Could ESPN Go Over the Top?

[UCFBfan]

I feel like I need a cord cutting adviser to help me figure all this crap out. I think this is why cable will hold on for awhile. It takes a lot to try and figure all of this out and what the bottom line comes to in order to get there. Are there actual savings or not....that's where it comes down to.

 

[calluke]

How many TVs can you run it on? I assume you would need a separate DVR if you wanted to tape anything?

Currently they only allow one device at a time. But you can download app on as many devices you want or through a roku stick on any tv. You can't record but most channels Allie you can view any show from the last 3 days on demand.

 

[calluke]

I feel like I need a cord cutting adviser to help me figure all this crap out. I think this is why cable will hold on for awhile. It takes a lot to try and figure all of this out and what the bottom line comes to in order to get there. Are there actual savings or not....that's where it comes down to.

Feel free to pm me with any questions. I'll try my best to help.

 

[huskypantz]

I feel like I need a cord cutting adviser to help me figure all this crap out. I think this is why cable will hold on for awhile. It takes a lot to try and figure all of this out and what the bottom line comes to in order to get there. Are there actual savings or not....that's where it comes down to.

I think it really depends on your situation. The only thing I absolutely want to watch LIVE is UConn football and basketball. They're on a number of channels. Until I can get all of the channels, I am not breaking away.

 

[UCFBfan]

Feel free to pm me with any questions. I'll try my best to help.

Appreciate the offer. When I get more serious about it I'll look ya up

 

[Chin Diesel]

I ended up going hybrid. I tried Sling TV for a few months but it was a push $$$$wise.

I kept basic cable- straight line in to my TV. I get networks and basic cable stuff.

We use Amazon Fire TV and pay Hulu and Netflix.

Still saving almost $90/mo compared to Gucci cable package and three DVR's.

 

[UCFBfan]

So I was talking to my wife last night about this and she obviously thought I was nuts. So I started rattling off all the things we pay or and DON'T watch. Then she brought up the true point that we don't watch any TV shows live. We watch a lot but it's all off our DVR. All the shows are on Network TV so losing the cable channels is no issue and an HD Antennae solves that issue and get us all the networks. However, is there something to use to record TV? Or does Hulu or Netflix carry recent episodes of shows?

I'm 35 and feel like I'm 60 talking about this. Outside of some social media stuff, this might be the first time I feel disconnected from technology. I always felt tech savvy but this whole thing makes me feel like my parents and in-laws who still can't figure out how to turn on the TV and switch the input to the DVD player so my girls can watch a movie!

 

[billybud]

I pay near $300 a month....but that is for Comcast cable and internet, Direct TV and a Verizon hot spot. Add in telephones and data with Verizon and that is another $226 a month.

 

[J187Money]

So I was talking to my wife last night about this and she obviously thought I was nuts. So I started rattling off all the things we pay or and DON'T watch. Then she brought up the true point that we don't watch any TV shows live. We watch a lot but it's all off our DVR. All the shows are on Network TV so losing the cable channels is no issue and an HD Antennae solves that issue and get us all the networks. However, is there something to use to record TV? Or does Hulu or Netflix carry recent episodes of shows? I'm 35 and feel like I'm 60 talking about this. Outside of some social media stuff, this might be the first time I feel disconnected from technology. I always felt tech savvy but this whole thing makes me feel like my parents and in-laws who still can't figure out how to turn on the TV and switch the input to the DVD player so my girls can watch a movie!

The problem is that there will always be something you want on Hulu that won't be there. If you can live with that, fine. There is more content than you can consume. We probably watch Hulu and Netflix 70 pct of the time. But the 30 pct of the time we are watching TV it is stuff the family considers crucial. And most of it is non network.

The two TVs in the basement aren't hooked up to our DTV. One is a Roku TV and the other one is hooked to an Apple TV. But not sure I can give it up for the bedroom and living room. Addicted to the NFL Package.

 

[UCFBfan]

The problem is that there will always be something you want on Hulu that won't be there. If you can live with that, fine. There is more content than you can consume. We probably watch Hulu and Netflix 70 pct of the time. But the 30 pct of the time we are watching TV it is stuff the family considers crucial. And most of it is non network.

