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Ditching cable

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423Hurricane said:
I'm in Bristol, TN. If you look at the extreme NE corner, it borders extreme SW VA. The city is unique in that a "state line" runs between 2 cities - Bristol, TN and Bristol, VA. Due to several factors - population - in 2 counties the size of Dade and Broward, there are only about 400k - limited competition in cable distribution due to the rural area, and the way electricity is distributed (TVA in TN, AEP in VA are the generators) through local distributors. It began in VA about 20 years ago. The local state senators and congressman decided that the cable company had too much of a monopoly (Comcast) on the distribution of the services. They came up with the idea to allow the local electric distributors to offer cable, internet, and land line phone service in an effort to reduce the stranglehold Comcast had on the market. Took the city of Bristol, VA about 5 years to construct the infrastructure and off they went. Initially, the costs were about 30% less than Comcast. With the VA sides success, the TN general Assy passed similar legislation soon after that allowed local TN electric distributors to do the same. Quite frankly, the TN side has done a much better job. Anyway, electric, cable, internet, and land line phone services run me on average about $220 a month. The locals provide basically the same options as the big boys at a much lower cost with 10x better customer service. Sorry this is so long. tried to keep it as short as possible.
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Thanks for the info. Sounds great
 
moshated305 said:
I have Directv and been thinking about getting rid of it. Only issue I have ran into is Comcast is getting smart and not offering internet only deals. Last time I talked to them they said they had no deals for just internet but I get the same speeds if I added even their lowest tv package. Tried calling multiple times to speak to someone new and even the retention guys said the same thing when I cancelled and went to Uverse for internet.
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Same thing happened to me back in MD. I didn’t want to leave Verizon, but they wanted $90/m for their slowest available internet, so I cancelled. A couple months later, guys started showing up at the door offering internet only for like $40. I was just like “you morons are amazing”...
 
OriginalCanesCanesCanes said:
Shouldn’t you be able to get much faster speeds than 50 mpbs with fiber optic?
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Yes, you can. 50 is the slowest available where I am. It’s plenty fast for us. The only issues we have are due to our plaster walls. Even when we have family, we have not had problems. No kids yet, though.
 
To answer the original OP, you do need some sort of subscription or service to access WatchESPN. Unlike others here, I like the WatchESPN app and have had no issues watching my Canes or other college football. I switched to PSVue about 1.5 years ago. While clunkier than cable, I love the flexibility. I am not a DVR user but it does have unlimited cloud DVR that stores for 28 days. It has a pause/play feature that I use regularly.

I have the Sports Pack and pay about $70/month, which includes local channels. Internet is through the local cable company, $90/month with 150 Mbps down/12Mbps up. Fast, and reliable.

What I love most about PSVue is the flexibility. I'm sitting on my patio right now, smoking a cigar, watching How the Universe Works, and webbing with yous. Inside TV runs off PS3 while the outdoor TV runs through an AmazonFirestick. I can also stream to any of my computers or my iPad.

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/faq/features/
 
DerekDohrman said:
just switched to youtube TV.
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THIS!

YouTube TV is great. $35 a month and a ton of channels (including local). As far as sports channels go you get:

ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN News, FS1, FS2, SEC Network, BigTen Network, NBC Sports Network, MLB Network, CBS Sports Network, Golf Network, Tennis Network, Olympic Network (I know, wtf), NBA TV and depending were you live, local sports networks all included. You also get access to the Watch ESPN app.

Additional Pros:
- Month to month w/o a commitment or initial fees
- Frequently run a promotion to provide a free chromecast after the first month
- Unlimited DVR storage (for up to a year after the show is recorded)
- Watch on TV, computer or Phone
- Can setup multiple profiles and stream at the same time (I think up to 3 at once) on the same account for no extra cost
- Works with chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox

Cons:
- Interface is not the greatest
- Doesn't support all streaming devices (ex: Amazon Firestick, Playstation)
- Missing some of the bigger channels like Viacom (Comedy Central, MTV), Discovery and AMC

For me the pros and cost savings (I pay $85 for internet and YouTube TV combined vs the $150+ I was paying with a 'deal' for Comcast for the same speed internet and a bunch of channels I didn't care about) way out weight the cons.
 
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g8rh8rMD said:
So, with our move to Jacksonville, we bought an older, 1950's home. Long story short, the seller was supposed to upgrade the wiring, but didn't and offered us a cash credit at the last minute instead. We could either back out or take the credit and go forward, we decided to go forward. I say that to say that Uverse wouldn't install cable because we don't have a grounding system at this point, will get around to it...

