Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

Status
Not open for further replies.
RunningBum said:
80 seems hard to believe, plus with most people it's a matter of certain stations being available, not just sheer numbers. Being able to see multiples of CW, PBS, Fox, ION, etc, isn't too interesting, nor are the various weather channels on the substations. I found https://nocable.org/availability-report/zip/80291-denver-co and it shows about 60 by my quick count. Maybe with a really good antenna you can get more from further away, but those are almost sure to be dups.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you are right... I was simply guessing. :D I use https://www.titantv.com/default.aspx. A quick glance doesn't show many (if any) duplicates. BTW, I have a couple (3 actually -- one is a dual) antennas that each have a 50 mile range.
 
When I lived in So Cal I had over 100 free digital OTA TV signals. I would say half of them are religious, infomercials,etc. But also in that high number were a lot of diginets that the majority of viewers in other parts of the country do not get and they were great.



I had the advantage of having line of sight to Mount Wilson above Los Angeles where the TV signals transmit from. So yes, it is possible to get a very high number of OTA TV signals, but outside of Los Angeles and New York City, I can't think of anywhere that would have the possibility of getting over 75-80 free OTA TV signals.
 
Update: I got the Apple TV for subscribing to Directv Now and paying for three months in advance. Cost $113. This deal is only available until the end of May. I figured even if I did not like Directv Now the Apple TV would be a savings. I have about 6 hours of playing around with the combo. First off No buffering! Tried it on local and national stations. Picture seems to be clearer, than the Roku. (I have run Directv Now on both) and it looks like it may be higher resolution. DVR seems to be working and I can fast forward through commercials. It does not have a preview picture when you fast forwarding, but I think they will add this feature.

So, a plus for both Directv Now and Apple TV. I'm going to try out the Apple TV on Youtube TV tomorrow.
 
Rustic23 said:
Update: I got the Apple TV for subscribing to Directv Now and paying for three months in advance. Cost $113. This deal is only available until the end of May. I figured even if I did not like Directv Now the Apple TV would be a savings. I have about 6 hours of playing around with the combo. First off No buffering! Tried it on local and national stations. Picture seems to be clearer, than the Roku. (I have run Directv Now on both) and it looks like it may be higher resolution. DVR seems to be working and I can fast forward through commercials. It does not have a preview picture when you fast forwarding, but I think they will add this feature.

So, a plus for both Directv Now and Apple TV. I'm going to try out the Apple TV on Youtube TV tomorrow.
Click to expand...

If you got the 4th generation Apple TV or the Apple TV 4K, the processor will be faster than just about any streaming set top box other than PS4 and Xbox One consoles.

But the Youtube client is poor because Google won't support a competitor's box that well.
 
Finally cut the cord today!!:dance:

I’ve been wanting to do this for soooo long but none of the streaming services carried any of our local channels until now. All of a sudden, 1 has all of them and 2 have 3 of the 4 channels. :)

When we are in WI, we split our time between a home in Green Bay and one in Northern WI. We had Spectrum for cable/internet/phone in Green Bay and CenturyLink/Directv (only options) in Northern WI. I was able to cut our bills by $200/month. :D One subscription of YouTube TV covers both homes and has all of our local channels. Based on availability, internet remains split between Spectrum and CenturyLink. An unexpected bonus is DH loves the simplicity of the Roku remote and interface.

The one drawback I see is that we can’t FF through commercials on YouTube TV although you can FF through the actual show/movie. I trialed Directv Now but our CenturyLink IP address does not reflect our actual location so we were unable to get any local channels in Northern WI. I planned to trial Hulu Live but their website says it cannot be used on a TV outside your designated home network.

Thank you to everyone who has posted their experiences. You motivated me to keep checking back until there was a solution available that met our needs.
 
Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV)

A few months ago, I cut the cord and dumped my AT&T U-Verse TV service. Kept my AT&T gigabit internet service ($95/mo.). I’ve been using P.S. Vue for TV, along with Amazon Prime and Netflix, streaming through Fire TV’s. Very happy with this arrangement.

Just recently, I did a different type of cord cutting, even though there wasn’t a cord involved. I cancelled my satellite radio subscriptions. Sirius XM wants about $15/mo per vehicle (2 in my case), although you can negotiate a better deal by calling in every 5 or 6 months. We don’t use our vehicles as much as we used to when we were working, and I just got tired of fighting with Sirius XM, so decided I didn’t need it anymore.

We now stream our $5/mo Pandora subscription (which we already had) via Bluetooth in both of our vehicles (we both have unlimited data plans on our phones - T-Mobile’s 55+ plan). Works great. I also added a Roav Viva device to DW’s car. This adds Alexa capability in her car and allows DW to switch Pandora stations by just speaking the channel she wants. It has worked out even better than I thought it would.
 
Last edited:
Here is an article addressing the increase in streaming rates.

from the article: "Price hikes were the norm for cable companies because many of us didn’t have alternatives and canceling was too hard. But suddenly it feels like there’s a price hike in streaming bundles at every turn in the past few months.

