Cord cutters

[saxondawg]

I tried several steaming services--it's nice that you can begin and end service at any time, with no penalty, as opposed to cable. Youtube TV is easily the best, and I had no problem finding ACC Network and Tech games at various places. The major ESPN outlets are all there, with a caveat: SEC Network (I know, I know) is there but SEC Network-Plus is not. So a frill or two is missing. Now, what all this means is that you can still use your Watch ESPN app, just by showing your're a YTTV subscriber. And a lot of those "frills" are still available on your PC at ESPN.com, oddly. So, for example, a UGA baseball game on Plus can't be seen on my TV, but I can see it on my PC and project it to my TV.

Price is increasing, but it's still a pretty good deal for those of us who just don't watch enough TV anymore to justify cable.

 

[xenoabe]

Well, at any rate, we're all laughing at the companies that still want 2 year contracts and have to run physical wires through your house and yard to give you TV service that you can't use outside your home. I'm sure they are laughing right back at us because anywhere we have an internet connection, on any device, we can just punch in a short URL and start watching or recording whatever we want. We sure are suckers.

I'm a 'cord cutter' too. I'm just saying I never ever had a 2 year contract and almost all cable companies now have methods/apps for watching away from home. I too prefer the internet-based services, but there I always found ways to avoid the cable companies price-gouging me.

 

[LegendaryGT]

I'm a 'cord cutter' too. I'm just saying I never ever had a 2 year contract and almost all cable companies now have methods/apps for watching away from home. I too prefer the internet-based services, but there I always found ways to avoid the cable companies price-gouging me.

That's good for you, and I don't doubt it, but you should know that your experience is pretty atypical. It's hardly a great basis to laugh at anyone who is having a more typical cable experience, which almost always includes higher prices and longer contracts than the ones you've managed to get.

 

[gte490v]

Just did a quick search and YouTube TV is $50 / month. I don't think that is worth it compared to a similar cable plan. Worst thing about streaming is you are ~2 minutes behind your friends so you can't check your phone while watching away games.

 

[BuckNasty]

Wasn't YouTubeTV $35 a year or so ago?

That is quite the hike. Sort of reminds me of cable companies.

 

[BranMart]

Wasn't YouTubeTV $35 a year or so ago?

That is quite the hike. Sort of reminds me of cable companies.

Yeah, they added a dozen or so stations and cranked the price $10/month a couple months ago. Still, for TV that can be watched anywhere it is good. They will keep cranking it up until they lose viewers I imagine.

 

[BuckNasty]

Just did a quick search and YouTube TV is $50 / month. I don't think that is worth it compared to a similar cable plan. Worst thing about streaming is you are ~2 minutes behind your friends so you can't check your phone while watching away games.

I think your right, these streaming services are running into competition issues. Costs have gone up dramatically.

 

[GoBees]

So I get how it saves to cut the cord, but you're still not addressing the internet charge which is "bundled". My bill is $125 for a ton of content on 5 devices, including Premiums and 120Gb internet (shown at $70/mo).
When you drop the content, are you still buying your internet from your cable provider, and at what cost for what speed? If not, where?

 

[savbandjacket]

So I get how it saves to cut the cord, but you're still not addressing the internet charge which is "bundled". My bill is $125 for a ton of content on 5 devices, including Premiums and 120Gb internet (shown at $70/mo).
When you drop the content, are you still buying your internet from your cable provider, and at what cost for what speed? If not, where?

So for me Comcast is my only option. And Comcast sucks for cable. They were very good at setting tiers up where you had to get everything in order to get the few channels you wanted to watch. We were losing key channels as Comcast fought on carriage contracts, never could find games, and a host of other cable problems, so we went to satellite with cable internet. Satellite was great until my intro contract went away and then it got really expensive. And then they started having channel wars. So we went streaming and it has been best of all in terms of price and what we get.

The secret is that I’m still under a contract for cable internet. That’s about $70 per month and I have my own modem. What they have done is bundle that with some crappy cable package that has like 20 channels. We’ve never used it but it was cheaper to get internet with it than without.

