Almost all Opera Plaza units have been wired for the new high-speed internet service, so the transition will probably get underway soon. Keep your eye out for communications from the HOA. As the change gets nearer, I’m getting more questions about what to do about TV service when the Uverse TV service ends.
First, if you’re paying for cable TV service at another location like a second home, under some circumstances you might be able to access that same service at Opera Plaza at no extra charge via a smart TV app. For example, DISH has an app that works on Amazon Fire TV devices and Xfinity has an app that works on some devices. Also, if you pay for cable service from a company other than ATT (Uverse) you can use the username and password for that cable account to log into many standalone apps on a smart TV, like CNN and the Weather Channel.
Money-saving option
If you want to keep your cost down, you might want to consider using an antenna to receive live local TV channels like KTVU (Fox), KPIX (CBS), KGO (ABC), KQED (PBS), KNTV (NBC). Then pick streaming services that carry the cable channels that you like to watch (CNN, ESPN, etc.). Also keep in mind that many cable channels now have their own apps, so you if really just watch one or two cable channels, it might be cheaper to just subscribe to those channels rather than a full package. Pluto is free, so it’s absolutely worth it to install the app and try it out if you want to save money. I keep a small supply of inexpensive (but effective) flat antennas on hand. Contact me for installation.
Convenience option
If convenience is more important than cost, you might want to consider what I would call a full cable replacement live TV streaming service. These services provide both local channels and national cable channels through a single app. They essentially function just like cable TV, with recording in the “cloud” rather than a box connected to your TV. The services that offer both local and national channels in one app are: YouTube TV, Fubo TV, HULU + LIVE TV, and DirecTV Stream.
How to choose a live TV service:
- Keep a log of your TV viewing habits. What channels do you watch? What shows do you watch?
- Print out a copy of this spreadsheet. Use a highlighter to mark the rows for the channels that you watch, all the way across the page.
- Now look down the columns to see which streaming services carry the services that you like to watch.
Almost all of the services offer a free or discounted trial period. Unlike cable services, which require an annual contract and special equipment, it’s easy to try out different services. It’s also possible to use these services to watch TV wherever you travel using your laptop, tablet, mobile phone or by logging into an app on a smart TV. The only exception to this is DirecTV Stream, which ties your service to your home network, and restricts your ability to use the service to watch on a TV at another location (boo!).