Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[Midpack]

A question for users of the live streaming services, like Hulu Live, YouTube, etc. How easy is it to skip commercials while watching shows recorded on the cloud DVR from your local station? I'm addicted to my 30-second skip button on my cable remote, although I'm NOT addicted to the high monthly bills.

EDIT: I shoulda Googled!
https://help.hulu.com/en-us/skip-commercials-cloud-dvr-recordings
I'm still interested in hearing personal feedback from users.

I suspect it's dependent on which streamer and remote (e.g. Roku, Amazon Fire) you have and which streaming service (e.g. PS Vue, Hulu Live). The short answer is it's pretty easy to skip ads. If you want detail, read on.

We have PS Vue on Rokus. With Dish satellite we had a button that advanced 30 secs and another that backed up 10 secs, we got pretty good at skipping ads. Our Roku remotes have a back button, a pause button and a FFW button. The FFW button goes 2X, 4X, 8X, etc. but we use 2X to skip ads. When you hit FFW a timer appears along the bottom. For popular prime time shows ad breaks seem to be about 3:00-3:30 minutes, so that's what we shoot for. Cable channel ad breaks can be as little as 2:00 minutes, or more. Once you get used to it, it's about the same degree of difficulty as our experiences with Comcast cable, Dish or Direct TV satellite - just different.

We have not run into any cloud DVR program we couldn't skip commercials on, makes no difference if it's a local or cable channel.

And while it’s true you can’t skip commercials on some on-demand shows, you can on others - I just skipped through an on-demand episode of The Brave to confirm. I've read that's common among all streaming services (e.g. PS Vue, Hulu Live, YouTube TV, DirecTV now, Sling), presumably that's dictated by the network, not the streaming service or streaming device.

 

[Midpack]

Overnight, when nothing was on.

Well the devices were on but asleep.

Not disputing your experience, but for others reading:

Unfortunately I can't find any of them now, but I have read a couple of articles that warn if you don't shut off your streaming service, it can run 24/7 in the background - which would obviously chew up data like mad.

Our first day with PS Vue, DW just shut off the TV after her morning coffee without shutting off PS Vue, same as she'd always done with satellite. Our Roku is not powered by the TV, it's plugged into a 120V respectable. When we turned on that TV hours later, it came up on the same channel already streaming - and I am guessing it was streaming that whole time. So now we get out of PS Vue before shutting off the TV or device we're watching on. And not much detail, but from the PS Vue FAQ.

I’m on a monthly data plan; how can I best preserve data usage? To preserve data usage, close PlayStation™Vue each time you’re done using it, then return to the Home Screen of your device.
Note: For optimal use of PlayStation™Vue, limited data plans are not recommended.

Based on our usage in hours watched, and our monthly data usage, it appears what we are doing avoids "background streaming" when we're not watching. FWIW

 

[Freedom56]

We always exit the the app (Netflix, Crackle, Pluto, Sling, PS Vue, TV Everywhere) by pressing "home" before shutting off the TV.

 

[Midpack]

We always exit the the app (Netflix, Crackle, Pluto, Sling, PS Vue, TV Everywhere) by pressing "home" before shutting off the TV.

+1. Same here. We go to "home" before shutting off TV's and "sign out" on mobile devices. I only mentioned it because a few people have learned the hard way, and been burned by exceeding their data cap and paying for it. Easy to avoid as long as the user is aware.

 

[Dawg52]

It may have already been stated here, but you can set PS Vue to end after a period of time. Of course during the day you will get a message 'still viewing?' which may be a nuisance. But it's always better to bring it down before turning off tv. Now that I have gone back to cable tv my data usage is less than 200gb a month. About half of what it was when I relied on internet tv.

 

[Chuckanut]

We always exit the the app (Netflix, Crackle, Pluto, Sling, PS Vue, TV Everywhere) by pressing "home" before shutting off the TV.

Netflix will sense if nothing has happened for quite a while and flash a question on the screen asking if we are still watching. I notice this mostly for the children's shows. After a number of episodes of Sarah and Duck, it asks if we are still watching and want to go to the next episode. Of course, I answer yes as I can't wait to find out what happens next.

