Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[Cobra9777]

We do OTA service through a HTPC, (Home Theater Personal Computer). I run Windows 7 with Windows Media Center so no cost for guide service, have 2 Silicon Dust Dual tuners plugged into our router so we can record up to 4 programs at the same time. Total 1 time cost for computer, extra 3 TB hard drive and the 2 dual tuners was less than $400. That has been more than 4 years ago now. We can also stream through the computer if there is something we want to watch online.

I had a similar setup for many years... two HDHomeRun tuners and free guide data via WMC. At first we ran WMC on a Win7 PC hooked up to the TV. Later, we ran Kodi on two Fire TV boxes and used a utility called ServerWMC to feed programming, guide data, and DVR functionality to Kodi.

Once set up, it was fairly reliable, but it did have some quirks. Guide data would go absent for no apparent reason and then come back a few days later... sometime all channels, sometimes just a few. WMC would occasionally lose the channel data, which required me to re-run the setup process and channel scan. Same would happen with the tuners from time to time. Connectivity was usually good with minimal buffering but we did have one local channel that suffered from near-constant pixelation. That channel worked fine straight into the TV so it was somehow related to the whole WMC setup and I never came up with a resolution.

Anyway, that was then. This is now with PS Vue and Cloud DVR. Much simpler, less hassle, and more reliable. But at a cost. Also, I think 2018 is the year Microsoft will drop guide support for WMC.

 

[aja8888]

If the price of various streaming services keeps going up while our choices are more limited maybe somebody will figure out a way to rent DVDs cheaply by mail.

You know, if it gets to the point where there are many different pay per use services that add up to a big number ($$), I'll be betting that many people will just give up watching most of that cr@p anyway. Most of it is a waste of valuable time as it is.

 

[wmc1000]

I had a similar setup for many years... two HDHomeRun tuners and free guide data via WMC. At first we ran WMC on a Win7 PC hooked up to the TV. Later, we ran Kodi on two Fire TV boxes and used a utility called ServerWMC to feed programming, guide data, and DVR functionality to Kodi.

Once set up, it was fairly reliable, but it did have some quirks. Guide data would go absent for no apparent reason and then come back a few days later... sometime all channels, sometimes just a few. WMC would occasionally lose the channel data, which required me to re-run the setup process and channel scan. Same would happen with the tuners from time to time. Connectivity was usually good with minimal buffering but we did have one local channel that suffered from near-constant pixelation. That channel worked fine straight into the TV so it was somehow related to the whole WMC setup and I never came up with a resolution.

Anyway, that was then. This is now with PS Vue and Cloud DVR. Much simpler, less hassle, and more reliable. But at a cost. Also, I think 2018 is the year Microsoft will drop guide support for WMC.

Actually, 2016 was the only time we had any hiccups with WMC. Microsoft did drop guide support they were providing that year thru Zap2it and replaced it with Rovi which is the same provider used for their XBOX Live system so there shouldn't be an issue this year.

 

[Chuckanut]

The Tivo guide service is quite expensive. Schedules Direct costs $25 per year, but I doubt a Tivo will work with it. I use Schedules Direct with a MythTV server I set up. Works ok.

Agreed. That's why I recommend a one time payment for the lifetime service.

 

[Chuckanut]

You know, if it gets to the point where there are many different pay per use services that add up to a big number ($$), I'll be betting that many people will just give up watching most of that cr@p anyway. Most of it is a waste of valuable time as it is.

That's my take on it. The die-hard TV lovers will just return to the Cable Guys and pay what they are asking to have it all. People like me will start doing other things like - talking with my neighbors, checking books out of the library, and socializing down at the local pub.

 

[bUU]

Going back to 2014, I was a proponent of TiVo in this forum:

Despite the high price, it is worth it. It is one of the few devices I know of out there that does exactly what I want it to do, reliably, year-in and year-out. We have been TiVo customers for about 15 years and couldn't be happier.

