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Cutting the 'cable'..

R

RWil85

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 2, 2010
587
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Don't have too many 'techie' friends - so, figured I'd turn here..

What are you guys doing for home internet/TV/phone [phone not really necessary - but, seems to be bundled in for free/cheaper anyway] ??

Paying wayyy too much (IMO) opinion for Verizon Fios - price was alright at the outset, but then has ballooned over time as 'promotions' have dropped off - I'm sure many here are aware of the nonsense I'm speaking of.

Anyway, contract is up in a couple of weeks and I'm done with the thievery/deceit and would like to contemplate other (cheaper) options. I've read about the PS Vue and a few other avenues to maybe head down - would just like to know if anyone has already been through this and could offer some info as to what might be my best bet. Thanks!

In case it's relevant - I'm in the New York area.
 
I'm thinking about it. We watch like 5 regular channels AMC, TCM, CNN, Hallmark and MSNBC and pay about $120 a month for the package. I wonder how hard it is to find AMC and MSNBC online?
 
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Have Comcast for internet alone. Runs about $50 a month. Use Dish for TV and DVR and that runs about $99, ( newbies can get a cheaper deal). Over the air HD has improved over the years and I know a number of people who have HD TV's and over the air. Only drawbacks I see with that is recording of shows without a DVR. Know quite a few who have cut the TV cord and gone with just high speed internet and then did the AppleTV/Roku thing and Netflix/Amazon/etc. They all seem reasonably satisfied with the results. Guess it's really a matter of how much TV you consume. We watch a few shows, but the DVR is nice because we don't do marathon watches and it's nice to be able to scroll through and catch them at our convenience.
 
As far as what actual TV offers, I've recently came across Sling TV (while searching for a movie) and that seems to provide an online subscription service for various channel packages.
 
18 month cut from DirecTV, best decision ever. We have very specific, limited shows we watch, and we've had no trouble finding them through various sources, monthly subs (HBOGo), etc. Locals from a $20 Amazon Basics indoor "leaf" style antenna.
 
If you have more than one service provider in the area call up Verizon, tell them to cut your price or you're switching to the other guys.
 
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Huntn said:
I'm thinking about it. We watch like 5 regular channels AMC, TCM, CNN, Hallmark and MSNBC and pay about $120 a month for the package. I wonder how hard it is to find AMC and MSNBC online?
Click to expand...

AMC? It's like pulling teeth. They have a streaming package, but it requires you to have access to their channel through your TV provider.

It's so annoying. Streaming taking over cable and satellite is all but an inevitability by this point, yet you still have these occasional networks that won't budge unless they're dragged kicking and screaming into the future.
 
A.Goldberg said:
If you have more than one service provider in the area call up Verizon, tell them to cut your price or you're switching to the other guys.
Click to expand...

Ha.

I'm going to give it one more try now - but, I told the Verizon rep that I'm not renewing/staying unless the price is significantly reduced - she put me on hold for five minutes - then came back and offered me $4.94 off my current monthly bill.

I laughed, said thanks and hung up.
 
Renzatic said:
AMC? It's like pulling teeth. They have a streaming package, but it requires you to have access to their channel through your TV provider.

It's so annoying. Streaming taking over cable and satellite is all but an inevitability by this point, yet you still have these occasional networks that won't budge unless they're dragged kicking and screaming into the future.
Click to expand...

HBO is starting to see the light with their Go service, but they are still over priced as compared to something like Netflix which is eating their lunch imo. It's very hard to justify this kind of cable expense $120 for a package force on us as compared to what we watch. I remember the good ole days when my cable bill was $15 a month and I thought that was expensive compare to my rabbit ears. :p

I just looked up these, but don't have time to read them right now. Obviously the goal is to keep the cost of ala cart streaming below what the cable company charges for their package.

I may see some light here:
http://www.cutcabletoday.com/amc-live-stream/
AMC: http://www.cutcabletoday.com/amc-live-stream/
MSNBC: Sling.com
Hallmark: https://www.feeln.com/supported-devices
TCM: http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/
 
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RWil85 said:
Ha.

I'm going to give it one more try now - but, I told the Verizon rep that I'm not renewing/staying unless the price is significantly reduced - she put me on hold for five minutes - then came back and offered me $4.94 off my current monthly bill.

I laughed, said thanks and hung up.
Click to expand...

Update:

Called and got someone from 'cancellation dept' - explained to him that I'm having another provider come to hook me up tmrw and I played stupid and asked how I should go about cancelling, etc - he politely explained and told me to have a good day. Didn't even ask why haha
 
RWil85 said:
Update:

Called and got someone from 'cancellation dept' - explained to him that I'm having another provider come to hook me up tmrw and I played stupid and asked how I should go about cancelling, etc - he politely explained and told me to have a good day. Didn't even ask why haha
Click to expand...
Sounds like someone essentially did their job.
 
C DM said:
Sounds like someone essentially did their job.
Click to expand...

I hear you, 100%.

I was shocked, though - as I expected the usual game of twenty questions and was hoping for maybe a promotional price on the way out. Oh well.
 
