Cable - Cord Cutting

[jwinslow]

I'm not sure how obvious it is. Spectrum's Select package does not have the NFL Network, the MLB Network, CBS Sports or FS2.
That package is $66/mo (introductory offer, 1 year). Given their customer service track record, I'm not very motivated

1) Vue was a very popular cord cutter option. Their package was $55 for that tier I think (and the creep of prices is noticeable lately)

2) You're looking at how you can best pay for everything by itself, which is why we're about to have 40 different services for $12 each + internet for $50.

Sure, you can pay $45 (going on 65) a month for low end internet, and $65 (going on more) for low end TV.

Or you could do what @gmen6981 is talking about, pay for triple play and an internet boost. I don't watch that much TV these days, so I let it lapse outside of sports season, but if I had kids or was actually home on weekends, I'd do exactly what he's doing.

Before last spring, I was paying $107 after fees for Select + DVR + Phone + Cable with 20 MB upload (300-400 down? I don't recall the down speed). When it expired, I cancelled it and kept the internet for $60.

Oh, you want to watch on other TVs? That'll be $7.99/mo per. Also, for a DVR (free on most streaming services) you will pay $4.99/mo

If you sit back and take what they give you, it's painful. If you are in charge and walk away when they get stupid, it's far more affordable.

 

[jwinslow]

I use Vue too. Opened a free trial of YouTube TV today, as my next payment for Vue is due Tuesday. So far, there's a lot to like. Video quality is good and there's less delay changing channels than Vue.

Interesting aspect/feature, customizable order to the guide.

I wasn't a Vue user, but I love having YoutubeTV record all B1G/CFB games for me without asking. It's a really nice feature to be able to restart a game at any point and watch it at faster speeds.

I find Youtube's convenience to be a big selling point. I did not find Vue or Sling to be nearly as consistent, though all of them still provide a more stutter filled experience than pure cable.

@jwinslow I love you man but suggesting we go back to cable is damn near fighting words. Might as well call Mili a WalMart Wolverine or BN27 a Nittany Lion.

There are certainly situations where it's not worthwhile, like having a bunch of TVs in need of service (I'd question how many households are using a wide variety of TVs at once and not just using phones/tablets much of the time).

We're about to have the whole cord-cutting eco system come crumbling down. No one will want Netflix's 75 Adam Sandler movies and 125 post apocalyptic movies. We were there mostly for Office, Friends, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, IT Crowd, Better off Ted reruns with some nostalgic movies (and a few new ones) thrown in.

Now we wil have to pay $40+ to get Disney+, Peacock, Netflix to maintain the same experience, none of which give us complete TV service, so we have to pony up $45 going on 60 a month for cord cutting services. None of which gets us the internet service to stream these, so now we're paying $45-70 for that.

All so we can be in control of our $130-170 bill that was supposedly the reason we left cable in the first place.

I've spent the last two years alternating between Spectrum and Hulu Plus for TV. I hate Spectrum as a company, but their internet kicks ass. When they start jacking up my TV package, I cancel and go back to Hulu. By the time I pay Hulu, then add in Netflix and Britbox (for Wifey) I only end up saving about $25-30 a month, and there is something to be said about the convenience of cable. Usually after a couple months I can get Spectrum to give me a deal and I go back.
The thing that makes me mad is that Ive been a Time Warner/Spectrum customer for years, and after the merger there are channels that we watch a lot that were on TW's basic tier that you now have to have the top Spectrum tier to get.

Also, many people are paying for Netflix and/or Hulu regardless of their TV provider, so that almost needs to be separate expense.

I find that you save money out of the promotional period and have very minimal savings within it (and a lot more hassle).

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

I’m pretty sure we will move to YouTube TV when Vue sunsets. Or just go without again like we did for 3 years.

 

[gmen6981]

Losing Vue as well. Most of my friends are on YouTube TV with the occasional Slinger. Probably going with YouTube TV as well.

The only reason I go with Hulu over YouTube TV is that Hulu is the only one of the services that carries all of the A&E networks. Those get watched a lot in my house. With the other services, I have to add an additional $16 a month for Philo, which gives me the A&E channels, but also duplicates channels I get through Hulu. Plus I subscribe to Hulu anyways, and that's included in the package vs. being an additional cost with another service.
It's just a matter of what channels you want.

 

[scarletmike]

I wasn't a Vue user, but I love having YoutubeTV record all B1G/CFB games for me without asking. It's a really nice feature to be able to restart a game at any point and watch it at faster speeds.

I find Youtube's convenience to be a big selling point. I did not find Vue or Sling to be nearly as consistent, though all of them still provide a more stutter filled experience than pure cable.

There are certainly situations where it's not worthwhile, like having a bunch of TVs in need of service (I'd question how many households are using a wide variety of TVs at once and not just using phones/tablets much of the time).

We're about to have the whole cord-cutting eco system come crumbling down. No one will want Netflix's 75 Adam Sandler movies and 125 post apocalyptic movies. We were there mostly for Office, Friends, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, IT Crowd, Better off Ted reruns with some nostalgic movies (and a few new ones) thrown in.

Now we wil have to pay $40+ to get Disney+, Peacock, Netflix to maintain the same experience, none of which give us complete TV service, so we have to pony up $45 going on 60 a month for cord cutting services. None of which gets us the internet service to stream these, so now we're paying $45-70 for that.

All so we can be in control of our $130-170 bill that was supposedly the reason we left cable in the first place.

Also, many people are paying for Netflix and/or Hulu regardless of their TV provider, so that almost needs to be separate expense.