The two TVs in the basement aren't hooked up to our DTV. One is a Roku TV and the other one is hooked to an Apple TV. But not sure I can give it up for the bedroom and living room. Addicted to the NFL Package.

We just reupped our contract so I think we'll wait until it's up again to really look into this. I'm sure the landscape will change even more and cord cutting techniques will have increased and improved.

 

[huskypantz]

Hmmm, I have verizon fios, here is my monthly breakdown:

• $88 - TV extreme bundle (no premium movie channels, most sports channels except for SNY and a few other regionals)
• $30 - 25/25 internet
• $27 - 2 HD STB's, one with DVR
• $12 - taxes/fees for cable internet
  
• $4 - phone with ooma (just taxes/fees, no actual charge)

So $157 for cable and internet. (2 cell phones is about $130 total). How does that compare to non-cord cutters here?

 

[calluke]

So I was talking to my wife last night about this and she obviously thought I was nuts. So I started rattling off all the things we pay or and DON'T watch. Then she brought up the true point that we don't watch any TV shows live. We watch a lot but it's all off our DVR. All the shows are on Network TV so losing the cable channels is no issue and an HD Antennae solves that issue and get us all the networks. However, is there something to use to record TV? Or does Hulu or Netflix carry recent episodes of shows?

I'm 35 and feel like I'm 60 talking about this. Outside of some social media stuff, this might be the first time I feel disconnected from technology. I always felt tech savvy but this whole thing makes me feel like my parents and in-laws who still can't figure out how to turn on the TV and switch the input to the DVD player so my girls can watch a movie!

The only way to really know if it will work for you is to try it. Sling, Hulu, and Netflix all offer at least a 1 week free trial. And if you like Sling I believe they are offering a free Roku stick (which allows you to watch Sling on your TV) if you prepay the first three months after your trial. But with no contract with any of them there is really nothing to lose by trying it out.

 

[calluke]

Here's what I've got rolling if this helps any non-cutters out there decide...

All of my local channels, CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, FOX, plus 59, 20, 24, and others (HD antenna) = $0/month
ESPN, ESPN2, AMC, A&E, TBS, TNT, HGTV, Food, Disney, ABC Family, Lifetime, CNN, + more (Sling TV) = $20/month
All current shows I like on demand the day after they air (Hulu) = $8.99

 

[Nostical]

We watch a lot but it's all off our DVR. Is there something to use to record TV?

Sure, it's called TIVO. I have it and it's the best DVR of them all.

 

[Chin Diesel]

One of the first things you have to do is decide what type of streaming is your go to.

Basics are Amazon, AppleTV, Roku and Chromecast.

My family has Amazon Prime already so that was easy. We bought two Fire TV sticks. They were about $40 each. Our other room has an Xbox One so that has all the apps loaded on it.

So your streaming device is a one time sunk cost and you are done. With that you get all the Amazon TV products, prime movies, music, ability to synch photos, videos, etc.

Feel free to look up comparisons of all the main streaming.

Amazon Prime is $99/year (possibly cheaper for promotions) or $8.50/month
Netflix and Hulu are about $10/month (I'm too lazy to look it up. I think one is actually $7.99 and the other is $10.99)

For me with Cox cable in Florida, I was going to pay about $61/month for high speed internet. So my cost was:

$61/month internet
$8.50/month of Amazon Prime (Prorated plus all other benefits of Prime)
$10/month Netflix (Approximate)
$10/month Hulu (Approximate)

That's $90/month for us.

Here's where I had to make a choice. I needed antennas for networks and Sling TV to replace basic cable channels (TNT, TBS, USA, Food, Travel, Disney, etc) Sling TV is $20/month. I didn't need the sports package because I have Watch ESPN App and Fox Sports and a bunch of other apps. I have great unlimited sight lines for antennas but three of the networks are 50+ miles away and I was getting spotty reception with the antenna I bought (a mid-range or better model).

My cable company offered me a bundle of basic cable including all the networks in HD, basic phone service and internet for $91/month. So, it wasn't much more to keep the bundle compared to having HD antennas and Sling TV. We did try Sling TV for a month. It works fine. It just wasn't needed for us.

So, we were paying almost $220/month for a Cox bundle with three DVR's.