And of course on other forums you can find me extolling the virtues of TiVo back to rec.arts.tv days.

No more. It isn't about TiVo so much. Sure, some things have changed, but some things have changed everywhere with everything. Relative to everything else TiVo is still what it was. However, I think the world is about to pull the rug out under TiVo. I purchased that Roamio Plus in 2013 and I'm happy I did. I have gotten over four years of service from it, and there is no reason to think I won't get another two or three years. However, I see a strong possibility now that the changes in the industry I've mentioned in this thread will force the industry down a road where there will be increasingly little difference between using a TiVo and using a cable company box.

How long until broadcast networks get the go-ahead from an increasingly business-friendly FCC to force changes that will end with disabling of fast-forwarding through commercials? (I see one way they could do it: Apply the 0x03 CCI flag to every broadcast, with an extra flag that can be utilized by new devices, or devices updated to recognize it, that will allow playback of a broadcast more than 90 minutes after transmission only if fast-forward is disabled. I'm sure it can be accomplished other ways as well.)

So without a clear assurance in my mind that TiVo will remain able to do what it is supposed to do (in my mind), or without a radically reversal in the regularly trend in the industry, I cannot recommend investing that much money in TiVo anymore.

 

[aja8888]

How long until broadcast networks get the go-ahead from an increasingly business-friendly FCC to force changes that will end with disabling of fast-forwarding through commercials? (I see one way they could do it: Apply the 0x03 CCI flag to every broadcast, with an extra flag that can be utilized by new devices, or devices updated to recognize it, that will allow playback of a broadcast more than 90 minutes after transmission only if fast-forward is disabled. I'm sure it can be accomplished other ways as well.)
.

Good thing there is always the mute function if we will have to process the commercials in the future.

 

[jimbee]

The guide service fee is basically how they amortize some of the hardware costs.

I read that as trick their customers.

 

[bUU]

I read that as trick their customers.

Don't read it that way. That just poisons your perspective, putting an unnecessary layer animosity into what should, by all rights, be an impersonal business transaction. Nothing is hidden, so no need to turn the situation into an adversarial conflict.

 

[aja8888]

I read that as trick their customers.

Revenue is money which is fungible and can be used for any purpose.

 

[Cobra9777]

Actually, 2016 was the only time we had any hiccups with WMC. Microsoft did drop guide support they were providing that year thru Zap2it and replaced it with Rovi which is the same provider used for their XBOX Live system so there shouldn't be an issue this year.

We had plenty of hiccups with the guide data. Every time it happened, I could find a thread on thegreenbutton forum such as this one: Guide Data Outage - Winter 2017 Edition. So I knew the issue was with Microsoft and/or Rovi and not my local setup/configuration.

I know I read several times that Microsoft would drop guide support for WMC in 2018 but I suppose that might have changed if they're using Rovi on XBOX Live. I still have the two HDHomeRun tuners but I doubt I'll ever go back to that setup. The whole WMC environment seems very dated and precariously supported at best.

 

[chicamuxen]

We do OTA service through a HTPC, (Home Theater Personal Computer). I run Windows 7 with Windows Media Center so no cost for guide service, have 2 Silicon Dust Dual tuners plugged into our router so we can record up to 4 programs at the same time. Total 1 time cost for computer, extra 3 TB hard drive and the 2 dual tuners was less than $400. That has been more than 4 years ago now. We can also stream through the computer if there is something we want to watch online.

I also use a HTPC, and love it. Yes, it is a lot of work to set up, but building and maintaining PC's are another of my hobbies, so i enjoy it. I use Windows 10, with NextPVR to record shows, internal TV cards and Silicon Dust HD Homerun, with Schedules Direct for the guide. Then in other rooms i have Raspberry PI's, with OSMC, to watch the recorded shows. Works great, but would definately be too much work for most people.

 

[youbet]

If it weren't for sports, I'd have cut the cord long ago.

