CUTTING THE CORD - MASTER THREAD - transitioning away from cable TV & various options

[dad911]

Severed, not cut.

Comcast/Xfinity

Free AppleTV w/3 months of directtvnow.......$105..... check
Buy new cable modem to save $10/month lease.... $100.... check
Call to cancel TV plan and set up new modem..... not quite.....

for $4 more per month than just the internet service, we still have 1 cable box. And HBO.

can swap between HBO and Showtime anytime.

So we save over $100/month, now have hi-def streaming boxes(AppleTV & Amazon FireTV), still get a premium channel, and live tv.

Way ahead... but I can't quite claim a victory.

[Baz]

This afternoon I finally got around to working with my leaf antenna to get better reception. I added some extra cable so I could extend it over to the other side (west) of the room which is the side of the house facing all the stations that broadcast.

The difference that made is amazing. Not only am I picking up even more stations...they are now coming in perfectly clear.

I have this antenna hooked up to a TV next to my computer desk without any other input. So everything I am getting is 100% free, with the exception of the electricity used and the initial cost of the TV and antenna, of course.

This is very encouraging - to know that even without any streaming content - I still have quite a few options for viewing content!

Right now I have some station on called "Charge" and they're airing the classic De Palma classic "Blow Out" from 1981. It was (and still is) a great movie!

Anyway.....the main point of this post is to encourage you to work with your leaf antenna doing whatever is necessary to give yourself the best reception. There are a few things that really make a big difference!

Here's one webpage that offers suggestions and there are more if you search for them.

[rfuerst911sc]

An update: So my wife and I have been using Roku devices for several years now , first with AT&T as the internet provider and now with Windstream DSL as our internet provider . Really no complaints on the speed of either so a fairly stable baseline . We started off with the basic Sling package orange then added blue , if memory serves me right that was about 39.99 a month . My wife is an avid TV watcher so we eventually added the TCM package , the CBS all access and the basic Hulu which brought us to $63.96 per month . Our only real complaint was not having NBC + ABC programming but we did not want to add those to Sling it would have been more than we wanted to pay .

A guy I work with recently signed up for Hulu Live and was talking about how much he liked it so I decided to look into this . For $39.99 a month you get about 60 channels and it includes CBS/ABC/NBC for no extra charge plus 50 hours of DVR cloud recording . We have 5 TV's currently hooked up of which 2 are in bedrooms that only get used when guests/family stay over . But the wife insists on having all TV's ready to go so we will add the " unlimited screens " option for 14.99 so our total price per month will be $54.98 we will save about 10.00 a month over our current package . We signed up yesterday for the free 7 day Hulu live and so far like the channel selection and speed/performance/clarity . It also has a very impressive line up of sports channels so should be good for what I like to watch .

Sorry for the long post just wanted to give an update from someone that has been using long term to hopefully help others . We find Sling's user interface/guide much more cable like so it's an easy transition from cable . The Hulu interface is just different but we'll get used to it . Slings lack of ABC/CBS/NBC as part of their basic package along with no included DVR recording is the main reason we are switching .

[widebody911]

Resurrecting a dormant thread.

The wife is annoyed with the current CBS spat, so it's time to re-visit cutting the cord. I'm looking for a good digital antenna + DVR combo. I figure the cost of these would be less-than-or-equal-to 2 months of TV service.

[Baz]

Lot of information here and links to previous threads on the first page, of course.

On another forum that I frequent, it appears for those wishing to stream that You Tube TV has become quite popular as an option.

[dad911]

You can stream CBS on locast.org for free. I still have basic Infinity, but use PlutoTV (also free) more.

[bivenator]

Pluto is a interesting option. Free, so the price is right. It has a lot of niche programming including some car channels. Worth spending a few minutes exploring.

[mattdavis11]

I semi cut the cord last November, still have internet with Spectrum ($50 mo.) The Vizio display gets me Pluto tv, or it was a display, they sent down a update upgrading it into a smart tv for free, but no tuner.

The antennae was a Christmas gift, ONN 4K HD motorized, the tuner is a cheapo RCA with flash drive receptacle for DVR, all from wally world. Probably $100 total if that. I live 55 miles south of Austin and 40 miles east of San Antonio, and the antennae picks up nearly all of both cities when I leave it pointing in one direction. 63 channels, but some are the same.

She has a subscription with netflix for her kids (1 here, 2 away), I don't use it, but she does now and then. The Vizio also has the smart cast feature so we can watch pretty much anything on the net with a tablet or smart phone, even porn.

Saves me about $100 a month, maybe more. I forget what the last bill was, in the $200 range I think, but that was after an offer expired.

Right now All In The Family is on get tv, it's awesome!

[biosurfer1]

Cutting the cord becomes less and less attractive every day.

I pay $120/month for every channel I want and internet for 3 TV's. I've looked into cutting but once you add internet, which is at least $40/month, plus $15 for this, $20 for that and add in that almost daily Netflix is losing another set of shows since Disney is going to their own and countless others are.

Pretty soon it will be the same price or more expensive than cable...either way, seems like we lose🤔

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

Cutting the cord becomes less and less attractive every day.

I pay $120/month for every channel I want and internet for 3 TV's. I've looked into cutting but once you add internet, which is at least $40/month, plus $15 for this, $20 for that and add in that almost daily Netflix is losing another set of shows since Disney is going to their own and countless others are.

Pretty soon it will be the same price or more expensive than cable...either way, seems like we lose🤔

And I'm seeing certain providers charging more for internet if you don't subscribe to the TV and landline packages.

[Nordwest]

The best thing about cutting the cord is never seeing that "MY Pillow" guy again....

[dad911]

Originally Posted by bivenator

Pluto is a interesting option. Free, so the price is right. It has a lot of niche programming including some car channels. Worth spending a few minutes exploring.

Right now watching "Senna Vs Brundle" on channel 561

[astrochex]

Looking at roku. For channels like NBCSN an The Food Network, it appears I still need a cable subscription. Is this correct?

[Ronbo]

Originally Posted by astrochex

Looking at roku. For channels like NBCSN an The Food Network, it appears I still need a cable subscription. Is this correct?

Both channels are included with YouTube TV.


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[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by astrochex

Looking at roku. For channels like NBCSN an The Food Network, it appears I still need a cable subscription. Is this correct?

We access Hulu live using Roku devices on our TV's . NBCSN and The Food Network are both part of Hulu live.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by widebody911

And I'm seeing certain providers charging more for internet if you don't subscribe to the TV and landline packages.

Yeah, they do that

I made a ghetto coat hanger antenna out of a scrap of wood, couple hangers and little coax converter thing that was about $5. Shocking how good the reception is with it in the window facing West. Get at least 2 dozen channels. You could probably rig an old computer to run as a DVR

[Superman]

I have had Internet only for at least ten years. Perfectly content.

[astrochex]

Thanks for the tips. Roku plus Youtube TV is the frontrunner for two TVs.