Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I feel you, I wait until the season finale of Game of Thrones and subscribe to HBO for one month and binge watch the entire season, same with Showtime once a year for Billions. Otherwise, I'm fine with Netflix (paid for by T-Mobile), Hulu ($11.99 a month), and Amazon Prime (again I'd pay for it anyway). The most expensive thing is my internet, as I have gigabit ($73 a month), but I work from home so that's technically a work expense. If there's anything I really want to watch live, I go to a bar.

Wow, that much for gigabit service is a great deal. I’m paying 50 for 100x100 fiber.
[doublepost=1552423098][/doublepost]
Tell that to my friends that live 15 miles east of me and don't get any locals by antenna because they are in a wooded area.

Sounds like they just need a bigger antenna!
 
My TV service wishlist is really basic. Let me pick the local channel feeds I want to watch. I see no reason to stop someone in CA from watching NY TV. Or Someone in TX from watching their WY local news. This would also solve the issue where we want to watch sports that aren't broadcast in my area because the game is on at the same time on the same channel.
 
I am an early adopter "go big" subscriber... Guess I'll see the $10 rise. :( I am at $50/mo now cause I added HBO and a third stream, so $60 now o_Oplus $16/mo Netflix(4 streams) = $76 but the way I make it worth it is splitting costs with two adult children who live independently. So for less than $20/mo each we all get Go Big, HBO and Netflix. This is what you couldn't get away with on cable... The ability for different households to share an account...

We also share a $15 Google play music account and $100 for 5 lines cricket wireless account.

Also use a TiVo with lifetime paid plan for ABC nbc CBS fox and cw over the air channels with DVR, which ironically is most of what I watch!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: KPandian1
Was thinking about doing this. Can you still get ad free Hulu?

Yes, you can, but that's even more money. So far, though, I've found that using the traditionally Hulu service with ads isn't yielding a ton of ads. Sometimes, none at all. So I haven't worried too much about no longer having the ad-free service. But it is available.
 
Can't wait until someone comes up with a competitively priced all la carte live TV streaming plan with local channels. I'd be the first to sign up and ditch DTVN.

Someone already did - TiVo.

Yes, a significant percentage of the population does not have access to OTA signal - so a basic subscription with a cablecard serves as an alternative way.

To the people living (the Pittsburg suburb post earlier) just in the fringe zone, try a better antenna, replace the pine trees (too tall) with deciduous trees. Maybe even spring for a professional antenna installation - worth the cost in the long run.

I don't watch live TV anymore, except playoffs; actually the finals. Even then I can and do freeze the telecast and take breaks.

TiVo is like spending upfront for the iPhone these days - cheaper in the long run.

They are not that ambitious though. So many decades in the business, still no streaming package. Imagine being able to record their programs on a DVR located at home and not in Ukraine; you get to keep the recording for life and it is not just 20 hours long. Plus, the controls are better, with no buffering.

Once, apartment complexes had roof top antennas that fed each apartment. Is that not a thing anymore?

Real recommendation and looking for similar experience for affirmation - I prefer the Bolt to the Vox. Vox is glitchy and responds with significant lag to remote commands, often more than a minute.
 
Last edited:
Doesn't Sling also have Scripps/Viacom with Sling Blue + Comedy Extra?

Yeah, but Sling is severely lacking in cable news too. CNN is the only cable news channel offered...puke. Might as well read The Onion.

No CNBC, no Fox News/Fox Business. DTV Now is the only one that offers multiple cable news channels, scripps channels, and viacom channels to my knowledge.
 



Eight months after DirecTV Now raised the prices of all streaming plans by $5/month to stay in line with the market, the company is this week warning customers that it's increasing the prices again, this time by $10/month across the board. The company will reportedly begin implementing this price hike in the next billing cycle for customers, starting in April (via Cord Cutters News).

directv-now-apple-tv-4k-offer.jpg

This means that DirecTV Now's basic "Live a Little" tier will rise from $40/month to $50, "Just Right" will increase from $55/month to $65, "Go Big" will increase from $65/month to $75, and "Gotta Have It" will increase from $75/month to $85. The Spanish language Todo y Más package will also increase from $45/month to $55. There will be no changes to channel availability in these plans.

In addition to all of this, DirecTV Now is introducing two new plans that will be available to new customers signing up for the service, instead of the five previously mentioned plans. These new plans are "DirecTV Now Plus" ($50/month for 40+ channels) and "DirecTV Now Max" ($70/month for 50+ channels). While the new plans include HBO at no additional charge, they are missing a number of channels from the previous plans including ones from Viacom, Discovery, A&E, and AMC.

