Omnivision
 

Does anyone know anything about Omnivision for $365 a year?

It might work, but as far as I know, they don't offer service in the new sections?

Not only do you have to look at how your husband uses the internet for work, you have to look at the TV service you get to see how much bandwidth it uses, both upload and download.
Consider these options:
ALL of your slower speed networks (600 or less) have a data cap and it can either get expensive or the provider will cut back on your speed until the end of the month. All of these COPPER networks (all except fiber) have decent download speeds (up to 1Gb) but have terrible upload speeds. 600Mb or less have 10-20Mb upload speeds while my 1Gb speed has up to 40Mb, which is very slow.

When looking at any streaming service, consider who many concurrent tv shows will you be recording because each 1 will eat away at your upload bandwidth. So if you are recording 2 or 3 hi def channels at once and your husband wants to upload a file to the office, your husband will be waiting. When I look at all the streaming services that are out there, none of them meet our needs. Most can record many at once but they eat up bandwidth on the network and the recordings either have a short life (up to 6 or 9 months then they are deleted), or there are caps like only able to record x amount of shows. On my system, I have 1 off recordings that I have had for a decade still on my dvr.
Plus, these streaming companies never have everything you want so you end up getting multiple streaming companies.

I also stream hi resolution music that I can route to every room in my house. We use Apple 4k TV devices that allows us to download apps to access many different channels like YouTube, Selkirk Pickleball, Peacock, HBO, Paramount+, Netflix, disney, and many more.
Plus I can stream music thru the Apple TV boxes.

We get Netflix, paramount+, and Apple TV+ services for free from out cell phone provider, we have Peacock thru the Xfinity provider, and then I pay for my regular TV which gives us 250 channels for sports, shows, and primetime shows.

I have moved to Internet only, $75 a month, bought a ROKU$50 (one time purchase) signed up for Sling $35 a mo. that gives me many of the main channels and allr programming goes with you.ows you to record 200 hours of shows. I had Netflix that wasn't included in my Xfinity plan $15 a mo. Then you can signup for Streamers that you have some interest in their programing. Stay with them until your interest is satisfied and shut it down. Also the Roku can follow you wherever you go as longa s you have internet and all you. Staying with Family for a few weeks or so you can install on the bedroom tv if you like. I save at least $60 a month in two locations $120 a month. You can signup and cancel any of the streamers when you want. good luck.

Right now, cable is the prominent player in the field. But more people are cutting the cord every day. It's not that hard to do. Spend a day on Youtube there are endless videos explaining the benefits and how to go about it. If you have a smart TV, you're 1/2 the way there, if you don't you buy a Roku or a Google Chrome and connect to your TV. The saving on equipment rental alone will shock you. As far as streaming services are concern cnet.com rates Youtube TV as one of the best.

Doubtful. I can't speak for all streaming services but YouTubeTV doesn't work that way. Their DVR is in the cloud and "recording" a show is essentially setting a pointer in their cloud storage. There is no download and then upload of data.

We have had the Eero mesh router for quite some time and have not had an issue connecting to devices with 2.4 ghz. We do not have the latest model so maybe that is why?

TV Use Expert
 

Many people have responded to your question. However, it seems to me that you're asking if there's someone who could be hired to problem-solve without you having to think through all of these ideas. SO, I'd like to know as well. Is there someone in The Villages who could be hired and likewise paid to act as a consultant to meet with you, figure out your goals and walk you through the process of how to set everything up.

If there is a way to get a 2.4G SSID from my xfinity PIECE OF **** I have not found it. Adding to my smart home has become very difficult.

Have added a range extender that produces 2.4G sometimes if it feels like it.

Going to walk into an xfinity office and see if they have any ideas.

Here is what I do.
I have just internet only with xfinity. The regular price is $79 per month before any promotional discounts.
I just checked and it is giving us 200 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up through a wireless router.
We bought our own router to save from the ridiculous Xfinity rental charges. It's an Arris Surfboard SBG 10.
We have no problem streaming videos.

