Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[jjquantz]

I went internet only years ago. They still call me asking to do a Triple Play. I am like nope.

Between Internet, Kodi, and the library I don't feel like I am missing much. If I was into baseball I could see that as a reason to get it.

You've described, basically, our solution. For baseball, DW subscribes to MLBTV which is fine except for this week when the Cubs are playing the Nats so we are blacked out. She's at the game this afternoon.

 

[GTFan]

That's where having your own DVR will matter, if you want to check something out later. For instance I was over a year behind on House Hunters and had almost 200 episodes on my Tivo, including International.

If you go to the HGTV site, you can view some episodes but I bet they don't keep dozens or hundreds. Instead you can buy old eps on iTunes or maybe they sell DVDs.

Also, my guess is those cloud DVRs won't let you skip commercials as easily.

The big problem with cord cutting via streaming services is that current cable content is still rife with ads when you stream. And the trick play experience is far inferior to a good DVR like Tivo. And you get limited viewing windows which means you can't watch that show that came on a couple of months ago because they removed it from VOD.

As long as you are willing to put up with ads (or pay extra for something like Hulu Plus and accept that not all content will be available there) you can certainly cut the cord. Or if you don't care about current cable content then there's plenty of good stuff on Netflix, Amazon etc. Or you don't care about sports etc. etc. etc.

There are a ton of limitations with streaming that don't exist with a Tivo, as long as you're willing to pay the price upfront for a Tivo setup and negotiate with your cable provider for a good HSI+cable package. My net cost for cable is something like $40 a month (on top of what I have to pay for HSI) which is not bad at all. In return I get to watch what I want, how I want, whenever I want including all the current stuff. Without ads.

 

[someguy]

One (even cheaper) alternative is to get a free Google Voice number. They allow porting existing numbers over. With the mobile app or via any web browser, you can quickly and easily switch your GV number to either go directly to Google VM (which does fantastic automatic transcription to text) or to forward through to your cell phone. I give my GV # to everyone except close friends and family and leave GV direct to VM 99% of the time. I temporarily forward it to my cell phone if I'm expecting a call I need to answer live (e.g., waiting on an appliance delivery).

This has the added advantage of working well with international travel. If my Dr. called my cell phone directly, I'd have to either burn international voice minutes to answer it live or to listen to the VM. With GV, I turn off international voice roaming and have GV forward the audio file and transcription of all VMs to my email, which I can then easily retrieve via local WiFi. If your international location had a local phone, I believe you can forward your GV number to that if you wish.

I'm pretty comfortable with technology and found Roku very easy to set up. To me it's a conduit- there's some programming you can get free just with a Roku box but I don't know if it's any good. The Roku remote is very user-friendly- it has separate buttons for Netflix and Amazon Prime. You just have to set it up the first time by entering your user name and password for those services. I actually got a "Roku TV" at Costco- $250 marked down to $200 because the box hadn't been opened. So, Roku was built in and I didn't need a separate box.

I used to watch a few reality shows on cable ("Say Yes to the Dress", some HGTV offerings, "My 600-lb. Life"- yes, I AM highly cultured with sophisticated tastes) but there's plenty of good stuff on Netflix so I don't miss it. I catch some of it when I'm donating platelets, which takes a couple of hours and the chairs have individual TVs.

MagicJack was also very easy to do except that I couldn't keep my landline number. Other than that, I'm perfectly happy with it for $45/year. I want the landline because to me, my cell number is just for people who need to reach me no matter where I am. I don't want it ringing with marketing surveys and spammers, which is what happens when you give it out to businesses.

 

[someguy]

Have Amazon and Netflix and PQ is excellent and very rarely have buffering or pixelation issues. Using WiFi instead of hard wired can be a major source of (often intermittent) issues. Also, some older home routers are pretty crappy and can't handle the relatively high constant load of streaming, especially if there are others in the house using the internet. We can easily hit 12mbps steady on a single Amazon or Netflix stream and, even if you have 50mbps+ internet, your router may not be able to handle it.

