Cord Cutters | Page 8 | The Boneyard

Cord Cutters

GemParty

Co~host of the Sliders & Curveballs Podcast
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
3,156
Reaction Score
6,012
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?
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
6,075
Reaction Score
9,030
I’ve officially dumped DirecTV after something like 17 years and started with HULU Live. My $196 monthly bill is now $49.99. Don’t feel like I’m missing anything but I’m sure something will pop up eventually on HBO or Showtime that will get me to pay the extra $$$ for one/both of those. I’m also poaching Netflix and Amazon Prime from my mom and Sling (although I’m not sure that gets me anything I don’t have in HULU Live) from my girlfriend. Wish I would have done this sooner.


Internet and TV??
 

MTHusky

UCONN Grad class of 1970, living in Brookings OR
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
751
Reaction Score
1,921
These CATV bills are bs! So how do I get all the wierd pay channels that my wife thrives in w/o CATV???
if you are referring to HGTV and cooking channels, most shows are on YouTube, not YouTubetv. Quality not so good but wife is satisfied and saving is large.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
2,580
Reaction Score
7,042
Basically you download the app FakeGPS on your Android phone and then open it and move the location in the app to where you want to be. Them hit play. It will spoof your location while the app is running. Then open YouTubeTV and go into settings and change your local viewing to your new location. It will use that spoofed GPS location and all local channels will appear on your new guide
Thx
 

Husky25

Dink & Dunk beat the Greatest Show on Turf.
Joined
Sep 10, 2012
Messages
18,505
Reaction Score
19,477
People who poach or trade services do not give a true representation of their cost to cut the cord. For instance, regular Hulu and Netflix subscriptions start at $9 and $11/month, respectively and $20 in total. There is a net savings of at least $9 for the discouraged, but allowed, practice of password sharing. Irrespective of the whispers that content providers are considering cracking down on sharing passwords, some don't have that ability in the first place.

I did a quick and dirty calc of the true cost for my family to cut the cord a few weeks ago, because my Comcast contract is coming to an end and we will be going month-to-month at the same price. I already have my own wireless router/gateway, two everyday smart TVs, plus a Chromecast and Roku. We have a little used "dumb" TV in the basement and our original HDTV is collecting dust in storage.

Even if I were to pick and choose the most cost-effective combination to best emulate my wants and desires, (including but not limited to premium channels, favorite sports teams, Boston area, UConn, and Washington Redskins, and probably most important, a DVR.). I would save about $20, giver or take. Instant access is worth something, as is the X1 platform, and Xfinity Stream app which makes any handheld device a de facto TV. At the end of the day. The router/gateway will pay for itself in a matter of months and I could save another $10 by returning the auxiliary box on the aforementioned little used TV and just make it fulltime Roku or Chromecast.
 
Joined
Dec 3, 2013
Messages
1,056
Reaction Score
2,732
People who poach or trade services do not give a true representation of their cost to cut the cord. For instance, regular Hulu and Netflix subscriptions start at $9 and $11/month, respectively and $20 in total. There is a net savings of at least $9 for the discouraged, but allowed, practice of password sharing. Irrespective of the whispers that content providers are considering cracking down on sharing passwords, some don't have that ability in the first place.

I did a quick and dirty calc of the true cost for my family to cut the cord a few weeks ago, because my Comcast contract is coming to an end and we will be going month-to-month at the same price. I already have my own wireless router/gateway, two everyday smart TVs, plus a Chromecast and Roku. We have a little used "dumb" TV in the basement and our original HDTV is collecting dust in storage.

Even if I were to pick and choose the most cost-effective combination to best emulate my wants and desires, (including but not limited to premium channels, favorite sports teams, Boston area, UConn, and Washington Redskins, and probably most important, a DVR.). I would save about $20, giver or take. Instant access is worth something, as is the X1 platform, and Xfinity Stream app which makes any handheld device a de facto TV. At the end of the day. The router/gateway will pay for itself in a matter of months and I could save another $10 by returning the auxiliary box on the aforementioned little used TV and just make it fulltime Roku or Chromecast.

