change his mind about the golf channel. This is way too much money just for the privilege of watching golf on TV. It'd be cheaper for him to spend the same amount of time actually playing it, instead of watching it.

Pluto TV seems perfectly reasonable to me, otherwise.

[pacjag]

That web page does seem to be having issues. There may be some lower cost options out there but I am not aware of them. The Villages club mentioned previously by another poster might be able to help you find a cheaper alternative. Good luck.

[Nazz300]

I cut the cord, I now have AT&T Now and get everything I need. Golf Channel, MLB Network, plenty of sports channels, get my locals, don't miss paying $200+ per month

[Nazz300]

And I have a Roku stick on 4 TV's. You need good WiFi which I have with Century Link.

[rustyp]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

It looks like the ONLY bundle available in my zip code that has ABC, NBC, CBS, and the golf channel is Playstation Vue for $49.99 a month. But then when I go to check the channel lineup, the Golf Channel and CBS are not in the listings.

There's nothing simple or plain about this, though it should be. You should be able to just click "yes sign me up for Live NBC and all the channels that NBC offers including the golf channel." "Yes, sign me up for ABC live network." "Yes sign me up for CBS All Access." "Yes, add Netflix to this order." Sure here's $20/month for these 4 things, plus whatever you toss in for free.

Please check PlayStation Vue - I believe they are going off the air Jan 30 2020.

ATT TV Now will work for you. In 32159 you will get all the local stations ABC CBS NBC and FOX with all their packages. The golf channel is contained in their ATT TV Now Extra package at $75 per month.

A bare bones ROKU stick is about $30 from most big box stores and is all you need. The more expensive ROKU sticks contain various features that are geared towards remote control features like volume control and voice activation. My advice buy the bare bones ROKU one for each TV. Get used to it then you will know if you want one with additional features. Then buy that one for just the TV you use most of the time.

I have 25 mbps internet download and it works just fine with my ROKU's. Most of the time we have two TVs on at once.

I really like the streaming much better than the satellite I used to have. No bulky equipment and no outages in bad weather. You also can take your ROKU sticks with you and put on any TV and use your service. Great for snowbirds.

The only real negative I have is ATT TV Now has raised the rates several times and substantially over a period of less than two years. When I signed up for the basic package it was $30/mo. Their minimum package is now $60/mo. But you really can't make a mistake there is no contract and you can cancel instantly.

[Nucky]

Our Comcast Service has been better than it was last time I made an oath to never use them again. We have 4 TV'S, 2 Desktop Computers, 2 Smart Phones, 2 iPads and two extenders that go to Cameras I have set up. Everything works fine when we are home alone. As the Oldest Son, His Wifey and the Two Oldest Grandkids arrived last week they all asked for the Wi-Fi code for their phones and Tablets. System Overload. Not ComCraps fault, my fault because I get a kick out of getting a bargain. I have the Starter setup and it works fine when it just us.

I know I'm going to be sorry for saying this but I am herby promoting Comcrap to Comcast at the sound of the ding. DING. They have been fine for over a year. No good deed goes unpunished so let's see what happens now??? I should have kept my mouf shut!

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Nucky

Our Comcast Service has been better than it was last time I made an oath to never use them again. We have 4 TV'S, 2 Desktop Computers, 2 Smart Phones, 2 iPads and two extenders that go to Cameras I have set up. Everything works fine when we are home alone. As the Oldest Son, His Wifey and the Two Oldest Grandkids arrived last week they all asked for the Wi-Fi code for their phones and Tablets. System Overload. Not ComCraps fault, my fault because I get a kick out of getting a bargain. I have the Starter setup and it works fine when it just us.

I know I'm going to be sorry for saying this but I am herby promoting Comcrap to Comcast at the sound of the ding. DING. They have been fine for over a year. No good deed goes unpunished so let's see what happens now??? I should have kept my mouf shut!

Yup. For straight internet with no "bundles" Comcast beats all, hands down. It's when you try adding TV to it that you start running into trouble. And empty pockets.

Our final decision for initial setup:

Roku Streaming+ which is on sale at Staples for only $39.99. I have a $17 rewards credit, so I'll actually only pay $22.99 out of pocket.

We'll start out with Pluto TV just so we can learn how everything works.

We're choosing the "better than basic" because we NEED to have the volume control on the remote. Buying the basic and adding the remote would cost an extra $19.99 just for the remote with the volume control alone, so we might as well just upgrade and get the better deal.

We have the 50mbps/(bumped free to 100mbps which I haven't bothered to set on my router) because I do a bit of gaming and it was only $10/month more than the crappy cheap option that you can only run 2 devices on before everything starts feeling like sludge.

The concern at this point, which is easily solved, is whether or not the router's range is strong enough for the Roku to pick up the signal. It's on the other side of another room. If it's not close enough I'll just move the router to the other room, no biggie. I figure if I can connect to the internet with my laptop on the lanai, certainly I should be able to connect to the TV in a room closer than that.

[stan the man]

Originally Posted by Nucky

Our Comcast Service has been better than it was last time I made an oath to never use them again. We have 4 TV'S, 2 Desktop Computers, 2 Smart Phones, 2 iPads and two extenders that go to Cameras I have set up. Everything works fine when we are home alone. As the Oldest Son, His Wifey and the Two Oldest Grandkids arrived last week they all asked for the Wi-Fi code for their phones and Tablets. System Overload. Not ComCraps fault, my fault because I get a kick out of getting a bargain. I have the Starter setup and it works fine when it just us.

I know I'm going to be sorry for saying this but I am herby promoting Comcrap to Comcast at the sound of the ding. DING. They have been fine for over a year. No good deed goes unpunished so let's see what happens now??? I should have kept my mouf shut!

I should have kept my mouf shut!