Help - getting ripped off! (Attempted "cable cut")

[Timeisprecious]

Good morning, all.

Okay, I'm seeking some wisdom from the savvy folks on this forum. Doubtless I'll be chastised for not doing the appropriate research on the "cutting the cable" thread, but I'm under something of a time crunch (I thought that was impossible for those of us with endless time! ) Here's the issue: Seems that here in my new retirement area cable bills are somewhat higher. Why? No idea. But - I'm now interacting with Comcast, and my cable bills are poised to go up about $40/mo or more from my previous location. Ouch! These guys seem like pirates to me! I'd certainly love to have TV provided to me via another option, but I'm not sure what's out there.

I've heard about a combined "ROKU/Netflix/Hulu" combination which costs far less, but I have questions about both the coverage and logistics. How does the content volume and quality compare to cable? Is it difficult to set up? How does the cost compare? Also, are there other legitimate options for a pretty good TV package? Any thoughts on these matters would be greatly welcomed.

 

[pb4uski]

You should check out suppose.tv

You enter your location, your "must-have" channels, how many streams you need, etc and it returns the streaming packages that best meet your criteria.

Many of our cord cutters are partial to YouTube TV... aka YTTV.

Also, do you get over-the-air aka OTA channels in your location? If you don't know you can use this site to find out. https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps If so, that is FREE! And if you want to DVR OTA TV you can buy hardware that will do that.

 

[njhowie]

Roku/Netflix/Hulu works fine - but they will not give you live TV and your local networks without paying an additional ~$25/month (minimum) on top of the basic monthly cost.

Additionally, if you don't take cable service, be sure you have an alternate means for getting internet. If you end up taking "dry" internet service from the cable company (without a package/bundle), you may find that the cost is just as ridiculous.

 

[target2019]

My Comcast bill will go up about $15. I'll have to take that on the chin, because if I unbundle TV service, my total bill goes up over $20 for various reasons.

Ditched their internet modem long ago and save 13-14 each month.
Get lowest tv service (called Limited Basic here) if it makes sense.
Get a Roku and add the TV plan that has channels you watch. It could be Youtube, Hulu, etc. If you have Amazon Prime, that gives you a lot of content through their app on Roku.

 

[Go-NoGo]

You can get local TV from locast.org, (for free) also over Roku and Firestick if that if how you are streaming.
(It is limited to major markets, so check the locast link below for coverage)

Locast:
https://www.locast.org/

Locast Roku App:
https://channelstore.roku.com/details/235809/locast.org

I got tired of comcast increasing cost of cable and internet every_single_year and dumped them.
Getting much better service from Verizon.

 

[RonBoyd]

Roku/Netflix/Hulu works fine - but they will not give you live TV and your local networks without paying an additional ~$25/month (minimum) on top of the basic monthly cost.

Just so we are clear. ROKU/Netflix/HULU are not the same but are three completely different entities.

ROKU is a device used to bring the system into your TV and gives one access to several thousand services, including Netflix and HULU..

Netflix is a provider of (mostly) movies... it is the online version of the previous DVD-by-mail program.

HULU is similar to what you are familiar with in your current Cable service. It is an aggregator of Subscription services.

 

[Gotadimple]

OP: #1 basic to making a decision to move away from cable ("cut the cord") is deciding how you will get internet bandwidth. In order to stream (Hulu, Netflix, etc) you first have to have an internet connection. You can do that by setting up service (like your land line provider, or your cable provider, or some other provider). Your city contracts for internet service for its community. Check their website for their contracts (big hint - the city approves the rates your provider charges).

#2 Then it is relatively easy to decide how you will stream (Roku, Chromecast, Apple, etc.) And from there you can set up the channel lineup that you want. There is an interesting article this morning on Cord Cutters News about what people want to pay for services. https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/most-cord-cutters-want-to-pay-about-20-for-their-tv-services/

 

[target2019]

Roku is similar to AppleTV. You buy a device, login to your wireless, and on you go.