The up front cost of cord cutting is more expensive because you have to have the Rokus or Chromecasts or what have you. But those costs are a one time cost, where you are renting the boxes from the cable company every month for a fee. Then you are renting the modem/router for around $12/month where I live. Those are crazy fees on top of the taxes that you pay for your cable provider.

My instance.
5 Rokus $25 a piece
$60 modem (owned for about 4 years now)
$150 router (owned for over 7 years)
$35/month (YouTubeTV)
$13/month (Netflix)
$5/month (Amazon prime student version)
$60/month (Comcast 150mbps internet)

About $113/month cost with no taxes.

My sister in law pays for Hulu at $12 a month.

I did add Powerline adapters to my house with multiple other routers so I can get WiFi around the house. About another $100 spent on that.

With the Xfinity platform I was going to spend at least $200 after my 2 year deal ended with the triple play.

I fully cut the cord about 2 years ago. Started with DirecTV Now which was and still is a joke.

Definitely saving money every month. So $85 savings a month times 24 months pays for everything that I bought already or had to buy in order to cord cut.
 

Husky25

Dink & Dunk beat the Greatest Show on Turf.
Joined
Sep 10, 2012
Messages
18,505
Reaction Score
19,477
The up front cost of cord cutting is more expensive because you have to have the Rokus or Chromecasts or what have you. But those costs are a one time cost, where you are renting the boxes from the cable company every month for a fee. Then you are renting the modem/router for around $12/month where I live. Those are crazy fees on top of the taxes that you pay for your cable provider.

My instance.
5 Rokus $25 a piece
$60 modem (owned for about 4 years now)
$150 router (owned for over 7 years)
$35/month (YouTubeTV)
$13/month (Netflix)
$5/month (Amazon prime student version)
$60/month (Comcast 150mbps internet)

About $113/month cost with no taxes.

My sister in law pays for Hulu at $12 a month.

I did add Powerline adapters to my house with multiple other routers so I can get WiFi around the house. About another $100 spent on that.

With the Xfinity platform I was going to spend at least $200 after my 2 year deal ended with the triple play.

I fully cut the cord about 2 years ago. Started with DirecTV Now which was and still is a joke.

Definitely saving money every month. So $85 savings a month times 24 months pays for everything that I bought already or had to buy in order to cord cut.

Sort of my point. 1) To do a proper comparison, the up front costs plus after set up upgrades should be amortized. 2) Not everyone is eligible for a student Amazon prime account and you will presumably out-age your eligibility as well. 3) You also don't look to have a few services that I would consider vital (e.g. DVR). 4) if I were to cut the cord, I'd research and acquire a quality VPN service.

Back to my 1st paragraph...Sharing passwords is a form of piracy. I not saying I don't condone it (I do it too). It's allowable in that (unlike torrent sharing) there is not so much a slap on the wrist. I read an article where Netflix all but explicitly stated that shared passwords eventually leads to more customers. My point is, those carry real costs to those unable, for whatever reason, to do it.

Overarching is that cutting the cord may not (yet) a worthwhile endeavor for everyone. Like any other form of entertainment, one must weight the cost/benefits.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
6,300
Reaction Score
13,939
If you want to watch sports legally, cable is still the way to go imo. After you get all the services you need to watch live sports it's the same price as cable or close enough to it that the convenience factor is worth it
I was paying about $130 a month for some basic cable. For $60 a month from PsVue im getting all BSPN channels, Cbs sports, SNY,NESN and Yes. Also DVR.

I also have Netflix and Hulu which I dont pay for but that is on borrowed time because Youre not going to be able to just share passwords pretty soon.
 

CL82

2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champions
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
56,511
Reaction Score
206,273
These CATV bills are bs! So how do I get all the wierd pay channels that my wife thrives in w/o CATV???
That, my friend is the issue. My wife's addiction to to HGTV has been a major stumbling block for the CL82 household cord cutting effort.

Hulu TV has the shows but is a crappier product than Youtube TV and has less sports.

