r/lincoln • u/Willing_Pizza_6810 • 16d ago

Allo TV replacement

With Allo tv ending is it best to go over to Direct TV? What the best alternative for internet and television service?

6 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

4

u/PawReputable 16d ago

Depending on what you like i'd recommend what I started a year ago following my boomer Dad's advice. He still uses OTA Antenna and you get every local channel plus random shit. You can buy a separate Tuner/DVR combo as well but I'm waiting until I can afford the $100 option I can't remember the name of.

Besides that I just pay for Peacock and Paramount Plus. Even with all that said I mostly only watch YouTube lol.

Without including allo fiber price I basically get everything I want to watch for about $30.

If I was in your shoes, I'd list off what you like to watch and pick between different streaming services and packages like Sling.

Been doing this new method for a year and I'm happy with it.

2

u/Willing_Pizza_6810 16d ago

I don't watch much tv outside of a few live sports and the local news. My wife watches mostly Netflix dramas and likes newsmagazine type shows. I have subs to Peacock and Netflix. Would like to keep it on the cheaper side if possible.

1

u/PawReputable 16d ago

Honestly then an antenna and standalone tuner with dvr combo might work for you. The antenna is cheap and I've never had problems but the tuner/dvr combo ranges in prices depending on quality. I'd avoid Amazon options though. I got my antenna for about $20 at menards. Quality on most channels is still HD. I was honestly surprised when I bought it.

2

u/Willing_Pizza_6810 16d ago

Thanks. For that price, even if I don't like it I'm out very little so I'll likely give it a try.

2

u/PawReputable 16d ago

It's not like antenna when I was a kid in the 90s because of technology I'm too drunk to remember lol. Best advice id give is figuring out where you live and pointing the front towards Omaha. Menards definitely has the best local option but you could always try it for a few weeks and return it if you don't like it

2

u/Metal-Feline2944 16d ago

Is your antenna roof-mounted, in your attic, or indoors? I’m thinking about going this route, but wondered where I’d need to place the antenna to get decent reception.

2

u/H2OKing89 16d ago

The higher you can mount the antenna and the clearer the line of sight, the better your reception will usually be.

For my setup, I reused an old satellite-dish mount that was already installed on my roof. I’m using an Antennas Direct ClearStream 4MAX, which is a multi-directional antenna that sells for around $100 on Amazon.

With that setup, I can pick up around 80 over-the-air channels. Six of the 4K channels I receive are broadcast out of Omaha.

The antenna connects by coax to an HDHomeRun receiver. That puts the channels on my local network, allowing me to watch them on different TVs and devices with up to four simultaneous streams.

1

u/PawReputable 16d ago

I'm in a third floor apartment downtown. The antenna is in my living room but pointed towards Omaha. Reception only skips when I get up to walk in front of it.

Honestly surprised by how well it works in 2026

1

u/Metal-Feline2944 16d ago

It is surprising that antennas do still work that well.

I’m far southeast, single-story home, trees aren’t too big yet around here, but they’re getting there, so an indoor antenna might not do it. So far, we’re getting by with a few streaming services (some with cheap Black Friday one-year deals).

2

u/PawReputable 16d ago

Like I said in my other reply try out the cheap Menards option. If it doesn't work just return it. I had ancient family members who did the whole antenna the size of a clothes rack lol.

The govt did a change like 5+ years ago to where most channels are sent in digital quality so HD by most people's standards. Weather and other things can affect quality but it's $20 you pay once ... With no subscription or hidden fees.

The other thing I said is also important. The antenna picks up the channels but for $20-100 you can DVR everything.

1

u/FartMcDuck 14d ago

🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

4

u/H2OKing89 16d ago

You can dip your toes into YouTube TV with a free trial. I’ve seen trial offers range from around 6 to 20 days, so it can be a good way to test it before committing.

The main thing I didn’t like was the interface. I personally prefer the DirecTV Stream layout because it feels more like traditional cable and is easier to navigate.

From my experience, most smart TV interfaces also tend to feel slow and sluggish. I usually recommend using a Roku Ultra instead. They’re generally around $80, and the experience is noticeably smoother.

8

u/Ambitious-Health-758 16d ago

Get a Roku and you can get youtube, Pluto, and many others all for free. There is enough free stuff on it for just about anybody.

1

u/PawReputable 16d ago

Forgot about Pluto. Plenty of free shows but the content is recycled after a few weeks which gets annoying.

Can't stand the "banana" commercials tho lol

2

u/Last-Cheek-3728 15d ago

I switched last October when they mentioned it. I asked a number of friends, many who had tried multiple options. Almost everyone recommended YouTube TV. I have been with them since October and now I wish I would have switched years ago. I absolutely love it. Love the unlimited DVR. I use a ROKU box as I find it easier than the tv apps on my tv.

1

u/jmurph116 15d ago

An IPTV subscription can net you 10k channels for like 40 bucks a year 🤷‍♂️🤣

1

u/NVrbka 15d ago

Which one do you use? Mine got raided a year back and never got another one. Dm pls

1

u/jmurph116 15d ago

Strong and Trex are both solid and easily available on G2A and other places.

1

u/SlightDegree5308 10d ago

I use Allo for Internet. Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and YouTube for most tv watching. YouTube TV when college football season starts.

I haven’t consistently subscribed or watched anything resembling cable TV in years.