Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[Midpack]

Does it really change that often? Are streamers mandated to give you only certain locals like (I think) they require of satellite providers? I'm in a rural area that would seem to be subject to such a change, because Dish gives me locals from a further away place than than what I can receive OTA, and those stations from Dish don't give any local coverage for weather or events. Yet I haven't seen a chance since I started service in 2001.

I’m not sure how your experience with Dish, OTA and local channels is related to live broadcast streaming providers.

About 18 months ago there was nothing but Sling and PS Vue in the live broadcast streaming space, there were no cloud DVR’s, and simultaneous streams were more limited. Since then DirecTV Now, YouTube TV and Hulu Live Have rolled out. Channel lineups have changed, and local major channels have been added to some. Cloud DVR’s are way more common, and some offer more simultaneous streams. And UI’s have improved considerably, notably with PS Vue on Roku. So I’d say yes.

But the point was everyone should check what’s available at their address. What someone else has may not resemble what another user has available.

 

[mpeirce]

CBS News makes an app for Apple TV, iOS (and android I assume). It's free and is a 24 hour news channel. Look for the CBSN app.

I'm not crazy for CBS, but it's there for big live news like an earthquake or election results.

Some of the overseas outlets also have free apps like BBC, Sky News, Al Jezzera, etc.

One other free option for national news is using Pluto TV. It's a lot like SlingTV or DirectTV Now, except it's free. So the big name channels aren't there, but lots of second tier and other free channels are there. CBSN for example. Looking at their news channel section I also see NBC news / MSNBC, CNBC, Newsmax, Newsy, Sky News, and Bloomberg. They are all free, though Pluto does overlay some of their own ads.

You can preview PlutoTV at PlutoTV

 

[Chuckanut]

I'm glad one of the bigger players finally picked this up. OTA is a mainstay for most viewers. This would be perfect for those who want a more plug-and-play experience. For those who are more DIY, Plex has been offering OTA DVR service for free for a while now, you just have to supply your own media PC, tuner, and antenna.

The Amazon device only has two tuners. Not so good. My Tivo has four. I have only used all four one time that I can recall. But, I use three tuners at least once every two months or so.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

The Amazon device only has two tuners. Not so good. My Tivo has four. I have only used all four one time that I can recall. But, I use three tuners at least once every two months or so.

Yeah, our two TiVos have four and six tuners, plus I have the Plex server, we subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, and I own a lot of streaming content on Vudu. We take our TV watching seriously here.

 

[bloom2708]

The Amazon device only has two tuners. Not so good. My Tivo has four. I have only used all four one time that I can recall. But, I use three tuners at least once every two months or so.

There are 2 versions.

2 Tuner
4 Tuner

$50 for the bigger model with more storage.

 

[Chuckanut]

There are 2 versions.

2 Tuner
4 Tuner

$50 for the bigger model with more storage.

Thanks for the correction. I recommend spending the extra $50 if one wishes to get this machine.

 

[RunningBum]

I’m not sure how your experience with Dish, OTA and local channels is related to live broadcast streaming providers.

That's why I started off by asking if they are constrained by any FCC regulations, like I think Dish is. If they aren't, my experience isn't related. That's all that needs to be said.

 

[NoMoreJob]

Unfortunately, due to the quirks of each device, Amazon will provide the bare bones or general outline needed, and each device manufacturer will provide the completed app. That's why if Netflix upgrades its app, the upgrade will not appear on every device at the same time, and some may take months to update.

So you may want to contact the manufacturer of the TV and bug them about it, particularly if you can find other people with the same or close to the same model smart TV who can reproduce your issue.

This is why I choose not use use my apps like Netflix on my smart TVs. I either use a popular streaming box like Roku or cast from my computer to a Chromecast. These seem to work well over time, TV apps typically become buggy as the TV ages. i suspect TV manufacturers look at it as an opportunity for planned obsolescence.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

This is why I choose not use use my apps like Netflix on my smart TVs. I either use a popular streaming box like Roku or cast from my computer to a Chromecast. These seem to work well over time, TV apps typically become buggy as the TV ages. i suspect TV manufacturers look at it as an opportunity for planned obsolescence.

Good point. I've been a home theater hobbyist for decades, and IMO smart TV manufacturers see the apps as a sideline to the TV manufacturer, while apps are the whole point for manufacturers of set top boxes and "sticks" like the Chromecast. They also tend to put more effort into the design of the UI.

 

[explanade]

Actually they see it as an opportunity to spy on you as Vizio and Samsung have been caught doing.

