OT: Cutting the Cable?

[newbert]

I'm selling my house soon and downsizing to a townhouse. As a result, I want to simplify and cut some bills in the process. One of the most annoying bills I want to cut is Cable TV.

Right now, I have Time-Warner's TV-Phone-Internet bundle which costs me almost $200/month. After moving, I plan on dropping my landline and going with a streaming service for TV. (I'll still require internet, of course).

If any of you have gone this route, I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences. Specifically -

- Which TV streaming service(s) do you use? I'm not into movies, or much of "network" TV. But I watch sports, news, PBS documentaries, and only a few other channels. I also like to DVR what I watch, in order to skip the commercials. Which streaming service(s) would be best for me? I've heard that TW offers 10 channels of your choice plus local channels (all streaming) for only $23/month. but I have to verify that. And I'm not sure whether it includes DVRing or similar.

- Right now, I use a cheap pre-paid flip phone for my cell. That won't cut it if it'll be my only phone. So which phone and plan would you recommend for me? I am single and live alone, and I guess I'm part of the Apple iOS ecosystem since I own and use a few iPads. So I need a phone/plan just for me.

Remember - besides sticking it to the cable company, I want to save $$$ on my monthly bill. So does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks!

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Get your Internet service from the cable company. There is much available for downloading free, but more and more the really good stuff is tied to a cable or satellite subscription. I don't watch sports so I can't address that specifically, but channels like Discovery and National Geographic are not available without a cable or satellite subscription. At least not that I've been able to find that is legal. Many PBS shows and films are not available unless you have a membership with your local PBS station. A lot of stuff that is usually restricted is available after a time period or in lesser quality on YouTube. As far as streaming the only one I use on occasion is Vudu. It will rent and sell shows without having to have a monthly subscription like Netflix does.

Get a good OTA antenna based on your distance from transmitters. One service that has a lot of free stuff is Hoopla Digital. You subscribe to it by having an account at a public library.

You can cut your $200 bill, but not eliminate it!

[wyliec]

We have basic cable (no premium channels) and the internet. We had to have basic cable to have internet service. To view the extra channels that we lost when we cut the proverbial cable and got rid of the monthly charge, I have an android tv box that I paid around $80; there are cheaper models and more expensive models. With the android tv box, there is no monthly charge. You can view whatever you want with the android tv box connected to your tv, as long as you have internet service.

If you are not familiar with the android tv box, here's a short video:



Although the cable providers have been trying to shut down the use of the android tv boxes by legal means, they haven't succeeded.

[KosherKid]

I dropped able TV and bought a Fire Stick. With it you can subscribe to Hulu or DirectTV Now or SlingTV or CBS AllAccess, etc. to get the main channels and Sports. I have many channels including History or NatGeo as well as ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, etc. Even with all these subscriptions I saved about $75 a month from cable TV.

YMMV

[Bob Denman]

[trikermutha]

All depends where you live. They get you with packages etc. Comcast wants all your money even though you tell them you need to cut your monthly bill they will still try to sell you something higher. Shop around and pick what's best in your area. Some have a limit to how much internet usage you can use and then charge you for going over you limit. Think it time for me to argue with comcast again. Going to try just for internet but know where that going to take me. Well good luck on your search. Starting to w
Onder if verizon would be cheaper and just stick to regular TV again.

[Orange Spyder Man]

I am in the same boat as you .. cable is getting outragious... i plan to do something similar... so cannot comment on cablle... BUT.. i have Comsumer Cellular for my phone service... its much cheaper than most of the well known carriers... call them to check it out.. their prices for phones are hard to beat also & NO CONTRACT .... i have had Consumer Cellular for about 5 years... traveled the U.S. and never had a problem using my phone service with them..

[Culpjp]

I use Sling TV paired with a Firestick. Sling is nice, but you don't get the Discovery channel. The only channel I really miss. You can get a DVR option with Sling, but you can't fast forward through the commercials on every channel. Also many channels have lots of their shows on demand so you can watch them at anytime. With the Firestick and Kodi on it, I can watch movies and many tv programs for free. It's hit and miss in what you get, but for free I'm not going to complain too much.

[SNOOPY]

We have basic cable (no premium channels) and the internet. We had to have basic cable to have internet service. To view the extra channels that we lost when we cut the proverbial cable and got rid of the monthly charge, I have an android tv box that I paid around $80; there are cheaper models and more expensive models. With the android tv box, there is no monthly charge. You can view whatever you want with the android tv box connected to your tv, as long as you have internet service.

If you are not familiar with the android tv box, here's a short video:



Although the cable providers have been trying to shut down the use of the android tv boxes by legal means, they haven't succeeded.

