Author Topic: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?  (Read 10286 times)

SavingMon(k)ey

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Major win today.  Though I'm new to this site, and haven't had any official mustachian conversations with my partner, we both share many of the values as all of you mustachians and I'm definitely hooked on this site. So we've been talking about getting rid of cable even before I found this site, since we just don't watch TV anymore (she used to watch quite a bit, but on her own accord picked up reading as her favorite hobby instead and I've never been a TV person at all). Today she called Comcrap, and I had encouraged her to get kinda pissed at them and demand a good price for internet only. She's a really shy person, so I was worried they would wrap her around their evil little remote control pushing fingers and talk her into some bullshit bundle again, but I was so wrong! So proud of her! After talking to 3 people she got disconnected, that pissed her off for real, called again, and told the 5th person she was the 5th person and got a much better deal on internet only than the first person offered or what we pay now. $47/mo including the router rental, compared to the $160/mo we were paying. No contract, price guarantee for 12 months.

The only thing she will really miss is watching tennis. Wimbledon, French Open, etc. Anybody have any ideas on that?

NinetyFour

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2013, 02:34:19 PM »
I am in the same position.  Internet only, and LOVE to watch tennis.  Somehow, I am able to use Watch ESPN to watch some sports.  (For example, I watched Sharapova lose yesterday and Federer win last night.)  Also, I think the USOpen will be streaming their coverage for free on their site.  I have learned to live without the French, Australian, and Wimbledon.  :(

SavingMon(k)ey

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2013, 02:39:56 PM »
I am in the same position.  Internet only, and LOVE to watch tennis.  Somehow, I am able to use Watch ESPN to watch some sports.  (For example, I watched Sharapova lose yesterday and Federer win last night.)  Also, I think the USOpen will be streaming their coverage for free on their site.  I have learned to live without the French, Australian, and Wimbledon.  :(

I heard something about a new tennis channel on Roku, but I'm not familiar at all with these kinds of services. I will investigate further. If you find anything, please let me know!

When things are streamed for free online, can you use a cable to connect the computer to the TV and watch it on a bigger screen?

NinetyFour

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2013, 02:53:00 PM »
I don't know about connecting the computer to a TV monitor--maybe other readers can help.  The only TV I own is sitting on my porch gathering dust.  (Being a hillbilly from from West Virginia--we do things like that with appliances.) One of these days, I am going to put a "FREE" sign on it and put it in my alley.

Eric

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2013, 04:10:31 PM »
Lack of cable can be a tough thing for us sports fans.  However for tennis, Watch ESPN, or ESPN3, or ESPN360 (all the same thing I believe) should be great for this.  I think this only works if you have Comcast internet, but I'm not positive.  (which you do, but for others wondering, I think it's a deal between ESPN and Comcast only)

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index

If I look on the right side, I see some tennis matches upcoming that are available.


Also, not sure where you live, but if you're in a urban or semi-urban area, you can get network channels over the air for free, just like in the old days, with a rabbit ears type antenna.  And they're HD quality too.  So while www.ESPN3.com might have earlier rounds, they might not show the finals or something like that.  That's where the antenna can come in handy.  I got mine at Radio Shack for about $40.  I get CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, a few different PBSs, a couple of local channels and a nice handful of foreign language channels (Spanish mostly, but also a few Asian ones in my area).

Edit:
I own something like this.  Getting an amplified one, which isn't much more expensive, helps with the reception.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=16622196
(FYI purposes, I'm sure you can find it cheaper elsewhere)

Also, nice job cutting the cord!
« Last Edit: August 14, 2013, 04:13:43 PM by Eric »

SavingMon(k)ey

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2013, 04:54:42 PM »
However for tennis, Watch ESPN, or ESPN3, or ESPN360 (all the same thing I believe) should be great for this. 
http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index


Also, not sure where you live, but if you're in a urban or semi-urban area, you can get network channels over the air for free, just like in the old days, with a rabbit ears type antenna. 
Edit:
I own something like this.  Getting an amplified one, which isn't much more expensive, helps with the reception.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=16622196
(FYI purposes, I'm sure you can find it cheaper elsewhere)

Also, nice job cutting the cord!

Thanks! It definitely feels great to cut that consumerist umbilical cord!

And thanks for all the ideas. My partner will be trying some of that out for her tennis fix. We live in Denver, so urban for sure, and the antenna might be a way to do it.

NinetyFour

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2013, 05:03:55 PM »
I am able to watch some sports events at Watch ESPN, and I do not think I am a Comcast customer.  I have my internet through Charter (formerly Optimum, formerly Bresnan).  Maybe Comcast owns Charter?

Eric

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2013, 05:10:48 PM »
I am able to watch some sports events at Watch ESPN, and I do not think I am a Comcast customer.  I have my internet through Charter (formerly Optimum, formerly Bresnan).  Maybe Comcast owns Charter?

I'm pretty sure they're separate.  Maybe ESPN has expanded the access.  Thanks for the info.

Deano

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2013, 08:04:54 PM »
A really fantastic way to get sports beyond baseball/hockey/Football (the one with the ball that isn't round) is to sign up for Eurosport player. You need to have a UK proxy...there are free ones and (much better) ones that cost about 4 or 5 bucks a month. Eurosport is about 3 or 4 bucks a month. Still costs, but if you like Tennis, cycling, track and field, football (the round ball....) or many many other sports mostly ignored by North America, it's a fantastic deal. I tossed out netflix and went this way (I use a proxy to watch hulu in Canada...).