Oh and even if the manufacturers were benign, they don't have the ability to keep it secure, prevent it from being taken over by malware.

 

[kitesurfer2]

ive been using a small amazon antenna, roku and tablo now for a few years and love it. my friend yesterday say he has not cut the cord because he needs the sports. I buy Netflix for the movies at $11 a month. Is there something equal for the sports people? I searched the last 4 pages...I did not search all 40.

 

[target2019]

We keep basic cable to be able to watch local teams. A sports package will cost too much for us.

 

[NoMoreJob]

We keep basic cable to be able to watch local teams. A sports package will cost too much for us.

There are streaming services that have good sports packages. We chose YouTube TV because it has what we wanted in sports. We also found that it works better than many of the others. But what service fits best varies by individual and location.

 

[timo2]

ive been using a small amazon antenna, roku and tablo now for a few years and love it. my friend yesterday say he has not cut the cord because he needs the sports. I buy Netflix for the movies at $11 a month. Is there something equal for the sports people? I searched the last 4 pages...I did not search all 40.

I have searched and searched for a netflix type place that shows variety of professional sports without a package of some sort (streaming package services like hulu count as a package). It is not there. The sports leagues broadcast contracts are too spread out among content providers. The Professional leagues in the USA have all these black out rules that require the surreptitious use of a VPN to watch local teams.

And another problem is for fast moving sports, the internet streaming source content is inferior, causing the pucks or balls to look jumpy on the big TV screens.

What I do instead is keep the most basic Dish package until winter, then, for NFL, upgrade to the cheapest package that has redzone. I use MLB on my PC media center during baseball season. Hockey is pretty much a lost cause: it is too fast for the low quality feed most providers send over, and the NHL and cable packages cost too much.

 

[Chuckanut]

I would be a bit careful ordering the new Amazon DVR box. For one thing I noticed that it does not have a buffer attached to the tuners. Or am I wrong?

One thing I enjoy about my Tivo is the 30 minute buffer for each channel tuned in. If I forget that my favorite rerun of Gilligan's Island started at 8:00 and I finally remember at 8:29, well.... It's all still there for me to watch if I act fast enough. Thank you Tivo.

No doubt version 2.0 will be better. Tivo and others will need to step up their act. Competition is wonderful.

 

[RunningBum]

What I do instead is keep the most basic Dish package until winter, then, for NFL, upgrade to the cheapest package that has redzone. I use MLB on my PC media center during baseball season. Hockey is pretty much a lost cause: it is too fast for the low quality feed most providers send over, and the NHL and cable packages cost too much.

Me too, for all the same issues you list, except that I watch college football more than pro.

Have you found the Dish Welcome Pack option for the off-season? You have to ask for it, but it's $23 (plus $7 for DVR), and includes locals.

I also ask for and get the sports pack at half price, for agreeing to keep it 6 months. I'm going to have it for 3 anyway, so I get basketball season for free (as long as I keep Dish 150+ or whatever it is).

 

[pb4uski]

I use Dish Welcome Pack.... a great deal. I even keep it going when we are away during football season so I can watch Patriot games via Dish AnyWhere when they are not nationally telecast... then I put it on $5/month seasonal hold after the regular NFL season until we get home.

 

[target2019]

There are streaming services that have good sports packages. We chose YouTube TV because it has what we wanted in sports. We also found that it works better than many of the others. But what service fits best varies by individual and location.

Not sure if I fit the average cord-cutter label, but I kept cable Limited Basic Service for $13/month. That gets me the Sunday and Monday games.

Adding Youtube TV is $40/month, so it doesn't make sense for me, but maybe some.

Our cost is Netflix $15, Internet $62, Limited TV $13, Broadcast TV Fee $8. Throw in some Amazon Prime content, some taxes and fees, and the cost is beyond what I want to spend. Needs to come down in a year or two.

 

[bobandsherry]

Thanks for the correction. I recommend spending the extra $50 if one wishes to get this machine.

As it's only for OTA channels, not sure if four tuners necessary. I have a 6 tuner Tivo and many times I record on all 6 at once, but that's with full cable line up. Not sure how often I'd have more than 2 OTA channels recording at once. But for $50 and with more storage may be worth it if you find Recast worth buying to begin with.

 

[bobandsherry]

I would be a bit careful ordering the new Amazon DVR box. For one thing I noticed that it does not have a buffer attached to the tuners. Or am I wrong?

One thing I enjoy about my Tivo is the 30 minute buffer for each channel tuned in. If I forget that my favorite rerun of Gilligan's Island started at 8:00 and I finally remember at 8:29, well.... It's all still there for me to watch if I act fast enough. Thank you Tivo.