This is guy is so annoying , couldn’t watch the whole thing. LOL

.

[ibdone]

CNet article on the advantages/disadvantages of various streaming svcs. Also, a compare spreadsheet. I went with Hulu Live because of the large selection of sports channels, history, discovery, etc. It's about $50 a month.

https://www.cnet.com/news/live-tv-st...rueAnthem&utm_

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1551881764

[Kiry]

I dropped able TV and bought a Fire Stick. With it you can subscribe to Hulu or DirectTV Now or SlingTV or CBS AllAccess, etc. to get the main channels and Sports. I have many channels including History or NatGeo as well as ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, etc. Even with all these subscriptions I saved about $75 a month from cable TV.

YMMV

Same here. Whatever speed internet you want to pay +Firestick (Or Roku, or smartTV or Xbox) + whatever streaming service

In my case, I have firestick + Hulu Live + Netflix + Amazon prime is well more than enough for me.

Saved about the same $80/month going this route. Cable is just too darn expensive for what it offers.

[Scotts8826]

Cutting cable won't be as traumatic as you think it will be. During the first week after we left cable I realized the tv was on most of the time as a habit. Just background noise. While there are a few shows on the more obscure cable channels that I miss, I don't miss them enough to go back.

I liked DirecTV Now but it did not carry my local Fox Sports station so I couldn't watch my local pro baseball team. I tried it this past spring when it had a trial run of $10 a month for three months. I ended up with YouTube TV because of the sports channel I wanted but I would go back to DirecTV Now if they began carrying it. I have Sprint as my phone carrier and they offer Hulu basic free as a benefit. We've always carried Netflix.

The only disadvantage is not having a comprehensive guide letting you know what is on at any one time. Since Netflix and Hulu are on-demand you have to search for what is available. A guide is available for your main streaming system. Lots of free additional apps out there, some you need to pay for, others are free with a verified streaming account. The nice thing is all the streaming services I looked at had a cancel at any time policy, so if you don't like it after a month or so, simply cancel. It is the cable company that will want a two year agreement. One more policy that adds a nail to their coffin.

So, my original monthly bill was $210 for basic cable, Netflix and Internet. I know have Internet, YouTube TV, Netflix, free Hulu and other tv apps for $120, saving almost $1,100 for the year.

[newbert]

CNet article on the advantages/disadvantages of various streaming svcs. Also, a compare spreadsheet. I went with Hulu Live because of the large selection of sports channels, history, discovery, etc. It's about $50 a month.

https://www.cnet.com/news/live-tv-st...rueAnthem&utm_

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1551881764

Thanks for those useful links! Great to see which channels are available on each streaming service.

I checked out a friend's set-up (Amazon TV). It includes lots of apps like Hulu, SlingTV, Netflix, etc. Since I'm already an Amazon Prime member, I think that I'll give that a try.

Thanks for all of the info, everyone!

[ByeSpyder]

Remember - besides sticking it to the cable company, I want to save $$$ on my monthly bill. So does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks!

Instead of asking for cord cutting comments on a motorcycle forum you might have better luck googling something like "cord cutters". Not disparaging Spyder riders but it stands to reason a board dedicated to the subject might be a better resource.

[newbert]

Instead of asking for cord cutting comments on a motorcycle forum you might have better luck googling something like "cord cutters". Not disparaging Spyder riders but it stands to reason a board dedicated to the subject might be a better resource.

Point taken - but this is the Off-Topic sub-forum, isn't it?

[ByeSpyder]

Point taken - but this is the Off-Topic sub-forum, isn't it?

I'm not suggesting your question is inappropriate for this forum but the people here are primarily Spyder owners/riders and most likely don't have the same level of understanding about the numerous options to cord cutters. That's all I am saying.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

My observation is those who have saved a bundle by cutting the cord, be it cable or satellite, are the ones who were subscribing to a bunch of extras or premium services. Those of us who have tended to subscribe only to the minimums don't get any real savings without sacrificing content. For example, I dumped Dish satellite and saved about $60/mo. That savings was reduced by a subscription to Pandora to replace the music stream of Dish. But I don't get Discovery, History, Nat Geo, Fox, MSNBC, and so on. Fortunately I don't miss most of those since I seldom watched them. But I did have to sign up for the local PBS station membership, $60/yr, to watch many of the newer and/or better PBS programs.

You can save money by cutting the cord, but mostly only if you were spending it excessively to begin with!

[Cleg]

I'm not suggesting your question is inappropriate for this forum but the people here are primarily Spyder owners/riders and most likely don't have the same level of understanding about the numerous options to cord cutters. That's all I am saying.

Looks to me that Ryder’s want to save and this ‘off topic’ page are going hand in hand...

