Locast Streaming Service?

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Barefootgirl
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Locast Streaming Service?

Post by Barefootgirl »

Have any of you used Locast Streaming Service to augment your TV viewing with local news channels? They appear to work on a donation model.

I am considering the add-on to Roku. Any recommendations for using Locast?
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123
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by 123 »

Try an antenna first. Depending on your location relative to the TV broadcast towers you may get extraordinary reception with just a simple indoor antenna. I would try that first. The bandwidth of broadcast TV with an antenna is like a firehose, it is far superior to streaming.
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Elric
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by Elric »

I have not, as YouTube TV includes local channels as part of their package.
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WhyNotUs
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by WhyNotUs »

I use it and appreciate the service.
I have an antennae as well but the weather tends to knock them around and signal quality varies.
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by BashDash »

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wilshuer
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by wilshuer »

I've used it for seems almost 2 years, on Rokus. I can get most of the same though OTA antenna, but I like the ease of pulling it up on the Roku, and having the TV Guide - worth the $5/mo in my opinion. Picture quality and sound is excellent.

The one challenging part I have found is that sometimes where my ISP puts me based on IP address, Locast thinks I'm outside of the service area for my metro-area based on IP data. Happens maybe 2-3 times per year. A simple email to Locast support has it fixed within the hour. This is an issue specific to Roku and the IP handling of the ISP.
Faith20879
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by Faith20879 »

Barefootgirl wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 10:15 am Have any of you used Locast Streaming Service to augment your TV viewing with local news channels? They appear to work on a donation model.
Timely discussion, thanks.

We would like to use it more often but the constant interruptions made it essentially unwatchable - almost as bad as the antenna. By the time we press whatever keystrokes needed to get rid of the popups, its too late already. We are considering spending the $5 but not sure if that would get rid of the popups.

We mostly only watch local PBSs so are also concidering their Passport instead.
pastel
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by pastel »

A few things I'd like to emphasize:

Locast is free. I think it's worth trying out and seeing if it works for you. Just create an account and sign in on the app in Roku or any other device.

Paying/donating the $5 a month gets rid of the interruptions found in the free version. This is far cheaper than any other cable/internet tv package.

An antenna/broadcast signal is not always perfect. For me, internet is more reliable than the antenna.
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vanbogle59
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by vanbogle59 »

I use it on firestick.
$5 is well worth it.
Tdubs
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by Tdubs »

I use it and pay the $5. Glad to have it.
Hoosier CPA
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by Hoosier CPA »

I've been using it too. Worth the $5, although it's low definition. Have it set up on roku or log in on a laptop. Mainly use it to for the news. I'd prefer to use an antenna but my house isn't currently set up to run one to each TV. I may get around to that.

I have an antenna that I set up if there's a big game on that I want to watch with high def. And we used youtube tv for college basketball season, but don't want to pay for it year-round. I wish they would have stuck closer to their original pricing.
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vanbogle59
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by vanbogle59 »

Hoosier CPA wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:52 pm I've been using it too. Worth the $5, although it's low definition.
For me, I think the channels that broadcast in HD, stay in HD.
sc9182
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by sc9182 »

I’ve used free version occasionally. But now using to Tablo+Antenna (we get decent OTA antenna). Tablo has Good quality OTA receiver, good recording options, and fairly fast response with app as well as switching channels.

(Our lifetime TiVo hard-disk conked - doesn’t even boot now, hence the quest for alternate options/devices)

On recent sale picked up Tablo device for OTA.

Tablo - DUAL LITE OTA DVR with WiFi - Black
Model: TDNS2B-01-CN. $99 (or can get $79 refurbished unit from Tablo)
Along With:
WD - Easystore 2TB External USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive - Black
Model: WDBAJN0020BBK-WESN $62

Yes - Tablo got app for Roku, and Amazon Fire. I think we get 1+ day TV guide & plenty recording capacity of 2TB drive we bought.

Make sure change your settings to 1080p 60fps - especially if you are on wired Ethernet and 4K TV !!

One thing many cord-cutters can benefit from this App model is: you connect Antenna at best possible location in your home/attic ., hook up to Tablo right there (without long cable - without weakening the Antenna signal) - you get full clarity signal, and many more channels on multiple devices/ROKU/Fire/TVs. With regular TiVo - you are forced to hook it next to TV, and watch it only on one TV.

