Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

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AT&T TV Now..are they doing a "poison pill" on themselves? Make DirecTV reasonable again?

My Playstation Vue subscription went up another $5 this month. It was known/expected.

From when I started 3.5 years ago my cable internet went from $34.95 to 59.95 and PS Vue went from 34.99 to 54.99.

I have actually been mulling over going back to cable if they close down PS Vue. I know that would be much more expensive after my 1 year "its such a great deal to switch" offer.

Another option is Fire TV Recast with a Philo subscription or Hulu Live. We do not have You Tube TV in our area. Sling, no and AT&T certainly no. Shrinking options.

Come on Sony. Instead of "deprioritizing" Vue, rename it and get it rolling. It is the best streaming package. Even at $54.99 it is good deal.
 
camfused said:
AT&T TV is officially live: https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/directv-nows-is-now-officially-att-tv-now/

$59.99 for 1 year, then $93/month. Are these people smoking something?
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ExFlyBoy5 said:
And with a 24 month contract. Uh...NO.
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Way more expensive than my current PS Vue subscription, so not appealing to me. But there are still lots of people who think cord cutting is complicated or channel inferior, though neither have to be at all. Those folks might sign up for AT&T TV not realizing it’s streaming without tech service at cable/satellite prices with a contract.

bloom2708 said:
AT&T TV Now..are they doing a "poison pill" on themselves? Make DirecTV reasonable again?

My Playstation Vue subscription went up another $5 this month. It was known/expected.

From when I started 3.5 years ago my cable internet went from $34.95 to 59.95 and PS Vue went from 34.99 to 54.99.

I have actually been mulling over going back to cable if they close down PS Vue. I know that would be much more expensive after my 1 year "its such a great deal to switch" offer.

Another option is Fire TV Recast with a Philo subscription or Hulu Live. We do not have You Tube TV in our area. Sling, no and AT&T certainly no. Shrinking options.

Come on Sony. Instead of "deprioritizing" Vue, rename it and get it rolling. It is the best streaming package. Even at $54.99 it is good deal.
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If PS Vue does quit (as has been rumored in the past), I’d just switch to Hulu Live, the other package that fits our needs best. Even at $55/month it’s a great deal for us, that’s about half what cable/satellite with the same features and channels would cost us after the teaser rates expire. Cable/satellite would be the last option for us, but the landscape seems likely to continue to change substantially over the next 5-10 years.

It is sad that Sony clings to the unfortunate “PlayStation Vue” name. People don’t know what it is, and if they figure out its TV, they (understandably) assume they have to buy a $300-400 PlayStation - a show stopper for most non gamers. :facepalm:
 
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AT&T TV is a joke. I just read the T&C... Stupid high pricing. Two-year contracts. Proprietary streaming boxes. Box rental for extra TVs. Regional Sports Fee up to $8.49/mo. Those guys need to stop smoking crack at work.
 
Cobra9777 said:
AT&T TV is a joke. I just read the T&C... Stupid high pricing. Two-year contracts. Proprietary streaming boxes. Box rental for extra TVs. Regional Sports Fee up to $8.49/mo. Those guys need to stop smoking crack at work.
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Let’s watch and see how many people fall for it...I hope none but I’m not placing any bets. As always they (AT&T) make it sound good for those who don’t know better. The ad copy says streaming (it is), “the future,” lower cost. You could do better for half the $ cost with no contract and no lame proprietary hardware...
 
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Cobra9777 said:
AT&T TV is a joke. I just read the T&C... Stupid high pricing. Two-year contracts. Proprietary streaming boxes. Box rental for extra TVs. Regional Sports Fee up to $8.49/mo. Those guys need to stop smoking crack at work.
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Yes, but they offer the most fantastic customer service in all of the world!!! That surely will make up for the rest, right?!? :cool:
 
I am still seeing a $50 "Streaming" package.

https://www.att.com/tv/

4 distinct services:

1. DirecTV
2. U-Verse TV
3. AT&T TV (new bundles, not sure how delivered, very limited areas now)
4. AT&T TV Now (streaming)

Plenty of options. Hard to know which one is available for each person.
 
bloom2708 said:
I am still seeing a $50 "Streaming" package.

https://www.att.com/tv/

4 distinct services:

1. DirecTV
2. U-Verse TV
3. AT&T TV (new bundles, not sure how delivered, very limited areas now)
4. AT&T TV Now (streaming)

Plenty of options. Hard to know which one is available for each person.
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I don't see anything on AT&T TV that is less than $59.99/mo. This price is at the high end for a streaming content provider.
 

