Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[RonBoyd]

I’m sure the differences depend on which live app you’re using e.g. Hulu, YTTV, etc.

Oh! I misunderstood. I thought you meant the content was different... not that you meant "source." Since I use PlayOn, Replay Video Capture, Tablo or SageTV to record, source is something I had never considered. Using those methods gives one complete control over the resulting files.

FWIW, here is a good description of Video on Demand -- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/understand-svod-tvod-avod-terms-business-models-streaming-mads-kaysen.

First, lets clarify the "VOD" part, which they all have in common. This is short for "Video On Demand". Basically most streaming services will offer you as a customer the chance to select when and where to watch, and what to watch. This disconnection from the traditional linear programming attribute of what we refer(ed) to as "TV", is a fundamental shift. Also "VOD" is quite applicable, as most OTT services contains no or little live streaming.

 

[pb4uski]

... I think I paid a total of $18/month to cover my communications needs back in the early 1980s. I'm paying roughly the same now to cover my communications needs, overall, adjusted for inflation.

You're funny... curious how you twisted cellphone into communications. how much did you pay for cellphone 20 years ago? 10 years ago? 5 years ago? Today?

I think that for most people that are paying attention that their cellphone bill today is a fraction of what it was 10 or 20 years ago and they are getting more and better service.

 

[beowulf]

Have to disagree with the paying less today part. Of course, now we get a lot more for the money, but 20 years ago I paid $10 a month for 30 minutes of service. That was on an employee plan. No memory of the carrier, but they are long gone. Since it was only used for urgent calls, I rarely used up those minutes. Ten cents a minute for over the limit use. I actually miss the days when a phone was just a phone and the purpose was to talk to people on urgent business when you were away from a landline. FYI, I am sending this from my iPhone XR ��.

 

[pb4uski]

Ok, but how much did you pay for unlimited talk/text and 1GB high-speed data? More than $18/month I'm sure.

 

[jimbee]

Have to disagree with the paying less today part. Of course, now we get a lot more for the money, but 20 years ago I paid $10 a month for 30 minutes of service. That was on an employee plan. No memory of the carrier, but they are long gone. Since it was only used for urgent calls, I rarely used up those minutes. Ten cents a minute for over the limit use. I actually miss the days when a phone was just a phone and the purpose was to talk to people on urgent business when you were away from a landline. FYI, I am sending this from my iPhone XR ��.

You can do that now. Scroll down to basic phone plans, 30 minutes a month for $9.99. $8.99 using autopay. Even cheaper than 20 years ago, accounting for inflation. If you don't use the minutes, they accumulate.

https://www.tracfone.com/shop/plans

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

This was inevitable, and basically what I've been saying would happen (in some form) since joining this thread years ago. However, it should be noted that what timo2 has decided to "wait out" is probably the last two years there will be any early adopter advantage whatsoever.

I am one that "reconnected" the cord. We got tired of constant issues with one of many streaming providers. It got annoying and just pissed us off most of the time. Now, yes we are paying a bit more for the old school cable TV, but there is more to watch and the system works well. The cord cutting game is exhausting to me, and the providers are just making it worse, IMHO.

I saw that "Mad About You" is premiering for a limited reboot", but you have to be a Spectrum Cable subscriber to see it. What the hell is that? I don't even know where to start trying to figure that reasoning.

 

[steelyman]

I purchased a new iPhone and have one year of Apple TV+ free. I have the free year on my iPhone. Is there any way to get the free year on my TV using Roku?

Something unusual happened today when using Apple TV+ on my Roku 3. I had no problem setting it up after getting the channel installed and signing in with my Apple ID (I did notice that the Roku now appears in the device list on my Apple account).

Startup for Apple TV+ seemed especially slow but I don’t have a lot of experience as I only got a free year because of recent hardware purchase and haven’t seen or have missed compelling content so it’s just a channel sitting there mostly unused.

Exiting Apple TV+ was REALLY slow and the Roku actually rebooted! Weird. It’s old (the Roku device) but has been rock solid so far. This’ll be something to keep in mind.

 

[Midpack]

I am one that "reconnected" the cord. We got tired of constant issues with one of many streaming providers. It got annoying and just pissed us off most of the time. Now, yes we are paying a bit more for the old school cable TV, but there is more to watch and the system works well. The cord cutting game is exhausting to me, and the providers are just making it worse, IMHO.

