Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) - 2021 version

[eytonxav]

We have Frontier Fios TV with the Ultimate TV bundle with some premiums like HBO, SHO, Cinemax and we pay ~ $275/month for that plus 500MB internet and digital voice home phone. Since getting our Apple TV up and running I inquired what dropping the Frontier TV service would do the bill, and it would go down to $112 + tax. Now need to evaluate replacing with either You Tube TV or Hulu Live + also want HBO/SHO add-ons. I am not sure about the sports offerings from those two services. Any how getting close to cutting the cable, provided DW is willing to learn how to use the streaming remote and associated options.

 

[mpeirce]

Perhaps hearing aids for DMIL is the best solution.

Seriously.

DW, before she got her hearing aids, was complaining of muffled sound from the TV. I didn’t really think it was an issue. It turns out she was starting to lose hearing in the frequencies that cover voice.

We started turning on closed captioning and that helps a lot. I’m used to it and it doesn’t bother be even though I don’t “need them on”. And she has good hearing aids now.

 

[Midpack]

We’re long time Hulu+Live subscribers, but we didn’t even notice we all got a vastly improved cloud DVR deal on 4/13 at no additional cost. The included base cloud DVR was 50 hours and up to 30 days to watch, you could have more for another $10/mo IIRC. That wasn’t a problem at all for us, probably why we didn’t notice the upgrade.

But on 4/13 all subscribers got unlimited storage with up to 90 days to watch! That was the only significant advantage YouTubeTV had over Hulu+Live for many/most. We weren’t going to switch to YTTY anyway, but now there’s even less of a reason. I hadn’t noticed until I was looking through our recordings in My Stuff and the hours tally was gone.

Not only can we record from the 80+ Hulu+Live channels, but anything on Disney+ and ESPN+.

FWIW

https://press.hulu.com/news/2022/03...ubscribers-at-no-additional-cost-on-april-13/

 

[Philliefan33]

Yesterday I had a bad experience using Hulu Live, but a good experience with their customer service.

Two weeks ago I started a free trial of YouTubeTV. It works great, we can watch the Phillies, there is no buffering and the picture is clear.

But the Hulu Live option with included Disney+ also seemed like a good deal, so I paused the YouTubeTV service and signed up for Hulu Live. They had no free trial available so I paid the ~$74 and figured that in a month I would choose between the two services.

Watching live tv with Hulu was terrible. Lots of buffering and I frequently got booted out of what I was watching back to the FireStick home screen. I rebooted the FireStick and uninstalled/reinstalled the Hulu app but there was no improvement.

About six hours after starting service, I called Hulu Live customer service and asked for a refund. They agreed as a “one time courtesy” and I’m getting all my money back. Then I went and restarted our YouTubeTV service.

I can’t explain why one service works so well with my setup while the other doesn’t.

 

[JoeWras]

I activated D-Stream for a month to watch hockey playoffs. I used D-Stream since I could get my local broadcast (Bally Sports) in the first round. Since the remaining games are national, I'll probably switch to Youtube TV for another month, then off until next year's playoffs.

I just want to say that D-Stream stinks for not having a real "cancel" button.

You press cancel, and they make you chat to cancel. I was nice to the robot/human, and they didn't sell me too much. I guess it is to retain or ask people to drop to a lower plan. Still, I don't like it. Next year I'll probably just go to YTTV and skip my local RSN. It is so easy to turn YTTV (and Hulu Live) off and on.

 

[Venturer]

Seriously.

DW, before she got her hearing aids, was complaining of muffled sound from the TV. I didn’t really think it was an issue. It turns out she was starting to lose hearing in the frequencies that cover voice.

We started turning on closed captioning and that helps a lot. I’m used to it and it doesn’t bother be even though I don’t “need them on”. And she has good hearing aids now.

I'm late to this dance but I was just looking thru post because I'm thinking about completly cutting the cord. That being said, I also wear hearing aids and even with them TV had been a problem untill I got my current pair. It was suggested to me to try the TV connector. I got one and in makes all the diffrance in my hearing/understanding tv. I have an app on my phone that connects to the streamer and I can control the volume,as well as the other sounds in the room. My wife is able to turn the tv down to acomfortable volume for her and we both are a lot happier now.

 

[ivinsfan]

Bumping for Prime Days Amazon has many streaming channels for 99 cents a month for two months then regular price. I usually cancel before the regular price kicks in.


It's for Prime members...

 

[Pellice]

Speaking of Amazon, am I "streaming" a show if I watch a Prime Video show on my television? I do start it from the "apps" function in my menu. I confess, video is my weakest point of understanding of technology. I feel pretty good about computers and phones, but television - I'm bad.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Speaking of Amazon, am I "streaming" a show if I watch a Prime Video show on my television? I do start it from the "apps" function in my menu.

Yes, you are streaming a show on Amazon Prime Video. The act of retrieving a video from a remote location via the internet and playing it on your TV via wi-fi (or ethernet cable) is called "streaming a video." You are doing it "on demand", meaning you are doing it whenever you choose to do it, rather than tuning in at an appointed time when it is broadcast.

 

[Pellice]

Yes, you are streaming a show on Amazon Prime Video. The act of retrieving a video from a remote location via the internet and playing it on your TV via wi-fi (or ethernet cable) is called "streaming a video." You are doing it "on demand", meaning you are doing it whenever you choose to do it, rather than tuning in at an appointed time when it is broadcast.

Thanks! I feel dumb for having had to ask, but it's hard to distinguish from cable TV, where I have access to "on demand" network shows that I can call up at my discretion, at least for a limited time.

 

[Sojourner]

Bumping for Prime Days Amazon has many streaming channels for 99 cents a month for two months then regular price. I usually cancel before the regular price kicks in.


