Cord Cutters

[GemParty]

I’m thinking of a combination of high speed internet, a Roku, YouTube Tv, Philos, & Netflix to kill the cable bill. Viewing their channels they’re missing SNY, YES, & NESN. How do I get those?

 

[Vuce]

Yes get fire tv and a VPN and pay 5 to 10 dollars a month for streaming package like sportz research them. Cheapest I can think of

Thanks husky1bags. But none of those has the NFL Sunday Ticket. It’s exclusive to Directv. If that changes in the future then I will consider it. Those other streaming options can’t compete with the amount of stuff I get and I love sports

 

[husky1bags]

Thanks husky1bags. But none of those has the NFL Sunday Ticket. It’s exclusive to Directv. If that changes in the future then I will consider it. Those other streaming options can’t compete with the amount of stuff I get and I love sports

Yeah umm streaming package could comes with 6000 channels probably have all local stations to watch any NFL game

 

[Vuce]

Yeah umm streaming package could comes with 6000 channels probably have all local stations to watch any NFL game

Interesting. So you are saying that I can get local stations in CA and TX and all over the place if I live in MA? I haven’t seen that option anywhere.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

It was even better before with YES and NESN. Late last year they got rid of it. I wonder what’s next to go ? Think they switched their target audience to more towards family and less on sports. Next sports channel that goes and I am done.

I'm out of state, I get the MLB package to watch the Yankees.

 

[ZenConn]

If any of you have Sprint/T-Mobile, MLB TV is free for the entire season!

 

[J187Money]

Thanks husky1bags. But none of those has the NFL Sunday Ticket. It’s exclusive to Directv. If that changes in the future then I will consider it. Those other streaming options can’t compete with the amount of stuff I get and I love sports

That has always been my reason for sticking with DTV - but just don't want to install it in the new house. So far - I'm digging Youtube TV. Not sure how I'm going to deal with NFL season when it comes around - but will figure something out.

Aside from the expense - I had a lot of issues with DTV equipment. At one point I had 5 receivers, but that cost a ton. Then I went to the Genie model, but had a lot of issues with reception, including the basement Genie, which was apparently "too close" to the main floor receiver (probably 10 feet through the floor) to work properly and DTV was like "sorry" but couldn't offer me a fix. It became a thing where I watched NFL on it, but other than that just used my DTV login to use HBO Max and other apps.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

That has always been my reason for sticking with DTV - but just don't want to install it in the new house. So far - I'm digging Youtube TV. Not sure how I'm going to deal with NFL season when it comes around - but will figure something out.

I'm in the same boat, the only reason I've had DTV is for Sunday ticket. I figure at some point it will be available on other platforms, its a joke that its not. YouTube TV has been perfect for my needs as I really watch little to no TV. But at the end of the day, its tough to justify paying DTV fees for NFL games.

 

[J187Money]

I'm in the same boat, the only reason I've had DTV is for Sunday ticket. I figure at some point it will be available on other platforms, its a joke that its not. YouTube TV has been perfect for my needs as I really watch little to no TV. But at the end of the day, its tough to justify paying DTV fees for NFL games.

Yeah - I was never going to cancel it on its own, but with the move - and that I was going to have to set it all up again - forget about it. Will solve the NFL issue at some point - can't believe that DTV will keep an exclusive forever.

 

[Vuce]

Good info to know. DTV has been fair to me. I have not had any/many issues with the equipment at all, don’t get the rain fade some people do and I get the Sunday Ticket for free every couple years when I call. If that package does move I will def consider other options but right now it serves everything I need

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

can't believe that DTV will keep an exclusive foreve

It won't.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Yeah - I was never going to cancel it on its own, but with the move - and that I was going to have to set it all up again - forget about it. Will solve the NFL issue at some point - can't believe that DTV will keep an exclusive forever.

I'm in the same boat, the only reason I've had DTV is for Sunday ticket. I figure at some point it will be available on other platforms, its a joke that its not. YouTube TV has been perfect for my needs as I really watch little to no TV. But at the end of the day, its tough to justify paying DTV fees for NFL games.