I saw that "Mad About You" is premiering for a limited reboot", but you have to be a Spectrum Cable subscriber to see it. What the hell is that? I don't even know where to start trying to figure that reasoning.

Sorry to hear you had trouble and respect your choice.

But it’s unfair to be so vague about what app and what issues? We used PS Vue for 21 months and we’re on Hulu Live now and issues have been few and far between, and in no way worse than cable or satellite. DW wouldn’t put up with streaming if it was ANY harder than her cable or satellite experiences.

OTOH if you’re one who chose to cobble together streaming with a bunch of separate apps and/or OTA, a separate recording device etc. - that’s not for the faint of heart, and more difficult to master than Sling, Hulu Live, YTTV, or other “drop in” streaming replacements for cable or satellite.

 

[beowulf]

Ok, but how much did you pay for unlimited talk/text and 1GB high-speed data? More than $18/month I'm sure.

20 years ago was 1999. There was no GB high speed data and I don’t remember any carrier offering unlimited service.

 

[bUU]

You're funny... curious how you twisted cellphone into communications.

What do you use your cellphone for? That's what I use mine for.

 

[bUU]

I saw that "Mad About You" is premiering for a limited reboot", but you have to be a Spectrum Cable subscriber to see it. What the hell is that? I don't even know where to start trying to figure that reasoning.

Word is that it is a limited period of exclusivity.

 

[mountainsoft]

I am one that "reconnected" the cord. We got tired of constant issues with one of many streaming providers. It got annoying and just pissed us off most of the time. Now, yes we are paying a bit more for the old school cable TV, but there is more to watch and the system works well.

I have tried just about every streaming service out there for my mom (Sling, PSVue, DirectTVNow, Fubo, YouTubeTV, Hulu Live, etc.). Unfortunately, even though the cost would have been half what she pays for cable and has access to more stations she's interested in, she just can't adapt to the user interfaces. I recently signed her up for YouTubeTV, one of the easier ones to use, and she called me yesterday to cancel it and go back to cable. She doesn't like change and doesn't do well with new technology.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with all of the streaming services is that they try to do too much. You're forced into a confusing opening screen of what's playing, what's new, recommended for you, trending now, etc. What's live? What's on demand? What's free? What costs additional? Just trying to teach my mom how to access the channel guide was a major undertaking. Super simple for me, but utterly confusing for her.

They need to boot up to a simple channel listing (no guide, just show what's playing currently), and provide a way to surf from one channel to the next without flipping between different screens. As with most things these days, the designers over complicate what should be a simple thing. Choose a channel and watch TV. You know, the modern equivalent of the old dial TV channel changer. Remote control meant telling the kids to change the channel for you.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Yeah, I love streaming, but I also love my TiVo. TiVo, Netflix, and Hulu all seem to do ONE thing right, and none of the rest are even close. What I want is on-demand shows, and I want navigation (play, pause, FF/Rew, and finding shows) to be easy.

TiVo does the best at navigation, the pause and skip are much easier to use, and a lot of the streaming services won't even pause without an overlay, and won't do slow motion or frame advance. Netflix is a close second, though, it's definitely the easiest to navigate within and between shows of the streaming services.

Hulu (ad-free) is the best cable-replacement with respect to TV content, beating out Netflix on selection and time (making many shows available soon after they air, rather than posting a whole season at once). Netflix might have slightly better original content, but they're close, Hulu has been gaining on Netflix in that respect.

IMO, from there it goes downhill. Amazon Prime's season and episode navigation is awkward and cumbersome, and Vudu only has TV shows for sale. If I could find ONE streaming service that just let me watch any TV content on demand and made it easy to navigate, I'd probably pay as much or more than I pay for cable, because then I could cancel cable, other streaming services, and get rid of the TiVos.

 

[Midpack]

Yeah, I love streaming, but I also love my TiVo. TiVo, Netflix, and Hulu all seem to do ONE thing right, and none of the rest are even close. What I want is on-demand shows, and I want navigation (play, pause, FF/Rew, and finding shows) to be easy.

TiVo does the best at navigation, the pause and skip are much easier to use, and a lot of the streaming services won't even pause without an overlay, and won't do slow motion or frame advance. Netflix is a close second, though, it's definitely the easiest to navigate within and between shows of the streaming services.