 

[coit]

So, for example, a UGA baseball game on Plus can't be seen on my TV, but I can see it on my PC and project it to my TV.

I have had the same problem with the ACC plus content. Won’t stream on my TV but will stream on my phone or tablet which is slung to the TV. Not sure what the difference is.

 

[Buzzing72]

I'm on Playstation Vue and have been thinking about flipping to YouTube Tv. What are the key benefits of Youtube Tv over Vue in your experience?

I would say PlayStation Vue would be my 2nd choice, but unlimited cloud DVR, 5 screens, and best easy to navigate format is what made YTTV my favorite. I also feel the streaming experience seems the most stable and a slight edge over the rest in picture quality IMO.

 

[Skydog]

I have question for the cord cutters: When you stream are you getting you internet thru your cell phone service or are you getting to thru home wifi. Because if it's home wifi the cord is not truly cut. Not be snarky. Legit question. My house we get TV thru Directv and internet thru TMobile. My biz internet is also via Tmobile.

 

[LegendaryGT]

I have question for the cord cutters: When you stream are you getting you internet thru your cell phone service or are you getting to thru home wifi. Because if it's home wifi the cord is not truly cut. Not be snarky. Legit question. My house we get TV thru Directv and internet thru TMobile. My biz internet is also via Tmobile.

YTTV you can do through your cell plan. When I had Sling, you could as well. I am not sure if DTVN or PSV have caught up to that or still require set tops. I would wager they are capable.

 

[Skydog]

YTTV you can do through your cell plan. When I had Sling, you could as well. I am not sure if DTVN or PSV have caught up to that or still require set tops. I would wager they are capable.

OK. I've been with Directv for 20 years... They've been good with discounts because of that. I've got five receivers including 3 in mancave. HDDVR whole whom etc. Paying about $100/month. I still like my TV thru the satellite.

 

[GoBees]

YTTV you can do through your cell plan. When I had Sling, you could as well. I am not sure if DTVN or PSV have caught up to that or still require set tops. I would wager they are capable.

YTTV through my cell plan? That works for devices, but not TVs, or am I missing something? Then what for your laptops?? Hot spots for everybody in the house? (6 in my case)

 

[LegendaryGT]

YTTV through my cell plan? That works for devices, but not TVs, or am I missing something? Then what for your laptops?? Hot spots for everybody in the house? (6 in my case)

YTTV works on every device I have tried it on. Never tried it on a raspberry pi, tho. You can chromecast it to your TV.

 

[33jacket]

I have four boxes but I don’t have any packages like HBO. I think I was paying about $125 before and now it is less than $80 with their retention discounts.

Cool. I am at 45 and dont miss a thing ;)

 

[GoBees]

YTTV works on every device I have tried it on. Never tried it on a raspberry pi, tho. You can chromecast it to your TV.

Ok, Chromecast for the TV. Thanks.

Now, I guess wireless for our laptops is done via hotspot? And with all this data being consumed across all devices, wouldn’t I get “throttled” pretty early in the month and then have sucky performance that would make YTTV unwatchable?

 

[LegendaryGT]

Ok, Chromecast for the TV. Thanks.

Now, I guess wireless for our laptops is done via hotspot? And with all this data being consumed across all devices, wouldn’t I get “throttled” pretty early in the month and then have sucky performance that would make YTTV unwatchable?

Yeah if you plan to do it purely through cell wireless, you would need a pretty beefy plan to stream at TV quality. The phone streams at a much smaller format, and the bandwidth is pretty tidy, but on a PC or chromecast it goes full HD and hogs.

Verizon sells a true unlimited 4g plan I think. Not sure what it costs or if it would work for that.

 

[JelloYacketDeleted062020]

Any cord cutters on here? I am thinking of ditching direct TV after the last episode of GOT, my only concern is when fall comes around. Need to watch lots of college football, are any of the cheaper online options still good for fall Saturdays?

The ACC Network has announced carriage agreements with DirectTV, Playstation VUE and Hulu. I'm sure they will try to secure other outlets, but if you're looking for football coverage you may want to consider Hulu TV. You get access to local network channels (important for ABC / CBS games), ACC Network and the ESPN channels.