 

[txtig]

FYI, Amazon has the Fire Stick on sale for $25 today to Prime members (limit one). Great deal!!

 

[jim584672]

I restarted YoutubeTV. Bare Internet (100/100) + YoutubeTV = $75
Plus OTA antenna and I get almost every channel excepting premiums like HBO.
Public library DVDs fill in the movies.

 

[Rustic23]

A question for users of the live streaming services, like Hulu Live, YouTube, etc. How easy is it to skip commercials while watching shows recorded on the cloud DVR from your local station? I'm addicted to my 30-second skip button on my cable remote, although I'm NOT addicted to the high monthly bills.

EDIT: I shoulda Googled!
https://help.hulu.com/en-us/skip-commercials-cloud-dvr-recordings
I'm still interested in hearing personal feedback from users.

We have YouTube TV and Hulu no commercial. No commercial is just what it says. However, some shows have 30 sec. of commercial at the start and end of the show.

Now for Youtube tv on Roku. Left and Right arrows move the video 15 sec. If I pause before the second click a window pops up with a picture of the video. 12 to 15 clicks usually bypasses commercial and you can tell, most of the time, when you are at you show again. Takes about four or five sec. maybe less. I actually like it better than Dish's 30 skip.

 

[Cobra9777]

...And while it’s true you can’t skip commercials on some on-demand shows, you can on others - I just skipped through an on-demand episode of The Brave to confirm...

I have never been able to fast-forward through any "on demand" or "catch up" shows. I just tested an on-demand episode of The Brave (which you mentioned) and it was not possible. In fact, this text came up when I started the show: "Fast Forward and other playback controls have been disabled for this program." The only option was to start over or pause and restart. Even after pausing, I could not fast forward or return to live.

Additionally, according to the FAQ on PSV's website:

Most airings saved to My Shows will have no restrictions on fast forwarding. You will not be able to fast forward through commercials within Catch-up or while watching On Demand programming. Please note that programs saved to My Shows from FOX, FX, and FXX will not allow fast forwarding.

Is it possible you were watching a DVR show? Or that you also had that episode recorded in My Shows? The FAQ also says this:

On Demand versions of specific shows will also be saved in “My Shows” and will have different restrictions (as determined by rights holders) than shows that are marked as “DVR”.

Otherwise, the only explanation is that they are easing this restriction for certain shows or in certain markets.

 

[Midpack]

I have never been able to fast-forward through any "on demand" or "catch up" shows. I just tested an on-demand episode of The Brave (which you mentioned) and it was not possible. In fact, this text came up when I started the show: "Fast Forward and other playback controls have been disabled for this program." The only option was to start over or pause and restart. Even after pausing, I could not fast forward or return to live.

Additionally, according to the FAQ on PSV's website:

Is it possible you were watching a DVR show? Or that you also had that episode recorded in My Shows? The FAQ also says this:

Otherwise, the only explanation is that they are easing this restriction for certain shows or in certain markets.

We do have The Brave in My Shows, but the cloud DVR only goes back 28 days so I went back further to an On Demand episode and was able to FFW. But to check your experience, I opened Superior Donuts, not in My Shows, and was NOT able to FFW thru an episode. OTOH I also opened Kevin Can Wait, also never in My Shows, and COULD FFW thru an episode no problem.

I hope you don’t think I’m disputing your POV, I am simply sharing my experience and what I’ve read online. I have read more than one article that said you can skip commercials in some On Demand episodes and not others - it varies from show to show. And it’s not unique to PS Vue, or any streaming, cable or satellite service for that matter - it’s determined by the network and/or show. I’ve read Fox and ABC always prohibit FFW in On Demand shows. There are plenty of articles online about this.

But I’ll quit on this topic...

 

[Cobra9777]

We do have The Brave in My Shows, but the cloud DVR only goes back 28 days so I went back further to an On Demand episode and was able to FFW. But to check your experience, I opened Superior Donuts, not in My Shows, and was NOT able to FFW thru an episode. OTOH I also opened Kevin Can Wait, also never in My Shows, and COULD FFW thru an episode no problem.