Hulu (ad-free) is the best cable-replacement with respect to TV content, beating out Netflix on selection and time (making many shows available soon after they air, rather than posting a whole season at once). Netflix might have slightly better original content, but they're close, Hulu has been gaining on Netflix in that respect.

IMO, from there it goes downhill. Amazon Prime's season and episode navigation is awkward and cumbersome, and Vudu only has TV shows for sale. If I could find ONE streaming service that just let me watch any TV content on demand and made it easy to navigate, I'd probably pay as much or more than I pay for cable, because then I could cancel cable, other streaming services, and get rid of the TiVos.

So what do you do for sports and news? If I could get live sports and news, I’d be fine with everything else on demand - but that arrangement will never happen...

 

[bobandsherry]

I am one that "reconnected" the cord. We got tired of constant issues with one of many streaming providers. It got annoying and just pissed us off most of the time. Now, yes we are paying a bit more for the old school cable TV, but there is more to watch and the system works well. The cord cutting game is exhausting to me, and the providers are just making it worse, IMHO.

I never disconnected, but experimented with many services and devices. Came to same conclusion as you, nothing replaced the ease of use and functionality I have with my cable system. I figured I'd save about $25/mo by cutting the cord, but gave up so much in return. My needs, ok, let's call it wants, obviously different than what some others need/want. Just great time to have so many other options that can make others happy, just not my cup of tea. I'll continue to evaluate other options, but for now sticking with my TiVo and cable setup.

 

[RonBoyd]

I have tried just about every streaming service out there for my mom (Sling, PSVue, DirectTVNow, Fubo, YouTubeTV, Hulu Live, etc.). Unfortunately, even though the cost would have been half what she pays for cable and has access to more stations she's interested in, she just can't adapt to the user interfaces. I recently signed her up for YouTubeTV, one of the easier ones to use, and she called me yesterday to cancel it and go back to cable. She doesn't like change and doesn't do well with new technology.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with all of the streaming services is that they try to do too much. You're forced into a confusing opening screen of what's playing, what's new, recommended for you, trending now, etc. What's live? What's on demand? What's free? What costs additional? Just trying to teach my mom how to access the channel guide was a major undertaking. Super simple for me, but utterly confusing for her.

They need to boot up to a simple channel listing (no guide, just show what's playing currently), and provide a way to surf from one channel to the next without flipping between different screens. As with most things these days, the designers over complicate what should be a simple thing. Choose a channel and watch TV. You know, the modern equivalent of the old dial TV channel changer. Remote control meant telling the kids to change the channel for you.

I am unsure what is so difficult. Granted I was ATT TV NOW (at that time DirecTV NOW) Beta participant and the "Box" I have may not (I really don't know) be an exact match to current model.

But clicking the "On" button on the remote turns on the TV and goes directly to the last channel I was watching. From there one can click on "Guide" to get the EPG. Or even easier is simply speak into the remote where you want to go or do -- "CBS," "Animal Planet, "Hallmark," etc. What could be easier/simpler than that?

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Something unusual happened today when using Apple TV+ on my Roku 3. I had no problem setting it up after getting the channel installed and signing in with my Apple ID (I did notice that the Roku now appears in the device list on my Apple account).

Startup for Apple TV+ seemed especially slow but I don’t have a lot of experience as I only got a free year because of recent hardware purchase and haven’t seen or have missed compelling content so it’s just a channel sitting there mostly unused.

Exiting Apple TV+ was REALLY slow and the Roku actually rebooted! Weird. It’s old (the Roku device) but has been rock solid so far. This’ll be something to keep in mind.