We now pay-

$91 Cox bundle
$8.50 Amazon Prime
$10 Netflix
$10 Hulu Plus

$120 total or saving almost $100/month.

My only blind spot right now is no CBS SN. I'm working on that.

Bottom line is that there isn't a right or wrong answer. The streaming services are great when you travel because they can usually be launched seamlessly from mobile devices.

For the record, since we switched over about a month ago my 13 year old son and 12 year old daughter live on Netflix.

 

[J187Money]

The devil's in the detail
Can I watch Sling TV on more than one TV (or other device) at the same time?
No. Unless you create more than one account, you cannot watch Sling TV on more than one device -- TV or mobile -- at the same time. The service is restricted to one stream at a time.

You can have more than one device registered to the same account, but if you're watching one and then begin streaming on another, the service makes you choose which single device to continue streaming.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The devil's in the detail
Can I watch Sling TV on more than one TV (or other device) at the same time?
No. Unless you create more than one account, you cannot watch Sling TV on more than one device -- TV or mobile -- at the same time. The service is restricted to one stream at a time.

You can have more than one device registered to the same account, but if you're watching one and then begin streaming on another, the service makes you choose which single device to continue streaming.

Nice catch. I wasn't aware of that and that probably would have been a showstopper in my house.

 

[whaler11]

Hmmm, I have verizon fios, here is my monthly breakdown:

• $88 - TV extreme bundle (no premium movie channels, most sports channels except for SNY and a few other regionals)
• $30 - 25/25 internet
• $27 - 2 HD STB's, one with DVR
• $12 - taxes/fees for cable internet
  
• $4 - phone with ooma (just taxes/fees, no actual charge)

So $157 for cable and internet. (2 cell phones is about $130 total). How does that compare to non-cord cutters here?

I have X1 from Comcast - which is pretty awesome. 5 tvs - 4 hd and dvrs. Every english speaking channel. 225$ w internet.

2 phones Verizon with 10 gb - $170.

The antennas are useless to me. Tried one - could only get 26 out of New London and 30.

 

[FDNY99]

Hmmm, I have verizon fios, here is my monthly breakdown:

• $88 - TV extreme bundle (no premium movie channels, most sports channels except for SNY and a few other regionals)
• $30 - 25/25 internet
• $27 - 2 HD STB's, one with DVR
• $12 - taxes/fees for cable internet
  
• $4 - phone with ooma (just taxes/fees, no actual charge)

So $157 for cable and internet. (2 cell phones is about $130 total). How does that compare to non-cord cutters here?

I have Fios as well...it's $185/month but I have 1 more STB and I get the movie channels/sports channels.

 

[UCFBfan]

See we have one TV in our house so I'm thinking right now it'd probably be close to a wash for us. We have one DVR and one TV set. We pay about 160 a month for cable and internet plus the one time RedZone fee we pay in September. Not having Red Zone is a non-starter for the wife, and me too. I think once our kids get older we'd be better off going the cord cutting route. Right now the kids watch PBS and only watch an average of 1.5 hours a day and only watch Sat and Sun (they're 1 and 3). So once they get older and we need more boxes/tvs/devices I think we'd be better off with doing this. Also, no SNY or CBSSN right now is a negative as well.

 

[Rappin'Rodney]

Anyone who subscribes to Sling, or who is considering Sling, may want to keep your eyes peeled for changes in Sling's terms of service. Apparently the company is considering allowing users to simultaneously stream content to multiple devices per single account. Sling TV Emphasizes On-Demand Content with New Interface, May Launch Multiple Streams This Year.

"Sling may add something else that its users have been requesting for some time: the ability to stream programming to multiple devices at the same time. Currently, Sling restricts every account to a single simultaneous stream, in part because its deal with Disney doesn’t allow for multiple streams. But Lynch told Variety that all of the company’s deals with other content partners allow for multiple streams, adding that Sling is now “exploring to do multiple streams" in the future."​

 

[J187Money]

Anyone who subscribes to Sling, or who is considering Sling, may want to keep your eyes peeled for changes in Sling's terms of service. Apparently the company is considering allowing users to simultaneously stream content to multiple devices per single account. Sling TV Emphasizes On-Demand Content with New Interface, May Launch Multiple Streams This Year. "Sling may add something else that its users have been requesting for some time: the ability to stream programming to multiple devices at the same time. Currently, Sling restricts every account to a single simultaneous stream, in part because its deal with Disney doesn’t allow for multiple streams. But Lynch told Variety that all of the company’s deals with other content partners allow for multiple streams, adding that Sling is now “exploring to do multiple streams" in the future."

