Cutting the cord

[paimon.soror]

Originally Posted by Chihuahua

I'm about to pull the trigger on this, have a couple of questions:

1. for those with DirecTV Now, how reliable is it? any glitches while watching shows?
2. with streaming, do you get hit with the same crazy taxes and government fees you do with cable?

thanks!

Ok so, DTV is damn good. As long as you are cool with not having a DVR (but mind you that you have a pretty extensive on demand library so that if you miss a show, usually its available next day/week depending on network).

Taxes, no utilities taxes like you pay for cable (phew).

One thing to REALLY consider is to watch your monthly data usage.

I average about 25-30GB a day if my wife and I are wreckless with streaming (i.e. leaving it on when we arent in the room / streaming two shows at once instead of watching a show we both can watch). I also highly recommend if you have an xbox in the house, turn off auto updates on games and such. When those kick in, you get a good bump in bandwidth usage depending on the size of the update. If you take care, you can certainly bring your usage down to about 10gb a day which if you have a 1TB plan (most of us do) fits perfectly.

All in all, I found Hulu and dTV to be the ones 'worth' it for my needs. However, keep watch on Youtube TV, im hearing they are constantly adding new channels lately (my boss uses YTV).

[mbanks21]

We returned our Spectrum boxes on Saturday, felt good man. We still have their internet which they claim is 100mbs but we're still playing around with the modem placement. So far only minor annoyances with Firestick/PSVue but that could be attributed to the internet service. They don't have NBC currently so we just plugged a coax cable in the back of the TV and watched it OTA in digital. All in all we're saving about $70 a month and no headache from Spectrum Cable.

[paimon.soror]

Awesome, and the best part ... after 30 days, you can jump ship to another streaming service without any care (unless you have a bunch of crap dvr'd)

[mbanks21]

Originally Posted by paimon.soror

Awesome, and the best part ... after 30 days, you can jump ship to another streaming service without any care (unless you have a bunch of crap dvr'd)

That is a good selling point. Is Sling or DTV comes out with a better package or channels you can cancel PSVUE and sign up for the other one with no issues.

If anyone is looking to stream I will say the Amazon Firestick is 100x better than the Roku stick, in my experience. Menu layouts, remote ease, etc.

[paimon.soror]

And for those who want something that can also double down as a nice plex box - Nvidia Shield

[Fatty Duckets]

I've tried running Direct TV on my ipad, iphone, and web-browser, and the experience and fps (frame rate) has been smooth. It reminds me of a cable feed.

Now, when I try to watch on the DTV Now app on the fire stick/fire tv, the frame rate and picture is not smooth. There is never a buffering issue, its just the quality looks choppy. You can easily tell watching sports, or the ESPN bottom line (where all the scores and news are). The ESPN bar through my cable box is smooth and scrolls without hesitation or blurriness. However, the app through fire tv just isn't there. I cannot figure it out.

Any thoughts? I tried reaching out to DTVNOW folks but all they say is that they are going to escalate it without a time table for resolution....

[paimon.soror]

Originally Posted by Fatty Duckets

I've tried running Direct TV on my ipad, iphone, and web-browser, and the experience and fps (frame rate) has been smooth. It reminds me of a cable feed.

Now, when I try to watch on the DTV Now app on the fire stick/fire tv, the frame rate and picture is not smooth. There is never a buffering issue, its just the quality looks choppy. You can easily tell watching sports, or the ESPN bottom line (where all the scores and news are). The ESPN bar through my cable box is smooth and scrolls without hesitation or blurriness. However, the app through fire tv just isn't there. I cannot figure it out.

Any thoughts? I tried reaching out to DTVNOW folks but all they say is that they are going to escalate it without a time table for resolution....

Hrmm, i wonder if the fire stick just doesn't have the capacity to handle the stream? Just a shot in the dark. I know that streaming from my phone over through chromecast had some blips.

I dont have any issues running through the Roku Premier+ though.

[Fatty Duckets]

Originally Posted by paimon.soror

Hrmm, i wonder if the fire stick just doesn't have the capacity to handle the stream? Just a shot in the dark. I know that streaming from my phone over through chromecast had some blips.

I dont have any issues running through the Roku Premier+ though.

I appreciate the response. So I complained to Direct TV Now that my quality through Amazon Fire Stick and TV were not good. Not sure if they actually fixed something on their end, but now the Fire TV runs it great. It is cable quality viewing to me. However, the fire stick remains the same, as a sub par viewing experience.

[Germanauto]

The only stuff I watch on cable is ESPN...notably live sports and College Gameday. The rest of the station is trash now.

Live sports can easily be streamed online. You've got to be a fool to have cable with so many streaming options nowadays.

[paimon.soror]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

You've got to be a fool to have cable with so many streaming options nowadays.

I wouldn't go that far. In most cases the lack of streaming options isn't the issue, but the feasibility of streaming when your ISP charges you an arm and a leg for overages (most only give 1TB a month). As I mentioned earlier, it is certainly possible to maintain usage below that, but def wont be easy if you have a household with children that stream as well.

