Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[Dave J]

Where do you subscribe to CNN directly? I just looked and the way I understood it you have to subscribe to a TV provider to get it. I don't want CNN, but Fox News would be of interest alone. I have not found that without a provider, and currently use Spectrum Choice App for $30 a month + 3 for locals.I get locals over the air, but can get on demand with the Spectrum App.

 

[MJ]

Where do you subscribe to CNN directly? I just looked and the way I understood it you have to subscribe to a TV provider to get it. I don't want CNN, but Fox News would be of interest alone. I have not found that without a provider, and currently use Spectrum Choice App for $30 a month + 3 for locals.I get locals over the air, but can get on demand with the Spectrum App.

CNN offers it directly. I don't know or would ever be interested in subscribing to FAUX News.

 

[Dave J]

CNN offers it directly. I don't know or would ever be interested in subscribing to FAUX News.

You got a link? Everything I find says you have to subscribe to an app, the cheapest is Sling, but articles say you have to have a provider.

We don't agree on our news providers, but we can still be civil. This is a good forum for civility.

 

[MJ]

You got a link? Everything I find says you have to subscribe to an app, the cheapest is Sling, but articles say you have to have a provider.

We don't agree on our news providers, but we can still be civil. This is a good forum for civility.

I believe I was being civil to you but the other media company IMO is as much a "NEWS" provider as is InfoWars.

Here is the link I mentioned. As I stated, it is a direct link to CNN.
CNN.com - About Us

 

[Dave J]

I believe I was being civil to you but the other media company IMO is as much a "NEWS" provider as is InfoWars.

Here is the link I mentioned. As I stated, it is a direct link to CNN.
CNN.com - About Us

MJ,
I'm sorry if you thought I meant you were anything but civil. You have been very civil. I was committing that it is great on this site, you don't have much use for Fox News, and I don't have much use for CNN, BUT we can still discuss streaming civilly. Many places you can not. Your link is for a service that is called CNN Newswatch, not the TV channel.
*********************************************************
CNN today announces the launch of Newswatch, a personal news service designed to provide Internet-based desktop access to news tailored to the interests and needs of users. Powered by San Diego-based Infogate, the subscription-based service displays continuously updated information related to news topics selected by the user. The information is received through full-screen visuals, breaking news alerts and a continuously scrolling ticker across the top of the screen, and can be routed to the user's desktop, e-mail or mobile device.
**************************************************
From CNN website

FAQs about Live TV
Why do I need to sign in with my TV service provider information?
Your TV subscription that includes CNN is your key to watching CNN TV online. When you sign in through your TV service provider, you confirm your CNN TV subscription.

Who has access?
TV Everywhere is accessible by viewers in the United States who are current subscribers to a partner cable or satellite TV service and have CNN as part of their channel package.

Where do I get my login name and password?
Please contact your TV service provider directly for this information. Tip: for many providers, you can use the same login name and password you use to log onto the provider's website.

What if my TV service provider is not listed?
Live TV is available only through participating TV service providers. We are always partnering with new providers. Contact yours for more information and check back again soon.
__________________________________________________________
I would like for them be able to be purchased individually, but I've never found it, and I have been looking for quite a while.

 

[MJ]

MJ,
I'm sorry if you thought I meant you were anything but civil. You have been very civil. I was committing that it is great on this site, you don't have much use for Fox News, and I don't have much use for CNN, BUT we can still discuss streaming civilly. Many places you can not. Your link is for a service that is called CNN Newswatch, not the TV channel.

No worries.
Since I didn't need to get a CNN subscription yet, I didn't read the fine print.

 

[bUU]

And that underscores a recurring problem in this space: The OTT options all seem to be either illusory, transitory, of niche interest, or otherwise inferior to their cable counterparts.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I am not that familiar with TIVO -- I have never been convinced of its value (although, I have never researched it in any way). So excuse me if I am way off base.

I notice that the current price is $399. In what way is it better/cheaper than say Plex -- which looking at the TIVO website does the same thing? (Without the hardware, btw... assuming one already has a computer.)

Wow, I'm sorry I didn't notice this thread sooner! I've been using DVRs since 1999 (I started with ReplayTVs) and have a Plex server running on a 11TB QNAP NAS.

I love my DVRs, because I watch shows on my schedule rather than someone else's. I also stop and pick up again whenever I feel like it. The main reason it's better than a VCR is you can almost instantly choose any show you've recorded, instead of searching through and FF/REW through tapes.