Excellent. Just takes time to work out the rights models and business cases.

 

[CL82]

Hmmm, I have verizon fios, here is my monthly breakdown:

• $88 - TV extreme bundle (no premium movie channels, most sports channels except for SNY and a few other regionals)
• $30 - 25/25 internet
• $27 - 2 HD STB's, one with DVR
• $12 - taxes/fees for cable internet
  
• $4 - phone with ooma (just taxes/fees, no actual charge)

So $157 for cable and internet. (2 cell phones is about $130 total). How does that compare to non-cord cutters here?

If you call Verizon and threaten to drop them you can knock off @$55/mo. off of that. The Extreme bundle should have both SNY and CBSSN, if I recall correctly. I suspect with a little negotiation you could probably upgrade to a 50/50 stream as well.

 

[huskypantz]

If you call Verizon and threaten to drop them you can knock off @$55/mo. off of that. The Extreme bundle should have both SNY and CBSSN, if I recall correctly. I suspect with a little negotiation you could probably upgrade to a 50/50 stream as well.

Thanks for the info. My bundle has CBSSN, FS1, FS2 NBCSN among others all in HD. No SNY at all though. I am close to moving to a new home in a different town, so I don't think I can bargain with them unless they would move my account. If they would let me move my account AND I could bargain down as you are noting, that would be perfect. The good news is I'd get a promo deal for the first two years if I became a new customer.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

I pay a good amount for directv, but I consider it my luxury item. I have mlb and nfl packages (Yanks and ny giants fan living in NC), plus the sports pack. No movies. I make good money and no consumer debt or car payments, only my mortgage and monthly living expenses.

Maybe someday I'll switch to something else, right now I won't. I can definitely see why folks are cutting the cord. I am fairly frugal (cheap) about most things, just can't give up my directv.

 

[CL82]

Thanks for the info. My bundle has CBSSN, FS1, FS2 NBCSN among others all in HD. No SNY at all though. I am close to moving to a new home in a different town, so I don't think I can bargain with them unless they would move my account. If they would let me move my account AND I could bargain down as you are noting, that would be perfect. The good news is I'd get a promo deal for the first two years if I became a new customer.

Weird. I have the same bundle but have SNY and BTN. Just under $100/mo. with taxes and fees. Where do you live?

FWIW, they are now offering an upgrade of your bundle for $79/mo 50/50, 1 year premiums free and a $400 gift card. You should be able to get that your new place. My agreement is up in May, so I've started paying attention to what's out there.

 

[mavblues]

http://www.iptvtalk.org/ <===== for research and info

AVOV TV Online Box, plus Rocket IPTV subscription.

The IPTV channels aren't HD, but still pretty good. Lots of channels and cheap as hell.

Plus, you can load Kodi (XBMC) on the AVOV box for even more stuff.

I saw every Steelers game this year and I'm in Miami. Also got to watch Yes Network for the Yankees.

They just jacked the prices on the Rocket subs, but I bought a bunch (to get bulk pricing) and it worked out to about $19/yr. for each box.

I still keep a basic cable sub (as backup) with my internet.

 

[huskypantz]

Weird. I have the same bundle but have SNY and BTN. Just under $100/mo. with taxes and fees. Where do you live?

FWIW, they are now offering an upgrade of your bundle for $79/mo 50/50, 1 year premiums free and a $400 gift card. You should be able to get that your new place. My agreement is up in May, so I've started paying attention to what's out there.

Stoughton MA, just south of Boston. I have BTN, SECN, NFLN, and a bunch of others as well. Just no SNY. I even have some of the FS regional channels in SD.

 

[CL82]

Stoughton MA, just south of Boston. I have BTN, SECN, NFLN, and a bunch of others as well. Just no SNY. I even have some of the FS regional channels in SD.

Ah, I get it now. I'm in North Jersey. SNY is more of a local channel. You probably have NESN.