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Originally Posted by paimon.soror

And for those who want something that can also double down as a nice plex box - Nvidia Shield

Been running a SHIELD for a couple years now - great for Plex (i’m streaming from Plex server on my desktop PC), Netflix, HBO Now, Amazon, etc. we probably run this 90% of the time and have only kept Comcast ‘cause of the lack of savings if only canceling cable tv since triple play pricing is pretty good vs just phone/internet.

[MILLER335I]

Love it! Doing it myself!

Current Setup:
Cox Communications
140+ Channels - $134.59
150mbps internet - $77.99
Bundle Discount - $45.99
Total after Taxes: $182.24

My Requirements
NBC Sports Boston (for my celtics games)
TBS
USA
TV Land
Spike (would be nice)
Velocity (would be nicer)

My Wife's Requirements
Food Network
Cooking Channel
HGTV
Bravo
E
Oxygen

What I Am Testing (Chromecast + Roku Premier+)
Sling TV (current)
DirecTV Now
PS Vue
Youtube TV

===== Trial 1 - Sling TV
Setup was very easy with this guy. It was my first streaming service, so- so far so good. I dont watch much TV, so immediately I was content with the quality and the selection. Here is the package that we got:

Trial period for 7 Days Free $0.00
Trial period for Sling Blue $0.00
Trial period for Comedy Extra $0.00
Trial period for Lifestyle Extra $0.00
Trial period for 1 Stream $0.00
Trial period for FOX RSN-YES 1 $0.00
Trial period for Cloud DVR

Total once the trial is over is $40 plus whatever taxes.

I initially started with streaming over the chromecast, and while it connected and streamed without issue at first, it was very intermittent. It seems that the chromecast just doesn't have the backbone to really live stream 1080p continuous over a long period of time. Also, it would be nice only if you had a dedicated android device just to stream vs a phone.

I ended up getting the Roku, and today the streaming has been flawless! The quality is damn good, .... my wife didn't even realize we were watching Sling lol.

As this trial goes on, I will keep updating. The key for me is to see what the wife thinks.

PROs
Great quality
DVR
- Really neat feature where you can see a preview of the jump forward. And you can adjust how far to go
- No more wife clicking jump forward on the remote and FFing 5 mins into the show after commercial
Has most of the channels my wife watches

CONs
Random channel freezing
- Sometimes during streaming the channel freezes up. I need to change the channel and then change back.
No local channels - this is a huge bummer. My wife watches NBC/ABC/CBS. And so far Sling only carries NBC Connecticut.
No NBC Sports Boston - BOOOOOO, i cant watch my celtics

===== Trial 2 - Hulu

Easy peasy setup here as well. Takes paypal which is great. Already had a hulu account from free streaming, so I just added the TV package which came with the limited commercial subscription. Cost is going to be

Live TV $38.99/mo
TRIAL ENDS 01/15/18

Limited Commercials $7.99/mo
TRIAL ENDS 01/15/18

Bundle Discount -$6.99/mo

PROs
Bundle deal with the limited commerial pack
Some local channels!
DVR
NBC Sports Boston (WOO WOO)

CONs
Lots of buffering
14.99 each for enhanced dvr (200hours, FF commercials), and unlimited device streaming

===== Trial 3 - Youtube TV

Already a google member, so it used my payment preferences (paypal) to sign up.

Live TV $35.35 /mo ($35.00 + 0.35 tax)

PROs
Google backed (im a fanboy)
Unlimited DVR
Hovering over a channel gives you a live preview of what is playing

CONs
Missing a lot of our channels
No roku app

===== Trial 4 - PS Vue

Giving this one a shot at a recommendation from this thread. So far it has all of the channels we are looking for which is a good sign, although a bit on the expensive side because of the channel selection we "need" (read: the wife)

Live TV $54.99/mo

PROs
Channel lineups rival that of Hulu trial
Buffering is non-existant! (so far..)

CONs
Expensive compared to Hulu
Guide loading is a bit long sometimes


Cord cutters, let me know your experiences! Would love to hear some tips/tricks, setups, etc.[/QUOTE]

[Clark_Kent]

^What will your one-time and recurring cost be once the trials end?

[SCHMOUPE]

for what it's worth, I used to be tied up to FIOS triple plays. I was paying about 150 and recently it jumped to 160. It was too much to be justified just for 2 people who mostly watched Netflix or news or sports a couple of hours a night max. I jumped the gun and cancelled my contract (had to pay 120 for ETF) and resigned with FIOS internet only for 100/100 MB for 35 a month (had to be a "new customer" to get that). I also signed up for DTV Now with their AppleTV promo.

Although I have not tried other streaming services, I am extremely happy with DTVN. In the past 2-3 weeks maybe once or twice it paused and had to reconnect. It's extremely reliable and I am happy with the choice.