My suggestion, verizon high speed $35/mo, Youtube TV $40/mo and regular Hulu
$9/mo?) which has a HGTV and a bunch of similar shows on demand.
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
20,574
Reaction Score
48,954
I was paying about $130 a month for some basic cable. For $60 a month from PsVue im getting all BSPN channels, Cbs sports, SNY,NESN and Yes. Also DVR.

I also have Netflix and Hulu which I dont pay for but that is on borrowed time because Youre not going to be able to just share passwords pretty soon.
So $60, plus let's call it $20 for Netflix and Hulu. So that's $80. How much do you pay for internet?
 
Joined
Dec 3, 2013
Messages
1,056
Reaction Score
2,732
Sort of my point. 1) To do a proper comparison, the up front costs plus after set up upgrades should be amortized. 2) Not everyone is eligible for a student Amazon prime account and you will presumably out-age your eligibility as well. You also don't look to have a few services that I would consider vital (e.g. DVR). 3) if I were to cut the cord, I'd research and acquire a quality VPN service.

Back to my 1st paragraph...Sharing passwords is a form of piracy. I not saying I don't condone it (I do it too). It's allowable in that (unlike torrent sharing) there is not so much a slap on the wrist. I read an article where Netflix all but explicitly stated that shared passwords eventually leads to more customers. My point is, those carry real costs to those unable, for whatever reason, to do it.

Overarching is that cutting the cord may not (yet) a worthwhile endeavor for everyone. Like any other form of entertainment, one must weight the cost/benefits.

YouTubeTV has DVR and is unlimited unlike other platforms that have an hour limit on the recordings.

Even if I don't qualify for the Amazon student price that is only $5 more per month and if Hulu wasn't shared it would add $12/month to my bill. Which would still be around $60-$70 cheaper per month than the comparable package I had before.

And most people that have cable, I presume, already subscribe to either Amazon or Netflix so you are then adding that cost on top of what Comcast charges.

I've tried to get my parents to do it, but they are set in their ways and don't want to switch. Even though it would lower their cost as well.
 

GemParty

Co~host of the Sliders & Curveballs Podcast
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
3,156
Reaction Score
6,012
That, my friend is the issue. My wife's addiction to to HGTV has been a major stumbling block for the CL82 household cord cutting effort.

Hulu TV has the shows but is a crappier product than Youtube TV and has less sports.

My suggestion, verizon high speed $35/mo, Youtube TV $40/mo and regular Hulu
$9/mo?) which has a HGTV and a bunch of similar shows on demand.

Look at Philo- $16 for a bunch of channels including food, hgtv, lifetime.
 

GemParty

Co~host of the Sliders & Curveballs Podcast
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
3,156
Reaction Score
6,012
A reset of my question from a page ago. I just recently cut. Is a terabyte enough or will I need more data? I understand Roku when off, still uses your data. Family of three. 2 TVs & some weekend Xbox play.
 
Joined
Dec 3, 2013
Messages
1,056
Reaction Score
2,732
A reset of my question from a page ago. I just recently cut. Is a terabyte enough or will I need more data? I understand Roku when off, still uses your data. Family of three. 2 TVs & some weekend Xbox play.

I have a family a 3 including me. Everything is WiFi connected. Phones, laptops, desktops, 5 TV's, thermostat, Google homes, 5 Rokus (3 on all the time even TV is off), and others. Routinely have family over and the highest I hit was 891GB in January. I'm blaming that on the holidays. Every other month was below 700. And I watch a lot of TV.
 

GemParty

Co~host of the Sliders & Curveballs Podcast
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
3,156
Reaction Score
6,012
I have a family a 3 including me. Everything is WiFi connected. Phones, laptops, desktops, 5 TV's, thermostat, Google homes, 5 Rokus (3 on all the time even TV is off), and others. Routinely have family over and the highest I hit was 891GB in January. I'm blaming that on the holidays. Every other month was below 700. And I watch a lot of TV.