That's my situation too. Here in Chicago, we have access to lots of OTA channels, but only Da Bears make all games available OTA. The Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire, White Sox and Cubs all offer some games OTA but most only on cable. And I'd miss ESPN, the Big Ten Channel and several others.

I follow along with a friend who has cut the cord to see how it's going for him. He seems to be able to get the sports he wants fairly inexpensively by "lighting up" streaming services a month at a time depending on what they're offering and what he wants. It seems to require some significant planning. Right now I'm watching the Loyola - Kansas State game on TBS via Comcast. My buddy is streaming it.

I really don't like doing business with Comcast but, for now, it just doesn't seem like the effort to drop them would be worth the savings. At least for me.

 

[jimbee]

Don't read it that way. That just poisons your perspective, putting an unnecessary layer animosity into what should, by all rights, be an impersonal business transaction. Nothing is hidden, so no need to turn the situation into an adversarial conflict.

Big surprise, back to ignore you go.

 

[bUU]

Big surprise, back to ignore you go.

Thank Goodness.

It seems to require some significant planning.

And that's the rub, isn't it? Cord cutting has gone from being a vision of some future, quick and easy way of getting the same services for less money to being a big hassle just to get what we used to get very easily from our cable service, with the cost savings only coming from the extra work we have to do on our side. For many, it will be worthwhile only if they don't place much value on their own leisure time.

 

[flintnational]

You know, if it gets to the point where there are many different pay per use services that add up to a big number ($$), I'll be betting that many people will just give up watching most of that cr@p anyway. Most of it is a waste of valuable time as it is.

Hopefully video will go the way of music. With Amazon Music Unlimited we get 40 million songs seamlessly from one provider for $79 per year (Prime member rate). The digital trend seems to be more choice for less cost.

 

[bUU]

I think the fact that music went the way it did will mean video won't: The music industry really screwed up with how it handled its response to Napster. Video is, now, already in much better shape than music ever was, in terms of protecting content, and combine that with the lessons learned from music's mistakes, I doubt they'll go down the same path.

 

[bobandsherry]

BGR: The future of cord-cutting looks grim right now. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwi56HwTo

In addition to each service charging their own fees most people ignore an important cog in the wheel of streaming, the cost of your internet service. As people move towards streaming as option we can count on internet providers (which typically is the same company as the cable company) to increase their internet fees.

Also, data caps will become more the norm or will be priced by data tiers. Those who don't think so can just look at what happened with cell phone service over the past 5 years.

Increased pricing and data tiers become the norm, after all what other options do you have? Perhaps 5G will bring other data options but even if it does deliver the level of bandwidth promised I see that coming with a much higher price compared to wired service.

 

[pb4uski]

....I'm not sure whether Dish would let me hibernate for a few months. So I just downgrade to a lower package and live with it.

Dish will let you hibernate for a few months... called "6 month pause"...we do that with our summer home... cost is $5/month and those months do not count towards your contractual requirement.

Another option is to downgrade to Dish Welcome Pack... $22/month for the programming plus equipment charges and fees.. our total for 4 tvs is about $65/month.

You have to call Dish to get the Welcome Pack... you can't change to it online... same with going on and off of vacation

 

[pb4uski]

....I need to start using DishAnywhere more to get used to it, but it doesn't have access to my recorded shows with my Dish setup. ...

You may want to upgrade to the Hopper.... when my Dish service is active, I can use DishAnywhere to watch anything on my DVR at home, set shows to be recorded, etc. just like I was at home.

About 3 years ago when Hopper was relatively new, I was out-of-contract and called Dish and said that I was thinking for changing to Direct TV, but if they would offer me the same deal as a new customer (new equipment and signup credits) that I would re-sign with them for 24 months.... I was very surprised that they said yes. In fact, my installer was so surprised that he insisted that we have a 3-way call to confirm it... he wanted to be sure that he would be paid for installing the new equipment.