I'm sure there are other options more US-related, but nothing beats euro sports coverage if you aren't a fan of mainstream American/Canadian sports.

SavingMon(k)ey

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #9 on: August 14, 2013, 08:14:31 PM »
A really fantastic way to get sports beyond baseball/hockey/Football (the one with the ball that isn't round) is to sign up for Eurosport player. You need to have a UK proxy...
Could you share how you go about a proxy? I have no clue what that is.

Irishmam

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #10 on: August 14, 2013, 08:16:11 PM »
Sorry to hijack thread, but I have a UK proxy...Ov#rpl*y which doesn't seem to be working as well as it used to. Many of the channels request location when logging in and I haven't been able to bypass it. Any tips or suggestions for a Euro proxy for this Irish Mama who is missing her Beeb and Channel 4?

MoneyCat

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #11 on: August 14, 2013, 09:05:58 PM »
Slightly off-topic, but if you are looking for a good way to watch Olympic sports from around the world for free in the United States, www.universalsports.com streams those year-round.  All you need is a laptop and an HDMI cable to watch them on TV.

Deano

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #12 on: August 14, 2013, 09:18:06 PM »
Well, a proxy or a vpn (virtual personal network I think) is a way to make a website think that you are somewhere where you aren't. I'm in Ontario...a proxy makes hulu or netflix think I'm in the US, or another proxy or vpn makes bbc think that you are snug in your little thatched cottage in the English countryside. You have to use one of these because of geo-restriction. Hulu tells me to get lost when it figures out I'm in Ontary-ary-oh.
That's in layman's terms of course, but hey, I'm a layman at best.

There is another way, DNS server. For me this is proving to be most reliable. If you're in Canada there are two good ones, you can PM me and I'll tell you, I just don't want to sound like a spammer on here.

In a nut shell, you have to pay, the free ones suck. If you get a DNS server setup like I have, it costs about 5 bucks a month but is good for both US and UK (and Sweden/Latin America as well, but my Swedish and Spanish are a little rusty). There are others, all of which are under 10 a month. A good service is worth way more than a netflix account imo, particularly if you have Canadian Netflix, which is bereft of any real content. Beware the free proxies btw...most of them won't allow you to stream video, they're just good for checking facebook in China, that sort of thing.

Hope this helps, I'm just figuring out this stuff myself, so I'm no expert, but I'm happy to help.

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #13 on: August 14, 2013, 10:17:02 PM »
Sorry to hijack thread, but I have a UK proxy...Ov#rpl*y which doesn't seem to be working as well as it used to. Many of the channels request location when logging in and I haven't been able to bypass it. Any tips or suggestions for a Euro proxy for this Irish Mama who is missing her Beeb and Channel 4?
I used tunnelbear to watch downtown abbey on ITV.

SavingMon(k)ey

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #14 on: August 14, 2013, 10:17:16 PM »
Deano, I'm actually in the US, but thanks for your explanation.

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #15 on: August 15, 2013, 06:27:19 AM »
I like watching sports but don't have cable, so I know how you feel. Some solutions I've used over the years. I'll write my favorite and most successful (for me) recommendation last.

I feel like I must have missed somebody else mentioning it, but you can watch at a friend's place. Bring some wine or guacamole and make an event out of it. Sure, you can't do it for every event you want, but you usually can for big finals and hanging out with friends has advantages too.

You can watch at bars too. For me, living in Manhattan means several sports bars are a short walk away. Not sure your situation.

Also, another way to satisfy your sports fix is to play sports instead of watching. Sometimes when I can't watch something I'll go for a run. I miss the event, but feel better about myself.

You can watch at the gym too. Most gyms have TVs. Get on the treadmill or whatever machine, watch, and exercise too.

My favorite and most successful: skip watching and do something different you'll like more. Sure, I love sports, but I love other things more so if I do them, I don't miss the sports. I plan to get rid of my TV soon, so I expect to decrease watching everything and increase everything else.

Peanut Butter

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #16 on: August 15, 2013, 11:52:47 AM »
I checked Universal Sports because you can subscribe to certain sports/events/seasons etc, but they only had table tennis. They're where I get my cycling/equestrian fix, because those are pretty hard to follow in the USA.

Deano

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #17 on: August 15, 2013, 12:31:23 PM »
I checked Universal Sports because you can subscribe to certain sports/events/seasons etc, but they only had table tennis. They're where I get my cycling/equestrian fix, because those are pretty hard to follow in the USA.

cyclingfans.com for pretty much any euro race worth it's salt (and many others as well!

amf1411

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Re: Kicked cable out of the house! Is there an option for watching tennis?
« Reply #18 on: September 16, 2013, 10:15:25 AM »
It's too late for this season, but CBS Sports streams live coverage of the US Open, AND (even better), through the US Open website, they were streaming for free, too.  You could choose coverage of about 5 different courts, even.  It was amazing.  I was able to watch a LOT of tennis on my computer this way.  (There was a "watch live" link on usopen.org)

Last year, Wimbeldon had a YouTube channel during the early rounds -- there was a lot of studio time and highlights, few full matches, but it was still pretty cool.

NBC sports streamed the French Open and, I believe, Wimbeldon coverage for free.  That doesn't help with the early rounds, but when it's on NBC during the weekend, it was broadcast online.  http://stream.nbcsports.com/liveextra/

And if you want to hack it, there are websites in Europe where you can watch for free.  But the first three are all above board. 

Good luck!