I tried Sling and until they started not allowing prime time recording. That entirely defeated the reason to record, for me, which was to skip commercials. I dropped it finally too. I also hated paying extra for a news channel I wanted and it was the same that didn't allow prime time recording. Now I just stream the podcast 1hr later for free.

Dropped Hulu and Netflix after realizing I hardly watched. I have prime but that's mostly for free shipping. My best money spent...YouTube Premium. Not the YouTube TV, just YouTube minus commercials. I get a lot more out of YouTube content any day vs scripted television plus you get free YouTube music which is nice to have when working around the shop. I may pick up HBO go for a few months to watch the new True Detective and a few things, then drop until the new season of WestWorld. IMO the way to go is to remember to cancel these month-to-month subscriptions except when you actually watch them. I can binge a season of new content in a month not pay for the rest.

I looked recently and I'm saving over just under a hundred bucks a month from what I was paying this time last year. I think too, I just don't miss it. I watch less and do other things.

Pros are pretty much every tv series and channel ever.

The cons to the IPTV would be possible freezing, its not 100% awesome all the time. I thought the sports wouldn't be as smooth a pic as it ended up. All UFC fights appear in the guide on Saturday when they are live. You need a decent internet speed, but that's not always it, the server other end could be what gets you though. Bang for your buck, nothing compares. NHL centre ice, NFL channels, everything.

Agree 100%. There's enough content for me on YouTube to watch TV every night if I wanted to get back into that. Heck, I went down a rabbit hole of a dude getting old buses road ready this past week. I'm not even into Diesels or buses or anything like that but it was captivating. Certainly moreso that anything on discovery or TLC these days.

YouTube music is great for the offline mixtape it gives you on the app. I fly a lot so it's nice to have some fresh music that I dig.

? How so?

I just cut the cord and couldn't be happier. Time Warner always gave me the new customer introductory packages and kept my cable bill somewhat reasonable. Ever since Spectrum took over they have been real bastards and wont cut you a deal at all.

My bill was 218 a month, had pretty much everything and i told them i was losing my job but still wanted my cable but it had to be at a fair price. I shaved everything off to get the price down and the best internet/tv combo they would give me was 169.99. I said i need the 89 dollar new customer deal in order to keep it. They said no way in hell and they let me walk.

Anyway went and got a Roku Ultra box that nite and put sling tv on it for 25 bucks and it works like a champ, so im now saving 75 bucks a month. I also got a antenna for my local channels. I actually like my set up now more than the cable tv.

My only question is, how long until Spectrum starts capping the data usage on all of us and why aren't they doing it already? You know the greedy MFr's are going to do it eventually.

That's what makes it great; that kind of rabbit hole. It's nearly like meeting an interesting stranger. There's also a different experience, especially with a small niche stuff, you get a measure of attachment that your viewing contributes to the success. Its an interesting psychology. I was the same way about some machining videos. Now I'm hooked and won't ever own a bridgeport or a metal lathe.

Constant buffering during peak times. There are a lot of people having the same issue. Can stream everything else fine, Netflix, Hulu, etc. But PS vue will stutter. I can literally be watching a movie live on PS Vue that is buffering off and on, but on the same device open up directv now to the exact same channel and movie and it works flawlessly. I’ve spent way more time troubleshooting this than I should have, but it’s 100% a PS Vue issue.

I tried Playstation Vue when it first came out and i wasn't impressed, especially while trying to watch sports. It didn't stream very smooth at all. Sling tv on a Roku Ultra box seems to do very well ao far.

Trust me, you'll become smarter once you give cable the boot it so rightly deserves.

My experience dropping Spectrum in Florida back in November, is that they'll wait a few months and start trying to bait you back. Their first try was to offer a streaming service of pretty much what I had previously dropped down to about $45 a month. I didn't bite, so most recently, they've offered a supposedly exclusive Spectrum TV Choice $25 package where I can pick 10 channels from most of the cable channels I had previously (plus all local channels included with the 10). I don't think that includes taxes though. That's a decent package in my mind, as I only had about 6-8 channels that I ever watched anyway. It's close to the price of a Sling package, but gives me a little more choice in the stations. I haven't decided if I'll bite yet or not and I have another two weeks to decide. There's no contract, but they guarantee the price for two years. Quite frankly, I've had more time to play pinball and more enjoyment watching various Roku and Prime older shows and movies these past few months, so, I may pass on it and see if they have anything better to offer over the coming year as more and more people cut the cord.