I simply hook up my computer (any computer with an HDMI output connection)to an HDMI input connection on my TV.
You can get a very small computer (about the size of your hand) and set it under yout TV for about $200 on amazon (search for "small pc")

In addition to the computer, I also purchased a USB wireless keyboard and mouse (about $30 Walmart), which is attached to the computer.
This turns my big TV into a big web browser where I can sign in to any of my streaming services and a lot more right from my recliner! It gives me the convenience of a full keyboard to use for typing in searches and writing emails, not hunt and peck one letter at a time from a tiny TV remote.
I can check my email and browse the web, watch the free youtube and do anything else you already do on your computer.
No need for the TV to be smart (turn all that stuff off) and you are not limited to apps.
A side benefit if you buy the small pc is that you can take it anywhere and just hook it up to any TV as long as you have internet access.

As far as services, there are many choices depending on your tastes.
Youtube TV has a lot of channels for $65 per month. These channels can be viewed live just like broadcast TV. You can also set it to record (unlimited, no downloading) each new episode of your favorite show automatically for later viewing. It also gives you live TV of local channels for news etc at your home area by zip code. It has a family plan included that you can share it with a limited number of others who have their own login names and passwords. Each will need a gmail account to set this up.

We also have HBO max, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+ and Acorn TV and sometimes I still can't find anything to watch!!
Hope this helps.

If you currently have a laptop with an HDMI output, you can try this without any commitments and little money spent. Just get an HDMI cable at walmart and plug it in. Then set your TV input to the correct HDMI port.

Lot'sa posts and some information for you.
Let us know what you decide.
Jus make sure, no contract so you can jump if you need to jump.

:super:

Perhaps the links below may answer some questions that some of you may have.

How To Cut the Cord and Never Pay for Cable TV Again

Cable vs. Streaming: Does Cutting the Cord Really Save You Money?

There is typically a webpage built into routers to configure them. The IP address would be something like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1.

We recently ditched cable. We chose Xfinity (comcast) for internet and switched our cell service to Xfinity as well. Wifi was $80 by itself but by switching our cell service from Verizon to Xfinity (both use Verizon Towers) we were able to get a $30 per month credit for 2 years on our Wifi cost, bringing it down to $50 per month. Our cell bill is $30 per lines X 2 for two phones so $60 plus tax. Internet (940mbs) plus cell service for $50 + $60 = $110 plus tax. We use Roku for streaming. Have not selected another streaming service. BTW before the switch we were paying $184 per month for Xfinity internet (slower speed) and cable plus $75 per month to Verizon for cell service for two phones. Saved $149 per month with the switch. We have money to play with to determine which, if any, streaming service we want to choose (Hulu, YouTube, etc).

Good Luck.

I’m curious if Spectrum has to go into the house thru the outside wall or if they can connect to the wires that TV has run outside the house. I read someplace that they had too which i thought was odd.

With 4 pages of comments only one person mentioned data limits.

I run 2 trading desktops, 3 laptops, 6 trading monitors, 3 TV's all with roku's . These all suck up streaming market data and streaming tv programs.

I think xfinity is the only one to offer unlimited data option for just $30. Directv Streaming gives you all local Orlando stations plus most of the cable channels and the sports channels. Unlimited recording of its content is also included for $69.

So speed is one thing , but please tell us how much data is included in those wonderful packages with Spectrum and all the others that have been mentioned

CenturyLink has a monthly number of 1 terabyte on their webpage but I'm not sure they actually enforce it. I typical run about 700 gigabytes per month so I haven't tested it.

This is for anyone who told me that the Eero mesh does transmit at 2.4ghz and 5ghz, you were absolutely correct. I did not realize that when I tried to link my old smart plus which run on 2.4ghz my phone had been set to 5ghz. Thank you for your help.

