I have decided to type up a quick guide on how to be able to watch local sports without having a cable package of your own. I understand that this solution may not be feasible for everyone but I feel that it could help some people so I wanted to formally type this up. The next paragraph is my reasoning behind this project but it is mostly me rambling, to get to the meat and potatoes just skip it.
My main impetus for coming up with this solution is that after scaling back my FIOS TV package to be fairly basic, I was sorely missing my beloved Orioles broadcasts. I figured there MUST be some way to stream the broadcasts by buying a package either from MASN or MLB themselves. I had heard of MLB.TV and thought that would be the answer, it absolutely was not. Even if you opt for the premium season package you are subject to blackout rules therefore eliminating the ability to watch your local team. Lame. This is about the time I started realizing a greedy professional sports organization has still not realized the paradigm shift that is occuring in their fanbase (and potential fanbase). The fans the MLB is trying to lure in, 18-35 in particular, are not sitting at home and tuning in as much as they used to. This demographic is highly tech-savvy and are always looking to cut the cable cord and be more efficient with their monthly expenses. Not having an online presence to stream games in a subscription format is a glaring error on the part of MLB and I hope they decide to change this in the future. Until that fateful day, here is what you need to do:
Required Items:
- A friend or family member with a cable or satellite package which includes the channels you want to watch. Also, a broadband internet connection. Also, an available cable box that isn't being used. This shouldn't be too difficult for most people. Family tends to be better because they may just let you do this without compensation. Friends most likely would like some sort of compensation but even still this will be much cheaper than a $100+ cable package. If there isn't an open cable box just have them add one on to their account, usually $10 or less per month.
- A Slingbox. I chose the M1 model for $150. These can be purchased at most electronics stores or online. I got mine at Best Buy.
- Some sort of media box or HDMI dongle. I chose the Roku TV stick for $50. There are multiple models of Roku, Apple TV, and Chromecast will also do the trick.
- The Slingplayer app for Android or iOS. This currently is a one-time cost of $14.99.
- The free Slingplayer app for your PC or Mac.
- Broadband internet in your home.
Total cost for equipment and apps: $199.99 plus tax and $14.99 per mobile device that has the app installed.
Step 1:
Go to friend or family member's house and set up the Slingbox on their home network. This is pretty simple and even easier if they have an available power outlet near their current cable box. It is also crucial that their existing cable box has component out. If the box only has HDMI out you will need to purchase a higher-end Slingbox for $299. After setup is completed you will see the cable stream on your Slingplayer PC or Mac app and any mobile app you have downloaded and logged in to.
Step 2:
Return home and get your media box set up and download the Slingplayer app to the device. This app will connect via the in-home WiFi to your mobile device Slingplayer app. All kinds of streaming going on. IMPORTANT: Always be doing streaming on WiFi. This process will destroy your cellular data. Don't blame me for this. Once logged in with the Slingbox account info you created during the Slingbox install you can connect to the mobile device and bingo, you are watching the cable box in real time. The remote control functions can be a little sluggish but who cares, you just circumvented a large cable bill.
Step 3:
Enjoy! In essence you are just skimming a cable package from a friend or family member so this isn't revolutionary but I felt it had to be written out because in my journey to watch the Orioles sans expensive cable, nobody said this is an option. In my situation my roomate and I had family that was nice enough to not charge us anything seeing as though they had a cable box in the basement not being used. I'd would venture to guess most of you will have to bribe the person or pay something monthly towards their cable but still this is way better than going at the bill alone. For that matter, people can start simply sharing cable packages and that is another simple way to lower bills.
Viva la resistance and play ball!