[bikerbillone]

I cut the cord with cable, tried Dish, that was a disaster that cost me dearly, never again, but that's just me. I have internet from the cable company, then I have Fire Stick from Amazon, works fine for me. I was totally fed up getting screwed over, paying the big bucks, the increases every couple months for whatever reason they could think of, the commercials, and the list goes on. I've been doing just fine for over half a year now. Nope, I was not paying another day for an addiction that was aggravating and cost money, that did not make sense.

[Mazo EMS2]

We've done just that. We do get our internet service through Spectrum/Charter, but we gave up their TV about a year ago. There are now 17 local free digital channels to watch. We were watching the local networks every night anyway, so dumping the cable TV was a no-brainer. Their internet service is good, so we use that. We also dumped the landline. Cell service is very good and reliable here so it only made sense. The only consideration may be for an emergency response type service such as lifeline, that might require landline service. And I'm willing to bet that those types of services will be using cell service soon as well, if they don't already. You can also purchase multiple ways to watch TV. Hulu, Netflix...etc...Amazon even has a "Firestick" now, which can be sued to watch almost anything. My wife has an MLB acct so she can watch The Cubbies......that's another story...LOL...

[bikerbillone]

My observation is those who have saved a bundle by cutting the cord, be it cable or satellite, are the ones who were subscribing to a bunch of extras or premium services. Those of us who have tended to subscribe only to the minimums don't get any real savings without sacrificing content. For example, I dumped Dish satellite and saved about $60/mo. That savings was reduced by a subscription to Pandora to replace the music stream of Dish. But I don't get Discovery, History, Nat Geo, Fox, MSNBC, and so on. Fortunately I don't miss most of those since I seldom watched them. But I did have to sign up for the local PBS station membership, $60/yr, to watch many of the newer and/or better PBS programs.

You can save money by cutting the cord, but mostly only if you were spending it excessively to begin with!

For the record, I was not one of those that had foo foo 'premium' service, bare bones was my game, but still, I was not willing to contribute to the ongoing financial shenanigans of cable, Dish, etc. IMO, ya don't have be a 'premium user' to get fed up with cable, Dish, commercials every five mins, and financial manipulation, but as mentioned, that's just my opinion. Everybody has one. I totally respect anyone that chooses to buy into all the cable or satellite programs available.

[newbert]

I cut the cord with cable, tried Dish, that was a disaster that cost me dearly, never again, but that's just me. I have internet from the cable company, then I have Fire Stick from Amazon, works fine for me. I was totally fed up getting screwed over, paying the big bucks, the increases every couple months for whatever reason they could think of, the commercials, and the list goes on. I've been doing just fine for over half a year now. Nope, I was not paying another day for an addiction that was aggravating and cost money, that did not make sense.

Just received my FireStick today and am quite impressed with it! Very easy to set-up and picture quality over Wifi is excellent so far.

Got a few questions though:

1. Is there any way to watch local news on it? My local stations offer apps, so can these be accessed thru the FireStick?

2. For $$$ apps such as Hulu, SlingTV, etc, what are their monthly charges billed to? (Is it done thru Amazon somehow?) And is there a way of knowing what they will charge AFTER the free trial period expires? And will it automatically roll into a "charging" status after the trial expires, or do you get a warning before it happens?

Thanks!

[RapidSpyder]

As far as local channels go just get a good antenna from Best Buy or the like. I get 23 channels over the air for free.

[newbert]

Just received my FireStick today and am quite impressed with it! Very easy to set-up and picture quality over Wifi is excellent so far.

Got a few questions though:

1. Is there any way to watch local news on it? My local stations offer apps, so can these be accessed thru the FireStick?

2. For $$$ apps such as Hulu, SlingTV, etc, what are their monthly charges billed to? (Is it done thru Amazon somehow?) And is there a way of knowing what they will charge AFTER the free trial period expires? And will it automatically roll into a "charging" status after the trial expires, or do you get a warning before it happens?

Thanks!

Just a follow-up to my first reaction. Now that it's evening, I find that some of the streams (not all) are buffering - probably a lack of bandwidth with everyone home from work now.

My main experience tonight (first night of use) is that the whole paradigm is different from Cable TV. I'm used to pressing "menu" on the remote control to view a listing of what's playing on all available channels (Live TV) right now. Unless I'm mistaken, this doesn't seem possible with the FIreStick. I also don't see a way to record. These aren't complaints - just a new way of doing things for me to get used to. I'm still impressed as hell.

[RapidSpyder]

For recording you’d have to get a DVR still if I’m correct. I have a Channel Master to record off air programs, and it paid for itself within a few months. I really like Netflix, no commercials.