Away from Pay TV

[ERD50]

Originally Posted by ERD50 View Post
ziggy - check the netflix account settings - you can 'force it' to use a lower bandwidth,

Just curious, but what download speed does this lowering represent? I may switch to DSL by AT&T (3.0 MB/S max) and dump Comcast cable (no Uverse near me).

I don't recall. Go to your netflix settings and see for yourself, things might have changed since I did it. But I think you can expect a good Q picture if you get a steady >1.5Mbps?

I'm sure you could get more details from a netflix forum and search for DSL.


OK, I was curious and looked at mine:

Good quality (up to 0.3 GB per hour)
Better quality (up to 0.7 GB per hour)
X Best quality (up to 1.0 GB per hour, or up to 2.3 GB per hour for HD)

I guess I reset it a while back to 'best' (non-HD though), if I got my decimals right, 'Better' - .7GB/hr is ~ 2Mbps; and "Best' - 1GB/hr is ~ 2.78Mbps. A while back, I was having trouble with latency, and my ISP made some changes to our system. Latency improved and it also sped up, so that's probably when I changed it to 'Best'.

Previously, Netflix would take a long time to buffer the high Q version, then a minute or two later would step back to the 'better' Q, and re-buffer all over again. By selecting 'better' in the account settings, it would not try the 'best', it would just go straight to 'better' - faster loading and was much more responsive. The pic Q from best to better was not a big deal for me.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

I'm sorry you're dismissing what I've said out of hand because you're unwilling to take comments seriously that undercut the rhetoric you were using, but if you want to just drop it then we can.

If you read what I wrote, you'd see that I am not 'dismissing it out of hand'. So that's a very good reason to drop it. Bye.

-ERD50

 

[bUU]

Let's just agree to disagree about what you are and aren't dismissing out of hand, so we can truly just drop it.

 

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

We went with antenna and Hulu Netflix back in feb. there are some downsides as it takes a bit longer to channel surf and to find movies etc on Hulu Netflix, so I'll give the options above a look. We will drop either Hulu or Netflix. I find I miss HGTV, but we get a few PBS stations and I fill in with others on my iPad. The big four stations programming is just too mean--all murder or sex or stupid reality. I also like the bbc shows. Doc Martin was very entertaining.

 

[bUU]

I'm leery about Hulu, these days, because they appear to be losing a lot of key staff, and I suspect the impending sale of Hulu will result in losing the original programming of at least one of its current owner's networks.

 

[aja8888]

Off topic but couldn't resist: Here's a nice prepaid plan comparison for wireless carriers and a lot of other good info:

Quick Compare of Prepaid Cell Phone Plans | Prepaid Reviews

 

[ziggy29]

And, back in the pay-TV front and some of the calls for "a la carte" channel pricing...

The push to unbundle your cable bill - Aug. 2, 2013

 

[Mmm Rrr]

Chromecast

I've been using Chromecast for a few days and am loving it. It's built in to Netflix and Youtube usage, my DD tells me that other video providers will be joining soon. If the use isn't built in you can still "cast" to the TV but you're basically just getting your computer screen on the TV then.

 

[Mulligan]

I see Chromecast as a nice supplemental devise to me, but not anything that supplants. For someone in my situation, cutting the cord would not save much money. I have no access to OTA HD, would have to pay to upgrade existing Internet to get a good consistent streaming speed, pay for Hulu, and pay for Netflix, plus possibly risking being "throttled". On top of it, I still wouldn't get much of what I watch. Now if I had the attitude I will watch what I can get free streaming and deal with it, I could incur some savings but then I would not be satisfied.

 

[ER Eddie]

Saw this article, thought it was relevant:

Steep cable price hikes could soon make cord-cutting a reality - Aug. 6, 2013

Cable subscribers are mad as hell and maybe -- just maybe -- they finally aren't going to take it anymore.

To consumers, it can feel like bills for cable, Internet and wireless just keep going up. And they're right [...].

Smithen's research showed the bill for triple-play jumped an incredible 20%, or about $46, since 2010, to a current average of more than $273 per month. [...]

When Macquarie asked consumers which service they would cut first if they had to save money, a whopping 76% said they would get rid of their pay-TV service. The remaining 24% were split evenly between broadband Internet and wireless phone service. [....]

"[Cable] is really the perfect lightning rod for consumer dissatisfaction," Olgeirson said. "It's the biggest part of your bill and the most consistent rate increase."
Plus, he added, it's tougher to replace your cell phone or Internet provider than it is to find an alternative for pay-TV, which faces a long list of semi-competitors: Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) and many more. But he's not convinced they'll become "a significant threat to the [cable] subscriber base" over the long term.
[....]

 

[Mulligan]

Saw this article, thought it was relevant:

Steep cable price hikes could soon make cord-cutting a reality - Aug. 6, 2013

$273 a month? Well I would be mad as hell too. Do they get the Playboy channel and the girls crawl out of the tv and dance for you in the living room? I don't bundle, so my three singles total $151, thanks to my yearly price negotiations over the phone saving me $40.

 

[aja8888]

$273 a month? Well I would be mad as hell too. Do they get the Playboy channel and the girls crawl out of the tv and dance for you in the living room? I don't bundle, so my three singles total $151, thanks to my yearly price negotiations over the phone saving me $40.