I got an email from Roku a couple of weeks ago
Dear Roku customer,
Thanks for being a longtime Roku streamer. We see that you own a classic Roku player that’s many generations behind our newest devices. We’re reaching out to let you know that, as of November 15th, this Roku player will no longer receive new software updates, and to extend a special offer to keep you streaming well into the future.
What does this mean?
You can continue to enjoy this classic Roku player and stream your currently available channels. However, this Roku player will no longer get new features or streaming channels, updates to existing channels, or other software-related updates. You may also potentially lose existing channels if our partners decide to update their channel in the future.
Your exclusive offer for a new Roku player
We want you to enjoy streaming to the fullest with the latest features and channels, so today we’re providing this special replacement upgrade offer: a Roku Express+ for just $15 — a discount of 50% off the regular retail price. Click here.
High definition streaming made easy
Roku Express+ delivers a faster HD streaming experience and includes optional composite cables if you’re connecting to an older TV. Best of all, your Roku Express+ will receive support for the newest software updates and channel releases, like the newly launched Apple TV channel and the Apple TV+* premium streaming service.
We hope you take advantage of this exclusive offer to enjoy all the benefits of the Roku streaming experience.
https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/roku-is-ending-support-for-older-models/

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

So what do you do for sports and news? If I could get live sports and news, I’d be fine with everything else on demand - but that arrangement will never happen...

I don't watch sports more than a handful of times a year, so I'd be fine without it, and my main news sources are NPR radio, and newspaper and political/legal websites and blogs, so if I cut the cord I'd probably just watch Last Week Tonight and The Rachel Maddow Show online (they're also occasional viewing, but more often than sports).

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I got an email from Roku a couple of weeks ago
Dear Roku customer,
Thanks for being a longtime Roku streamer. We see that you own a classic Roku player that’s many generations behind our newest devices. We’re reaching out to let you know that, as of November 15th, this Roku player will no longer receive new software updates, and to extend a special offer to keep you streaming well into the future.
What does this mean?
You can continue to enjoy this classic Roku player and stream your currently available channels. However, this Roku player will no longer get new features or streaming channels, updates to existing channels, or other software-related updates. You may also potentially lose existing channels if our partners decide to update their channel in the future.
Your exclusive offer for a new Roku player
We want you to enjoy streaming to the fullest with the latest features and channels, so today we’re providing this special replacement upgrade offer: a Roku Express+ for just $15 — a discount of 50% off the regular retail price. Click here.
High definition streaming made easy
Roku Express+ delivers a faster HD streaming experience and includes optional composite cables if you’re connecting to an older TV. Best of all, your Roku Express+ will receive support for the newest software updates and channel releases, like the newly launched Apple TV channel and the Apple TV+* premium streaming service.
We hope you take advantage of this exclusive offer to enjoy all the benefits of the Roku streaming experience.
https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/roku-is-ending-support-for-older-models/

Then I got an e-mail from Netflix which I deleted since I'm not subscribed currently but here is the info
https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/netflix-is-ending-support-for-older-roku-players/

 

[Midpack]

I don't watch sports more than a handful of times a year, so I'd be fine without it, and my main news sources are NPR radio, and newspaper and political/legal websites and blogs, so if I cut the cord I'd probably just watch Last Week Tonight and The Rachel Maddow Show online (they're also occasional viewing, but more often than sports).

If I was you, I’d think your plan is ideal, congrats. Thanks for commenting.

I think there are many who simply couldn’t give up live sports. That’s the biggest sticking point?

And some who might miss live news, though as you note there are plenty of sources online, written and video. I could probably be happy with nothing but PBS Newshour on PBS or YT livestream - both free.

 

[mountainsoft]

I am unsure what is so difficult.

Hey, you're preaching to the choir here. I don't know what is so difficult for my mom either, but she just can't understand it for some reason.

She has to access the streaming services through a Roku, so no "guide" button and no voice commands. Since her stroke I don't know if voice control would work for her anyway (she talks fine, but has trouble finding the words to say sometimes). I can already imagine her getting frustrated trying to remember the name of the station.

Channel up/down and volume up/down is about as complex as she can handle, even though all she does is watch TV all day.

I looked at ATTNow briefly. Looks expensive and doesn't include any of the crime show channels she's addicted to (Investigation Discover, Oxygen, HLN, etc.).

I bought her a bluetooth speaker to listen to her music. Power on, and an up/down button to move between songs. Too complicated, she never listens to it. Sometimes she makes me want to bang my head against a wall...

 

[Midpack]

What an odd thread, like some others here. We all state our preferences (conclusions), without other readers knowing what the source poster wants in TV content (assumptions). It’s one misunderstanding after another after another...

