Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[ExFlyBoy5]

Has anyone had any luck with those amplified indoor antennas?

I don't want to run a long coax from the attic to my TV, which is downstairs.

But there is also a high rise building between me and the direction of the TV transmission towers so I've never had luck with OTA.

In any event, when I look at most of the stuff I record regularly on Tivo, most of them are on cable channels so OTA channels alone wouldn't be enough, though it would get me NFL games live. But most of the local NBA, MLB and NHL games in my area are on the regional RSN, so I'd have to subscribe to cable to get those anyways.

I didn't have much luck getting additional channels using an amplifier (with the antenna inside the house). Putting the antenna in the attic really brought them in, but the house was already wired for cable/dish/etc, so it was very easy to tie the antenna into the whole house.

I would add that we are about 13-18 miles from the two antenna farms here in town. One is NW of us, the other is SE of us...and it's pretty flat terrain, so most certainly helps.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

What are you paying for the alternate TV viewing experience?

Includes all fees/taxes:

Cable Monopoly 300/20 Mbps: $80.84

Sling (Blue+4 package): $34.99

Netflix: $12.99

Hulu (no ad version): $11.99

We also have Amazon Prime, so not including that since we would be Prime members regardless of the video content available. We had DirecTV Now, but that was cancelled a few days ago.

TOTAL: $140.81 (or $59.97 for TV viewing only)

Our equipment is one Fire TV box (Living room) and 4 Fire Sticks for the rest of the TVs (exercise room, DW's office, Master Bedroom, outdoor/patio) and a Fire TV Recast box for the antenna/OTA. If I were to purchase that equipment today, it would cost me $517.95 This price includes the attic OTA antenna and 5 Amazon Fire sticks...I wouldn't get another Fire TV (they are "cubes" now) because the processing speed with the sticks is plenty enough.

Also, you mentioned a "free" app. Be careful with this...almost all the apps are free, but the subscriptions ARE NOT free. It's a tricky little marketing scheme that can hem up folks if they aren't careful.

 

[ivinsfan]

I dished dish in Jan 2018. (see post 287)

Still with YOUTUBE TV. However, it is not at $55 including tax, and they have added discovery network. My internet bill is now $90 a month including tax, and is at 25mps. Still no ota tv and do not expect to have any. Only one internet supplier without caps. I have had Netflix for five months and dropped it. I still have Prime. I don't include them in the price equation as I had them when I had Dish.

I added Plex, I can't remember the 'life time charge' but I think it was $29. Used it for a month or two, but have not brought it up for several months. I figure I have saved over $1,100 in the past 20 months. I also own just about one of every major brand streamer. That's what I have not saved quite as much.

I am hoping that a streamer will come out with true a la carte pricing. I would like to add networks individually rather than have them bundled as cable does. We would be happy with the major ota networks, and a couple of news outlets.

Well the you tube raise came about because they added the Food Network/HGTV bundle presumably due to customer requests. The people that don't give a rip about those channels didn't get a vote.

 

[pb4uski]

Well the you tube raise came about because they added the Food Network/HGTV bundle presumably due to customer requests. The people that don't give a rip about those channels didn't get a vote.

But they can vote with their feet.

 

[ncbill]

Repeating myself but FWIW:

• Dish satellite was proposing to charge us $96/mo even with lots of discounts when we dumped them for 3 TV’s, 1 DVR and 120+ channels including 100 we never watched once.
• Since Feb 2018 we only have PlayStation Vue at $50/mo (going up $5/mo) also on 3 TV’s with cloud DVR and 60+ channels, but we haven’t lost anything we actually watched.
• So we’re saving about $600/yr with no sacrifices.

We pay $50/mo for internet (300 Mbps fiber), but we’ve had internet service for 15 years (including all our years with cable or satellite) and we’d have it without streaming - so it’s not a TV expense for us. YMMV

If you’re a family with 3 or more viewers, you can save a lot cutting the cord.

