cuttin the cord update
[NOTE - I am a long time mgoblogger, I do not work for any companies. Just want to give you all an update]
Hey all,
Took the plunge to get rid of cable ($135 month--every month). Thought you might want an update on some stuff.
As far as I can tell - Sling does NOT have BigTen. They just cut relationship (or something).
We ended up with DirectTV NOW. Week in and honestly - we LOVE it.
Pros: $50 per month (still have to pay for internet - $35 month). lots of channels. Great picture no lag thus far. cancel and renew when you want, no penalty.
Cons: does not work with all systems on the TV. (didn't work with our Xbox One). Right now, pay two months in advance, and they give a free Roku. Ours came in a few days, works great. I am not sure if you can use a DVR - so that is kinda limiting. Have not seen any other negatives yet.
Anyway, that is all. thought you might like to know.
August 14th, 2017 at 11:44 AM ^
ANY streaming service, then switch directly back over to a regular cable/satelite connection.
It's absolutely night and day.
August 14th, 2017 at 10:56 AM ^
August 12th, 2017 at 11:11 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 10:10 AM ^
What are you using to stream YouTube TV? I'm leaning toward this over PS Vue this year. The PS Vue interface and guide was pretty terrible on my Roku last year. Played nice but that interface got tiring.
August 13th, 2017 at 10:38 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 1:10 PM ^
- Vue works with Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku. You do not need a Playstation of any kind to subscribe to Vue. (I've heard the Roku app sucks, mainly due to lack of Guide feature, but have never used it)
- In fact, from everything I have read, the PS3 is a WORSE platform than Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV. Sluggish, etc.
- I have Vue with Apple TV. I do not own a Playstation 3 or 4.
- In fairness I've read that Vue works really well with PS4, and might even get some features ahead of time. But I would never say you need a PS4 to get the most from Vue.
- Vue for Apple TV works well. I think it's the closest streaming option to regular cable.
- It's not perfect. Sometimes buffers, etc.
- I have lots of other thoughts on cutting the cord and the various services (I've tried them all, except YouTube TV because they don't offer any TV apps yet - I don't want to cast from my phone) - but I've already typed too much.
August 13th, 2017 at 1:23 PM ^
Go back and reread the post. He said you really need a PS4 for best results. Not that you have to have one.
August 13th, 2017 at 1:47 PM ^
Reread it, he said "PS3/PS4".
I'll listen to an argument on the PS4, although my going-in opinion is the difference vs other platforms is marginal to the point of negligible - but I'd be open to hearing the argument.
Re: PS3 - go to the Vue subreddit and read what people say... laggy, poor framerate, difficult to watch sports... Best results?
I threw in my other comments on Vue in my prior comment. Not all applied to OP. Sorry if that was confusing.
August 13th, 2017 at 3:14 PM ^
PS Vue has a different UX depending on the hardware. In my opinion, the best experience is the Fire TV (the box, NOT the stick). Very close behind is the PS4. Both these devices give you the guide and great speed.
August 13th, 2017 at 9:34 PM ^
August 12th, 2017 at 11:26 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 1:22 PM ^
I see your point and don't completely disagree, I just think the definition of "cutting the cord" has changed a bit - such that it includes the streaming services.
Regardless of what you want to call it, I like the concept of the streaming TV services for a few reasons:
- No contracts. If I want to cancel, I go online and cancel. 2 minutes and done.
- No equipment to rent and return. I use my own streaming box that I own. No rental fees, nothing to return when I cancel/switch providers...
- ...I can easily switch from Sling to Vue to DirecTV Now to Hulu.
- It CAN be less costly. When I had Comcast/DirecTV in the past, it wasn't the "base cost" that was expensive. It was all the HD fees, broadcast fees, equipment rental (4 TVs in my house), DVR surcharge, etc. Once those fees are considered, it was less costly for me to go with streaming. It is definitely NOT for everyone, but options are good.