In fact, I keep my Dish setup active for the football regular season while we are in Florida so I can watch Patriots games on the laptop using my New England Dish package... I then project the laptop onto the 68" HDTV. I could probably save a bit by just putting Dish on vacation and going to a sports bar for Patriots games that are not broadcast locally but I doubt that I would save much and the convenience of watching games at my own place is worth something.

 

[njhowie]

We purchased Tivo Roamio OTA two years ago during Black Friday week sale. $200 all-in with lifetime service included. Can't beat it.

Previously we had a ChannelMaster OTA DVR (which they inherited from Dish) and the thing was the worst. Their newer products are coming closer to Tivo and have good reviews, however, they are still a fair amount behind Tivo capabilities and I would never purchase from them again.

 

[njhowie]

Also, data caps will become more the norm or will be priced by data tiers. Those who don't think so can just look at what happened with cell phone service over the past 5 years.

We are lucky in this respect, as we get our internet via our landline provider - CenturyLink, who we've been with since they acquired the local rural operating company about 15 years ago (with Embarq in between). We have a "Rate for Life" which is guaranteed not to change, and as a result, there are no data caps. We've had it for 6 years now, and it's been great. Granted, we "only" have 11Mb/s DSL which is the max in our location (today), but that is sufficient for our needs allowing the two of us to stream simultaneously.

I'm confident our Rate for Life, and service levels will not be modified (for the worse) as Verizon Fios and Comcast Xfinity also operate in our neighborhood which keep the pressure on. I was offered the Rate for Life just as they began rolling it out when I called them threatening to switch 6 years ago. That lowered our monthly rate to $59.95/month before fees+taxes. At the time, the plan was just guaranteed for 5 years, but has since been modified to lifetime.

Increased pricing and data tiers become the norm, after all what other options do you have? Perhaps 5G will bring other data options but even if it does deliver the level of bandwidth promised I see that coming with a much higher price compared to wired service.

I have been very intrigued by what 5G might bring, but similarly have concerns of what kind of pricing will come along with it.

 

[audreyh1]

You know, if it gets to the point where there are many different pay per use services that add up to a big number ($$), I'll be betting that many people will just give up watching most of that cr@p anyway. Most of it is a waste of valuable time as it is.

Totally agree. We haven’t added any more because we already have way more available than we can possibly watch, and this is after streaming for many years already.

Not to mention that services can be turned on and off by month. So you can enjoy a service for a few months and then turn it back off easily.

The great thing is that we DONT have all those crappy channels with nothing to watch (not to mention having to watch on THEIR schedule, not ours), and the very few we have, have tons of stuff to watch, otherwise we wouldn’t subscribe.

 

[audreyh1]

In addition to each service charging their own fees most people ignore an important cog in the wheel of streaming, the cost of your internet service. As people move towards streaming as option we can count on internet providers (which typically is the same company as the cable company) to increase their internet fees.

Also, data caps will become more the norm or will be priced by data tiers. Those who don't think so can just look at what happened with cell phone service over the past 5 years.

Increased pricing and data tiers become the norm, after all what other options do you have? Perhaps 5G will bring other data options but even if it does deliver the level of bandwidth promised I see that coming with a much higher price compared to wired service.

Huh? Cell phone service and data caps? Data tiers and caps have been going away. And prices dropping for unlimited.

Now they may throttle you above a certain very high amount, but that’s different than a cap and incurring higher charges.

 

[zinger1457]

We are lucky in this respect, as we get our internet via our landline provider - CenturyLink.
I was offered the Rate for Life just as they began rolling it out when I called them threatening to switch 6 years ago. That lowered our monthly rate to $59.95/month before fees+taxes. At the time, the plan was just guaranteed for 5 years, but has since been modified to lifetime.

Is that for Internet only? I've been bombarded for the last year by CenturyLink mailings advertising their $45/month price for life deal, up to 40MBPS.