If you’re single or a 1 viewer/TV household, cutting the cord won’t save a lot. And if you wouldn’t have Internet service without streaming, you won’t save anything.

?

My "triple-play" cable bundle is out-of-promo & now ~$175/month.

Moving the phone to Ooma & dropping cable for OTA would cut that down to ~$75/month.

DVRs are Tivos w/ lifetime...can tune OTA or digital cable.

Already have an attic antenna feeding the upstairs Tivo, will probably pay Dish to install a chimney-mounted antenna for the one downstairs:

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/tested-dishs-antenna-installation-service-went/

 

[Cobra9777]

My pricing rundown, FWIW

Per month, including all tax and fees:

TV: $70 (PS Vue + Netflix)
Internet: $61 (Frontier FiOS 50/50 fiber)
Landline: $0 (GV + Obi-200)
Total: $131

We have no OTA available but like having access to the major networks. We watch a few cable programs on PS Vue as well, but not a lot. The TV subs are mainly for DW who likes fictional programs. She also watches a lot of originals on Netflix and Prime. I primarily watch documentaries, YouTube, and some sports.

For internet, we have a good cable alternative that offers 400/30 for an intro price of $45 + fees and modem rental. Regular price is almost same as FiOS, maybe higher with fees. So I just stick with the fiber, which is extremely stable, reliable, and fast.

Landline is a free Google Voice number, which connects to our landline handsets via the Obi-200 VoIP adapter. No 911 service however.

Not listed above is our cell phone service via Ting, which averages about $37/mo for two lines on the T-Mobile network. We both use WiFi whenever possible and use Hangouts for most voice and text. So we rarely get charged for voice minutes or text... just data usage when no WiFi is available.

 

[ivinsfan]

But they can vote with their feet.

They can but I'm trying to think of a streaming service that doesn't bundle the HGTV umbrella.

That's one of my favorite things about Sling that you can unbundle sports. I want Fox North for Twins games and don't get a hoot about ESPN, so I don't have to pay for ESPN on Sling.

 

[ivinsfan]

Our costs:

OTA for network/local stations including PBS- $0

Amazon Prime - $9.92/month - but we had Prime for several years before we figured out how to watch movies, so I wouldn't really count that. We would have Prime regardless.

Netflix - $0 - our son has us on his account

Hardware purchases - Antenna - $35. Tablo 4-tuner - about $350. 3 Roku streaming sticks - $25/each. 2 Roku TVs - $66 each. All purchased 2.5 years ago. About $600 altogether.

That's it. No other streaming costs although Hulu is included for free in our cell phone plan so we use the free Hulu also. We also have PlayOn (free download) and Plex (free download) and my brother shares shows/movies with us on Plex.

We do, of course, have to pay for internet - but again, we would have that regardless.

That's what makes it hard to price compare. I agree that internet and streaming are separate and that internet shouldn't be listed as a streaming costs. I know some providers bundle which makes it hard to compare actual prices.

 

[JoeWras]

Well the you tube raise came about because they added the Food Network/HGTV bundle presumably due to customer requests. The people that don't give a rip about those channels didn't get a vote.

Why does the YouTubeTV for my zip say $49.99? Tax? Different zip code?

Confused.

A friend really likes YouTubeTV, and I have to say it about hits the sweet spot for me with regard to channels. I actually like the addition of Discovery which was also mentioned as part of the price rise, maybe. HGTV, I kind of like.

I might give it a chance, although I don't like having to use my phone for Chromecast. Perhaps I need to get a different kind of stick for streaming.

 

[ivinsfan]

Why does the YouTubeTV for my zip say $49.99? Tax? Different zip code?

Confused.

A friend really likes YouTubeTV, and I have to say it about hits the sweet spot for me with regard to channels. I actually like the addition of Discovery which was also mentioned as part of the price rise, maybe. HGTV, I kind of like.