Plex definitely takes a lot more effort, but it's worth it to me. My partner and I would buy a lot of TV shows on DVD when really good shows got canceled, as the networks are wont to do. But with the ascendance of Netflix and other streaming services, we found we weren't watching the DVDs that much, because they weren't as convenient. Also, the whole reason this is a hobby of mine is that my ultimate hope and goal is to have all my media at my fingertips in one interface.

It was a lot of work. I had to rip every disc to the server, then rename the files so that Plex would be able to properly catalog the content. And it still doesn't recognize movie extras (deleted scenes, behind the scenes, etc) automatically, but it usually gets all the TV episodes correct, and it downloads episode title, description, thumbnail, cast, etc. from the internet automagically.

I had to allow Plex to basically downconvert (transcode) the video files or else videos would stall out fairly often. But I really don't notice the difference in quality, and I'm normally pretty picky about that.

Here are some shots of Plex on my laptop. (There is a Plex app for Roku and smart TVs, so I can watch any of these shows on any TV in my house, in addition to my computers and my phone.) I think the interface is quite good, and remember, all I did was name a folder the name of the series, then make sure each episode is named, say, Firefly - S01E02.mkv. (I recommend Filebot and/or Bulk Rename Utility to save time on big collections.)

 

[easysurfer]

Got a new player in town. As in ... Amazon :

Amazon's inexpensive Fire TV sticks and streamers are already favorites of cable TV cord-cutters, but the company's latest Fire TV box demands more of an investment, starting at $230. What it delivers afterward, however, is totally free.
The Amazon Fire TV Recast is an antenna DVR, designed to hook up to an over-the-air TV antenna and pull in your local, free TV broadcasts. In most areas that includes live local news, sports like NFL football and network shows from ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS, among others. (Note: CBS is the parent company of CNET.)

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/amazon-fire-tv-recast-preview/#

 

[Midpack]

My in-laws recently moved. They wanted a cheaper streaming service. We have had Playstation (Sony) Vue for 2.5 years. Very happy with it. Their one requirement was ALL the local channels had to be there. We have all except ABC for some reason on Vue.

They are still testing. DirecTVNow does not have the locals. Vue is missing ABC. SlingTV and Philo have no locals. They have a FireTV, so no way currently to try YouTubeTV.

Vue still offers the best value proposition, but it is $10 more for a similar package. You can always authenticate to the ABC app, but no local news/shows yet with local ABC missing here.

Lots of options and things to consider.

Those of you on the fence, don't assume what locals you'll have from PlayStation Vue or others based on someone else's channel lineup. If you're near a large metro area like we are, with PS Vue you WILL have them all - ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox & Telemundo. In other metro or rural areas you may be missing one or several majors. You have to check out your SPECIFIC location by address to know. And this changes all the time, you may have networks now that weren't available 6-12 months ago. FWIW

 

[Rustic23]

Just found out if you are a Youtube TV subscriber the NBC, ABC, FOX stand alone apps on Roku work. I linked Youtube TV as my provider to one and they were linked to all. CBS does not work as they want money. I just did this yesterday, quality seemed good, you have adds, and I have not watched enough to see if all the content is there.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Got a new player in town. As in ... Amazon :

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/amazon-fire-tv-recast-preview/#

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.

 

[explanade]

No most viewers are not using OTA. It’s like over 80% of households on cable or satellite.

ATSC 3.0 is being tested now. In many markets, stations will be changing their spectrum allocation over a period of time.

 

[NoMoreJob]

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 new Amazon DVR you link to looks very interesting. I'll have to look at it more closely to make sure I understand exactly what it does (and doesn't) do.

The only thing I don't like about my TiVo OTA DVR is that it won't stream wirelessly to other TVs (it requires a separate network established with existing coax or ethernet) so I haven't implemented that. I like everything else about it so well though that I've accepted the trade-off. The Amazon entry is going to have to be mighty good to compete.....but just maybe!

Edit: I've read a couple of early reviews and it does look intriguing. It would definitely require me to change some of my ways of doing things as well as other hardware and for that reason may be better for those already using Firesticks. But I'll keep an open mind and continue researching and considering how it may fit for me.

 

[Midpack]

No most viewers are not using OTA. It’s like over 80% of households on cable or satellite.

ATSC 3.0 is being tested now. In many markets, stations will be changing their spectrum allocation over a period of time.

But the big dog is losing ground, that's key. A lot easier to handle a growing business (streaming) over a declining business (cable & satellite). Cable & satellite providers who also sell internet and/or streaming have more control over their destiny than contract providers without. Fun to watch this play out...