I hope you don’t think I’m disputing your POV, I am simply sharing my experience and what I’ve read online. I have read more than one article that said you can skip commercials in some On Demand episodes and not others - it varies from show to show. And it’s not unique to PS Vue, or any streaming, cable or satellite service for that matter - it’s determined by the network and/or show. I’ve read Fox and ABC always prohibit FFW in On Demand shows. There are plenty of articles online about this.

But I’ll quit on this topic...

Weird. I just tried an On Demand episode of Kevin Can Wait and no dice. Got the same message at the beginning: "Fast Forward and other playback controls have been disabled for this program."

If it was determined by the network or show, as you suggest, you and I would not be having different experiences on the same show. It would have to be different markets or restrictions imposed by local network affiliates, which would seem unlikely but possible I suppose.

I tried an On Demand version of two different shows that ARE in My Shows and it did let me FFW but NOT through the commercials. You can see the commercials on the timeline highlighted in yellow. You can't skip through them. You might test FFWing through the commercials and see if that works.

Anyway, my experience is consistent with exactly what's written in the PSV online FAQ. I have no idea why yours is different, except I suspect it has something to do with having the shows set up in My Shows at some point.

 

[MissMolly]

It has been my experience that On Demand shows cannot be fast forwarded through, but shows you record yourself you can fast forward through.

 

[audreyh1]

I have never been able to fast-forward through any "on demand" or "catch up" shows. I just tested an on-demand episode of The Brave (which you mentioned) and it was not possible. In fact, this text came up when I started the show: "Fast Forward and other playback controls have been disabled for this program." The only option was to start over or pause and restart. Even after pausing, I could not fast forward or return to live.

Additionally, according to the FAQ on PSV's website:



Is it possible you were watching a DVR show? Or that you also had that episode recorded in My Shows? The FAQ also says this:



Otherwise, the only explanation is that they are easing this restriction for certain shows or in certain markets.

What a royal pain! None of my streaming shows behave like this.

 

[Cobra9777]

What a royal pain! None of my streaming shows behave like this.

Not really. We knew going in that PSV On Demand disabled FFW. As Midpack points out, it's pretty standard industry practice. And it's quite simple to add a show to My Shows (cloud DVR), which enables FFW through commercials. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of the question: Can you, or can you not, FFW through "some" On Demand programming?

 

[Midpack]

Anyway, my experience is consistent with exactly what's written in the PSV online FAQ. I have no idea why yours is different, except I suspect it has something to do with having the shows set up in My Shows at some point.

Your suspicion re: My Shows is incorrect. The example I gave you yesterday is a show we never watch and has never been in My Shows - as I noted yesterday. If you read cord cutting forums, they’ll tell FFW in On Demand shows is hit and miss. Wouldn’t surprise me if more are blocked than not, but it’s not all. That’s been the case since before streaming TV, goes back to cable and satellite on demand.

It’s always subject to change, but here’s a quote from a press release on a Comcast forum:

"The ad models in the free VOD vary by network and sometimes by show, with some of the content fast-forward disabled and others providing full trick mode, according to Jenckes. CBS and NBC shows have fast-forward enabled, while for some ABC and Fox shows fast forward is disabled."

I don’t care as I record shows we watch, don’t use On Demand much because I know skipping commercials is an unknown. Some will, some won’t.

 

[Dawg52]

True.... with Comcast cable tv I've found some on demand shows will FF through commercials but some won't. Who knows why......

 

[RunningBum]

I got the Amazon Fire Stick that's on sale for about $25 now, and tried it out some for the NCAA tourney games this weekend. I have 10MB internet, and get very close to that, almost always 9+. I logged in with my Dish account, so I don't know what my options would've been without a paid provider.

First time, it just wasn't going through. I'd get some kind of error, I forget what it was. I gave up and tried later and it worked.

Watching the games, it was just kind of choppy, like the frame rate was low. It wasn't cutting out, but it wasn't the same as watching on satellite or OTA. Maybe it wasn't on my end, but rather the site getting hammered during the day as people at worked were trying to watch on their computers.

Another issue was switching to another game. It's not at all like switching channels. I didn't see anyway to flip between 2 games with a recall; I'd have to back out of one and select another game. Then I'd have to wait for the buffering before that started. No quick switching during commercials as there was too much buffer time so you might as well stick to one game and live with it.