New customers will only see these two new plans, but it appears that anyone signed up for DirecTV Now on one of the five original plans will be able to keep their subscriptions intact, albeit at a $10 higher monthly price tag.

directv-now-price-hike-march.jpg

Image via Reddit user plgdg


As a point of comparison, the new DirecTV Now Plus plan priced at $50/month compares directly to the Live a Little plan at its new $50/month cost, but the number of channels available is different. New customers signing up for DirecTV Now Plus will get 40+ channels, while existing customers get 65+ channels for the same $50/month price. This information can be seen on a screenshot of DirecTV Now's price comparison charts (via Reddit).

It was reported in January that DirecTV Now lost as many as 267,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2018, attributed to the closure of several discount bundles that were heavily featured on the service's website, including the popular Apple TV bundle. This month, DirecTV Now gained support for Apple's TV app, allowing users to sync their TV shows watched in DirecTV Now with the Up Next list in the TV app.

Article Link: DirecTV Now Raising Prices for All Plans by $10/Month Starting in April
[doublepost=1552508787][/doublepost]I will be canceling my account...I have the least expensive the $55 plan (and get $25 off a month so I pay $30...from AT&T for the cellular plan/package I have) and they removed that package and the one below it...even though I pay less I hardly ever use it so bye bye I watch mostly on demand...
 
I got the email from them today. Lame.
Starting today, DIRECTV NOW℠ is offering new packages, PLUS and MAX. Each package has a different channel lineup than what you currently have, and both include HBO®.

Go Big is yours to hang on to, even though it’s not available to new customers. However, because programming costs continue to rise, your package will be increasing $10/mo beginning 05/07/2019. As a long-time streamer and early-adopter of DIRECTV NOW, you have an exclusive deal on your Go Big package and continue to save $25/mo on access to over 100 channels.

To see if these packages are a better fit, check out our comparison tool to help make the differences clear. If you do choose a new package, you won’t be able to get Go Big back or the discount you’re used to.

Thank you for streaming with us.

Sincerely,
Your DIRECTV NOW Team
 
Got my email today as well, but weirdly enough the change isn’t going into effect until July... I’m not really sure wtf to believe now and comparing my Live a Little package to the Plus and Max channels (I get a discount for having unlimited data and HBO is included) I’d actually be *losing* a bunch of channels.

Again, WTF is AT&T doing??
 
Got my email today as well, but weirdly enough the change isn’t going into effect until July... I’m not really sure wtf to believe now and comparing my Live a Little package to the Plus and Max channels (I get a discount for having unlimited data and HBO is included) I’d actually be *losing* a bunch of channels.

Again, WTF is AT&T doing??

Yeah, in my email it states that my change does not take place until September 11. My billing date is the 10th of each month, so if they keep that the same, I will not have to pay the $10/month price hike until October. Fine by me! There have been a bunch of posts about the varying amount of times people will have to pay the $10/month.

:apple:
 
Yeah, in my email it states that my change does not take place until September 11. My billing date is the 10th of each month, so if they keep that the same, I will not have to pay the $10/month price hike until October. Fine by me! There have been a bunch of posts about the varying amount of times people will have to pay the $10/month.

:apple:

Lol I mean great for us for sure, but just doesn’t make any sense: “hey we need to increase costs, but only for a select few now and the rest over time”?? Just seems like there’s no real rhyme or reason why they’re increasing prices just “well because we can and what are y’all going to do about it?!” Smh
 
  • Like
Reactions: SRLMJ23
I got the email yesterday as well but my increase starts next month. I think I’ll stick around a little longer but if there’s another increase in 8 months again I will be jumping ship.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stoopkidblues
I am confused by all of this...
Will they be completely dropping HGTV and ID for ALL customers, or only new customers? The email I received from DTVN included a link to our package and the new packages comparison. It makes it look like we will still have those 2 channels, but I'm still confused.

We have the Live A Little package. The only reason we went with DTVN is that it was the only service who offered both of those channels on the same tier.

And help is appreciated.
[doublepost=1552666543][/doublepost]
I am confused by all of this...
Will they be completely dropping HGTV and ID for ALL customers, or only new customers? The email I received from DTVN included a link to our package and the new packages comparison. It makes it look like we will still have those 2 channels, but I'm still confused.

