Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[explanade]

What speeds do you get with Comcast for just subscribing to Internet?

 

[easysurfer]

What speeds do you get with Comcast for just subscribing to Internet?

I'm on their performance starter internet plan. Download speeds up to 25 Mbps.

Plenty fast enough for me. Have had no issues watching streamed content on my Amazon Fire TV box.

 

[CoolRich59]

Their pricing policy is to quietly jack up monthly rates and fees and see how long they can get by with it until someone complains. Perfectly legal, of course - taking advantage of the inattentive and unaware has always been a great way to make money.

And sometimes illegal.

I accepted a promotion with Dish where they agreed to $x per month if I signed a 2-year contract. About 6 months in they increased the fee by $5/month. I was too busy to call, but the next month they raised the fee another $5 per month. This time, I called right away.

I pointed out that we had an agreement and, in exchange for my 2-year commitment, they committed to provide service at the original fee for those 2 years. Amazingly, the Dish rep argued that the agreement was only binding on me and not Dish.

I cancelled my service and Dish tried to force me to pay the balance of the two years. I filed a complaint against Dish and (not surprisingly) they folded. But I can’t help but wonder how many people they pulled this stunt on and got away with it.

 

[CoolRich59]

From what I understand, Apple’s service is not going to have live TV - correct?

I got an offer to try Hulu’s service that includes live TV (sports), but was thinking of waiting until tomorrow to see what Apple’s service looks like. But, if it’s like Netflix or Amzn Prime (no live sports), I won’t be interested.

 

[mpeirce]

From what I understand, Apple’s service is not going to have live TV - correct?

They have made no announcement yet. We'll all find out tomorrow when they announce what they are offering.

Here's the link to the event (1 PM EDT). Apple's events are always a good show.

https://www.apple.com/apple-events/

 

[CoolRich59]

They have made no announcement yet. We'll all find out tomorrow when they announce what they are offering.

Here's the link to the event (1 PM EDT). Apple's events are always a good show.

https://www.apple.com/apple-events/

Thanks. I’ll wait till tomorrow and see what it looks like.

 

[MichaelB]

Apple announcement was this afternoon, but it doesn't look like they released enough detail to really understand what's being offered and how it fits.

 

[bloom2708]

Whatever Apple released, it isn't going to get to 100 million subscribers (just a guess).

Tough to "jump the shark" in this fragmented TV environment. I'm good with sticking with Sony Vue TV (Playstation Vue) for as long as it takes for someone to release a better option.

 

[aja8888]

Whatever they released is about as informative as Musk's Model Y unveiling.

(maybe this is the new normal?)

 

[WestUniversity]

Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV)

It’s really weird because it works perfectly on my other TV, but not on this particular one. The main reason I bought the + was to somewhat future proof myself. This one has been a PITB however...

So I think my problem is fixed. Found a tech note on the Roku site. On the 2.4G side of my mesh system the “auto” channel select needs to be reset to either channel 1, 6 or 11. Additionally instead of using one of the USB ports on the back of my TV to power the Roku stick, it’s now plugged into the wall with the power adapter that came with the Roku. That accomplished two things. One, the Roku is always on and as such I don’t see the boot up screen AND it actually powers up on the last channel that was on when the TV was powered off previously...

 

[explanade]

Apple announcement was this afternoon, but it doesn't look like they released enough detail to really understand what's being offered and how it fits.

Yeah that event was pointless.

Of the 3 or 4 services they touted, only one has a specific subscription price.

They may still be negotiating with the other networks for getting on the Apple TV Channels service.

But it's not launching until the fall so why even hold the event now?

Maybe they're hoping a lot of people subscribe to the magazine subscriptions.

 

[Chuckanut]

Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV)

Whatever they released is about as informative as Musk's Model Y unveiling.

(maybe this is the new normal?)

Is everything now an excuse to take pot shots at Mr. Musk? This is getting tiring. Can it be contained in the Tesla thread and not contaminate others? Please

 

[CoolRich59]

Apple announcement was this afternoon, but it doesn't look like they released enough detail to really understand what's being offered and how it fits.

I watched for a little bit and was underwhelmed.

I was also a bit put off by the contrived pep rally atmosphere. Tim Cook says something innocuous and the crowd erupts with cheers and applause? Please.

 

[stephenson]

Chock ... I dunno ... Musk’s problems are a bit self inflicted.

Wrt commenting on Musk inside a tech discussion? Open game to me.

 

[MichaelB]

Whatever Apple released, it isn't going to get to 100 million subscribers (just a guess).