On our Roku we have installed apps (from Roku) for 1) Hulu Live (TV channels and more), 2) Netflix (movies, old TV series, new Netflix series and moview, etc.), 3) Amazon Prime (TV series and movies, original content), 4) Various news apps (CBS, AlJazeera, Reuters), 5) Prime Music app.

Some apps are free, and you can experiment to see what fits you. Other apps install, and ask for login credentials (Netflix, Amazon, HuluLive), so these cost an additional fee.

 

[njhowie]

You can get local TV from locast.org, (for free) also over Roku and Firestick if that if how you are streaming.
(It is limited to major markets, so check the locast link below for coverage)

Locast:
https://www.locast.org/

Locast Roku App:
https://channelstore.roku.com/details/235809/locast.org

I got tired of comcast increasing cost of cable and internet every_single_year and dumped them.
Getting much better service from Verizon.

Locast will likely have a limited life as it is really no different than Aereo, which the networks went after, courts ruled in the networks favor, and Aereo was out of business within days. The networks have already filed their lawsuits against Locast, and the end result will likely be the same as with Aereo.

 

[foxfirev5]

I'm sorry but is this the FIRE'd forum or the cheapskate forum ? For my $179 a month I get cable, internet, landline and the capability to voice anything I want to see. However it pains me greatly to admit that Comcast fills all my wants

 

[pb4uski]

I'm sorry but is this the FIRE'd forum or the cheapskate forum ? ...

Yes.

 

[HI Bill]

I'm sorry but is this the FIRE'd forum or the cheapskate forum ? For my $179 a month I get cable, internet, landline and the capability to voice anything I want to see.

Many here travelled the path to FIRE through LBYM. I've been saving about $600 per year (paying $40 for internet and $28 for Netflix), for the past 6 years, by using Netflix, Roku, and Amazon Prime video..paying the cable company only for internet access.

 

[easysurfer]

What are your viewing habits? Important to ask yourself.

For me, I like the challenge of cutting the cable. But I also, don't like the idea of any recurring subscriptions. I do have Amazon Prime though for the shipping and along with that comes included Prime Video for my streaming.

For regular TV, I go with an OTA antenna.

 

[Chuckanut]

Check out locast.org for an alternative way to watch local broadcast TV stations.

I can't tell anybody what to do. If the goal is to save money, dropping cable and then subscribing to three or more streaming services is probably not going to do the trick. You have to be able to get along without some services.

I only have Internet access from the local provider. No TV, phone, etc.

My two subscriptions are Netflix and Amazon Prime (and some of the cost of Prime is for delivery services). I also have an antenna and a Tivo unit to record the broadcast shows I enjoy. For everything else, I use my DVD player and the public library. I recently watched the final season of Game of Thrones (a big disappointment, IMHO) by getting the disks from the Library. Start Trek Discovery should be coming in the next month or two. Between broadcast TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime and DVDs from the library, I have more material to watch than I have time for.

Total ongoing incremental cost is about $25 a month. Even allowing for the cost of the Tivo and the antenna, over a five year period, they might cost might be $35 a month total. I would have Internet access regardless, but if you are interested I pay about $46 a month for 30/30 FIOS service.

If I had to add another service it would be the Netflix DVD service. A lot of stuff that isn't streamed is available via DVDs.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My son doesn’t have cable and trying to remember how to watch anything is not fun. You have to know what you want to watch. No looking through to see what’s on. No thanks.

 

[Go-NoGo]

Locast will likely have a limited life as it is really no different than Aereo, which the networks went after, courts ruled in the networks favor, and Aereo was out of business within days. The networks have already filed their lawsuits against Locast, and the end result will likely be the same as with Aereo.

Perhaps, perhaps not. As I recall he lawsuit against Aereo went all the way up to the SC - hard for me to say if the lower courts will dismiss out of hand or if it will end up in the Supreme's docket again. Until the courts decide, Locast is available for use

 

[Midpack]

We cut the cord Feb ‘18, would never go back. We use Roku’s for streaming, broke even on that cost in less than 4 months versus Dish satellite.