In March, YouTube TV announced the first price hike in the industry by increasing from $35/month to $40/month. At the end of June, Sling Orange also increased service pricing by $5, and DirecTV Now raised prices by the same amount. PlayStation Vue announced intentions to increase plan prices by $5 at the end of July, bringing the base price to $45 per month for their 670,000 subscribers.

It's discouraging to watch streaming services issue price hikes because the primary reason consumers cut the cord was to save money. Consumers are questioning rising prices in the face of subscriber growth and wonder if these price hikes are a long-term strategy to eliminate their savings. The timing does seem conveniently coordinated."

https://nocable.org/news/why-are-all-the-streaming-services-increasing-their-prices
 
I switched to the Spectrum Choice Package online streaming service about 2 1/2 months ago. I have experienced quite a lot of trouble with the Spectrum app opening, sometimes when using it it hangs and I have to go back to the guide to get it going, and sometimes having to exit the app and log in again to get it to work. I also use other apps with my 3 ROKU's
with zero trouble(Amazon, FS1, NBCSN and Fox news.) so it is not a ROKU or wi-fi issue. Anyone else having problems using Spectrum app? I have talked to Spectrum and gotten varius answers from we are working on it, we have seen this problem from 8-11 Eastern time, to no reports of issues, must be you.
 
Dave J said:
I switched to the Spectrum Choice Package online streaming service about 2 1/2 months ago. I have experienced quite a lot of trouble with the Spectrum app opening, sometimes when using it it hangs and I have to go back to the guide to get it going, and sometimes having to exit the app and log in again to get it to work. I also use other apps with my 3 ROKU's
with zero trouble(Amazon, FS1, NBCSN and Fox news.) so it is not a ROKU or wi-fi issue. Anyone else having problems using Spectrum app? I have talked to Spectrum and gotten varius answers from we are working on it, we have seen this problem from 8-11 Eastern time, to no reports of issues, must be you.
Click to expand...

I have Spectrum internet and land line. For a year, I went back to the dark side and had the lowest cable package through Spectrum. Cost me roughly $20 per month. They jacked the rates up. No, my discount expired so I dropped it. While with Spectrum, I do not remember having any problems with the Spectrum App. Except, it only works while inside my home network.

I will NEED a live streaming package during football/college basketball season. NEED. I have compared what I consider to be the top/best packages for me (Hulu, Sling, DTVN, YTTV, PSV and Spectrum Choice). SC is $25/mo. The rest were $35 to $40 for the things I want. There are only 3 questions/problems that I wanted to ask you. Can you access Spectrum Choice anywhere on the internet or only in your home? Is it true that they do not offer any cloud DVR with this service? Does it have an extensive list of on-demand shows, movies, etc? I tried to ask via the Spectrum live chat feature but the person did not quite answer the questions I asked. Didn't quite understand what I was asking.
 
I have only tried accessing it at home. I was told it will work elseware, but don't know. I may try it later today if I get a chance. No cloud DVR that I am aware of. I have the on demand for the channels in my package only. It does allow me to access the apps for the channels I subscribe to. FS1 , Fox News ect. Since I had an existing relationship with Spectrum with internet, My cost was 29.99, not the $25 month in online ads. Also, local chanells is $3 month extra . My total cost is $34.28 with local tax applied. Having it does make my internet $10 month less for either 1 or 2 years, so that lowers the net cost for a while. HTH
 
could is not the same as will

timo2 said:
"...and DirecTV Now raised prices by the same amount. "
Click to expand...


How is this possible (please note sarcasm)? Didn't they argue about lower prices should the AT&T Time Warner merger get approved? The lead attorney for the companies indicated that the merger could result in annual savings to consumers of $500 million. I guess 'could' is what fooled the judge when approving the merger. :facepalm:

 
I was ready to cut the cord with Direct TV (I have had it since 1996) and just do streaming with the. Called and they gave me a $50 per month discount for 1 year and free HBO. So, guess we will just keep until next year when I will have to call again.
 
I called Directv when I retired at the end of January. I told them that I had been replaced at work (true!) and that I no longer had a job (true!).

They gave me a $40/month discount for one year, and some free stations for 6 months. They said after the 6 months the free stations would cancel AND would not automatically renew without me being aware of it. (I appreciated that.)

So I am still with them. Guess after the year is up, I could share with them that husband has been replaced at work (true!) and see if the discount can be continued.
 
Z3Dreamer said:
I will NEED a live streaming package during football/college basketball season. NEED. I have compared what I consider to be the top/best packages for me (Hulu, Sling, DTVN, YTTV, PSV and Spectrum Choice). SC is $25/mo. The rest were $35 to $40 for the things I want. There are only 3 questions/problems that I wanted to ask you. Can you access Spectrum Choice anywhere on the internet or only in your home?
Click to expand...
OK, I used Spectrum Choice at my son's home. Most of the national channels worked and none of the local channels were available. I also tried one of the channels I get by seperate app but previously had to sign up thru Spectrum, and it worked fine at Son's home. He has a different internet provider(Frontier) than Spectrum. HTH
 
I've got a new AppleTV on the way (which I got for airline miles that were about to expire), so I'm ready to cut the cord and go with one of the streaming services.

