So there are some new school ways to do this. I have been without cable TV service for 3 years now and do not plan to ever go back. I do still have Cable Internet service. All solutions are a series of trade offs and comprimise. There is some money involved so be warned.
If you wish to reuse the RG6 cable in your home like I did then an Over The Air (OTA) solution works well. Local broadcast is still pumping out a digital stream. Get yourself an antenna that is advertised for 70+ miles (actual distance is less due to trees, hills and buildings) and use an app like antenna point find the direction of networks that you wish to watch. Point that antenna and enjoy OTA. Many televisions can tune directly into that stream without any additional hardware.
If you wish to record and watch from a tablet or many telvisions, an Amazon Fire TV stick is roughly $30.00 US and a Fire TV Recast for $270.00 US. I am running this setup with 7 televisions, 2 ipads and 2 Google phones along with my computers.
To set this up assuming you have a cable modem and the service provider is Comcast.
-Cable Modem direct connect to incoming cable from service provider. No taps, splitters in that connection. This is a bypass of the splitter in your facility ( do not know if this is home or work).
- Install antenna in an area where you can and you can grab onto an existing cable connection in the building that is not used. You should use one that is not used so that a device is not sacrificed in the install process. On the splitter or tap you will need to migrate this cable from the antenna to the IN port.
-Install Fire TV Recast as a device connected to the splitter or tap.
-Install Fire TV Stick in HDMI port on television and setup your amazon account.
-Optional pay the $99.00US and get Amazon Prime so that you can watch movies on that Fire TV and get free shipping on Amazon purchases.
There are other solutions than Amazon but the theory is the same. Some other devices that I have seen out there have monthly service costs associated which does not work in my interest.
The free tv streaming solution without the OTA cost is a service like Pluto, Crackle, IMDb TV, Filmrise and others which are apps that can be installed on a Roku or Fire TV thru your existing data network. That service is OK but you miss out on local news channels. Think of these services as icing on the cake, not needed to get the job done but make the taste better. Commercials are a thing on these services and no you cannot skip them. These operators have to make money some how to provide the content to you.
I chose the Amazon solution so that I can tie Home Automation to Video Entertainment as well as home security. My setup is built on the cheap from many different vendors but it all works together. This is one small part of my overall setup that allows me to turn on any light on my property from my bed, check the door bell, turn the heat of ac up or down and even turn on and off the water heater or boiler with my voice.
I do not work for or payed by Amazon in any way shape or form. This is not an advertisement for Amazon. I am only sharing what has worked for me so far. This is a hobby for me only where I can apply my work skills at home. When this setup stops working for me I will move onto the next.
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