Our bill was at that level last year with Comcast. We had 4 DVR's (only one HD) and the rented modem, plus the VOIP phone. Every bill I opened had a price increase for some item and we just about had it with them at that time. Between a steady stream of us returning the crappy DVR boxes (10 year technology) for more of the rebuilt(?) 10 year old boxes, I called and asked for price relief. No dice.

So we switched to Uverse and cut the bill in half. Shortly after we switched, Comcast called (several times) and asked if we would come back for a better deal than we had before we dumped them. Sick......

 

[BLS53]

The only reason I keep cable is it's the only way to watch my baseball team. I can't believe the American public actually enjoys the trash they put on these cable channels. So much so, that they have to DVR it, because they can handle missing an episode.

 

[ER Eddie]

$273 a month? Well I would be mad as hell too. Do they get the Playboy channel and the girls crawl out of the tv and dance for you in the living room?

Right, but for $273 a month, they'd need to do more than just dance. Hey, I think we're on to something. A new marketing strategy for Comcast. Your hookers are free for the first 6 months. But it's probably like you said earlier in the thread -- they disvalue customer longevity, so the new customers would get the hotties, but after a year, you'd be getting dancing grandmas.

I don't bundle, so my three singles total $151, thanks to my yearly price negotiations over the phone saving me $40.

Yeah, I would call, say I'm leaving, and they'd give me the intro offer to get me to stay ... which would run out after a while, and then after I waited a few months, I'd call back and pretend to be leaving again, get the intro offer again ... rinse and repeat. Kind of a ridiculous little ritual.

 

[Mulligan]

Right, but for $273 a month, they'd need to do more than just dance. Hey, I think we're on to something. A new marketing strategy for Comcast. Your hookers are free for the first 6 months. But it's probably like you said earlier in the thread -- they disvalue customer longevity, so the new customers would get the hotties, but after a year, you'd be getting dancing grandmas.

Yeah, I would call, say I'm leaving, and they'd give me the intro offer to get me to stay ... which would run out after a while, and then after I waited a few months, I'd call back and pretend to be leaving again, get the intro offer again ... rinse and repeat. Kind of a ridiculous little ritual.

The dancing grandmas would definitely be the last straw for me!

 

[ClockWatcher]

Off topic but couldn't resist: Here's a nice prepaid plan comparison for wireless carriers and a lot of other good info:

Quick Compare of Prepaid Cell Phone Plans | Prepaid Reviews

Thank you! I was just wishing someone had compiled this information!

 

[bolt]

I do not have time for links but I'd suggest everyone search for coupons / promos online. Many have multiple months free offers for newcomers on Netflix, Hula+, etc. through fatwallet, momsviews, investopia, whatever, etc.

 

[In-control]

While I'd love to cut my cable cost I'm a huge sports fan and there aren't really any other options if you want to watch live sports on a regular basis.

Now if I could just design my own cable system that includes the 10 channels I watch and eliminates the rest that would be nice.

Bingo - that's my problem as well and I don't want to pay $42 a month for streaming events. In New England if you want to watch the BB/Hockey or Baseball you need a paid service. Really sticks because you still get loads of advertisements.

 

[pb4uski]

It gets worse - my Dish package includes ESPN but not NESN so for some Red Sox games that ESPN broadcasts I get blacked out - some work others don't - a bit stupid since every Red Sox game is sold out but nonetheless aggravating.

 

[gardenfun]

The dancing grandmas would definitely be the last straw for me!

Hey I'm a brand new grandma as of a week ago, and I resemble that remark!

 

[In-control]

We are at $140 for the bundle, includes HD channels. We don't need the phone part so we are now re-negotiating our contract. Last time we got it down to $125.

It still seems like allot of $ to me for what they deliver.

 

[MRG]

Hey I'm a brand new grandma as of a week ago, and I resemble that remark!

Congratulations.

 

[imoldernu]

Instead of starting a new thread... two things:

1. Al Jazeera 24/7 news... available on Netflix or in Newscaster on ROKU...
IMHO possibly the overall best, consistent and well researched news program available. If the news is slanted, I sure can't see it!

2. A website that could keep you busy for a few years...
online courses, books on tape, discussions... and more than 500 free classic movies... some of the best ever offered.
If you try it out, spend ten or 15 minutes to explore what is available. I think you'll come back to it.

Open Culture
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[Sue J]

Instead of starting a new thread... two things:

1. Al Jazeera 24/7 news... available on Netflix or in Newscaster on ROKU...
IMHO possibly the overall best, consistent and well researched news program available. If the news is slanted, I sure can't see it!

2. A website that could keep you busy for a few years...
online courses, books on tape, discussions... and more than 500 free classic movies... some of the best ever offered.
If you try it out, spend ten or 15 minutes to explore what is available. I think you'll vome back to it.

Open Culture

Al Jazeera is available on DirecTV as of this afternoon, #358, where Current used to be. I watched the evening news and the 7:00 money show with Ali Velshi, formerly of CNN. The promos for upcoming shows show a lot of familiar names and faces from CNN and MSNBC. The segments devoted to each story seem longer and the hosts don't speed talk like the mainstream morning shows. Nice to have an alternative. I'll sample during other times and see how it is.

One problem, it's in SD, not HD, which just looks makes it look like a junior tv network.