Watching ESPN

I don't watch ESPN except during college football season. That's the reason I only subscribe to a live streaming service during football season: to get ESPN. I usually go with Sling TV (Orange) but if another service has a special price, I'll jump around.

Does that make it confusing for finding ESPN on my streaming devices? No, not really. There's a little housekeeping involved, but the app is always the same. I use the ESPN app authenticated against whatever streaming service I have.

My default live streaming service is Sling TV, because it's cheaper than the others. Unless the others are running a promotion, in which case, I authenticate against the cheaper service. Yes, that means that once a month, I may have to log out of the old service and log in using the new service. But it's once a month. I can deal with that. And so can you.

That way, when I want to watch ESPN, I use the ESPN app. I hardly ever use the streaming service app, whatever the service is I'm using that month.

To me, it's easy. The app is always the same. I never have to try to remember which service I'm using, except when I change services. And, it makes sense to me. ESPN is on ESPN.

A lot of people use the app for their streaming service. If that makes their Streaming Life easier, fine. But it is much easier for me to use the same app all season long. Consider if that might make things easier for you as well.

Streaming the college football conference championship games

If you're a college football fan, you've been looking forward to this upcoming weekend all season. It's the conference championships. Of course, if your team didn't make the conference championship game, this weekend might not be all that big of a deal.

Just kidding, it's a big deal. If your team didn't make it, you can hate on the team that made it in place of your team. That's football, right?

This weekend, there are ten conference championships, and as a streamer, you can watch the games. Here are the networks carrying the different games, and how you can watch those networks with your streaming device.

ABC

• Pac-12 Conference, Oregon vs Utah, Friday, 8:00 pm.
• Big XII Conference, Baylor vs Oklahoma State, Saturday, Noon.
• American Athletic Conference, Houston vs Cincinnati, Saturday, 4:00 pm.
• Atlantic Coast Conference, Pittsburgh vs Wake Forest, Saturday, 8:00 pm.

You can view ABC via:

• Antenna (free)
• Vidgo ($55)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70)
• YouTube TV ($65)
• Fubo ($65)
• DirecTV Stream, formerly AT&T TV ($70)

CBS

• Southeastern Conference, Georgia vs Alabama, Saturday, 4:00 pm.

CBS is available from:

• Antenna (free)
• Paramount+ ($10)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70)
• YouTube TV ($65)
• Fubo ($65)
• DirecTV Stream, formerly AT&T TV ($70)

CBS Sports Network

• Conference USA, Western Kentucky vs Texas-San Antonio, Friday, 7:00 pm.

CBS Sports Networks is carried by:

• Hulu+Live TV ($70)
• YouTube TV ($65)
• Fubo ($65)
• DirecTV Stream Ultimate ($95)

ESPN

• Mid-American Conference, Kent State vs Northern Illinois, Saturday, Noon.
• Sun Belt Conference, Appalachian State vs Louisiana, Saturday, 3:30 pm.

To get ESPN, you need:

• Sling Orange ($35)
• Vidgo ($55)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70)
• YouTube TV ($65)
• Fubo ($65)
• DirecTV Stream ($70)

Fox

• Mountain West Conference, Utah State vs San Diego State, Saturday, 3:00 pm.
• Big Ten Conference, Iowa vs Michigan, Saturday, 8:00 pm.

To watch Fox, you can use:

• Antenna (free)
• Sling Blue, select markets only ($35)
• Hulu+Live TV ($70)
• YouTube TV ($65)
• Fubo ($65)
• DirecTV Stream, formerly AT&T TV ($70)

The three broadcast networks carry seven of the ten games, so an antenna may be all you need, depending on what games you want. If you want to be able to watch all ten games, and want a single service with the other games, you need to add either YouTube TV or Fubo for $65, Hulu+Live TV for $70, or DirecTV Stream ($70 without CBS SN, $95 with CBS SN).

Cutting the cord doesn't mean you can't watch football. It's how I've watched football since 2015. It's definitely a part of my Streaming Life.

Good time to solve your network issues

I've spoken before about how I solved my network issues. Essentially, I tried several things, but ended up getting a mesh network setup. It wasn't cheap, but it worked.

Now, there are all kinds of things you can do to try to resolve any network issues you have. The worst solution is to let your ISP talk you into a faster Internet speed. Doing that will speed up your Internet speed, but it won't do diddly squat about network connectivity.

To be sure, I'm not saying your ISP would be trying to scam you. There are instances where a slow connection is the issue, not a weak network connection, but that's usually not the case. Even is your network connection shows as good, and the performance is bad, it could be a device on your network interfering with other devices. Or, it could even be a device that's on a totally different network interfering, if that other network is on the same channel.

You can tweak your network settings and resolve some of this. Or, you can get network equipment that deals with this automatically.

Extending your network can also help, but that can be hit and miss.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I tried all of that. What I finally did was bit the bullet and get a mesh network. I've not had a lick of trouble since then.

So, if you want to do something about network issues, it may be less work, but more money, to replace your setup with all new network equipment. Yeah, like I said, that will cost more. But this is the time where everybody is putting stuff on sale.

I have a Google WiFi system -- it's now discontinued and has been replaced by Google Nest equipment -- but any good mesh network system would probably be an improvement. If you've done all the tweaking and extenders and all the other stuff, like I did, and still aren't happy, like I wasn't, take advantage of these sale prices and get a good network.

I've not have to do any tweaks of any kind in the years I've had mine. My Streaming Life is much simpler with a good network, and yours can be too.