 

[someguy]

Shazam!!! Just went to the mailbox and found the latest Consumers Report. Guess what the featured article is about? Cutting cable! I can't read at night with low lighting so I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Y'all might to pick up a copy of this report at the news stand. I'm sure it's full of good info. Just a heads up.

What is the title? I tried to find it in the online version (all I have) and couldn't. What's the overall conclusion?

 

[Dawg52]

I've never had Tivo so can't really compare. But PS Vue's FF feature works plenty good for me. Perhaps their FF is not as clean as Tivo, I just don't know. And it's true.....anything recorded is only good for 28 days but that's all I need. I've never been into recording stuff to watch months later.

I'm just glad there are options out there. Some are happy with an antenna only system. Some(like me) are happy with the options through an antenna/internet streaming combo. And some still want cable or satellite with or w/o Tivo like devices. No one size fits all.

 

[GTFan]

Agreed, it all depends on what you watch and how you want to watch it. And of course how much money you want to spend doing so.

 

[someguy]

I've never had Tivo so can't really compare. But PS Vue's FF feature works plenty good for me. Perhaps their FF is not as clean as Tivo, I just don't know. And it's true.....anything recorded is only good for 28 days but that's all I need. I've never been into recording stuff to watch months later.

I'm just glad there are options out there. Some are happy with an antenna only system. Some(like me) are happy with the options through an antenna/internet streaming combo. And some still want cable or satellite with or w/o Tivo like devices. No one size fits all.

What device are you using for PS Vue? I get no picture (not even intermittent frames) when I FF on Amazon Fire or older Roku.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

I just read this on Bloomberg, kind of an eye opener (the almost part is enough to stop me) -

Imagine this: “Free TV For Life!”
The irresistible pitch is splashed on the home page of something called CorkyTV, which advertises Amazon Fire sticks and other streaming devices loaded with software that can make getting shows and movies from shady websites as easy as opening Netflix. The software is perfectly legal, and Corky Stanton, who runs the website out of his home in Bass Lake, California, is sure he’s not breaking any laws.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-life-it-s-sort-of-legal-and-sweeping-the-u-s

 

[Nightcap]

The big problem with cord cutting via streaming services is that current cable content is still rife with ads when you stream. And the trick play experience is far inferior to a good DVR like Tivo. And you get limited viewing windows which means you can't watch that show that came on a couple of months ago because they removed it from VOD.

As long as you are willing to put up with ads (or pay extra for something like Hulu Plus and accept that not all content will be available there) you can certainly cut the cord. Or if you don't care about current cable content then there's plenty of good stuff on Netflix, Amazon etc. Or you don't care about sports etc. etc. etc.

There are a ton of limitations with streaming that don't exist with a Tivo, as long as you're willing to pay the price upfront for a Tivo setup and negotiate with your cable provider for a good HSI+cable package. My net cost for cable is something like $40 a month (on top of what I have to pay for HSI) which is not bad at all. In return I get to watch what I want, how I want, whenever I want including all the current stuff. Without ads.

Usually, streaming services allow you to pay extra to avoid ads. I stream CBS ad-free.

The trouble with Tivo is that you must have cable to make it worthwhile. Otherwise, you've got bupkis. I was a major DVR fan back in the day. I had the ReplayTV, which was bankrupted because they auto-skipped commercials, and I built a home media computer that regularly copied from the DVR to long-term storage. But if you don't have cable, you've nothing to record.

For example, I used to enjoy the mindlessness of HGTV's Househunters. That's not available on streaming services - I lost it when I dropped my cable TV service. But I found BBC's "Escape to the Country" on DailyMotion, and it's far superior to Househunters while also giving me gorgeous views of that green and pleasant land.

 

[someguy]

Usually, streaming services allow you to pay extra to avoid ads. I stream CBS ad-free.