I find that you save money out of the promotional period and have very minimal savings within it (and a lot more hassle).

This exactly. Even going back to cable I've kept Netflix, added HBO (for WestWorld season 2 initially, then decided why not and binged GOT to watch the final season live, and now I just like the convenience of some of the movies and Last Week Tonight every now and then), and then of course Amazon Prime even though I don't buy stuff that often, and I haven't kept up with Man in the High Castle but will definitely be watching the new season of Jack Ryan. Then of course I'll be adding Disney+ because of some of the great original programming (and my wife) and probably will end up doing the ESPN+ bundle thing for mens volleyball season.

Damn. I really should cut back, but I watch things everywhere just often enough to be able to convince myself it's justified. There will be a breaking point, however, and it doesn't look too far off for the general public.

 

[gmen6981]

1)

Or you could do what @gmen6981 is talking about, pay for triple play and an internet boost. I don't watch that much TV these days, so I let it lapse outside of sports season, but if I had kids or was actually home on weekends, I'd do exactly what he's doing.

Actually, I don't do the triple play, I don't have phone through Spectrum. I don't even own a landline phone. In my area (Fulton County NW Ohio) We only have one speed option for internet, 100 mbps.They claim they are going to build out to 1GB service in the next year. When I run speed tests, I'm usually getting 130-150 using their modem/router. Its the one good thing I will say about Spectrum is that I've never had an issue with their internet. At any given time, I have a combination of 2 desktops hardwired, 2 Roku devices and 1 Roku TV, 2 laptops and 2 cell phones on my wireless network without issue. As part of my package, internet is $49.95 (plus tax) a month, but stand alone it goes to $69.95.

 

[Abenaki]

This exactly. Even going back to cable I've kept Netflix, added HBO (for WestWorld season 2 initially, then decided why not and binged GOT to watch the final season live, and now I just like the convenience of some of the movies and Last Week Tonight every now and then), and then of course Amazon Prime even though I don't buy stuff that often, and I haven't kept up with Man in the High Castle but will definitely be watching the new season of Jack Ryan. Then of course I'll be adding Disney+ because of some of the great original programming (and my wife) and probably will end up doing the ESPN+ bundle thing for mens volleyball season.

Damn. I really should cut back, but I watch things everywhere just often enough to be able to convince myself it's justified. There will be a breaking point, however, and it doesn't look too far off for the general public.

Why not rotate through every few months? 3 for Netflix, 3 for HBO, etc?

 

[scarletmike]

Why not rotate through every few months? 3 for Netflix, 3 for HBO, etc?

Mainly because I haven't bothered to look at how easy/difficult these services have made it to start and stop like that (I seem to remember it being a relative pain in the rear last time I looked, like 5+ yrs ago, i.e. not just a simple start/stop button). In truth I need to just go ahead and ditch HBO until they announce a new season of WestWorld or a similar show that catches my interest, since I can watch the main Last Week Tonight stuff on YouTube.

 

[Abenaki]

Mainly because I haven't bothered to look at how easy/difficult these services have made it to start and stop like that (I seem to remember it being a relative pain in the rear last time I looked, like 5+ yrs ago, i.e. not just a simple start/stop button). In truth I need to just go ahead and ditch HBO until they announce a new season of WestWorld or a similar show that catches my interest, since I can watch the main Last Week Tonight stuff on YouTube.

I can't speak for all of them, but I'm pretty sure Netflix at least has a "pause" option, where you can suspend your subscription for up to a couple months.

 

[Taosman]

You could alternate services quickly but it would probably create a level of confusion that would take away some of the enjoyment of each. I've been working through various options depending on costs and I currently am using Hulu+ Live TV $45 plus tax. I'm not wild about the interface but Hulu is a cheap option. I really liked Netflix and many do. Netflix as an ad-on would be a nice option without too much expense. Maybe after football season I'll ad Netflix.

 

[Magua]

If you guys truly want to cut the cord may I suggest the following.

VPN
Plex
Usenet
Sonarr
Radarr
Jackett

PSA: I'm not saying I do this or condone this and I will not provide in depth information on how to set this up but it will surely save you a ton of money. No more cable. No more streaming services.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

@jwinslow I love you man but suggesting we go back to cable is damn near fighting words. Might as well call Mili a WalMart Wolverine or BN27 a Nittany Lion.

U faka.

 

[Dryden]

Cable

Yup. It seems inevitable that an established big player will buy media properties and cross license carriage for out of band networks until we’re all back to three or four choices. I don’t know how Netflix sustains their business model as companies pull their libraries and the cost of production for new content continues to rise. AT&T, Apple, Amazon, and Disney have the revenue elsewhere to burn $8 billion annually. Netflix, Hulu, and Roku do not.

 

[scarletmike]

Yup. It seems inevitable that an established big player will buy media properties and cross license carriage for out of band networks until we’re all back to three or four choices. I don’t know how Netflix sustains their business model as companies pull their libraries and the cost of production for new content continues to rise. AT&T, Apple, Amazon, and Disney have the revenue elsewhere to burn $8 billion annually. Netflix, Hulu, and Roku do not.

I will honestly be surprised if Apple (or Amazon) doesn't make a run at Vue just before it shuts down. Sony sucks at marketing/branding, that's what killed it. Apple kills it at marketing and branding, and they can just roll the service into their new streaming service, plus a large built-in hardware base. Plus as you said, they have the cash and revenue to eat hefty losses for a while if its needed.

 

[Taosman]

All the "services" keep "moving the goalposts" on price. So much is in flex. Your best bet is to start with as much internet speed as you can afford.