• Someone who wants live sports won’t be able to live with on demand only.
• Someone who’s willing to cobble together a bunch of apps (e.g. Netflix, CBS, Hulu, etc.) has completely different expectations vs someone who can only accept a drop in cable/satellite replacement (e.g. Hulu Live, YTTV, etc.).
• The value proposition is very different for someone who would have internet with or without streaming vs someone who doesn’t need Internet regardless (no one here presumably).
• Those who are willing to deal with OTA, changing sources, TiVo other “recording” devices, other hardware in exchange for more savings or other features vs those who aren’t.
• Single viewer households vs larger family multi simultaneous viewer households.
• Basic fear of the unknown/inertia vs users who welcome/embrace change. Both fine.
• The streaming landscape changes rapidly and constantly, a benefit and a curse.
• And of course all of our different network preferences.

It’s no wonder this thread goes in circles for 135 pages.

Streaming TV can be just as easy as cable/satellite and still substantially cheaper. Or streaming can be a nightmare if you choose to make it so.

 

[Cobra9777]

My DMIL is 85 and has adapted fairly well to streaming. About a year ago, her cable triple play, with equipment rental fees, was $225/mo. We bought her a cable modem on Amazon for $50 and gave her one of our old routers. So she now pays $72/mo (all in) for internet and landline, with no equipment rental.

For TV, she uses a Fire TV stick and shares our Prime and Netflix accounts. She watches lots of movies and original content on both. For traditional live TV, she currently uses PS Vue ($55/mo) and has no problem navigating around and using the cloud DVR. She sometimes forgets the "shortcuts" and other things like how to "favorite" a channel or turn closed captions on/off. But none of that interferes with her normal viewing. She often sees one of us using these functions and she will ask how to do it.

With PS Vue going away, we're going to change her to YouTube TV, which I think will be much simpler for her to use than Hulu Live and even PS Vue. But we'll see how she adapts.

She's also interested in art and cooking, so we showed her how to use free YouTube to find and subscribe to video content. She's now addicted to YouTube. I think it probably accounts for over half her TV time now. She's branched out into channels about history, geography, alternative lifestyles, and (oddly) airplane crashes.

Only problem so far is that she inadvertently subscribes to other add-on Prime channels, like HBO and Britbox. Since we're sharing our Prime account with her, I always get an email and just go online and cancel the subscription. From time to time, she also watches movies on Prime that she did not realize had a fee. So we end up paying for a movie once a month or so.

 

[RunningBum]

I am unsure what is so difficult. Granted I was ATT TV NOW (at that time DirecTV NOW) Beta participant and the "Box" I have may not (I really don't know) be an exact match to current model.

But clicking the "On" button on the remote turns on the TV and goes directly to the last channel I was watching. From there one can click on "Guide" to get the EPG. Or even easier is simply speak into the remote where you want to go or do -- "CBS," "Animal Planet, "Hallmark," etc. What could be easier/simpler than that?

That's one unusual thing. Sounds like you may have a specific box, rather than a more generic smart TV, Roku, Firestick, or similar. With those (Fire stick for me), I power them up with the TV, and they go to the home screen where I have to scroll down a couple times and then over to app I want to start, then do whatever I need to do within that app to get the show I want.

Now, there may be some things on the start up home screen that I can select directly, and I have the limitation that YTTV doesn't integrate at all with the Firestick home screen (Amazon vs. Google), but some of that home screen just looks like ads for shows I may or may not ever watch.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Sorry to hear you had trouble and respect your choice.

But it’s unfair to be so vague about what app and what issues? We used PS Vue for 21 months and we’re on Hulu Live now and issues have been few and far between, and in no way worse than cable or satellite. DW wouldn’t put up with streaming if it was ANY harder than her cable or satellite experiences.

OTOH if you’re one who chose to cobble together streaming with a bunch of separate apps and/or OTA, a separate recording device etc. - that’s not for the faint of heart, and more difficult to master than Sling, Hulu Live, YTTV, or other “drop in” streaming replacements for cable or satellite.

I haven't been vague about my issues, they are spread about within the almost 2800 posts in this very thread. Really the only one that has worked flawlessly (about 95% of the time) is Netflix...but even that has given us trouble with audio sync issues. The others we have used and quit for one issue or another:

-Sling
-DirecTV Now
-Amazon Prime
-Hulu Plus
-Amazon Recast OTA DVR

And that PS Vue...great deal since it's GOING AWAY.