I might give it a chance, although I don't like having to use my phone for Chromecast. Perhaps I need to get a different kind of stick for streaming.

I don't do YouTube but I would guess it's taxes.

 

[MissMolly]

Why does the YouTubeTV for my zip say $49.99? Tax? Different zip code?

Confused.

A friend really likes YouTubeTV, and I have to say it about hits the sweet spot for me with regard to channels. I actually like the addition of Discovery which was also mentioned as part of the price rise, maybe. HGTV, I kind of like.

I might give it a chance, although I don't like having to use my phone for Chromecast. Perhaps I need to get a different kind of stick for streaming.

Roku has an app for that!

 

[JoeWras]

Roku has an app for that!

Yeah, I'm going to consider replacing the Chromecast with a Roku.

 

[statsman]

Per month, including all tax and fees:

TV: $70 (PS Vue + Netflix)
Internet: $61 (Frontier FiOS 50/50 fiber)
Landline: $0 (GV + Obi-200)
Total: $131

When I see costs like these, I'm fine with the $151 or so we pay for AT&T U-Verse + 1000 Mbps Internet on a one-year plan (two rooms with DVR). We started with a one-year plan because we were initially in a rental house when we moved to a new state. Weren't sure the house we would eventually purchase and move into would have AT&T U-Verse available, which is why we went the one-year route. I imagine if we re-upped for a two-year double play deal this fall, we could lower the costs a little more.

As it is, any talk of cutting the cord just annoys the heck out of my DW. Sometimes, you have to pay a little extra in life just to keep things simple. If a true and cost-effective a la carte provider for TV happens in the future, she might be interested in that.

 

[Midpack]

Why does the YouTubeTV for my zip say $49.99? Tax? Different zip code?

Confused.

A friend really likes YouTubeTV, and I have to say it about hits the sweet spot for me with regard to channels. I actually like the addition of Discovery which was also mentioned as part of the price rise, maybe. HGTV, I kind of like.

I might give it a chance, although I don't like having to use my phone for Chromecast. Perhaps I need to get a different kind of stick for streaming.

Evidently that’s what it costs now at any zip code.

 

[Midpack]

As it is, any talk of cutting the cord just annoys the heck out of my DW. Sometimes, you have to pay a little extra in life just to keep things simple. If a true and cost-effective a la carte provider for TV happens in the future, she might be interested in that.

Whatever floats your boat, but cord cutting can be just as simple as cable/satellite with significant savings. Using PS Vue, Sling TV, YouTube TV, or Hulu Live isn’t any more complicated than any cable or satellite service. If $35/mo isn’t worth it to you, that’s fine.

Some people choose to make cord cutting complicated to save more $ or get access to specific channels, but that’s not necessary for most.

 

[tulak]

Disney announces $12.99 bundle for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+

Not many details at this point and it won’t be available until November.

https://www.theverge.com/platform/a...espn-hulu-bundle-price-date-streaming-service

 

[Camas Lilly]

We dropped DirecTV and went for Sling and Netflix via Roku. Sling $25 + $5 add on, Netflix $11 + Land line Telephone and Internet bundled $85 = $126.

 

[Cobra9777]

When I see costs like these, I'm fine with the $151 or so we pay for AT&T U-Verse + 1000 Mbps Internet on a one-year plan (two rooms with DVR). We started with a one-year plan because we were initially in a rental house when we moved to a new state. Weren't sure the house we would eventually purchase and move into would have AT&T U-Verse available, which is why we went the one-year route. I imagine if we re-upped for a two-year double play deal this fall, we could lower the costs a little more.

As it is, any talk of cutting the cord just annoys the heck out of my DW. Sometimes, you have to pay a little extra in life just to keep things simple. If a true and cost-effective a la carte provider for TV happens in the future, she might be interested in that.

Your one-year plan is intro pricing. According to this website...