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ExFlyBoy5 said:
I don't see anything on AT&T TV that is less than $59.99/mo. This price is at the high end for a streaming content provider.
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And that's a teaser rate for the first 12 months of a 2 year contract. Month 13-24 it ramps up to $93/mo or more. And I didn't find it, but someone mentioned additional hardware for additional TV's, and I doubt that's free...
 
Midpack said:
And that's a teaser rate for the first 12 months of a 2 year contract. Month 13-24 it ramps up to $93/mo or more. And I didn't find it, but someone mentioned additional hardware for additional TV's, and I doubt that's free...
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I think the hardware may be later. There is a lot of discussion about it in some of the cord cutter blogs/website but nothing firm as of yet. But, the model sure stinks of traditional cable, so I would be willing to bet that some sort of OTT box will be required eventually.

On another note, the fine folks at Cox cable have been sending me all sorts of deals to try and get me on the cable TV bandwagon.
 
ExFlyBoy5 said:
I think the hardware may be later. There is a lot of discussion about it in some of the cord cutter blogs/website but nothing firm as of yet. But, the model sure stinks of traditional cable, so I would be willing to bet that some sort of OTT box will be required eventually.

On another note, the fine folks at Cox cable have been sending me all sorts of deals to try and get me on the cable TV bandwagon.
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I may be on another wavelength, but even AT&T admitted the primary device is the Osprey. It's been widely reported and AT&T has posted pics of the Osprey. In March "AT&T CFO John Stephens told investors Tuesday that the company’s new Android TV powered set-top, which it calls Osprey, will be a true replacement for linear satellite TV and its …"
 
Midpack said:
I may be on another wavelength, but even AT&T admitted the primary device is the Osprey. It's been widely reported and AT&T has posted pics of the Osprey. In March "AT&T CFO John Stephens told investors Tuesday that the company’s new Android TV powered set-top, which it calls Osprey, will be a true replacement for linear satellite TV and its …"
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Gotcha. I will be honest, I don't keep up with the AT&T news too much. After many issues w/ the DirecTV Now app (including price increases for "grandfathered plans") and a long history of hatred (we had them for years with Uverse when living in Atlanta) I have ZERO desire to do business with them EVER AGAIN.
 
Has anyone tried Spectrum TV Choice?

We currently have Spectrum internet only. Pitch is $24.99/month for locals and my choice of 10 cable channels from a pretty good list. I have read that I could add a cloud DVR for up to 50 recordings for another $5/month. Looks like a good selection of channels for the price.
 
Midpack said:
...And I didn't find it, but someone mentioned additional hardware for additional TV's, and I doubt that's free...
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Look at the T&C image that ExFlyBoy5 posted. Under Exclusions, it says: "AT&T TV device service fee for additional devices." On cordcutternews latest update, he mentions that after the initial AT&T Android streaming box, you can use Roku, Fire TV, etc for additional TVs... or lease another proprietary device from AT&T. He also mentioned that there is an initial activation fee of $19.95... as if we needed another reason to scoff at this offering.
 
AT&T TV Equipment

A little more information from cordcutternews website:

AT&T TV does come bundled with 1 AT&T TV device that is free but the second devices costs $10 a month or $120 for life. After that device you can use the AT&T TV app on other devices like the Apple TV and Fire TV.
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pb4uski said:
Has anyone tried Spectrum TV Choice?

We currently have Spectrum internet only. Pitch is $24.99/month for locals and my choice of 10 cable channels from a pretty good list. I have read that I could add a cloud DVR for up to 50 recordings for another $5/month. Looks like a good selection of channels for the price.
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Spectrum is a good alternative here for our current ISP, Frontier FiOS. I've long been intrigued by that "Choice" TV service. What you described would fit our needs perfectly at a very reasonable price. But getting specific information is very difficult. Do you have a link with pricing, terms & conditions, channel line-up, etc on spectrum.com?

The only information I can find is on cable-cutting blogs and forums. I get the impression they don't really want to sell it except as a last resort for people dumping the regular Spectrum cable TV service.

Also, last time I checked, there was no cloud DVR and no app for Fire TV. If that's changed, it might be a good option for us. Also, IIRC, the channel choices did not include Fox Sports Southwest, which would also be a deal-killer for us.
 