So, we were basically forced into trying out the cord cutting thing. We are trying out a 3 month trial of DirecTV Now for $35/month, which came with a free Apple TV (look it up, the deal I think is still available and is well worth it for a new cord cutter who doesn't yet have a smart TV). Apple TV is great if you don't already have a really good smart TV, I recommend it. We rarely actually use the DirecTV Now and won't continue it once the free trial is over. Aside from sports, we rarely watch live TV (we purposefully shun the "news"). We also have my parent's Uverse login which we can use with the network apps and with Watch ESPN, so basically, we can get all the programming we enjoyed before. We have a $10/m Hulu subscription, which is nice to have because commercial free, but we could live without it.

The big difference with cord cutting is the viewing experience.

Here are the drawbacks:
  1. I really really miss my DVR. Just for normal, everyday viewing, it's nice to just click your available recordings and pull up whatever you want to watch. It's also really nice to pause your TV, go do something for a minute, come back and not miss a thing and fast forward through commercials.
  2. You have to know what you're looking for. When you have your DVR set up with season passes on the shows you want to watch, it's way quicker and easier to sit down and veg out for 30 minutes or an hour and not have to spend 10 minutes trying to find something to watch.
  3. I really just don't see how I'm going to get through football season without a real cable subscription, again, because of the DVR thing. I have to be able to pause and replay whenever I want. When watching a game, how often do they glaze right over a controversial call while talking about the ******* third string center or something? Also, the commercial breaks are ridiculous. I want to be able to get up, go fix a drink or take my wings out of the oven and come back and not miss any of the action, then just speed through the commercials. The last part is, I've found the sound, image quality, etc to simply be subpar on Watch ESPN.
  4. I also like to keep recordings of Canes games and be able to replay critical calls or big moments days later. Sure, you can usually find the videos online, but not always, and why have to search for something when you can just record it on your own box?
I think we have 50mbps Uverse fiber connection. Our home is all plaster walls, and the main TV has the fireplace between it and the wifi router, so I need to figure out a way to get a signal booster or repeater, but aside from that, the signal appears to be plenty robust.

Any other cord cutters out there that like to time-shift their watching and have tips on that or anything else? Aside from watching the Canes, I'm willing to deal with the other drawbacks of cutting the cord and saving $200/m+ (not joking, our DirecTV bill for three fricking TV's was in that range). I'm just not willing to compromise when it comes to watching the Canes. I do plan on attending most if not all the home games this year, my first with season tickets in many years now that I'm back in FLA, but still, gotta have that seemless game day experience that I'm used to for the road games.
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DTV Now 2.0 is currently in beta. It includes cloud DVR. Series recording is a little buggy right now but single episode recording and playback works just fine. The guide is also much improved. My only complaint is the smoothness of the video quality and sharpness as well in streaming period no matter the service. I find it really noticeable in sports. There is basically a judder effect and it isn’t my speed because I have a 1000mbps connection. The sharpness makes me scratch my head because I can watch a movie streamed in 1080p or 4K and it looks great but I can switch over to something live and it looks all washed out. Both are buffered so I don’t get it.
 
If it were me, I'd probably just get Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, AND Hulu. Well most people already have Prime and Netflix, so I'd essentially cut cable for Hulu.

Anyone that pays for Amazon Prime already has full access to all their movies/music **** - which is a great deal btw. Anyone that does shopping on Amazon is making a mistake not paying $100/yr for Prime. Gets you the 2 day shipping and access to all their tv/music content. Good deal.

Netlix, just about everyone already has anyways, regardless if they have cable or a cable replacement (like PlayStationVUE or SlingTV). Like $11-14/month for the HD options ($8/month for the non-hd for bums). Netflix has a **** load of shows and stuff, and a lot of original content. Definitely worth the money.

The most interesting one though is HULU. Hulu is a sort of hybrid between Netflix and a "cable replacement" (liks PSVue and Sling). So you could pay like $8 for just the Netflix aspect, and you can pay for the HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc add-ons (kinda expensive). And they also have a cable replacement option for like $40/month. But its interesting because Disneys recently purchased Fox, so they gained controlling interest in Hulu, and have already begun pulling some of its programming out of Netflix. Secondly Disney owns a **** load of companies like ESPN, ABC, and now all of Fox's Sports channels. And it was just announced that ESPN is releasing its new Streaming service (like $5/month). I'd expect Disney to essentially add all that Sports coverage to Hulu at a discounted rate to make it even more attractive, but that might be a while from now before the deal closes. And still I'd bet Disney still plans on lauching their own Streaming service to compete with Netflix and may end up selling HULU in the end....should be interesting to see what happens.

Regardless if you want to make sure you watch all the Miami games, you can literally just buy ESPN+ for $5.00 a month or $50/yr. though I'm not sure that includes the Primary ESPN channel or not. Idk, you should look into it more.