They already offered me that but i was so pissed at them that intild them no way. The assholes kept me on the phone for two hours when i was trying to cancel. I will never go back unless i am forced due to data caos or something like that and then I probably still wouldnt. If it was for my gf i would just have rabbit ears and netflix but she loves her Reds games and a few other channels. Sling is the only one that offers fox sports Cincinnati in my area i think. So far with my new set up i am extremely happy and so is my gf and she is very reluctant to change but she is liking sling tv alot already. I seriously hate Spectrum with a passion now.

I’m trying out PS Vue right now. Could be better it lags sometimes and most you cannot fast forward and rewind. I do have OTA with hdhomerun and a nas for recording. Plex and prime Netflix etc. looking for the best subscription for live tv that includes similar programs as PlayStation vue

Check Sling tv out but it runs best on a Roku Ultra box. It lags quite a bit with the firesticks. I do not recommend those at all with Sling.

Directv Now. Cheaper, same channels, more stable

Not anymore... base package is going up to $50/month.

Almost all of the streaming providers with full content are getting into traditional cabletv range.

I have been jumping from streamer to streamer for about three years. All of them keep going up in price.

Charter welcomed me back with open arms recently. They dropped my $70 internet down to $40, and offered me 100 channels streaming only tv for another $45/month.

I pay less with more content with both Charter services then I did with Charter Internet and directtv now.

It’s rumored it may go up. It hasn’t yet. Still $40.

This site has been spot-on for streaming service announcements....

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/directv-now-will-reportedly-raise-its-price-10-a-month-next-week-launch-2-new-packages/amp/

Fun Directtvnow story...

I was a launch adopter when they came out. I got 75 channels for $25/mo. Gauranteed to never go up as a launch adopter.

About 6 months into the service they announced price increases across the board. I contacted customer support (they only offered chat support) and they told me it wouldnt go up.

The next month, I got a notice that my CC on file denied payment, and that I had to start a new plan to get service at the new rates.
I called my CC company...no charges were ever attempted.

I gaurantee their rates are going up. They are continuing to lose customers at a large clip.

HuluLive has really put a dent into DirectTv.

What device are using to stream? TV/Fire/Roku?

Fire TV box. Not the USB stick.

Thanks. That’s disappointing if it happens. If all the cable streaming services keep going up, they are going to lose customers who left cable due to the high prices in the first place lol.

Well the secret plan of course is to get everyone to pay the same as they did before for full cable. Remember it's not the ISPS losing money so much as it is the Disney's and other media outlets who license content to cable and force bundles to prop up weaker channels.

This will be my 9th year with a cut cord I think? I've replaced "binge watching History Channel" with YouTube videos. I do miss Law & Order marathons but I think I've seen them all anyway.

I have Charter aka Spectrum. Been happy with it. My speed gets doubled every few years for free.

I have Fire and Roku and my anecdotal evidence says that Vue runs much smoother via Roku...I like the controls of the Fire better though.

Interesting. I like the firetv a lot so it’s hard to try something else for just one app.

Thoughts on HULU live on firestick?

Don't know about Firestick (not a fan of firesticks) but Hulu Live works really nice on Rokus, desktops, etc.. Of all of the Live options out there right now, I think Hulu has the advantage over them all. It has a nice layout, offers the right channels for families (sports, kids channels, etc.) and it offers 20 hours of LiveDVR on top of the large library of network available shows. Also, if you already pay for Hulu, you are basically getting traditional Hulu for free once you get the Live service.

The only reason I dropped my Live subscription is because the recently raised the rates to $45.00 and my threshold for TV is a hard $40. Also, they only offer two simul. streams at one time. I have 3 kids, we ate up those streams really quickly.

What did you switch to? Want to like PlayStation vue with unlimited dvr for 30 days and simultaneous streams but just choppy. Maybe it’s the firestick but I have issues on my Nvidea sheild as well with pausing on 100 mb connection

Currently on a non-published Charter streaming only package with around 100 channels. You have to buy an Apple TV from Charter to get the deal, but it beats renting a Cable box. I wont use the AppleTV, but I could sell it or give it to family, rather than being stuck with a cable box.

My setup currently-
8 Rokus
Antenna (dont really use)
200mb Charter Internet
Charter Streaming TV Service
Regular Hulu- non Streaming

Unlimited Streams inside the house- Charter checks your coverage by mac address on modem.

Grand Total is right around $100/month.

I have previously used Sling, PSVue, DirectTV now, Charter 10 channel stream, HuluLive, and Youtube.

If I didnt have a need for FoxSports for Brewers/Bucks games, and Nick Jr. To watch Paw Patrol (I swear its for my 4 year old), I would probably use Philo.