August 13th, 2017 at 8:48 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 12:03 AM ^
I got PS Vue -- it has a cloud DVR that stores shows up to 28 days, lets me pause, rewind, and fast forward live television, and gives me pretty much all sports channels I need for Michigan, including BTN and all the March Madness networks. It's $45 a month, and my internet is $25 a month (only a 25 Mbps connection). I don't really have any problems with streaming, so for $70/month I'm pretty happy.
August 13th, 2017 at 12:05 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 12:38 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 12:13 AM ^
Anyone here have Google Fiber? They are rolling it out in Durham and I am seriously contemplating changing over for both Internet and TV. I currently have Time Warner cable, which I despise with a passion, and DirecTV. I like the DirecTV channel lineup but it costs me $120 per month. And I pay TWC another $55/mo for crappy Internet. I think Google Fiber will offer 1000 Mb/sec and pretty much the same channel lineup that I currently have for about the same as what I'm paying now. TWC speed is half that, or probably much less.
Anyway, just looking for feedback on Google Fiber Internet and TV. Thanks.
August 13th, 2017 at 12:20 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 12:37 AM ^
Living in S. Korea I pay 29 dollars a month for the fastest internet in the world. It is going to suck coming back to the U.S. where i get to pay 2 or 3 times that for a lesser product.
August 13th, 2017 at 10:18 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 7:10 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 1:54 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 2:20 AM ^
Fuck your stupid post.
August 13th, 2017 at 8:19 AM ^
I think they just raised it to $45/mo for the version with BTN. I do save over $50/mo and am still using the cable internet (sorry 300 mbps is hard to give up). The nice thing about the cable internet is the access to the streaming versions of all of the cable channels.
BTW, I definitely prefer Amazon Fire TV over Roku. I have both.
August 13th, 2017 at 8:31 AM ^
why did Direct TV drop the DVR functionality? they used to have it
August 13th, 2017 at 9:23 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 9:04 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 10:16 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:48 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 7:09 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 9:09 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 12:29 PM ^
where folks get together on Mars to watch the game. I figured I'd watch the game with Matt Damon, but figured he's probably a Boston College fan.
August 13th, 2017 at 9:16 AM ^
August 14th, 2017 at 10:03 AM ^
First time I noticed your screen name.
August 13th, 2017 at 9:25 AM ^
We only use an over the air antenna, and we probably use it for an hour per week. Our TVs in our house mostly just collect dust.
If you quit cold turkey, you'll find you replace "channel surfing with nothing on TV" with much more fulfilling things in life.
My .02
August 13th, 2017 at 10:42 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 11:01 AM ^
$230/month x 12 months = $2,760 / year. That's what I was paying.
As a season ticket holder, I'm in Ann Arbor for half the football weekends.
That leaves $2,760 to spend at a sports bar over 5 football Saturdays to break even. I can watch games at Ruth's Chris over filet and lobster, and still not come close to that kind of spend.
And with the over the air antenna, I'm likely getting the marquee games on CBS and ABC anyways.
Sure there are sacrifices to cutting the cord, but I'm in my 8th month so far and I feel completely content with my choice. Plus, suing a major corporation in small claims court was much fun!
August 13th, 2017 at 11:15 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 4:26 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 11:22 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 1:27 PM ^
A simple "it's not for me" would have been sufficient, but instead you decided to generalize people you don't know, then criticize their decisions.
It's not for me.
August 13th, 2017 at 3:06 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 4:17 PM ^
I'm sure some people do have some unjustified sense of superiority. Some people just like saving $30. You threw them into one pot and called them "stupid".
August 13th, 2017 at 1:31 PM ^
I've heard the term "cord shavers" used to describe it, but I don't think it has really caught on.
It's just a name/label - doesn't really mean anything and certainly nothing to get offended over (not saying you are, but some people REALLY like to bang the drum of " it's NOT cutting the cord!! *faints* ")
August 13th, 2017 at 2:04 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 10:18 AM ^
Who has been using YouTube TV and what is your streaming device? I have a roku now and used it with ps vue last year during football season. I think I was paying $55/month in Philly to make sure I could watch every UM football game. The channel browsing was pretty terrible. The final product of actually watching the program was great though.
I'm more interested in YouTube TV this year and will be in the market for another streaming device too. What kind of recommendations do you have?