It's for Prime members...

This is a great way to catch up on any shows from services you might not want to carry year-round. For us, that would be Paramount+ and possibly AMC+. Can't beat $2 for two full months of those kinds of premium channels.

 

[ychuck46]

Yes, you are

Thanks! I feel dumb for having had to ask, but it's hard to distinguish from cable TV, where I have access to "on demand" network shows that I can call up at my discretion, at least for a limited time.

Any act such as streaming a video, which you were doing from Amazon Prime, is considered streaming, as another poster stated. The same is true from YouTube and any other app. Sometimes it gets confusing to some people when people say streaming TV, which is oftentimes what people describe as YouTube TV, cable providers that are also streaming rather than the old style of getting cable, or even DirecTV streaming versus satellite antenna. Bottom line is that all of it is streaming.

 

[jim584672]

My $30 OTA tuner / DVR finally died, Mediasonic Homeworx HW-150PVR. Bought in July 2019. Clunky and jank but worked with an external HD.

Probably wait for the ATSC 3.0 tuners / DVRs that will be out soon.

 

[CatinKS]

Would like to catch up on the Better Call Saul series on AMC. I noticed Sling TV carries AMC but cannot find any information if I can binge watch the current season 6 shows on demand through Sling. Or is the content only live?

If not, does AMC+ allow you to watch previous shows?

Thanks.... Trapped in the house with 100+ temps, looking for an outlet.

 

[disneysteve]

Would like to catch up on the Better Call Saul series on AMC. I noticed Sling TV carries AMC but cannot find any information if I can binge watch the current season 6 shows on demand through Sling. Or is the content only live?

If not, does AMC+ allow you to watch previous shows?

Thanks.... Trapped in the house with 100+ temps, looking for an outlet.

I just checked. All that is on demand is S6:E8 and 9.

 

[JoeWras]

I just checked. All that is on demand is S6:E8 and 9.

AMC+ has a time out on BCS of about 5 weeks of availability. This was all a clever way to stick it to cord cutters trying to binge on a month long preview.

Season 6 had an intentional 2 month (or was it 6 weeks?) break so that the first half would all time out.

Nasty.

 

[ivinsfan]

AMC+ has a time out on BCS of about 5 weeks of availability. This was all a clever way to stick it to cord cutters trying to binge on a month long preview.

Season 6 had an intentional 2 month (or was it 6 weeks?) break so that the first half would all time out.

Nasty.

Or genius if you are in network marketing

 

[MichaelB]

I received a notice of price increase from BritBox this morning

We are updating our prices so that we can continue to bring you even more of the great British TV you love. From September 1, your subscription will renew at $79.99 per year.

It’s not an “update”, it’s an increase.Not sure why businesses are so afraid of that word. I subscribed last year with an offer someone posted here for $40 annual and wasn’t sure if I would continue. Now definitely not, and I cancelled the auto-renewal.

On the positive side, they did make it easy.

 

[Chuckanut]

It’s not an “update”, it’s an increase.Not sure why businesses are so afraid of that word. I subscribed last year with an offer someone posted here for $40 annual and wasn’t sure if I would continue. Now definitely not, and I cancelled the auto-renewal.

On the positive side, they did make it easy.

It's not a price increase, it's an 'investment' in your well being and quality of life.

I have HULU for 99¢ a month. Tons of commercial breaks, actually the commercial breaks are more like compound fractures. And they often show the same commercial time after time after time after time..... Watching two shows with the same commercials repeated a several times each can be painful. For 99¢ I will tolerate it. But, full price to see all those repetitive commercials? No way.

 

[explanade]

I gather the companies which produce and own the content are demanding more of these streaming companies.

Also the streamers want to increase their own profitability.

With companies like Netflix, Amazon (which just increase prices for Prime in Europe), Apple and others spending lavishly on content, producers and actors are making more money than ever.

And they are probably asking for more.

So it's inevitable that they're going to increase subscription prices, as cable TV companies have been doing.

 

[Chuckanut]

So it's inevitable that they're going to increase subscription prices, as cable TV companies have been doing.

They can try. We don't have to pay them. Between FREE OTA TV, Netflix, Amazon and the public library I already have many more hours of potential TV viewing that I can possibly use. Unless I want to become a true couch potato.

In fact, I am thinking of playing the cancel game with Netflix and Prime for a few months each.

 

[Midpack]

I gather the companies which produce and own the content are demanding more of these streaming companies.

Also the streamers want to increase their own profitability.

With companies like Netflix, Amazon (which just increase prices for Prime in Europe), Apple and others spending lavishly on content, producers and actors are making more money than ever.

And they are probably asking for more.

So it's inevitable that they're going to increase subscription prices, as cable TV companies have been doing.

They’ll charge what customers will pay, with their competitors as a benchmark, like any business. “Asking for more” may or may not increase prices.

 

[explanade]

True, with several streaming options, people can just rotate them.

At some point there will be a consolidation or some smaller ones will go out of business.

 

[RunningBum]

On the positive side, they did make it easy.

That's one thing I really like about all of the streaming services I've used. Really easy to cancel or put in some kind of vacation mode. Unlike Dish, who I had to call and give my reasons for canceling and listen to their offers to keep me. Same thing with trying to cancel online newspapers.

 

[explanade]

That's one thing I really like about all of the streaming services I've used. Really easy to cancel or put in some kind of vacation mode. Unlike Dish, who I had to call and give my reasons for canceling and listen to their offers to keep me. Same thing with trying to cancel online newspapers.

Plus you have to deal with equipment returns.

Not as bad as installing equipment but still a hassle.