Disney+, for a little while

One of the tips that should be considered by cord cutters -- and I feel strongly about this -- is to subscribe to a service only when it has something you want. For example, right now, I'm using Disney+.

I mentioned this past summer that I wasn't subscribing to Disney+ because there was very little I would watch on it. But right now, there is.

You may have picked up that I'm a Beatles fan. When I set up my new Plex server, the first music I added was my catalog of Beatles music. It took a while to get it all in because I have a lot. I have all of their US albums and their UK albums, at least from their official catalog. And I have both the mono and stereo games. If you're a die-hard Beatles fans, you understand the reason for that. For the uninitiated, even though their albums were released in stereo, the Beatles themselves only participated in the mono mixing of their recordings until their last few albums. Those were versions the Beatles themselves thought of as their official releases, and those were the ones that were sent to radio stations. Those are the original releases.

So, yeah, I'm a Beatles fan. And that plays into Disney+ because of the recent release of Peter Jackson's new "Get Back" documentary. It's airing on Disney+ -- not Apple TV+, as you might have thought -- so it's now a service of interest. And with shows on Hulu having returned and being several episodes in, and ESPN+ still on the table during football season, I'm subscribing to the Disney Bundle.

I won't keep it long. I'll finish "Get Back" very soon, I expect, and football season is winding down. Plus, I'll catch up on my TV shows from Hulu ... maybe. If not, I'll keep Hulu, but if I do, I'll drop the Disney Bundle and save the money.

That's the thing I suggest everyone do. Only subscribe to what you watch. When you're caught up, stop the subscriptions and don't resume it until you have something you want to watch. Right now, I'm watching the Beatles. And football. And some current TV. For the time being, the Disney Bundle (Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+) are an active part of my Streaming Life. But not for long.

Cheap Hulu

Just a couple of days after I was fussing about Hulu's price increase. Hulu+Live TV, actually, but that till is a form of Hulu. Well, now I feel I should mention a great deal Hulu is running for Black Friday. Subscribers -- new and existing -- can get the standard Hulu service for 99¢/month for a year.

Hulu actually did this three years ago, but then changed it to $1.99/month for the past two years. And, you couldn't get it if you were already a subscriber. It was for new subscribers only. This year, anyone can get it.

The only downside would be if you have the Disney Bundle. There's no plan that takes this Hulu deal into consideration. Still, it's a heckuva deal. If you were thinking of the Disney Bundle with standard Hulu, it may be cheaper to go this route. However you do it, it's a great way to include Hulu in your Streaming Life.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Proclamation

Issued by President George Washington, at the request of Congress, on October 3, 1789
By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and—Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other trangressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go. Washington

Finding the right TV antenna

If you're a cord cutter, or wanting to be, one thing I would suggest is getting a TV antenna. Depending on where you live, that can be an easy thing or a hard thing. For me, it was not easy.

I live around 40 miles (not less than, but not much more than) from the major TV towers that serve my area. Picking up a good, clear, consistent TV signal means an outdoor antenna for me. That may or may not be the case for you. So, how do you determine this?

There are a few of different Websites that are popular for this. I like different aspects of both, but found that, at least in my case, one give a more accurate picture of what I needed.

One that's highly recommended is TV Fool. It does a pretty good job, However, it underestimated my antenna needs. I tried an indoor antenna -- it called it a "set top antenna" -- but that didn't get me what I was after.

Another thing it didn't quite get right was the actual frequency of one of the Savannah station. It said WSAV is actually broadcasting on channel 39. However, the FCC says it's channel 16 after the most recent repack (which was a while back). So, the database isn't always up to date.

Another popular Website is AntennaWeb. It was a little more accurate when it came to telling me what antenna I needed.

It also got the actually channel for WSAV correct. It actually overestimated for some of the channels. I did need a large antenna with a pre-amp to pick up WTOC, but not the other major channels. However, the larger antenna doesn't hurt.

I had actually purchased a smaller antenna and was able to get the UHF stations without any problem. But, WTOC, being a VHF station, only came in with difficulty. Now, I will say that it was good most of the time. But, every minute or two, there would be a hiccup. The large antenna and preamp solved that.

The other Website is the FCC. They actually have a pretty good map and information about the station, but make no recommendation about an antenna. After all, it's the stations they oversee, not the receiving antennae.

Note the map. I blew it up on two of the stations so you could get a view of what that looked like. It's actually the best for locating the TV tower, in my opinion. As for picking an antenna, it's not that great, but then again, that's not what it's trying to do.

So, what do I recommend? All of them. None are perfect. But using them all, you can get a lot of good information that helps with troubleshooting issues. And honestly, I would expect issues.

But you don't want issues, do you? You just want it to work. And, if I were to pick one that would decrease the chance for issues, I'd say go with AntennaWeb over the others. If it says you need a large outdoor antenna, you probably need a large outdoor antenna.

If you go with TV Fool, be prepared for getting the UHF stations under its recommendations, but expect to be disappointed for VHF. If you're close enough to the tower, you may not be disappointed, but if you live a ways off, as I do, don't expect it to always get it right. If you can live with the UHF stations, you'll be okay with TV Fool.

If you want to get the signal to more than one TV? Well, that's a whole 'nuther thing. This will help you know what antenna you need to get a signal to a device. To get it to more than one device is something we'll talk about later.

And you thought your Streaming Life would be simple. Well, life isn't. No matter what kind of life.