Netflix, and Hulu here mostly...

However with the amount of available content or separate channels u sign up to, u may as well be paying for Pay TV about the same price for basic package anyway..

Only difference is the same amount *but* content u actually want, vs not every pat tv channel is worth it.

To me, that's better than a day on the beach. :) (literally)
 
Netflix, Amazon Prime video, and Sling ($20 package) for me. Cut cable 6 months ago and never miss it. Saved over $120 per month. NFL Network now on Sling too!
 
Wife is out of town. Just talked to her and got the Go Signal. Will add these up as per my previous post and see what Suddenlink will do to my pricing when I dump cable and keep internet and security service. This might be exciting! :):)
 
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Huntn said:
HBO is starting to see the light with their Go service, but they are still over priced as compared to something like Netflix which is eating their lunch imo. It's very hard to justify this kind of cable expense $120 for a package force on us as compared to what we watch. I remember the good ole days when my cable bill was $15 a month and I thought that was expensive compare to my rabbit ears. :p

I just looked up these, but don't have time to read them right now. Obviously the goal is to keep the cost of ala cart streaming below what the cable company charges for their package.

I may see some light here:
AMC: http://www.cutcabletoday.com/amc-live-stream/
MSNBC: Sling.com
Hallmark: https://www.feeln.com/supported-devices
TCM: http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/
Click to expand...


Ok actively researching this. Tomorrow I'll call Suddenlink (my cable company) and verify how much my internet will go up when it's not bundled with cable. I'll also have to up my internet data plan.

* Sling TV has a pretty good deal 40+channels for $25 per month that includes AMC, CNN, Hist, NBC, MSNBC, Fx, SyFy, NatGeo, USA, even Adult Swim. Roku Apple TV. :):)

? Feel'n carries Hallmark, $5.99/month, $36 per year, but I'm not sure if they have the shows my wife watches regularly Frasier, and Golden Girls. Yes, I know, these shows are ancient. :oops:Have sent them a message asking for a complete lineup of shows. I don't know if it would be the same lineup as through cable? Available Roku, Apple TV.

? Turner Classic Movies: A rumor that it can be found on Sling TV, but unverified. Also so a reference to it on Apple TV, but can't find it there.
 
I would go OTA antenna, if I could, but we live too far from the stations.

Careful with SlingTV. I have a couple of friends who cancelled because of spotty service, especially with live sports.

Also keep an eye on home ISP data caps. These days ISP's--like SuddenLink for example--have quietly implemented caps for lower tier speeds. Around here, $50Mbps runs about $50/mo but has a 250GB cap. If one wants a tier without a cap, one has to upgrade to the 200Mbps tier.

YMMV
 
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willmtaylor said:
I would go OTA antenna, if I could, but we live too far from the stations.

Careful with SlingTV. I have a couple of friends who cancelled because of spotty service, especially with live sports.

Also keep an eye on home ISP data caps. These days ISP's--like SuddenLink for example--have quietly implemented caps for lower tier speeds. Around here, $50Mbps runs about $50/mo but has a 250GB cap. If one wants a tier without a cap, one has to upgrade to the 200Mbps tier.

YMMV
Click to expand...

Good to know about the Sling TV. I'll just stick to the OTA antenna. :) That's good enough for me.
 
BTW, for OTA-ers, the HDHomerun is a _super_ slick device that connects to your antenna, then provides 2 tuners (depending on model), that stream the OTA signal into your home network. So then you can have a single antenna connection that can be viewed on more than one device (without having to run antenna cable), and that includes devices without a tuner! Apple TV 4, other streaming devices, tablets, phones, there's even a DVR app so you can use your computer to record shows then share them back out across the network.

About $89 on Amazon.
 
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Huntn said:
Ok actively researching this. Tomorrow I'll call Suddenlink (my cable company) and verify how much my internet will go up when it's not bundled with cable. I'll also have to up my internet data plan.

* Sling TV has a pretty good deal 40+channels for $25 per month that includes AMC, CNN, Hist, NBC, MSNBC, Fx, SyFy, NatGeo, USA, even Adult Swim. Roku Apple TV (4th generation) :):)

? Feel'n carries Hallmark, $5.99/month, $36 per year, but I'm not sure if they have the shows my wife watches regularly Frasier, and Golden Girls. Yes, I know, these shows are ancient. :oops:Have sent them a message asking for a complete lineup of shows. I don't know if it would be the same lineup as through cable? Available Roku, Apple TV.

? Turner Classic Movies: A rumor that it can be found on Sling TV, but unverified. Also so a reference to it on Apple TV, but can't find it there.
Click to expand...

Ok for anyone interested, it's a done deal.
Just chucked cable.
My June 2016 Suddenlink bill was $196.87.
- That bill included- TV, Tivo, Internet, Home security.
* Upped my internet from 50Mbps (250GB data per month) to 200Mbps, (unlimited data).
* Kept monitored security system.