• We pay $50/mo for AT&T Fiber 300/300 Mbps, but it will go to $60/mo next summer.
• We subscribe to Hulu Live, just went from $45 to $55/month. We get all 69 channels below, cloud DVR and a huge on demand library. OP: Hulu basic is much less, on demand only, no live TV. YTTV is $50/mo and highly regarded - if Google didn’t own it I’d be interested.
• We subscribe to PBS, $60/yr, $5/mo equivalent.
• We don’t have Netflix but their plans are at $9, $13 & $16/mo.

What we have on three TV’s would cost way more with cable or satellite.

 

[Clone]

We just opened up our winter place. The internet service is sketchy, and no decent options. (Come on 5G, we are waiting for you!!) We get Prime, Disney+, and Netflix using internet. There are occasional buffering freezes. (Flashbacks to dial-up....) We have an Off-air antenna, with 84 channels. Our eventual solution will probably include some type of off-air DVR. Hopefully we will have a viable ISP at some point. We were planning to use Sling Red/Blue to get the sports channels, but if it is going to buffer frequently, that will wait.

 

[Scrapr]

plug for Sling TV on your Roku. Prices are going up this month. I have Orange & a Sports extra package. $45/mo includes 10 hours DVR

That plus Netflix completes me.

 

[Cobra9777]

Here's our current setup, FWIW:

1. Internet: Frontier FiOS 50/50 fiber for $61/mo, including tax/fees.

2. Landline phone: free Google Voice number with an Obi-200 VoIP adapter from Amazon for $50. Ongoing cost is zero.

3. Streaming Hardware: three Fire TV devices (two gen2 boxes and one gen1 Cube). Total one-time cost was just under $200.

4. Streaming Service: recently switched from PS Vue to YouTube TV. It has all the broadcast networks, including PBS, tons of sports channels, and the usual array of about 60-70 cable channels. The guide and unlimited cloud DVR work well. Ongoing cost with tax/fees is $54/mo.

5. Other subscription services: Netflix and Amazon Prime, although the latter is mainly for shipping purposes and other services like cloud photo storage. Ongoing cost is $23/mo. We recently dropped our subscription to PBS Passport since YTTV carries PBS.

Total ongoing cost is $138/mo, all-in.

To compare with cable, you'd exclude Netflix and Prime, so cost is $115/mo for internet, TV, and phone. The local cable operator offers 1-year intro pricing of $90/mo for an equivalent triple play. But once you add taxes/fees and STB rentals for 3 TVs, it comes to $130. After 12 months, that goes to $180.

Over a 3-year period, that averages $163/mo for cable vs our streaming set-up at $115. Total savings of around $600/year.

 

[Midpack]

plug for Sling TV on your Roku. Prices are going up this month. I have Orange & a Sports extra package. $45/mo includes 10 hours DVR.

No CBS, no ABC, maybe NBC and/or Fox. So not comparable to YTTV or Hulu Live. Just to compare apples to apples.

 

[target2019]

No CBS, no ABC, maybe NBC and/or Fox. So not comparable to YTTV or Hulu Live. Just to compare apples to apples.

OP could also keep just Basic With Comcast and have these channels.

 

[Cobra9777]

OP could also keep just Basic With Comcast and have these channels.

Or locast. Or OTA. Both for free. Either way, Philo seems to be a better value than Sling if you don't need the broadcast networks.

But, to Midpack's point, if one wants a "complete" streaming service, it seems that Hulu Live and YTTV are the only choices right now. And YTTV is a bit more "complete" with PBS.

 

[target2019]

Limited Basic plus Performance Internet is very close to same price for just Performance Internet. On Comcast price schedule.

 

[rk911]

OP... try talking with the Comcast customer retention dept. our bill was poised to go up $30 p/m. a phone call to Comcast customer retention resulted in a $40 p/m drop from our previous monthly bill..a $70
p/m turn around. we’ve been with Comcast for years and maybe that’s why but it’s worth a try.