If the cable channel logos displayed on the giant screen behind Time Cook represent their core offering, I’ll be giving it a pass.

 

[mpeirce]

If the cable channel logos displayed on the giant screen behind Time Cook represent their core offering, I’ll be giving it a pass.

The photo you posted was of Ann Thai's introduction of Apple Arcade, a game subscription service. Different set of companies.

 

[mpeirce]

My take on the Apple event yesterday was that the TV+ service shows promise, but as with all the similar offerings, it'll live or die based on how good the shows are. We'll see as they come out.

I did think that Apple bringing TV+ to non-Apple platforms was pretty interesting. They listed number of smart TV brands as well as Roku and Fire TV.

I was more interested in the News+ service. I like to read the Wall Street Journal (started back in the early 80's in college), but struggle with the cost of it these days. It's included in the News+ service so I'll be taking that for $9.99/month. I would love to have the smaller newspapers I read get on the service - for some reason Newspaper's digital offerings are almost all awful.

 

[explanade]

My take on the Apple event yesterday was that the TV+ service shows promise, but as with all the similar offerings, it'll live or die based on how good the shows are. We'll see as they come out.

I did think that Apple bringing TV+ to non-Apple platforms was pretty interesting. They listed number of smart TV brands as well as Roku and Fire TV.

I was more interested in the News+ service. I like to read the Wall Street Journal (started back in the early 80's in college), but struggle with the cost of it these days. It's included in the News+ service so I'll be taking that for $9.99/month. I would love to have the smaller newspapers I read get on the service - for some reason Newspaper's digital offerings are almost all awful.

They basically spent money to get a lot of big name actors and directors to make shows.

We'll see if any of these are good. I would imagine one or two will be popular and make some waves.

But no guarantee that one of them will be like Game of Thrones, the kind of show that makes people subscribe to a service.

One thing to note is that they're going for PG or at worst PG-13 type of content. There was at least one show that they canceled either for too much violence or sex or something.

So they may be trying to be Disney-like, though even Disney isn't as clean as it used to be.

 

[Midpack]

Whatever Apple released, it isn't going to get to 100 million subscribers (just a guess).

Tough to "jump the shark" in this fragmented TV environment. I'm good with sticking with Sony Vue TV (Playstation Vue) for as long as it takes for someone to release a better option.

We're sticking with PS Vue too until something better comes along.

I get what Apple TV + is. It will all depend on the quality of content and the price how well it does. The reporters I've listened to guessed it would be $15/mo +/- $5 - to stay inline with other premium content streaming apps like HBO.

I'm having a hard time understanding what Apple TV Channels is. Some reporters are saying it's finally ala carte TV, but I'm not getting that. To me it sounds like it just aggregates all your streaming services into one interface. So if you have PS Vue, Netflix, Amazon Prime and others (PBS Living?), the Apple TV interface will show you everything that's available on all your streaming apps and take you to and from them without ever switching apps. It's only ala carte in a sense if you were to subscribe to a CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, CNN, ESPN, Viacom, Disney, etc. apps individually - but I'd guess that won't be a bargain?

And apparently it's free, just an expansion of what the current Apple TV app. Anyone else understand it that way?

 

[mpeirce]

I'm having a hard time understanding what Apple TV Channels is. Some reporters are saying it's finally ala carte TV, but I'm not getting that. To me it sounds like it just aggregates all your streaming services into one interface. So if you have PS Vue, Netflix, Amazon Prime and others (PBS Living?), the Apple TV interface will show you everything that's available on all your streaming apps and take you to and from them without ever switching apps. It's only ala carte in a sense if you were to subscribe to a CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, CNN, ESPN, Viacom, Disney, etc. apps individually - but I'd guess that won't be a bargain?

And apparently it's free, just an expansion of what the current Apple TV app. Anyone else understand it that way?

Pretty close. Here'a a couple of points.

Yes, it aggregates channels (really apps) under the Apple TV app. But the providers have to support this. So most of the channels are accessible from inside the Apple TV app, but not all. Specifically, Netflix doesn't play along. So you still access Netflix from it's own app. Amazon Prime *is* supported.

If you still have cable TV, you can gain access to most, if not all, of the cable TV channels through their Apple TV or iOS apps by authenticating through your cable provider.

(I don't get cable TV any more, but I get my internet service through the same cable company I used to use for TV. I still have an account with them. I still can authenticate with them and gains access to the channels. Don't know if that's on purpose or if the cable company is just being sloppy.)