New Price: $95.27
That's a saving of approx $100 that will be offset by Sling TV 40+ channels per month for $25.00 an Feel'n (Hallmark Network) $36 for a year.

I've also got TCM on SlingTV (I think), and PBS is free on Roku. As far as I can tell all the tv shows are available on demand. Just checked The Strain in FX (SlingTV) and the episode that aired last Sunday is there for viewing.

Total projected savings per month: $67+ plus I'm really liking how SlingTV presents shows for watching, a SLEW of movies, which I had to dig for on Suddenlink, and my internet just got a big kick in the pants. :D

Misc Info- My bedroom has a Roku- Internet Wifi capable Blue Ray player hooked to the TV. I'm set I think.

Any downside? :cool:

Apple TV or Roku or Both?
You might need both.
Apple TV has App support. TV streaming apps like ABC.com can be used to watch current season episodes, where on Roku you may see a cable provider required message, meaning if you don't have a cable account, the content won't be available for viewing on Roku.
Roku has Amazon Video where Apple TV offers their own videos, no Anazon.

Sites:
* Cutcabletoday: http://www.cutcabletoday.com/
* Feeln- https://www.feeln.com/supported-devices.
* Netflix- All ready have.
* Sling TV: https://www.sling.com 40+ for $25 per month. AMC, CNN, Hist, NBC, FX, SyFy, NatGeo, MSNBC. Roku and Apple TV. Note: Sling TV requires a 4th gen Apple TV.
- Sling TV Options
- Orange Package- $20
- Blue Package- $25 (includes all of Orange)
- MSNBC: World News Package: $5.
- Turner Classic Movies: Hollywood Package: $5.

Specific Channels:
AMC- http://www.cutcabletoday.com/amc-live-stream/
How to Watch AMC Online without Cable
1. See which streaming services offer an AMC live stream — Sling TV and PlayStation Vue.
2. Compare their offerings to see which streaming service is a better fit for you.
3. Sign up for a free trial to test out the streaming service.
4. Download the app on your streaming device (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox, iOS or Android phone/tablet, computer, etc.)
5. Open the streaming app and watch AMC online.

ABC- get the latest version of Apple TV (4th generation) with App support to find current season episodes for streaming. A case where AppleTV > Roku.
Hallmark- https://www.feeln.com/supported-devices.Apple TV, Roku.
MSNBC- Sling TV: http://www.cutcabletoday.com/msnbc-live-stream/
PBS- http://www.cutcabletoday.com/watch-pbs-online/ found on Roku.
TCM: http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/. This site says it’s available on Sling TV? http://www.rokuguide.com/articles/sling-tv-adds-turner-classic-movies-ae-history-and-more
 
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Huntn said:
Ok for anyone interested, it's a done deal.
Just chucked cable.
My June 2016 Suddenlink bill was $196.87.
- That bill included- TV, Tivo, Internet, Home security.
* Upped my internet from 50Mbps (250GB data per month) to 200Mbps, (unlimited data).
* Kept monitored security system.

New Price: $95.27
That's a saving of approx $100 that will be offset by Sling TV 40+ channels per month for $25.00 an Feel'n (Hallmark Network) $36 for a year.

I've also got TCM on SlingTV (I think), and PBS is free on Roku. As far as I can tell all the tv shows are available on demand. Just checked The Strain in FX (SlingTV) and the episode that aired last Sunday is there for viewing.

Total projected savings per month: $67+ plus I'm really liking how SlingTV presents shows for watching, a SLEW of movies, which I had to dig for on Suddenlink, and my internet just got a gbig kick in the pants. :D

Misc Info- My bedroom has a Roku- Internet Wifi capable Blue Ray player hooked to the TV. I'm set I think.

Any downside? :cool:

Sites:
* Cutcabletoday: http://www.cutcabletoday.com/
* Feeln- https://www.feeln.com/supported-devices.
* Netflix- All ready have.
* Sling TV: https://www.sling.com 40+ for $25 per month. AMC, CNN, Hist, NBC, FX, SyFy, NatGeo, MSNBC. Rook and Apple TV. Note: Sling TV requires a 4th gen Apple TV.

Specific Channels:
AMC- http://www.cutcabletoday.com/amc-live-stream/
How to Watch AMC Online without Cable
1. See which streaming services offer an AMC live stream — Sling TV and PlayStation Vue.
2. Compare their offerings to see which streaming service is a better fit for you.
3. Sign up for a free trial to test out the streaming service.
4. Download the app on your streaming device (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox, iOS or Android phone/tablet, computer, etc.)
5. Open the streaming app and watch AMC online.

Hallmark- https://www.feeln.com/supported-devices.Apple TV, Roku.
MSNBC- Sling TV: http://www.cutcabletoday.com/msnbc-live-stream/
PBS- http://www.cutcabletoday.com/watch-pbs-online/ found on Roku.
TCM: http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/. This site says it’s available on Sling TV? http://www.rokuguide.com/articles/sling-tv-adds-turner-classic-movies-ae-history-and-more
Click to expand...
Nice write-up. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.
 
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