So I went from 160 a month to about 72 and pretty happy about it! DTVN is also coming out with a cloud DVR (I have beta access to it) for free which is a whole lot cheaper than FIOS's 10 dollar a month surcharge.

[alex2364]

YouTube TV now has a bunch of Tuner Broadcasting networks including TBS, TNT, CNN, TCM.

[paimon.soror]

Originally Posted by alex2364

YouTube TV now has a bunch of Tuner Broadcasting networks including TBS, TNT, CNN, TCM.

NO WAY!

sweet thanks for the heads up!

[amgraham]

I thought I'd update this thread with where we ended up...

We only trialed PS Vue because the other options either lacked channels or features that we wanted. It would have worked for us. The wife and kids got accustomed to the guide, finding the channels, etc. That wasn't a problem.

I had also purchased a Fire box, on sale, for the purposes of the trial based on reviews I read on the performance and usability with Vue. I even paid for a month of Vue so that our experience wasn't as limited. We were prepared to "switch".

This week, I called Comcast before the renewal was up again with Vue and explained the situation. The streaming worked for us, for the most part and I explained some of the technical issues and shortcomings of the X1 boxes, and that I didn't like paying $10/month for the 2nd and 3rd one.

Comcast offered to put me on their "beta" Stream service. Unfortunately, this only works on Roku boxes, right now. I don't have a problem with that. In fact, I like the Roku boxes better than the Fire as I didn't realize they have power and volume control for the TV, which the Fire does not. So... I ran out last night and picked up a couple to give this a whirl.

At the end of the day, my bill went from $170-ish to just a hair under $125, inclusive of the various local franchise, sports, etc. fees. That's locked in for a year. There is no fee, for now, for each box. If you read up on this service, you'll find that Comcast has floated the idea of charging per box. I could only take the word of the rep, fwiw, on what that fee might be, if/when they decide to charge. He indicated that it would be less than the regular set-top boxes and that if I called and complained, they'd probably waive them for at least a few of them. Of course, he also indicated that in a year, I could call back in, threaten to disconnect again, to re-up on the promotional rate. Funny how they tell you do that...

At the end of the day, it would seem that I achieved a couple of my goals. I reduced the bill by $45/month. I have boxes with more flexibility in placement, etc. as I'm not tied to coax. They work better than the X1 boxes. I also got to a single source/input as these stream Plex very well. We don't watch Showtime but they also threw that in for a year for free.

I'm pretty pleased with the outcome so far. Obviously, this is Comcast/Xfinity specific and from what the rep said, not offered in all markets. I guess it's not something they really pushing yet but if you're in the situation I am, threating to go internet-only with them, if it's available in your area, they'll offer to sign you up for the "beta" program.

[Chihuahua]

cord=CUT.

We are now on DirecTV Now since yesterday. I have one TV running off of an AppleTV 4th Gen box. The Siri remote that Apple TV uses is a bit on the sensitive side, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

So far so good, I'll post an update when we get a bit deeper into it. I selected the biggest TV package they had and added HBO, so we're looking at around 85 per month versus the 133 we were paying with FiOS.

[NicoleLusts4BMW]

So excuse me for my ignorance but I have a few (maybe dumb) questions.

For one we have Comcast everything. Our bill is ~$180/month with no premium channels but very fast internet and pretty much every channel again except for any premiums.

We would like a bill closer to ~$100-$120.

With that said I get that we can cut the cable cord and get many of the alternatives for TV watching as mentioned already.

Am I correct in assuming I would still need Comcast for my internet connection?

No need for a land line. Just internet. My TV watching can come from another source. Is this correct?

Thanks.

[Mark M]

We cut the cord years ago

I have internet $55/mo
Netflix and Hulu $24/mo via my Apple TV

Over the air antenna in the attic for news and sports.
Abc. NBC. CBS. Fox. PBS and 12 other channels. One time price of $60 for the antenna and coax connections.

No regrets!!!!

[paimon.soror]

Originally Posted by NicoleLusts4BMW

So excuse me for my ignorance but I have a few (maybe dumb) questions.

For one we have Comcast everything. Our bill is ~$180/month with no premium channels but very fast internet and pretty much every channel again except for any premiums.

We would like a bill closer to ~$100-$120.

With that said I get that we can cut the cable cord and get many of the alternatives for TV watching as mentioned already.

Am I correct in assuming I would still need Comcast for my internet connection?

No need for a land line. Just internet. My TV watching can come from another source. Is this correct?

Thanks.

Yup thats correct. You may have other internet providers in the area that provide a better bargain for internet (For example FIOS which has faster internet and larger data caps compared to comcast/cox).

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by NicoleLusts4BMW

Am I correct in assuming I would still need Comcast for my internet connection?

No need for a land line. Just internet. My TV watching can come from another source. Is this correct?

Thanks.

Correct. As of right now we have an internet connection, and never did have a land line. All of my TV watching is being streamed through my internet connection.