I called my TV/Internet provider to verify what the total cost of my internet would be if I stopped TV. They have the internet-only prices on their web site, but I wanted to know what the junk fees would be. Somehow, they can't tell me, although I have a feeling they will figure it out when it comes time to send me the first bill.

What fees do you pay for internet-only from your cable TV provider? Sales tax, I'm sure, but what about things like the following, copied from my last bill:

BPOL TAX PASS THROUGH
[-]BROADCAST TV FEE
COPYRIGHT FEE[/-]
PROPERTYT TAX PASS-THROUGH
VA STATE SALES TAX
VA COMMUNICATIONS SALES TAX

The two I crossed out I'm sure only apply to TV, as the rep told me. He "thinks" the others are percentages, so my best guess is to figure out what those percentages are and do the math.
 
I’m in Florida with Centurylink. Dropped Prism TV and kept internet only. The advertised rate for 1 gigabit service was $85 per month. Much to my surprise the monthly bill has been exactly $85 per month - no extra fees or taxes.
 
I have Cox Cable's "Internet Preferred" (mid-level internet), and no TV, phone, or other services from Cox. Up until this summer their "Internet Preferred" was advertised as $79.99 for 50 Mbps, and that is what I am paying, to the penny.

However, much to my joy and surprise, this summer they increased the speed to 100 Mbps (really about 120). And now, the website says $84.99 for "Internet Preferred" with a $49.99 introductory price. I suppose my internet bill is going up soon, unless they grandfather me. I could cancel, restart, and try to get the $49.99 price for a few months or a year, but TBH I don't play those games.

Anyway, to answer your questions, I have the same situation as boog in that whatever taxes and fees are involved, are included in the advertised price.
 
Got almost through the whole thread today Ithanks to all who have detailed their setups and pros and cons) and then went and looked at what is available on the streaming plans - cnet just came out with a good article with a table:
https://www.cnet.com/news/live-tv-streaming-services-channel-lineups-compared/

YouTube TV would more than cover my needs. I use Cox as a bundle, (internet phone and cable) and it costs $121/mo - it will be a year of service with them next month, so it might be the time to change. I couldn't get my price down without the bundle and a phone that I don't use (it's VOIP anyway...just use my cell instead). So, I am seriously thinking of cutting the cord. The only issue is no PBS with any of those streaming plans, although I've been streaming the masterpiece shows anyhow as they broadcast them at odd hours for me. The reason why YouTube would be the Tennis channel - I watch tennis almost daily and I watched the Tour de France on NBS Sports (which is also on YouTube TV).

I have Prime - like that - and am looking at getting BritBox.

I have one of those indoor flyleaf-like antennas and it's garbage....may put in an OTA for PBS....maybe.....
 
GalaxyBoy said:
I've got a new AppleTV on the way (which I got for airline miles that were about to expire), so I'm ready to cut the cord and go with one of the streaming services.



I called my TV/Internet provider to verify what the total cost of my internet would be if I stopped TV. They have the internet-only prices on their web site, but I wanted to know what the junk fees would be. Somehow, they can't tell me, although I have a feeling they will figure it out when it comes time to send me the first bill.



What fees do you pay for internet-only from your cable TV provider? Sales tax, I'm sure, but what about things like the following, copied from my last bill:



BPOL TAX PASS THROUGH

[-]BROADCAST TV FEE

COPYRIGHT FEE[/-]

PROPERTYT TAX PASS-THROUGH

VA STATE SALES TAX

VA COMMUNICATIONS SALES TAX



The two I crossed out I'm sure only apply to TV, as the rep told me. He "thinks" the others are percentages, so my best guess is to figure out what those percentages are and do the math.
Click to expand...



States, municipalities can’t tax internet service. That law goes back to the late 90s
 
I have internet only via Spectrum. The only additional charge is sales tax.
 
Last edited:
foxcreek9 said:
States, municipalities can’t tax internet service. That law goes back to the late 90s
Click to expand...
They can on telephone internet. I fought mine but lost. They add taxes to my phone internet, and I could not get them to stop, even quoting the law.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Z
Streaming Package for Football and College Basketball
Replies
14
Views
605
Franklin
Franklin
Qs Laptop
Why Would Someone Need Cable TV Service?
4 5 6
Replies
149
Views
10K
badatmath
B
S
Televisions - last ditch effort
2
Replies
45
Views
3K
Koolau
Koolau
Midpack
  • Poll
Poll: When Did You Cut the Cord (Cable and/or Satellite)?
3 4 5
Replies
106
Views
7K
Skitso999
S
E
Finally installed Apple TV 4K
2
Replies
35
Views
2K
eytonxav
E

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom