Objectives
Reduce monthly payments to phone, cable, and internet provider
Provide more flexibility of where to watch TV
Background
Landline phone + non-HD (1 TV with DVR rental) + 15/5 MB Internet on Verizon FIOS costs is $156 month breakdown as follows (Triple Play Package)
TV – $48 + $20 DVR rental
Phone – $33
Internet – $24
Taxes (a lot of which are landline) – $19
Requirements
Have a DVR
Keep existing landline phone number
Nice to have – multi-room access to cable (currently 1 room only)
Nice to have – remote access to cable stations (from internet)
Approach
Cable service – Reduce rental fees by using a cable card with a dual tuner IPTV solution that allows TV’s attached to a computer to receive channels, change channels, DVR, and provide program guide. Details below.
New Monthly Service
$17 – DVR – will be returned so not in total
$4 cable card rental
$ Cable TV – PrimeHD
$ Internet – 15/5
$104 Total ($121 w/ DVR) – guaranteed price for 12 months – 2 year contract is $5 less
+ $1.75 per month fee (annual $20) for channel guide after the first year
One-time Costs
$1 to get a TMobile SIM card used temporarily with old, unlocked iPhone 3G
$20 Google Voice porting fee
$160 for a dual tuner IPTV solution HD Homerun with cable card
$40-80 for a Obihai VOIP device for Google Voice (if you want old phone system to work)
$20 for Verizon to send cable card
Option 1 – $70 – EyeTV 3 software license used with old/unused MacBook – Not compatible with HomeRun HD
Option 2 – $400 – Windows machine with Media Center software
Option 3 – $0 use software included with HomeRun HD – not an option – no software included
Option 4 – $5 one-time cost for iOS EyeTV – unreliable application, similar products available on iOS also not reliable (InstaTV)
$200 – $600
Return on investment
4 to 12 months
Phone Service switch to Google Voice
1. Have an unlocked GSM phone (example – AT&T did this for free on an unused, out of contract iPhone 3G)
2. Order a TMobile SIM card from TMobile’s website
3. When received, put in phone, and activate the SIM from TMobile’s website remembering to transfer your landline number.
4. Wait about 24 hours for number to transfer. Make sure it works. You could stop now if you want to keep on TMobile. If you use almost no minutes, you can keep the number alive for about $10 for every 90 days.
5. Port your number to Google Voice account
6. Once the number is on Google Voice, setup call routing as you see fit. There is a limitation to Google Voice in that you can only route to a number once. In other words, you can’t route 2 GV numbers to one mobile phone. If you only have 1 GV account, this is not a problem and you are done.
7. Obihai sells products that allows your Google Voice phone number to be a real phone number. Purchase and install this product to allow plain telephones to send and recieve calls your GV phone number (which is now the same number as your original number).
Cable Service with reduced rental fees
1. Order a HomeRun HD confirming it works well with your provider (work with FIOS) to be installed near your router.
2. Order a cable card from your provider. Verizon charges a rental fee while others do not.
3. Run an ethernet connection from your router to each of your TV’s. Most suggest wifi will not have acceptable results for HD TV.
4. Option 1 – If Mac – install EyeTV and attach Mac to TV (HDMI is best route but may require an adapter). Note – Some stations are encrypted by your cable provider and will only work with Windows Media Center.
5. Option 2 – If Windows – Make sure your version of Windows 7 contains Windows Media Center and configure.
Positives
Reduced monthly fee by $50
Benefits of Google Voice like multi-phone and voicemail transcription
Possibility of move TV’s with no ongoing fees
Possibility of remote access to TV content
Possibility of saving shows to be available though AppleTV (EyeTV solution)
Negatives
Maintaining computer at TV (experience is DVR’s are unreliable but still probably easier)
3-5 hours of your time over a 1 month period
Wiring ethernet
Investment required of $200 to $600
No unlimited phone
Possibility of telemarketing calls to cell phone
Alternative Options being investigated
AppleTV – Can watch DVR or live shows using AirPlay if Windows Media center has AirParrot installed ($10). Sometime audio is out of sync and doesn’t work in full screen mode.
Use iOS device to receive TV in house – so far, apps are not reliable
Other internet device – results Roku – no channel yet?, others TBD
TIVO – really great alternative to HomeRun HD and device at TV but $20 subscription fee too high