Thanks husky1bags. But none of those has the NFL Sunday Ticket. It’s exclusive to Directv. If that changes in the future then I will consider it. Those other streaming options can’t compete with the amount of stuff I get and I love sports

Direct TV is dying. The new TV deal will move the streaming rights for Sunday Ticket to ESPN+. There is no way the NFL wanted to continue to tie it to a satellite only service in the current environment. So now you all need to buy the service you didn't want when the AAC TV deal was announced. I've got it in a package with Hulu and Disney+ anyway now.

BREAKING: Craig Carton has details of new NFL TV deal (audacy.com)

NFL's new TV deal will bring some major changes: Here are 10 things to know, including flex games on Monday - CBSSports.com

 

[Chuck]

It was even better before with YES and NESN. Late last year they got rid of it. I wonder what’s next to go ? Think they switched their target audience to more towards family and less on sports. Next sports channel that goes and I am done.

We cut the cord and went YouTubeTV at the beginning of the pandemic. I have 0 regrets. It's a bit cheaper all in, but it's also significantly better. But you can already see shifts. 95% of our YouTubeTV usage is sports and news (and news is only for big events). There is an occassional show on a cable channel that we'll watch, but we're usually watch on NetFlix or Hulu so it's a series that is over, or we're a season or two behind.

Every month, a channel/network takes some of its content premium. It's $5 here, $5 there. None of it has made me sign up, but at some point YouTubeTV will be too expensive to justify if there is nothing on it but sports. I could see there being major contraction in television. TV may look more like the 80s with dozens of channels rather than the 2000's with seemingly hundreds.

The biggest losers that I've seen so far are YES, MSG and the teams on those channels. We're a Yankee household, but we'll do without YES. But if you're a kid just getting into baseball, there's more opportunity to see the Mets than Yankees. Hardcore fans may stick with cable to keep access to their teams, but they'll lose plenty of other viewers, and it will be harder to get new hardcore fans.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I’ve been anti-cord cutting for a long time but even I have had enough. Paying $187 when we stream 95% of what we watch and can catch the other 5% on Hulu the day after it airs is no longer justifiable.

 

[J187Money]

Direct TV is dying. The new TV deal will move the streaming rights for Sunday Ticket to ESPN+. There is no way the NFL wanted to continue to tie it to a satellite only service in the current environment. So now you all need to buy the service you didn't want when the AAC TV deal was announced. I've got it in a package with Hulu and Disney+ anyway now.

BREAKING: Craig Carton has details of new NFL TV deal (audacy.com)

NFL's new TV deal will bring some major changes: Here are 10 things to know, including flex games on Monday - CBSSports.com

I suppose with all of the flexing - and if the Packers are good (which is what I care about) they will probably be on an accessible channel.

 

[Vuce]

Question on all the streaming stuff. So almost everything I watch is via DVR (not UConn games of course). Is there a way to record football games, other shows, etc.? How does that work? The other problem is guess is just a me problem. Wife has no idea or interest in learning to use streaming or different devices to watch stuff.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

After now a full year of streaming I haven't looked back. I just added HBO Max and got rid of Showtime bc "Billions" doesn't seem to be returning anytime soon. Being able to just swap around what extras I want on the Hulu phone app is great. Having to scroll through channels is a little bit annoying but not having to call Cablevision once a year to haggle over 'promotional rates expiring' for an hour is worth it alone.

Still need to buy my own modem to cut the costs even more but part of me is hesitant because I don't want to hear the "well we can't do anything because you don't use our modem" routine in the event that something goes wrong.

 

[pepband99]

Question on all the streaming stuff. So almost everything I watch is via DVR (not UConn games of course). Is there a way to record football games, other shows, etc.? How does that work? The other problem is guess is just a me problem. Wife has no idea or interest in learning to use streaming or different devices to watch stuff.

Channels — Watch TV Your Way

Watch and record your favorite programs on every TV and device. A joy to use and simple to set up.

getchannels.com

at the cost of $80/year, it gives you the ability to save streamed content, and playback on iOS/Android devices at will. A fabulous product that has eased my cord cutting tremendously.