Another point, the Apple TV app keeps track of some things for you. Like if you are on Season 2, Episode 5 of a show, when you go into the Apple TV app, it has S2E5 in it's "What to Watch" list.

Also, the Apple TV app works across your various devices. So if you just watched part of show on you iPhone, then paused it, you could continue to watch it on your Apple TV where you left off. Likewise your Roku or Samsung smart TV when the support for those platforms rolls out.


The grand idea is that the Apple TV app is THE front end for all your TV streaming viewing. It did this poorly in the past. It does this better now. It's still far from perfect, but at least Apple is trying.

And having the Apple TV app on so many devices (more than Apple devices now) is a pretty big step forward.

 

[Skoach]

My take on the Apple event yesterday was that the TV+ service shows promise, but as with all the similar offerings, it'll live or die based on how good the shows are. We'll see as they come out.

I did think that Apple bringing TV+ to non-Apple platforms was pretty interesting. They listed number of smart TV brands as well as Roku and Fire TV.

I was more interested in the News+ service. I like to read the Wall Street Journal (started back in the early 80's in college), but struggle with the cost of it these days. It's included in the News+ service so I'll be taking that for $9.99/month. I would love to have the smaller newspapers I read get on the service - for some reason Newspaper's digital offerings are almost all awful.

Just saw on CNBC that the WSJ offered by Apple is not equivalent to the current subscription. Business and finance news is not included, only politics and general news. This according to Stephen Weiss on the Fast Money Halftime Report.

Edit: more info here www.macstories.net/linked/the-wall-...artnership-with-apple-for-apple-news-service/

 

[mpeirce]

Oh, and Apple TV+ is a pay service that plugs into the Apple TV app. It's very much like Amazon Prime Video supplying original content, back catalog movies and shows, and easy (and cheap?) access to some other services like HBO, Showtimes, etc.

The Apple News app and Apple News+ is structured in a similar way. The Apple News app lets you aggregate lots of publicly available news sources in one place. You buy Apple News+ to gain access to pay news sources like the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, and a whole bunch of magazines.

 

[mpeirce]

Just saw on CNBC that the WSJ offered by Apple is not equivalent to the current subscription. Business and finance news is not included, only politics and general news. This according to Stephen Weiss on the Fast Money Halftime Report.

Edit: more info here www.macstories.net/linked/the-wall-...artnership-with-apple-for-apple-news-service/

That kind of makes sense since the WSJ digital edition is pretty pricey.

I currently have a WSJ digital subscription and can access the entire WSJ from inside the News app. Looking closely, some of the articles are labeled "News+" and some are not. I assume I'm getting the other article because News knows about my subscription.

 

[Cobra9777]

...I'm having a hard time understanding what Apple TV Channels is. Some reporters are saying it's finally ala carte TV, but I'm not getting that. To me it sounds like it just aggregates all your streaming services into one interface. So if you have PS Vue, Netflix, Amazon Prime and others (PBS Living?), the Apple TV interface will show you everything that's available on all your streaming apps and take you to and from them without ever switching apps. It's only ala carte in a sense if you were to subscribe to a CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, CNN, ESPN, Viacom, Disney, etc. apps individually - but I'd guess that won't be a bargain?

And apparently it's free, just an expansion of what the current Apple TV app. Anyone else understand it that way?

From what I gather, Apple TV Channels is just an update to the Apple TV app, which enables the same functionality as Amazon "Channels." It consolidates the subscription/billing process for various 3rd party streaming services. For Amazon, it uses your Amazon account. For Apple, this would be via your Apple ID. Sign-up, canceling, and billing is one-stop shopping rather than maintaining accounts at each streaming service. This includes on-demand streaming services like HBO, Showtime, CBS All Access, BritBox, and Curiosity Stream. No Netflix, Hulu, or live services like PS Vue. You'll have to subscribe to those separately.

Definitely not ala carte TV. And nothing new, since Amazon has had this capability for several years.

They also announced that the Apple TV app would come to other devices like Roku, Fire TV, and some smart TVs.

Apple TV+ is pretty straightforward... a Netflix-like on-demand, commercial-free streaming service. No live streaming. Like Netflix, there will be original content, but not much detail about that right now. I can't imagine the library of non-original content would come close to Netflix and Amazon Prime. In any case, no price was disclosed and it's not available until sometime this Fall. So nothing to see here as far as I'm concerned.

 

[explanade]

There were some rumors like HBO and Starz would be 9.99?

That would be too good to be true since each charge more than that.