I really haven't checked into all the options for watching sports without a provider to login to, but even using my Dish account I'm not seeing this as something I'd be ready to switch to. So I'm keeping the cord for now. I guess this is my "blow that dough" splurge. Maybe it works better for those of you with faster internet. I'm on the fastest available to me.

 

[NoiseBoy]

I really haven't checked into all the options for watching sports without a provider to login to, but even using my Dish account I'm not seeing this as something I'd be ready to switch to. So I'm keeping the cord for now. I guess this is my "blow that dough" splurge. Maybe it works better for those of you with faster internet. I'm on the fastest available to me.

The same is true for me too. I can't get good OTA reception at home so the best option for live sports remains Comcast. However, I did reduce my TV package to the bare minimum to get Bears games in HD and keep my HD DVR. I also reduced my internet speed from 100 to 60Mbps, which I haven't even noticed. I believe I could live with 25Mbps, but they didn't offer that option with HD TV channels I cut my Comcast bill by $45 by making those changes and I haven't missed the extra channels. About the only thing that I do miss is the "background noise" of having nearly constant access to reruns of Big Bang Theory and Family Guy, but I am learning to cope. At the same time I switched to Google Project Fi, so my combined spending for phone, internet, and TV is less than $150/month. I can live with that.

 

[Pilot2013]

I have been on DirectvNow for some time now, and have in the past 2 months been put on their "beta" app which they try things out with, like Cloud DVR. The DVR part, at least with FireTV has been disappointing so far.

Other than that, the picture has been really good, and I watched my Clemson Tigers woop up on the Auburn Tiggers with no chopiness at all.

For what I am saving at $35/month, I'm ok with how it's going.

 

[Midpack]

We’ve been very pleased with the cloud DVR we have with PS Vue. It hasn’t missed a single show over the past 8+ weeks...until last night CBS was on a 37 minute delay and the “My Show” we wanted recorded from 9:00-10:00pm while the show was actually 9:37-10:37pm. BUT our prehistoric satellite Dish Network DVR would have done the same thing, so it’s our own fault. We just need to add the program after to My Shows on Sun and delete it after we’ve watched a few days after. Live and (re)learn...

 

[MissMolly]

We had the same type of problem with the recording on our Tablo last night. Fortunately Tablo's most recent upgrade now allows
us to extend recordings for between 15 minutes to 3 hours. So i set it today to extend the stop time 2 hours beyond the scheduled time for all future recordings of that show.

 

[Carpediem]

We had the same type of problem with the recording on our Tablo last night.

We missed one day of all of our scheduled recordings on Tablo after I allowed the 30 day trial of the 'guide' to expire. I decided to pay for a year for the 'guide' ($50) since we've been very happy with Tablo so far.

 

[Sojourner]

Additionally, according to the FAQ on PSV's website:

Most airings saved to My Shows will have no restrictions on fast forwarding. You will not be able to fast forward through commercials within Catch-up or while watching On Demand programming. Please note that programs saved to My Shows from FOX, FX, and FXX will not allow fast forwarding.

Hmmm... that's very interesting. So do you think this means that no Fox and FX shows—regardless of whether recorded via DVR or watched on-demand—can be fast forwarded? And since this is something dictated by the network, would FF be disallowed on Fox shows for every streaming service?

 

[Midpack]

Hmmm... that's very interesting. So do you think this means that no Fox and FX shows—regardless of whether recorded via DVR or watched on-demand—can be fast forwarded? And since this is something dictated by the network, would FF be disallowed on Fox shows for every streaming service?

I guess there may be some, but we haven’t run into a single show we couldn’t FF through from the PS Vue cloud DVR including Fox.

However, we can FF thru some On Demand shows and not others. Which network isn’t even a perfect guide, some networks disable FF on some shows and not others. We’ve seen three conditions 1) no restriction, 2) no FF period, and 3) in between - meaning you can FF but have to watch some ads but not others. You can see the latter in the timeline bar at the bottom.

So IMO the key is the make sure you cloud DVR anything you want to FF and avoid the On Demand FF uncertainty.