 

[Chuck]

Question on all the streaming stuff. So almost everything I watch is via DVR (not UConn games of course). Is there a way to record football games, other shows, etc.? How does that work? The other problem is guess is just a me problem. Wife has no idea or interest in learning to use streaming or different devices to watch stuff.

Typically, the dvr capacity is app based. Hulu Live and YouTubeTV have dvr capabilities that are as good or superior to the cable dvrs. There's no box and you can watch your recorded stuff on any device. You can also get separate profiles so that you can keep stuff in your dvr, and your wife in hers. I watch some shows separate from the rest of the family. I typically dvr stuff and watch on my ipad. YouTubeTV's dvr is unlimited size (but I think you lose the content after a few years).

The other apps will depend. You obviously don't need dvr capability for watching prerecorded stuff from Netflix, Hulu, HBO, etc. My issue is that you may want it for other live things and that's not alwasys available so you'd need what pepband99 referenced. For example, my son is a big Premier League fan. We gave in and got Peacock for a couple months for specific games. It bugs me that you can't pause/rewind their live content.

 

[SamIamCassell]

We cut the cord and went YouTubeTV at the beginning of the pandemic. I have 0 regrets. It's a bit cheaper all in, but it's also significantly better. But you can already see shifts. 95% of our YouTubeTV usage is sports and news (and news is only for big events). There is an occassional show on a cable channel that we'll watch, but we're usually watch on NetFlix or Hulu so it's a series that is over, or we're a season or two behind.

Every month, a channel/network takes some of its content premium. It's $5 here, $5 there. None of it has made me sign up, but at some point YouTubeTV will be too expensive to justify if there is nothing on it but sports. I could see there being major contraction in television. TV may look more like the 80s with dozens of channels rather than the 2000's with seemingly hundreds.

The biggest losers that I've seen so far are YES, MSG and the teams on those channels. We're a Yankee household, but we'll do without YES. But if you're a kid just getting into baseball, there's more opportunity to see the Mets than Yankees. Hardcore fans may stick with cable to keep access to their teams, but they'll lose plenty of other viewers, and it will be harder to get new hardcore fans.

Or you can just stream YES illegally which is what I plan to do to watch baseball. The dumb networks don’t get ratings when you do it this way so they are only hurting themselves.

 

[ZenConn]

Question on all the streaming stuff. So almost everything I watch is via DVR (not UConn games of course). Is there a way to record football games, other shows, etc.? How does that work? The other problem is guess is just a me problem. Wife has no idea or interest in learning to use streaming or different devices to watch stuff.

I bought the Amazon FireTV Recast a year and a half ago. Works well for OTA channels. Works seamlessly with Amazon FireStick.

 

[Vuce]

Typically, the dvr capacity is app based. Hulu Live and YouTubeTV have dvr capabilities that are as good or superior to the cable dvrs. There's no box and you can watch your recorded stuff on any device. We gave in and got Peacock for a couple months for specific games. It bugs me that you can't pause/rewind their live content.

Ok that is good info on the ap based DVR stuff. The part about the Premier League type thing would drive me nuts. That’s like going back to 1978 or something where you better watch live or you miss it. Definitely need to do more research and get this all set up before I go for it. There is also one part of the house - mancave area - where the internet signal is horrible and we’ve tried everything. That would be a huge issue with anything streaming

 

[mbr33ct]

After now a full year of streaming I haven't looked back. I just added HBO Max and got rid of Showtime bc "Billions" doesn't seem to be returning anytime soon. Being able to just swap around what extras I want on the Hulu phone app is great. Having to scroll through channels is a little bit annoying but not having to call Cablevision once a year to haggle over 'promotional rates expiring' for an hour is worth it alone.

Still need to buy my own modem to cut the costs even more but part of me is hesitant because I don't want to hear the "well we can't do anything because you don't use our modem" routine in the event that something goes wrong.