Cobra9777 said:
Spectrum is a good alternative here for our current ISP, Frontier FiOS. I've long been intrigued by that "Choice" TV service. What you described would fit our needs perfectly at a very reasonable price. But getting specific information is very difficult. Do you have a link with pricing, terms & conditions, channel line-up, etc on spectrum.com?

The only information I can find is on cable-cutting blogs and forums. I get the impression they don't really want to sell it except as a last resort for people dumping the regular Spectrum cable TV service.

Also, last time I checked, there was no cloud DVR and no app for Fire TV. If that's changed, it might be a good option for us. Also, IIRC, the channel choices did not include Fox Sports Southwest, which would also be a deal-killer for us.
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I used this: https://www.spectrum.com/content/spectrum/residential/microsites/choice-channels/index.html

This article suggests that they "quietly" added a cloud DVR.

https://www.techhive.com/article/3392776/spectrum-quietly-adds-cloud-dvr-but-its-limited.html

With Spectrum’s TV Choice and TV Stream plans, which are available if you have internet service through the cable company, you can now add cloud DVR service for $5 per month. So far, though, the company hasn’t published any information about this service on its website. The only way to add it is to contact customer service and inquire about it on your own.
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But alas, no Fire TV app would be an issue for us so I'll shelve the idea for now.
 
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pb4uski said:
Has anyone tried Spectrum TV Choice?

We currently have Spectrum internet only. Pitch is $24.99/month for locals and my choice of 10 cable channels from a pretty good list. I have read that I could add a cloud DVR for up to 50 recordings for another $5/month. Looks like a good selection of channels for the price.
Click to expand...
I have used Spectrum TV Choice for about 1 1/2 years. At first, it was very unreliable. About 6 months ago, it started working as it should 95% of the time. A couple things to beware of. Pick channels carefully, as after 30 days you are locked in and can not change. I just tried and I would have to drop service and restart in 60 days to get different lineup. Link above posted to spectrum seemed to be accurate. The Fox Sports regional another poster asked about is not available to me, AFAIK. The price is only good for 1 or two years, depending on the current offer. I was an existing customer, so I have been at $29.99 plus $3 to start and now $5 for locals. So $35 a month. When I signed up I got $10 off internet for 1 - 2 years. Had to call retention to get 2nd year I was promised discount. So my net cost was very low.($25) In the first year I had to use apps to even be able to watch some of my channels as service was so unreliable. It is better now, but nowhere near Amazon Prime ect. quality. It is a choice, but I can not recommend 100%. Maybe 85% recommend. Only good thing is if bad, you can quit at end of the month. If you quit middle month you still pay whole month. Local channels are not option, but required.
 
Be careful: Spectrum TV Stream is not the same thing as Spectrum TV Choice.

Spectrum TV Choice is the one that offers all local broadcast channels plus your choice of 10 cable channels. Spectrum TV Stream also includes all local broadcast channels plus 25 pre-selected cable channels... no choice. They're both $25 and both have the optional cloud DVR for another $5.

In case that wasn't confusing enough, Spectrum offers a third streaming package called Spectrum Essentials. It is $15/mo but has no sports and no-local channels. Just a couple dozen cable channels and no cloud DVR yet. I think it's intended to compete with Philo's $20 offering, a cheaper collection of cable channels for people with OTA.

BTW, I gleaned most of this from the techhive article you posted previously.
 
Streaming trivia: Some of you probably noted it on cordcuttersnews.com where he reported that Netflix and YouTube make up 25% of the traffic on the internet. Mind boggling to me, and we don't have Netflix but probably make up for it with YouTube.
 
^^ Some of our closest friends are complete technophobes. I know people who can’t plug a printer into a PC. I know people who have the latest smart phones and cars with hands free Bluetooth, but won’t even try to pair their phone. I know people with smart TVs who’ve never tried any smart features.

It’s unnecessary but some people are so intimidated by anything new tech, they won’t look at any service that doesn’t come and set everything up for them and show them how to work the remote. It appears AT&T TV users will buy a box and are expected to take it home an plug it in themselves (just have your kids/grandkids do it!). I’m sure it will be easy, but some folks won’t even try, so it could be interesting for AT&T. Unfortunately more of our friends are intimidated than not, even though they know they’re paying 2-3X what we pay for the same viewing experience. I don’t get it...
 
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