AT&T U-verse packages have some of the most affordable introductory prices on the market. That value increases when you take into account the included Total Home DVR that comes with most AT&T U-verse plans.

However, after your first year, the prices more or less double. But AT&T’s contracts last only one year, so you’re free to move on if the higher costs don’t suit you.

Based on your post, I assume you have a mid-tier U-Verse TV package plus AT&T fiber for the 1 gig speed. If so, when the intro pricing expires, you'll be around $220/mo. This is using the pricing information from the website linked above.

Sure, you can haggle and maybe lock yourself into another 2-year deal at some rate between ongoing and intro pricing. I did that for many years with mixed results. But it gets really old.

More importantly, IMHO, cable boxes and hardware DVR rentals are... well, yesterday. The new live streaming services on Roku or Fire TV with cloud DVR are simply better... and improving by the day, especially the increasingly intelligent integration of content and platform. These systems are ridiculously intuitive and simple to use. We never switch inputs and use one simple remote with about 8 buttons. My DW is quite happy with the content and functionality. And I'm quite happy with the savings.

 

[bUU]

I agree that internet and streaming are separate and that internet shouldn't be listed as a streaming costs.

Seen this morning on another forum:

So I got another nastygram from Suddenlink internet today. I have to upgrade to Unlimited data or get fines every month.
Dang, streaming shows is getting expensive...

 

[bUU]

Sometimes, you have to pay a little extra in life just to keep things simple.

Precisely, or decide to do without. No cost incremental for doing that.

 

[JoeWras]

Your one-year plan is intro pricing. According to this website...

Sure, you can haggle and maybe lock yourself into another 2-year deal at some rate between ongoing and intro pricing. I did that for many years with mixed results. But it gets really old.

That's the game I'm in and it is old. However, we are fortunate to have a lot of competition here (ATT, Spectrum and Google Fiber). Each year, the haggle gets easier. Call them (ATT) up, ask for retention, and have a short discussion. The result is usually some miraculous 30% cut. I don't even have to threaten anymore.

However, I'm seriously considering cord cutting because even the easy haggle is old as hell. I really just need to try Roku because I currently have 3 and 4 year old Firestick and Chromecast, and these SUCK. Terrible response times, glitches, non-operable buttons, etc.

Is Roku a good choice? I am not going to replace my TVs to smart models. Got an Panasonic Plasma with an HDMI input so I'm good.

 

[REWahoo]

Is Roku a good choice?

Yes, we really like ours. I recommend their top-of-the-line model, the Ultra.

 

[JoeWras]

Yes, we really like ours. I recommend their top-of-the-line model, the Ultra.

That may be part of my problem. In the past, I would go with the affordable hardware "just to try." Perhaps that's like trying a Flintstone mobile instead of a real car.

I may have to go all out and see if this Ultra does the trick. Under $100 is very much worth it. I like the idea of wired Ethernet. I'm set up for that.

 

[ivinsfan]

Seen this morning on another forum:

It's a fine line isn't it? One of the problems is a lot of the internet providing companies are in the cable business too and they always know there is more then one way to skin a cat.

Although we use a wireless internet provider ( our only real choice) and pay 80 a month for 25M. they literally don't care if you stream 24/7. In our case our data streaming doesn't cost a penny more then basic internet.

Our price for lower speed internet is more then most here pay.

 

[Midpack]

Seen this morning on another forum:

So I got another nastygram from Suddenlink internet today. I have to upgrade to Unlimited data or get fines every month.
Dang, streaming shows is getting expensive...

Not enough info for readers to judge. Unlimited data is normally a wireless term, is the user watching TV on a mobile cellular connection? Or is he/she talking about an internet data cap? What is he/she paying per month and what was the premium for “unlimited?”

Most internet plans I’ve seen have a 1TB (or no) data cap which is plenty for most households to stream TV IME. We have a 1TB data cap, and we’re usually around 600GB despite using our connection a LOT.