Excellent. Thank you
 

Uconnrick

Twisted, but still lovable.
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
543
Reaction Score
912
Its a little bait and switch re ESPN+ and ESPN3. I have a DirectTVNow Go Big pacakge. It originally gave me ESPN3, but then it was cut. I pay for ESPN+. But I cannot get any ESPN3 content, such as the ACC Network so I am blacked out of the UCONN UVA game today. I expect the carriers to keep pulling moves like that, there will always be something you can't always get what you want for cord cutters
I had DTV NOW also but dumped them for PS Vue as soon as they stopped offering ESPN 3. It costs more but works soooooooo much better.
 

Husky25

Dink & Dunk beat the Greatest Show on Turf.
Joined
Sep 10, 2012
Messages
18,505
Reaction Score
19,477
YouTubeTV has DVR and is unlimited unlike other platforms that have an hour limit on the recordings.

Even if I don't qualify for the Amazon student price that is only $5 more per month and if Hulu wasn't shared it would add $12/month to my bill. Which would still be around $60-$70 cheaper per month than the comparable package I had before.

And most people that have cable, I presume, already subscribe to either Amazon or Netflix so you are then adding that cost on top of what Comcast charges.

I've tried to get my parents to do it, but they are set in their ways and don't want to switch. Even though it would lower their cost as well.
I personally would not make such presumptions, but glad it works for you.
 
Joined
Aug 5, 2017
Messages
3,228
Reaction Score
7,901
Has anyone ever heard of: VIA STREAM

We went to our local Home Show this weekend and there was a booth offering this service. The salesman said you pay a one time annual fee (discounted at the show at $300) and then renew annually at $150.
For that you get the little access device and with it get access to all channels around the world for just the one time fee.
Since it sounds too good to be true, I went to their website and the info there is very sketchy. It appears they're saying you can get any program available on the internet and all can be recorded in the cloud. So it implies we'd get SNY, etc. At the show he clicked on his device and brought SNY's live programming up (at least it appeared to be live programming) and scanned through page after page of sports programming channels from around the world.
 

David 76

Forty years a fan
Joined
Nov 8, 2013
Messages
6,131
Reaction Score
15,089
I looked at the 5 major providers. You Tube looked good but lacked food and Hallmark which my wife wants. So the penultimate Playstaion package looks best for us.
Am I missing something and what would be my one time costs?
We now pay $300 a month for Comcast with HBO, a land line which we will drop and internet. This would cut it in half minus whatever I need to buy to transition.
 
Joined
Dec 3, 2013
Messages
1,056
Reaction Score
2,732
I looked at the 5 major providers. You Tube looked good but lacked food and Hallmark which my wife wants. So the penultimate Playstaion package looks best for us.
Am I missing something and what would be my one time costs?
We now pay $300 a month for Comcast with HBO, a land line which we will drop and internet. This would cut it in half minus whatever I need to buy to transition.

Depending on what kind of tvs you have. If you have basic HD tvs without them being smart, then I think Rokus are the best alternative. There are many different options for rokus, but I have the cheapest you can buy and some of them are even refurbished from amazon and they work perfect. That is your only start up cost unless you don't own your modem/router.

How much does the playstation vue cost per month including all of you FUFU channels?
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
6,300
Reaction Score
13,939
So $60, plus let's call it $20 for Netflix and Hulu. So that's $80. How much do you pay for internet?
I don't pay for Netflix and Hulu but yes about $20. My internet is $96 a month. So in total im paying $156 a month compared to $220+ with less channels.
 

David 76

Forty years a fan
Joined
Nov 8, 2013
Messages
6,131
Reaction Score
15,089
IIRC, $70 or 80 a month. Unlimited recording. Would cover our 4 tvs and allows up to 6 accounts. I'm stuck with the fufu but she is worth it.
 
Last edited:

temery

What?
Joined
Aug 14, 2011
Messages
20,265
Reaction Score
37,123
I just checked my cable bill and notice "Other charges" being $12. What the hell are "other charges?"
 

Online statistics

Members online
565
Guests online
3,775
Total visitors
4,340

Forum statistics

Threads
155,779
Messages
4,031,373
Members
9,864
Latest member
Sad Tiger


Top Bottom