[jedalton]

Originally Posted by Chinook

I'm new to the villages and need home internet and WiFi.
I'm going to cut the cord to TV cable so need something
to Stream Utube tv.
I'm new to this so need a reliable company to provide the internet service.
Thanks in a

Sue

Last week Xfinity had a special, 600/Mbs, unlimited data for $75/ mth

[rsmurano]

Check the spectrum/xfinity websites to see if you are covered. If it’s a new house, ask the builder what your options are. Look around for speeds and prices and if there is a data cap on internet. Spectrum has the slower speeds at $50 a month (200Mbps is slow) while I’m paying $80 a month for xfinity 1200Mb which includes the $15 rental fee for their modem/router and unlimited data, no cap.
Get fiber if you have an option, in the newer area south of 44 we didn’t have that option.
EVERY copper network which includes spectrum/xfinity has a slow upload speeds. A 200Mb network has a 10Mb upload speed while the 400/500/600Mb network speeds have 20Mb upload speeds while my 1200Mb (1G) has 30-40Mb upload speeds. Why I mention this is because if you stream tv and record to the cloud which most do, you can run out of upload capacity. The main reason I don’t use a streaming service is because we record up to 5 or 6 shows at 1 time and that would take up all the upload bandwidth. Plus, recordings are only kept for a few months. I have 1 off concerts/shows recorded from years ago and I can keep them forever if I want to.

[lindaelane]

What you can use will depend on where you live the The Villages - a patchwork of available carriers.

For streaming, I assume you mean YouTube on a Smart TV? That is good. There is more.

I recommend Firestick and/or Chromecast and/or hdmi with radio keyboard/mouse.

You can easily stream just about anything on Firestick. There is also "jailbreaking" your Firestick (term can be googled) where opens up many more possibilities.

Chromecast will send any window in your computer to the screen, making it very easy to request programs, surf around until you find something, etc.

A laptop hooked up to an hdmi with radio keyboard/mouse will put your computer on your TV screen. You will sit on the sofa/in the recliner, type on the keyboard, and watch on your TV wtih a screen so much bigger than your laptop. This is my preferred method, though I really like Firestick since it can do 4K and laptop does 3K. (Picture quality difference between the two is not all that noticeable if your laptop has good resolution.)

Same. Everytime Xfinity raises the bill I wonder why the monoply? Am I missing something relating to choice in the Marshbend area?

[PoolBrews]

Originally Posted by Travelhunter123

I installed an antenna I receive all the major networks for free
I stream using fiber optic Q.com
At $60 per month for 1 gig very fast internet including all tax and fees

Curious how you got $60 from Quantum. I've been with them since they started. 1GB speed is $65/month including taxes and fees. If you get it for $60, I want to know how so I can call them!

Fantastic service and speed. Had Xfinity for quite a while before Quantum, but got tired of playing the call to get good price game every year. The last year I was with them, the best they could do was $74.99/month + taxes and fees for only 300MB. When I called to turn it off after installing Quantum, then they said, "oh you should have called us first, we would have given you a better deal". Too late.

I'm now on a fixed price as long I don't turn the service off.

[sowilts]

Xfinity south of 44. They installed plenty of coax to all rooms. If one wants Spectrum they can only bring the coax through the exterior walls. Satisfied with Xfinity. My Brother has an antenna in the attic for TV. Great signal.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by rsmurano

Check the spectrum/xfinity websites to see if you are covered. If it’s a new house, ask the builder what your options are. Look around for speeds and prices and if there is a data cap on internet. Spectrum has the slower speeds at $50 a month (200Mbps is slow) while I’m paying $80 a month for xfinity 1200Mb which includes the $15 rental fee for their modem/router and unlimited data, no cap.
Get fiber if you have an option, in the newer area south of 44 we didn’t have that option.
EVERY copper network which includes spectrum/xfinity has a slow upload speeds. A 200Mb network has a 10Mb upload speed while the 400/500/600Mb network speeds have 20Mb upload speeds while my 1200Mb (1G) has 30-40Mb upload speeds. Why I mention this is because if you stream tv and record to the cloud which most do, you can run out of upload capacity. The main reason I don’t use a streaming service is because we record up to 5 or 6 shows at 1 time and that would take up all the upload bandwidth. Plus, recordings are only kept for a few months. I have 1 off concerts/shows recorded from years ago and I can keep them forever if I want to.

Again with this claim???

I'll ask again, what do you use for "streaming" that requires the data to come to your home and then be sent out again for recording?

I have Hulu Live for streaming. There is NO bandwidth used when I record to their cloud DVR. I assume Youtube TV is the same but I haven't used it.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Again with this claim???

I'll ask again, what do you use for "streaming" that requires the data to come to your home and then be sent out again for recording?

I have Hulu Live for streaming. There is NO bandwidth used when I record to their cloud DVR. I assume Youtube TV is the same but I haven't used it.

As I understand it, some TV shows that you "record" to the cloud are not actually recorded at all. When you watch the show, you are actually watching an "On Demand" version of the show. The same thing happens with uploaded music. This is not true for all shows and music.

[tomandvj75]

Originally Posted by Chinook

I'm new to the villages and need home internet and WiFi.
I'm going to cut the cord to TV cable so need something
to Stream Utube tv.
I'm new to this so need a reliable company to provide the internet service.
Thanks in a

Sue

I believe most people in the villages use Comcast Xfinity for Internet. It’s ok but pricey. For streaming TV, we have used both Hulu and YouTube TV. Both are adequate for getting all channels. You can try one, then change later if you don’t like it. Changing channels on YouTube TV is easier but they have strict rules about designating your home area if you are a snowbird. Hope that helps.

[Janie123]

I have CenturyLink running over a fiber optic line with Gigabit speeds in Santiago and we are very pleased. I avoid any cable provider if a dedicated line is available. Cable is shared by the neighborhood which could impact speeds.

I then run YouTube TV (3 TVs in the house) all over Roku Sticks. That makes using just one remote type for all TVs. The wife likes that. Some TVs have the YouTube TV built in, some do not.

[tuccillo]

You are correct about YoutubeTV. The "claim" in the post you referenced that data has to come down and then go back up to be recorded is not true for YoutubeTV.

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Again with this claim???

I'll ask again, what do you use for "streaming" that requires the data to come to your home and then be sent out again for recording?

I have Hulu Live for streaming. There is NO bandwidth used when I record to their cloud DVR. I assume Youtube TV is the same but I haven't used it.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

As I understand it, some TV shows that you "record" to the cloud are not actually recorded at all. When you watch the show, you are actually watching an "On Demand" version of the show. The same thing happens with uploaded music. This is not true for all shows and music.

EDIT: Just read this more closely.

That may actually be true and would explain the mixed experience we have had.

With Hulu Live we can record shows to the DVR. I can't remember how many total hours but it's pretty high for what we use. However, many of the shows we record are also available On-Demand. If we choose the copy on the DVR then we can fast-forward through commercials but if we choose the On-Demand version we cannot. SOMETIMES, we try to watch the DVR version but either can't fast-forward or the playback freezes. Perhaps those times are examples of where it really wasn't recorded at all but was just presented that way while they actually sent the On-Demand version.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by tomandvj75

I believe most people in the villages use Comcast Xfinity for Internet. It’s ok but pricey. For streaming TV, we have used both Hulu and YouTube TV. Both are adequate for getting all channels. You can try one, then change later if you don’t like it. Changing channels on YouTube TV is easier but they have strict rules about designating your home area if you are a snowbird. Hope that helps.

Note that, if you like to watch the Hallmark channels, they are not available on Hulu, but they are available on YouTubeTV.

[Elixir34]

Get your Internet from Xfinity or Spectrum or whatever serves your neighborhood.

Omnivision runs on a Firestick ($50 ea). 5 Firesticks included in the $365/fee. They don’t all have to be in Florida. OmniVision Provides ALL cable, news and network channels (hundreds of local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX TV stations), ALL pro and college sports, ALL teams, ALL games, PPV channels, plus hundreds of On-demand TV series and movies with Search feature
.
Call Rodger Edmondson, (352) 222-8638. He will come to your home and set it up. Will include a couple free movie/TV programs such as Cinema and the free Youtube channel. Has “Favorites” and “Recently viewed” features plus Video on Demand for past sports games.

[HJBeck]

We have comcast since it’s the only one available in our area, 100 MB/S. Have used both Roku and Google Cast to get YouTube tv.Got better performance from google cast device for YouTube tv.