The trouble with Tivo is that you must have cable to make it worthwhile. Otherwise, you've got bupkis. I was a major DVR fan back in the day. I had the ReplayTV, which was bankrupted because they auto-skipped commercials, and I built a home media computer that regularly copied from the DVR to long-term storage. But if you don't have cable, you've nothing to record.

We have a Tivo OTA with HD antenna and that is our primary media player. We record OTA shows, plus run Netflix and Amazon through it.

 

[Dawg52]

What device are you using for PS Vue? I get no picture (not even intermittent frames) when I FF on Amazon Fire or older Roku.

An Amazon Fire box. It's about a year old model. Never had a problem with the FF feature.

 

[youbet]

You've described, basically, our solution. For baseball, DW subscribes to MLBTV which is fine except for this week when the Cubs are playing the Nats so we are blacked out. She's at the game this afternoon.

Unfortunately, for us Chicagoans the Cubs are always blacked out on MLBTV. About one third of their games are OTA. For the other two-thirds, you need access to Comcast Sports Net - Chicago (CSN-C). I currently get that via cable but have recently noticed it may be available via Sling. I'm checking further on that. If it's true, then I may be dropping cable.

 

[someguy]

An Amazon Fire box. It's about a year old model. Never had a problem with the FF feature.

So when you FF a "cloud DVRed" show on PS Vue, you can still see where you are? For example, you can fast forward through a sporting event's halftime and be able to reliably stop the fast forward when the game starts back up?

 

[Dawg52]

So when you FF a "cloud DVRed" show on PS Vue, you can still see where you are? For example, you can fast forward through a sporting event's halftime and be able to reliably stop the fast forward when the game starts back up?

Yes. I recorded shows like Better Call Saul and Fargo. I can speed through the commercials and it shows the frames of the commercials depending on the speed I request it to FF. Using the >> button if you hit it once it will FF 4x, twice it will FF 8x and so on all the way to 64x. If I do overshoot the end of the commercial I can replay in 10 sec intervals by hitting the left side of the circular control button. Hope that makes sense.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

What is the title? I tried to find it in the online version (all I have) and couldn't. What's the overall conclusion?

It's the Aug 2017 edition of Consumer Reports. Front of the mag says "Cable or Streaming?" I still haven't found time to read it. It's an eleven page article.

 

[Chuckanut]

The trouble with Tivo is that you must have cable to make it worthwhile. Otherwise, you've got bupkis. I was a major DVR fan back in the day. I had the ReplayTV, which was bankrupted because they auto-skipped commercials, and I built a home media computer that regularly copied from the DVR to long-term storage. But if you don't have cable, you've nothing to record.

.

So, the video my OTA Tivo records is what? Generated randomly by the microprocessor inside of it? That would be one heck of a processor!

 

[Nightcap]

So, the video my OTA Tivo records is what? Generated randomly by the microprocessor inside of it? That would be one heck of a processor!

If you have a sufficient number of channels to warrant an antenna, you probably live in or very near a city and may even have more options than just cable (FIOS, e.g.)

If you live in a more rural area as I do, there are no other options than cable, and no available TV stations over the air. (I can't even do satellite or mount an antenna on the roof.)

Finally, OTA channels make up a small fraction of the television environment in America. Without cable, you don't have AMC, TNT, Comedy Central, FX, Syfy, and so on. You're going to have to stream those, and your Tivo is no help.

But if you're happy with what you get, goodonya. I'm happy streaming. It's (almost) all on-demand and there's no advertising. I don't get Househunters on HGTV, but neither do you. I do get BBC's Escape to the Country, which is much more fun.

 

[GTFan]

No ads on older stuff, sure. But if you want to watch current content on demand you're watching ads unless you pony up extra.

 

[Tailgate]

Currently subscribing to the whole cable enchilada.. HBO, Showtime, Red Zone.. cable would be an ok value for me if it wasn't for all the fees they stick you with.

Right now, I have a Roku loaded with trial versions of PSvue, Hulu, Sling and DirectvNow.
I'm leaning towards PSvue by a hair over DirectvNow. Hulu and Sling don't cut it for me.