One option we likes about Tablo - we can record, pause, rewind/forward etc like TiVo, and all thru the Roku/FireTV app. Multiple TVs can be streamed;

Of course with LoCast - you can stream anywhere (Tablo needs to be on your own local LAN - iirc; if you want to beat it - you can do VPN/tunnel etc to work around this limitation, but you lose the simplicity aspect). Now with LoCast in lost-lawsuit, you never know its future ..
Last edited by sc9182 on Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:12 am, edited 2 times in total.
chemocean
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by chemocean »

My municipal cable service is switching to streaming service, but I am grandfathered. In May we had some rearrangement of households and I canceled my cable, but tried to get it back the next day. NO GO!. Municipal streaming only option. Switched to Locast, after paying the $5, the Locast service worked great.
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Nate79
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by Nate79 »

Try it. No need to pay the $5.
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snackdog
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by snackdog »

They lost a court ruling this week and abruptly went dark. Perhaps they will appeal.
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vanbogle59
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by vanbogle59 »

snackdog wrote: Thu Sep 02, 2021 8:59 am They lost a court ruling this week and abruptly went dark. Perhaps they will appeal.
I got an email saying they are cancelling my recurring "donation".
And that they are contesting the decision.
Soon2BXProgrammer
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by Soon2BXProgrammer »

vanbogle59 wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 9:07 am And that they are contesting the decision.
I'm not sure if i got that note? can you share?
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FRANK2009
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by FRANK2009 »

Locast is gone. Received an email stating they are ceasing operations immediately.
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vanbogle59
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by vanbogle59 »

Soon2BXProgrammer wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 9:20 am
vanbogle59 wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 9:07 am And that they are contesting the decision.
I'm not sure if i got that note? can you share?
From: Locast. org <admin@locast.org>
To:
Sent: Wed, Sep 1, 2021 5:37 pm
Subject: Stopping the interrupt

We are stopping the interruptions for donation requests.
Locast Nation
As you probably know, the federal district court in the Southern District of New York issued a ruling in the case brought against Locast by the big media companies. The court concluded that by interrupting programming to ask users for donations, and by suspending those interruptions based on whether a user makes contributions, Locast actually was charging a fee, not merely seeking a voluntary contribution. The court then concluded that revenues Locast collects in this manner exceed the cost of operating the service because funds are used to add new markets, rendering Locast ineligible to use the copyright exemption for non-profits (17 U.S.C. 111(a)(5)).
Although we disagree with this interpretation and are exploring our legal options to contest it, out of respect for the court's order,
Locast is suspending immediately all programming interruptions to request donations.
This means that anyone located in a market we serve who signs up for Locast will get the service without interruption, regardless of whether or not they donate.
Of course, it is up to you whether or not to contribute to Locast. But if you currently contribute, we humbly request that you continue to do so. And if you don't contribute, we hope that you will do so if you can afford it.
Soon2BXProgrammer
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by Soon2BXProgrammer »

vanbogle59 wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 9:51 am
Soon2BXProgrammer wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 9:20 am
vanbogle59 wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 9:07 am And that they are contesting the decision.
I'm not sure if i got that note? can you share?
From: Locast. org <admin@locast.org>
To:
Sent: Wed, Sep 1, 2021 5:37 pm
Subject: Stopping the interrupt

We are stopping the interruptions for donation requests.
Locast Nation
As you probably know, the federal district court in the Southern District of New York issued a ruling in the case brought against Locast by the big media companies. The court concluded that by interrupting programming to ask users for donations, and by suspending those interruptions based on whether a user makes contributions, Locast actually was charging a fee, not merely seeking a voluntary contribution. The court then concluded that revenues Locast collects in this manner exceed the cost of operating the service because funds are used to add new markets, rendering Locast ineligible to use the copyright exemption for non-profits (17 U.S.C. 111(a)(5)).
Although we disagree with this interpretation and are exploring our legal options to contest it, out of respect for the court's order,
Locast is suspending immediately all programming interruptions to request donations.
This means that anyone located in a market we serve who signs up for Locast will get the service without interruption, regardless of whether or not they donate.
Of course, it is up to you whether or not to contribute to Locast. But if you currently contribute, we humbly request that you continue to do so. And if you don't contribute, we hope that you will do so if you can afford it.
yeah that is before they announced the suspending operations, it isn't clear what happened in the next 12 hours after this email. to change from suspending programming interruptions to suspending operations..
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beyou
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Re: Locast Streaming Service?

Post by beyou »

Such a shame.
I had canceled not only cable tv, but after switching to hulu live, dropped that too, when hulu dropped my favorite channel.

Not that locast had cable channels, but I wanted to support a non profit fighting corporate greed. Free public airways should not be restricted. Not going back to cable, hulu live nor others. Will live without them.
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