 

[easysurfer]

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.

Yes, happy to see a big player in the game. Competition is a good thing. At least for consumers.

Just taking a glance at the OTA device by Amazon, a shame though that there is no output in case one wishes to archive something recorded. I guess Amazon's plan seems like to have folks more dependent on their ecosystem.

I'm for the most part happy with my old trusty Magnavox DVR/DVD player recorder that programs like an old time VCR.

 

[RunningBum]

Those of you on the fence, don't assume what locals you'll have from PlayStation Vue or others based on someone else's channel lineup. If you're near a large metro area like we are, with PS Vue you WILL have them all - ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox & Telemundo. In other metro or rural areas you may be missing one or several majors. You have to check out your SPECIFIC location by address to know. And this changes all the time, you may have networks now that weren't available 6-12 months ago. FWIW

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.

 

[easysurfer]

Article with a general explanation of that new Amazon toy:

I just got a quick demo of the Amazon Fire TV Recast. It’s a shoebox-sized thing you can put in your home to have a DVR that works with over-the-air channels that it receives via antenna and displays on your Fire TV (or Fire tablet). Like the Slingbox back in the day, the idea behind the Recast is to allow you to watch both live TV and stuff that you’ve recorded from anywhere.

There have been a million different weird takes on how to get TV content to act more like streaming content, so I should probably slow down a bit and explain exactly what the Recast is and how it works.

Fundamentally, you should think of it as a screenless hard drive attached to a TV antenna. (You’re going to need to buy a separate Fire TV to really make it work.) You find a spot in your house that gets a good over-the-air broadcast TV signal (Amazon’s setup app will help), plug in the antenna, and leave the box right there.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/20/17883860/amazon-fire-tv-recast-hands-on-photos-features-dvr

 

[TwoByFour]

Anybody else having problems with Amazon Prime videos? We use Netflix and Hulu a lot with no problems but certain Amazon videos (not all of them) have the picture out-of-sync with the sound. I contacted Amazon and they acted as if they had not heard of that problem before but on their own forum there are many complaints about it. I tried re-installing the Amazon app in our smart TV and still does not work. I am thinking of canceling Prime at this point.

 

[MissMolly]

We watch Amazon Prime videos all the time. No problems with the syncing.

 

[bloom2708]

Anybody else having problems with Amazon Prime videos? We use Netflix and Hulu a lot with no problems but certain Amazon videos (not all of them) have the picture out-of-sync with the sound. I contacted Amazon and they acted as if they had not heard of that problem before but on their own forum there are many complaints about it. I tried re-installing the Amazon app in our smart TV and still does not work. I am thinking of canceling Prime at this point.

This would be a hardware. We watch Prime content on Amazon Fire TV boxes. No sound issues.

"Smart TVs" are often stuck on a specific versions. The latest box is on sale for $39.99 right now. I wouldn't cancel Prime because of that. Well. maybe you should if you don't purchase from Amazon and just use it for Prime Video content only.

Try another source first.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Anybody else having problems with Amazon Prime videos? We use Netflix and Hulu a lot with no problems but certain Amazon videos (not all of them) have the picture out-of-sync with the sound. I contacted Amazon and they acted as if they had not heard of that problem before but on their own forum there are many complaints about it. I tried re-installing the Amazon app in our smart TV and still does not work. I am thinking of canceling Prime at this point.

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.

 

[wmc1000]

No problems with Prime Videos at all using FireTV stick. Hulu when watched through our HTPC tended to buffer periodically, but not on the FireTV stick so we are happy.

Still using Windows Media Center and 2 Homerun HD dual tuners to record our OTA shows with no issues.

 

[TwoByFour]

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.

The complaints on Amazon's forum are from several different brands of smart TV - Sony, Sanyo, and LG are the ones I recall seeing. So it is not device specific. And for us it started about 6 months ago. Amazon changed something on their end from what I can tell.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

The complaints on Amazon's forum are from several different brands of smart TV - Sony, Sanyo, and LG are the ones I recall seeing. So it is not device specific. And for us it started about 6 months ago. Amazon changed something on their end from what I can tell.

Can you spell out exactly what you're seeing and where, and I'll try to take a look on both my Samsung and my Roku this weekend? It could still be that those three are either the fastest or the slowest about updating their version of the app, because if it was an issue with the source material then 100% of all viewers would see it the same way. There are other possible issues, but it's tough to pin down precisely because "the Amazon app" isn't a single entity.