....but if you want the best actual Cable replacement, the best options are PlaystationVUE , DirectTV Now, SlingTV, Hulu, and YoutubeTV.
DirectTV gives you cheap premium channel add ons (Hbo at $5 instead of $15), and if you use AT&T for internet/phone, its probably best to go with this as you ALSO get a discount. Otherwise PSVUE is probably the best option, and it provides the most simultaneous streams (important for big family). SlingTV is the best cheaper option and has a more of a 'a la carte' service to it, because I think you can literally choose which channels you want or not.
 
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Do you guys feel the HBO's of the world are constantly repeat movies , NETFLIX is the real deal followed by Amazon Prime , I just can't deal with repeats and have to pay for them , commercials I just can't watch them. I usually take quick glance at ESPN or FOX news as streaming loads then BOOM I'm gone.

Check out BOSCH on Amazon , If you want a real break from reality and disconnect TOTALLY I mean TOTALLY Trailer Park Boys NETFLIX OMG it's one constant CANE tail gate party.

GOCANES
 
GOCANES05 said:
Do you guys feel the HBO's of the world are constantly repeat movies , NETFLIX is the real deal followed by Amazon Prime , I just can't deal with repeats and have to pay for them , commercials I just can't watch them. I usually take quick glance at ESPN or FOX news as streaming loads then BOOM I'm gone.

Check out BOSCH on Amazon , If you want a real break from reality and disconnect TOTALLY I mean TOTALLY Trailer Park Boys NETFLIX OMG it's one constant CANE tail gate party.

GOCANES
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GOT is the best show ever made, and HBO is killing it with that. and they got the creators locked into a civil war show once GOT ends after this season. And HBO is working on 4 more Song of Ice and Fire adaptations from GRRM's World that is GOT.
 
cut the chord three years ago. Went with Sling TV, Netflix, and an HD Antenna I bought on Amazon for $25 that gives me access to all local channels in HD. I pay $40 a month for 100mbps internet with AT&T + $25 for Sling TV + $12 for Netlfix and $100 yearly for Amazon Prime. So $72 gets me really anything I need. I do subscribe to the full package on Sling TV during football season to get NFL Redzone but that is only $10 more and can be canceled any month you want but it also comes with access to a bunch of channels for college football so it's worth it. Only way I kind of cheat is using my parents login for HBO. Other than that, regular cable doesn't make much sense to me when considering the alternatives
 
Late to this convo, but I haven't had cable in 6-7 years and haven't missed a Canes game.

I know this is prohibitive in some parts of the country due to the antiquated concept of "data caps," but I currently have:

AT&T Fiber + PlayStation Vue. I pay for PS Vue during the football season and cancel it right after the NCG. That's the beauty of cord cutting. No subscriptions.

I'm sure this has been echoed somewhere, but you don't need a PlayStation for PS Vue. I've also had every major streaming service at some point and Vue is by far the best, with the Sling being the worst I've used.
 
calinative umstudent said:
GOT is the best show ever made, and HBO is killing it with that. and they got the creators locked into a civil war show once GOT ends after this season. And HBO is working on 4 more Song of Ice and Fire adaptations from GRRM's World that is GOT.
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YES SPOT ON CONFIRMED...OOPS FORGOT THAT GEEEZ.

GOCANES
 
Using DirecTV Now. Seems to be fine. Used Sling last season and it was great for college football, but didn't have all the channels the wife wanted so we're trying something else. DTVN seems to have a better menu system and guide than the rest. I'm going to see how it goes this season, but it's month to month, so I could always switch back to Sling if necessary.
 
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In my pursuit to cut he cord I started with sling tv. But as a sports fan trying to be frugal and get all he can YouTube tv is the best bang for your buck of sports is your goal from a streaming service. Only thing missing is ACC network but if you know someone with a cable account you’ll fix that. But I have all espns, fs1 and fs2, Sun sports, tnt, and all local channels (abc, cbs, Fox, abc). As a Miami sports fan living in Orlando it doesn’t get any better than that. It’s $40 a month but you can share it with 6 users if you wanted.
 
I don't have a cable only internet. Honestly what I do is pay for directtvnow during football season then cancel after the season.
 
holdnorth said:
With so many internet TV options I decide to rid myself of Cable TV. Are you guys able to view Watch ESPN with internet subscription only?
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One thing not mentioned is the type TV you have is important...not all Smart TV's are the same. I just bought a Vizio 4K Smart TV and love the options plus I can cast from my computer or cell phone which opens up many more options then a regular TV, I am still exploring all the options before I cut the cable...as a retired ATT manager I get discounts but still find it out of balance when comparing my options. Nice having both but I am not that much into watching just to have the TV on...I want options and substance
 
I find it amazing how much the prices vary for these services from city to city and state to state.
 
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