When I had Comcast, few years back now, I purchased my own modem to get that extra $10 or so rental fee off my bill. At the time I bought the same model Comcast had installed for my cable/internet. Frankly I haven't had any issues with what I purchased and still have. If you still using Cablevision (is it now called Optimum?) supplied modem, a good place to start is buying the same model you currently have, as long as you are not having issues with it. The link below is of Optimum/Cablevision approved modems.

Optimum typically activates any certified DOCSIS 3.0 modem but it is better to stick with Arris or NETGEAR since many other people have purchased them.

Approved Modems for Optimum / CableVision Internet Service - Pick My Modem

PickMyModem provides you list of all the compatible/approved modems for your Optimum/Cablevision internet for all the packages (including 300/200/100 packages). Buy your own modem and increase your internet speed

pickmymodem.com

 

[Chin Diesel]

We cut the cord and went YouTubeTV at the beginning of the pandemic. I have 0 regrets. It's a bit cheaper all in, but it's also significantly better. But you can already see shifts. 95% of our YouTubeTV usage is sports and news (and news is only for big events). There is an occassional show on a cable channel that we'll watch, but we're usually watch on NetFlix or Hulu so it's a series that is over, or we're a season or two behind.

Every month, a channel/network takes some of its content premium. It's $5 here, $5 there. None of it has made me sign up, but at some point YouTubeTV will be too expensive to justify if there is nothing on it but sports. I could see there being major contraction in television. TV may look more like the 80s with dozens of channels rather than the 2000's with seemingly hundreds.

The biggest losers that I've seen so far are YES, MSG and the teams on those channels. We're a Yankee household, but we'll do without YES. But if you're a kid just getting into baseball, there's more opportunity to see the Mets than Yankees. Hardcore fans may stick with cable to keep access to their teams, but they'll lose plenty of other viewers, and it will be harder to get new hardcore fans.

My main reason for keeping You Tube TV has been multiple user logins and availability of local news stations. I have two networks I can't get with OTA antenna.

I realize I am only one in my house who regularly watches You Tube TV.

I think in next few months I'm switching to Hulu Live packaged with Hulu and ESPN+.

It's strictly cost. You Tube TV is getting stupid with price raising,but until they start losing customers they'll keep on raising.

 

[mbr33ct]

Ok that is good info on the ap based DVR stuff. The part about the Premier League type thing would drive me nuts. That’s like going back to 1978 or something where you better watch live or you miss it. Definitely need to do more research and get this all set up before I go for it. There is also one part of the house - mancave area - where the internet signal is horrible and we’ve tried everything. That would be a huge issue with anything streaming

I also wanted a better wi-fi coverage throughout my place. I have tried them wifi extenders, the plug-in ones to outlets supposedly using the electric powerlines within the walls...etc...etc but none of them really worked until a year or so I heard of this wifi mesh network systems (whole home wifi systems). Check out the link below for a much better explanation.

These wifi mesh systems are more pricey but they work great. Usually they come in 2 or more. There are few brands out there but I chose eero (now owned by Amazon). I will say once you install one of these mesh systems in house your "mancave" will get good internet signal.

What Is a Mesh Wi-Fi Router, and Do You Need One?

If you have a large home or one with an unusual layout, you probably encounter Wi-Fi dead zones and could use a mesh-router system.

www.tomsguide.com

Article about best wi-fi mesh network systems below.

The Best Wi-Fi Mesh Network Systems for 2024

Working from home by day, gaming and streaming by night? Defeating Wi-Fi dead zones is more important than ever. A mesh network system can help, and these are the best we've tested.

www.pcmag.com

 

[M.S.G.]

Bill just went back up to $200 with DirecTV, maybe on Friday I call and threaten to cancel.. If they are willing to offer me $75 or so off the bill I'll stay but it's just so hard to justify paying that much for just regular cable plus HBO. I mean, yes, convenience is a big deal but I can get 90% of what I need from YouTubeTV at $125 lesser. At this point in my life a $200 bill isn't the end of the world, really at this point it's more about the principle than anything.

Question for YouTubeTV people, I have that Hulu/Disney/ESPN bundle - will my YouTubeTV login give me the OTA ESPN stuff on the app, or will I need to login with my in-laws Spectrum account to get that?