Also forgot to mention, when I had PSVue, it was $30/month and worked flawlessly on my Rokus, but sometimes stutter on my Playstation (go figure). It was my favorite interface and service until the price hike.

I may have to call Charter about this deal. I'm currently on Charter streaming only (200mb with 4 Rokus) but I only get about 20 channels plus The HBOs. Do they have Big10 in your package to go along with Fox Sports? Those are the only 2 channels I really miss. Any good strategic tips for getting them to give you a deal off the $70 Internet price without having to leave? I pay about $100 a month as well but with fewer channels. I did sign up for the $1/month BF Hulu deal and that is nice to have as well.

No Disney available on the spectrum streaming?

Just regular Disney, no Disney Jr.

Dang

I went from your package, (streaming 10) to my current package. The pricing I get is for 12 months. After that, I switch back to streaming 10 for a month with full price internet. After 1 month, I get back on 12 month deal like I am now. This is my 2nd go around with this streaming only deal. I had to do it by phone.

So 100-ish/month for the same package as streaming 10 after they discount internet. If they didnt discount internet, it wouldnt be worth it.

Lol, I know... same with Nick. You need Nick Jr. To watch on demand Paw Patrol.

Disney Jr. Was heavily watched when we didnt have Nick Jr.

Havent tried authentication passthrough on any of the kids apps to see if I could get Jr. Content on demand.

Oh yeah... my guide shows three BTN networks for those days where you need your constant fill of college softball and volleyball... lol

Thanks for the info! I'll definitely give them a call and try to get on that plan for the 12 mo deal. How much do they charge for the Apple TV if that's still a requirement and do they have Big10 network in that package?

Lol.. I just need it for Badger Football in the Fall.

The appletv is 170-ish going from memory. I bought it the first go-round. This time around I wasnt charged for it. Iam assuming BTN is big 10 network? There are three of those on this package.

Also this package is called Charter Select with AppleTV.

If you switch, pay attention to your bill, they tried to charge me 5.00 for wireless (I have my own wifi), and 12.00 a month for cable access fee, which is tied to cable boxes. I had those removed without issue.

Thanks for the tips. Is cable access fee the same thing as broadcast TV surcharge or different? I didn't know you could get out of paying that. It's crazy how many fees and taxes they charge you. It's almost as much as my TV plan

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Guys here is my scenario. Hoping someone can provide me with some great options to consider. I live in Minnesota but need to see every Steelers football and Penguins hockey game so have had to have Directv NFL Sunday Ticket and NHL Center Ice since I'm not local. Need HD quality for my projector for all shows. Only other channels would need are locals. Have Mediacom for internet and a few Rokus. Love Movies! Suggestions for how I could ditch Directv and still get what I need?

Quite a few steelers games would be national. For the others, would you watch on a delay? NFL gamepass is pretty cool, can even watch games condensed, or on different cameras (all 22). I think you need to wait until the next day to watch is the only caveat.

If that would work you could also do nhl tv. I think you could get each of those for about 100 a year.

Appreciate the insight...not sure I could wait until the next day since I'm sure I would accidently see the score. Other options?

Not legal ones.....LOL..... These media agreements are in place to shape who provides what content. There is another thread going on Pinside right now with illegal options to stream games, you could pop over there to see if it is something you would be willing to roll the moral dice on.

I am a Buccaneer fan living in Packer country. My options are the same as yours. Luckily the NFL is so saturated with overexposure, I stopped actively watching football about 4 years ago.

Its on their site now.... Less channels and more money.... Awesome.... Way to go DirectTV....
dtv (resized).PNG

Also, all the $10k by Christmas Pinball references here may soon start to apply to streaming tv packages now too.... LOL

LOL!!

I'm stuck with cable until I can find a way to get my wife Good Morning America and the ID Discovery channel. Any ideas? She'll want to have DVR capability (of course). I run Kodi boxes w/emby in my house, so it would be best if the service worked with Kodi.

Everything else is downloaded by my server, so I don't need to worry about anything else.

Yeah, tell her to pay the cable bill if she wants it so bad because you arent going to anymore.

Looks like the Hulu plan would work, but it's $45/month.

But how much are you paying for cable?

Wow the new directvnow plans SUCK. They have like half the channels but for $10 more a month!

Interestingly enough however, the previous plan I had was "grandfathered" in, and while the price went up $10, I can keep using the old plan and those channels.

I wish there was a way to stream AMC walking dead without needing one of these cable service providers. AMC seems to be the "holdout" for a lot of these - missing entirely from Hulu and now also missing from DirectvNOW, unless you got the plan that had it before they changed it.