Only if your Tivo is already tuned to channel with GI rerun on it. If not, the buffer does ya no good.

 

[timo2]

Me too, for all the same issues you list, except that I watch college football more than pro.

Have you found the Dish Welcome Pack option for the off-season? You have to ask for it, but it's $23 (plus $7 for DVR), and includes locals.

I also ask for and get the sports pack at half price, for agreeing to keep it 6 months. I'm going to have it for 3 anyway, so I get basketball season for free (as long as I keep Dish 150+ or whatever it is).

I will check out the welcome pack. I was using the basic flex pack off-season because it has 98% of the shows DW likes to watch, like it was made just for her!

 

[robls]

I have searched and searched for a netflix type place that shows variety of professional sports without a package of some sort (streaming package services like hulu count as a package). It is not there. The sports leagues broadcast contracts are too spread out among content providers. The Professional leagues in the USA have all these black out rules that require the surreptitious use of a VPN to watch local teams.

And another problem is for fast moving sports, the internet streaming source content is inferior, causing the pucks or balls to look jumpy on the big TV screens.

What I do instead is keep the most basic Dish package until winter, then, for NFL, upgrade to the cheapest package that has redzone. I use MLB on my PC media center during baseball season. Hockey is pretty much a lost cause: it is too fast for the low quality feed most providers send over, and the NHL and cable packages cost too much.

Check out caststreams.com for hockey. You can make a small donation and watch HD streams. I highly recommend it. It has an Android app with Chromecast included which I use on my Samsung tablet.

 

[deserat]

Just had Bluespan wireless installed yesterday - will be returning Cox their modem and ending its service today. I can get some modest OTA channels and will probably subscribe to YouTube TV which allows me to suspend the subscription for up to 6 months if I am traveling. I also have Prime. Plus, I've noticed I was streaming shows on generic YouTube and don't need to pay for that.

I realized I was watching about 5 channels, paying for phone that I didn't use and my internet speed was time dependent. Also, Cox had raised my bill by $20 to $140 /mo and even when I called they had no "deals" for me to lower the price. So, I'm no longer going to be a customer of theirs. My monthly cost has decreased by $60 (Prime cost is at student rate right now $59/yr) and I'm actually paying for what I use/want.

 

[walkinwood]

Interesting thread!


My 9 year old OTA DVR solution using a PC running linux & an open source solution called MythTV has begun to hang randomly & I cannot pin point the issue. I think some connection is getting flaky on the motherboard, so it is time to consider a new solution.


The easiest would be to build/buy a new pc and install mythtv, but we now want to watch from two TVs, and the mythtv doesn't play well with off the shelf streaming devices like Roku. So, we'd have to build a front end using a small computer. I've tried the Raspberry PI 3, but it isn't without issues. I'd rather be able to use a ROKU or a smart-tv app.


Right now, I'm testing out Plex DVR running on my desktop PC & using Roku to stream the recordings to the TV. It isn't as slick as Mythtv, but is workable. If we go the plex route, I'll buy a nvidia shield to act as the DVR/media center.



The features I miss most are:
- the 30 second forward skip.

- Commercial Skip: Plex has a way to get rid of commercials, but since it cuts out the commercial from the video, it sometimes gets rid of pieces of programming by mistake too. Mythtv puts markers around commercials so you can skip to the next marker & rewind if the commercial-skip made an error.
- Fast forward / Rewind : In mythtv, you can see the video stream by in high speed like you would on a DVD, but not so with Roku/Plex.



I have to investigate Kodi since it has a mythtv plug-in.


SageTV has been acquired by Google, so I am unsure of what its current status is.

An update:



I've installed Plex on my Window 10 PC & have been using Plex's Live TV/DVR functionality. I use a Roku and a Samsung smart TV as the clients. I'm happy enough with the solution that I just bought a lifetime subscription. There are a couple of mythtv features in both the player and recorder that I miss, but not having to create a client for each TV compensates for it. Keeping a Linux box updated has also lost its appeal for me.

The commercial skip program seems to work pretty well. I've only tried it on the Stephen Colbert show, so I need to test it more.

I'll migrate the server to an NVidia Shield in the near future.


I didn't investigate SageTV or Kodi - though like Kodi, Plex is a branch off the original XBMC. Thanks to those to suggested solutions.

 

[pb4uski]

....The commercial skip program seems to work pretty well. I've only tried it on the Stephen Colbert show, so I need to test it more. ...

For Stephen Colbert it might be nice to have the inverse, a program that skips him and watches just the commercials.