One advice of my kids I cut my cords in Feb 2012 & have never looked back. When something is happening "live" I use YouTube & the rest is just up to what you prefer to watch. At the moment I have Xfinity & streaming Netflix, Amazon & HBO is enough "entertainment" but there is also Hulu, for even more programs that you normally see on cable. I use Roku & some people use a device called a "Fire Stick"which is similar. But the Smart T.V.s now have many of the apps built into them.
Probably the two biggest drawbacks are you'll have to search for live sports games (i.e. Super Bowl) but I believe there are ways to get those too for a reasonable fee. Also you may to wait a few hours to view a program that played that day on cable, which is no problem for me.

It has saved me at least 90% of what cable cost which really adds up!

AND the very best thing - almost NO ADS to sit thru!
Good luck & have fun!

Yes! While I appreciate all the input from other’s experience, I have to admit I’m a little overwhelmed by it all. Yes, I still hope to find someone to consult with since there’s more at stake than getting the channels I want. Working from home necessitates we make the right decision.

If you go to any business or person out there, they will biased and try to sell you what they carry, good or bad. Just like a number of these threads, there is a lot of inaccuracies which could have impacts on your husbands ability to work from home.

When someone says that if you backup to the cloud only pointers are set and internet bandwidth is not used is overall false. Most if not all cloud backups actually backup the data and take up space and bandwidth. Maybe there is an exception but overall this could impact your husbands internet needs because of data caps and speed.
Most if not all routers (not modems) have dual frequency ranges 2.4ghz and 5ghz, and I have the new routers that have 6ghz. Most of all your home devices like the ecobee, nest, door locks, Irobot, sprinkler controllers, garage door smart hubs are all 2.4ghz.

If you stream, the way you setup your network (wired or wireless) is critical. I use multiple routers and get up to 800Mb speeds on my iPads and iPhones. Most people get 300Mb in their homes, and this doesn’t matter what speed your internet carrier provides, the wifi is your internal network in your house. I also use wired bridges, wireless mesh bridge, switches throughout the house, again pretty easy when you have done this for decades.

Forget tv it’s a waste of time
Read a book, take a walk, get a hobby or go to the bar….,

There is a big difference between backing up to the cloud and using a streaming service DVR. The streaming service DVR does NOT use upload bandwidth. The data never comes to your home, it is recorded directly to the provider's equipment.

I have asked several times: What streaming service are you using that requires upload bandwidth?

You should offer a consulting service t give people honest advice without trying to sell them anything. That would be a huge benefit to most of us who are old enough to have missed the digital age.

Don’t use the Xfinity equipment. You are paying a ton of money to rent it every month. Buy your own Modem and Wireless router. We have never paid to rent cable company equipment. We use Erro Mesh Router and get service all over the house including out at the pool.

You are conflating backups to the cloud from a home system (which requires uploads) with a DVR capability from a streaming service such as YouTubeTV (which doesn't require uploads). They are not the same.

We dumped DirectTV and now use YouTubeTV. Love it! Local channels plus tons of other channels. You can set up a library and record any shows you want. It also keeps track of what you watch most and puts it at the top of your screen when you turn it on. A tiny bit of a learning curve but no more than any other service. You can get a weeks free trial I think.

Yes. If there are 1,000 streaming customers who want to record an episode of "Law and Order", it doesn't make sense for the streaming service to store 1,000 digital copies of one episode on their equipment. They only need enough copies to be able to stream the show when a customer wants to watch it.

As I look at options I am narrowing down to Apple TV and Roku for devices.

I look at how we currently access our television entertainment....Xfinity internet and television programming/recording.....costs me $180 per month. 100% convenient for ALL my devices. Easy recording of programs regimen (we rarely watch live broadcasting, record and watch at leisure).

The options "seem" to save a few dollars over the Xfinity pricing.

Internet around $50-$70/month....Youtube TV $70/month......maybe another $10 for whatever might not be available on Youtube TV and other free streaming apps.

Winding up at approximately $140/month.

What I dislike thus far about the options is the fact that there is no one place to get all we would like. And the no one place availability affects how we like to "program" recording/watch later. Also the hunting and pecking from app to app to sort out what to watch where. and so on.

So for me at this point the convenience (of Xfinity) has a price.....and I am leaning toward staying with Xfinity. We have been with them for the past 18 years.....internet and broadcast interruptions over the period....almost none. Technical quality, no complaints.
Dealing with customer service requires patience. Pricing negotiations from time to time.

But conveniently packaged and accessible.

However, still looking at options to try to save a few dollars.

The convenience factor is weighing heavily!

So you have got all the different options.
The simplest thing for you to do is get Quantum Fiber if you can get it and get YouTube TV, Netflix, etc. Quantum has not data caps, no contract, no tax, and they set you up with a mesh wifi network and you are done. 1GB bidirectional you won’t run out of bandwidth. Cable Tv with set top boxes is out dated and you are always going to pay more after your promo period is over. The big problem with cable is you get good download speed but terrible upload speed so if you work from home you need to understand this. Fiber does away with all these limitations and is the best.

Run out of bandwidth? I would suspect not since 1080p only uses about 5 megabits per second. We used to stream 1080p to two different sets without buffering with a 10 megabit per second nominal download service. One of the things I like about fiber-to-the-house is that you get a dynamic IP address at an RJ-45 ethernet jack in the wall and can plug any computer or router into the jack. The "modem" is the ONT on the outside of the house. You don't need a specific "modem/router".

I agree. That is why I have stayed with Xfinity.

I would choose Roku over Apple TV.

If you like what you have then there is no reason to change.

We like the movies and shows on Netflix and the ability to watch wherever we are (not tied to a cable or dvr in our home). Also, I can learn to run a new system if it saves $500 but I understand sticking with what you are comfortable with.

What works for us (thanks to the goof folks on ToTV)!
 

(Oops, can't correct the typo in the title, sorry. S/B GOOD FOLKS!)

For us, building a bundle in the past was a challenge with only two components—land line phone and lnternet—little interest in commercial television. We finally gave up on CenturyLink and—kicking and screaming—went to Xfinity. We have to eat our words, as they've worked very well for us. We had magicJack service for traveling, and it had always worked well for us, so we set them up as a VoIP system at home, and we added a ROKU stick to the televisions.

It all works—and works well.—and costs us considerably less than CenturyLink had. Xfinity is far cheaper, the ROKU stick is a one-time purchase, and magicJack service costs under $50 for the YEAR! We could not have done this without guidance from fellow ToTVers; many thanks again!

That is what Xfinity says I have. And I HAVE NOT TRIED moving the new smart home item further away. In fact, I have been doing the opposite and I can testify that does not help. Next time I have a new switch or bulb or garage door, I will sure try that. Past smart home items got set up by fits and starts and I can't remember if location was a factor.

The old 192.0.0.1 and such worked when we first got Xfinity. Now Xfinity says to use 10.0.0.1. That shows me the router set up but does not allow any changes because the modem is smarter than I am. Monday I am going to connect with cat5 wire and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the lead.

We ditched DirecTV 10 days ago and went with YouTube TV for the recording capability and Omnivision for the things we wanted that are not available on YouTube TV. So far we are very pleased with the decision and savings. The programming offered by Omnivision is almost overwhelming, but unfortunately there is no real-time DVR/recording option.

Need cable cutting advice : Use q fiber
 

WE have had comcast for years and recently Q Fiber is available for the villages. 300 mbs for $65/month or 900mbs/sec for $85!!! Super happy and super speed with fiber! We also put an antennae on our roof and get 70 HD channels including all the locals By by comcast... Have a firestick and roku for any subscriptions and 1000 or more free options to view!!! Cut the cord! Been that way for 20 years in Atlanta, and now in the Villages too. Also Daryl Bruce from Marion Market has a fabulous Android box that consolidates EVERYTHING 3523005436 rslorider@yahoo.com

I have T-Mobile
 

I have T-Mobile phone &internet for a year now with the 55 package (no contract)with good service. No problem streaming movies also never interrupted by weather. Good internet speed, I’m located by 466a & Buenavista.

We are located in the village of Caroline, a couple of blocks from the pool & mailboxes. Does anyone know if Century Link/Quantum is available in our location? How about using T-Mobile 5G Home Internet in our area? Thanks