Next I will have to choose my devices.. stick with Rokus or go with Fire TV. Will probably miss my Tivo, but I'm ready to make the jump and will save about $100 a month.

 

[Midpack]

Right now, I have a Roku loaded with trial versions of PSvue, Hulu, Sling and Direct now.
I'm leaning towards PSvue by a hair over DirectvNow. Hulu and Sling don't cut it for me.

PS Vue is my favorite of these, though partly because we live in a major metro area that offers all live local major networks. Curious if you considered YouTube TV. It wasn't my least favorite compared to the others above. And you said Hulu, I assume you mean Hulu Live, they're very different.

In Feb Dish TV (satellite) gave us a huge discount for 6 months to keep us, we're paying $43.85/mo with 3 HD TV's, DVR and 120+ channels. It was set to expire in Aug, but they just extended it another 6 months. They're getting desperate...

 

[jim584672]

I noticed YoutubeTV for $35 a month includes the YES channel (Yankees) in my area. For someone into baseball it might not be a bad deal. It also has a lot of cable channels, but not Showtime or HBO.

 

[Rianne]

PS Vue is my favorite of these, though partly because we live in a major metro area that offers all live local major networks. Curious if you considered YouTube TV. It wasn't my least favorite compared to the others above. And you said Hulu, I assume you mean Hulu Live, they're very different.

In Feb Dish TV (satellite) gave us a huge discount for 6 months to keep us, we're paying $43.85/mo with 3 HD TV's, DVR and 120+ channels. It was set to expire in Aug, but they just extended it another 6 months. They're getting desperate...

That is a great deal. Our cable costs $159/mo includes 3 tv's, DVR, Showtime, Starz, bunch of channels we don't watch. Also includes internet and landline. It's not Dish because we're tired of changing companies, them coming and drilling more holes in the brick. Our house is 60 years old and has previous owners drill holes all over the place from changing companies. Plus an old satellite was on the roof and we paid to get it removed and the roof repaired.

We do pay for Netflix. So I guess, $169/month

 

[Bamaman]

I no longer have cellular service madman loving life with just Magic Jack as a landline.

We have Dish TV after Comcast played their billing games.with.us. And I make no bones about it that I am no longer up to date technically.

I wish some technically savvy millennial would setup a business advising individuals on setting their homes up electronically but on a reasonable budget. That would include setting up antennas that could acquire a UHF signal 65 miles away.

 

[Tailgate]

here's my update from a month ago:

Cutting the cord update- cancelled cable a little over a week ago and went our own way. Got tired of the fees and leases for equipment.
Result: we're saving 47% on tv. We still have Suddenlink internet but that's factored out for comparison. People that watch less tv than us could probably save even more with some of the cheaper content bundles.
Equipment:
Streaming box is Amazon Fire TV (2) and Amazon Fire Sticks (2)
DVR is Tivo Roamio with 2 terabytes of storage and 3 Tivo Minis
OTA attic antenna is Wineguard 2200
Content:
Broadcast channels via the antenna: 50 channels from 17 area stations. We only care about ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX. Others mostly Spanish, CW, MYtv and independents.
Streaming via PSvue platform (Sony). We already subscribed to Amazon and Netflix.
The cost of the equipment will be recouped in 9 months from the savings. The quality and programming is, IMHO, as good or better than cable. We're getting 10 or more networks we didn't get via streaming.
What services to use was the big decision as we had several deal breakers. Must be able to record all broadcast networks, had to have NFL Red Zone and there was one other program that was a must have.
We're still getting used to using remote and switching inputs between OTA and streaming, but we're getting there. Unlike cable, streaming services don't have comparable guides. The services (PSvue, Hulu, Roku, Sling etc) are really APPS like you have on your phone. Each network has icons to open them and then each channel and program have icons. The general interface is not as friendly as cable but it's no problem to get to where you want to go.
Bottom line: love the savings and the offerings... I understand why some many folks are cutting the cable. I was waiting for the technology and the providers to get some wind under their sails. That time has come.