We have the Live A Little package. The only reason we went with DTVN is that it was the only service who offered both of those channels on the same tier.

And help is appreciated.

UPDATE: Please disregard. I did some researching and found my answer. my channels will not be changing. For now...
 
UPDATE: Please disregard. I did some researching and found my answer. my channels will not be changing. For now...

Correct. The only change for existing customers is a $10 increase to your bill, and that if you drop a premium add-on channel like HBO it will be a higher price to re-add it later on.

For now. Realize you will be on borrowed time, and there is no guarantee how long they will grandfather the existing plans and/or how long until they again raise prices. The prior $5/mo price increase was just a few months ago.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stoopkidblues
Lol I mean great for us for sure, but just doesn’t make any sense: “hey we need to increase costs, but only for a select few now and the rest over time”?? Just seems like there’s no real rhyme or reason why they’re increasing prices just “well because we can and what are y’all going to do about it?!” Smh
Most likely a public relations strategy. AT&T had time after the initial news broke to observe the reactions before they sent out their official notices. With some people having a longer period before the dissatisfying change, I have about 7 weeks, AT&T is probably going with the assumption that if people aren't pressured they'll calm somewhat and lose the motivation to complain/unsubscribe or even forget about it entirely. Basically, AT&T's probably hoping a staggered, slower approach reduces the number of people willing to jump ship, so to speak.
 
Most likely a public relations strategy. AT&T had time after the initial news broke to observe the reactions before they sent out their official notices. With some people having a longer period before the dissatisfying change, I have about 7 weeks, AT&T is probably going with the assumption that if people aren't pressured they'll calm somewhat and lose the motivation to complain/unsubscribe or even forget about it entirely. Basically, AT&T's probably hoping a staggered, slower approach reduces the number of people willing to jump ship, so to speak.

You’re probably right because now that mine has been pushed to July I’m not *as* likely to cancel (for now). And I understand price increases are inevitable business practices, I just don’t think we appreciate that in less than a year there’s yet another increase with no real justification.

But I’m willing to keep my Live a Little plan a little longer since it offers so much more than the new plans smh
 
I don't really know what the fascination is for people to get a streaming plan with local channels. Local channels are, well, local. All you need is an antenna and you get them for free.
That's an oversimplification, and for many people it's simply not true.
Correct.

In my case, the apartment complex, only about a year old, I currently reside in has an external antenna and there are no taller buildings, etc nearby. We can receive a usable signal for CBS, ABC, and FOX/FOX+. However, NBC, CW, PBS, and very possibly a few other major networks/channels I'm not recalling at the moment have far too weak of a signal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: deeddawg
Correct.

In my case, the apartment complex, only about a year old, I currently reside in has an external antenna and there are no taller buildings, etc nearby. We can receive a usable signal for CBS, ABC, and FOX/FOX+. However, NBC, CW, PBS, and very possibly a few other major networks/channels I'm not recalling at the moment have far too weak of a signal.


I know friends that use antennas (not the super expensive ones) and a snowstorm, heavy rain, thunderstorms, and even strong winds can cause the picture to get "snowy" or the sounds breaks up, and the worst case scenario is using the picture completely. At least when you have your local channels through whatever streaming service you are using or cable, you do not have to worry about any of that effecting your local channels.

I still do not have ANY local channels in DirecTV Now, but I am somewhat optimistic that they will be coming soon as they just added our Regional Sports Networks about two weeks ago or so. I do not know if RSN's and local channels are tied together in anyway as far as contracts and negotiations go but I am hoping by late August, the start of college football season, they will have at least ABC. About half of the Ohio State Football games are on ABC, and I used to be able to watch them on ESPN3 (which is just ESPN content on ABC you could watch in the ESPN App), but halfway through the damn season DirecTV Now and Disney (who owns ESPN & ABC) could not agree on terms for a contract or something and DTVN dropped support for ESPN3! Really irritated me, but I used my 7 day free trial of Sling (that supports ESPN3) to get through Bowl Week.

I just signed up for CBS All-Access (got the first two months for $2.99) for March Madness and The Masters, but once those are over I will cancel that. However, CBS All-Access does allow me to watch my local CBS station live so I get local news and content as well. Hopefully over the summer DTVN adds some local channels, like ABC and NBC! Since my $10/month price hike with DTVN does not go into effect until October, I do not mind paying for CBS.

:apple:
 
I am confused by all of this...
Will they be completely dropping HGTV and ID for ALL customers, or only new customers? The email I received from DTVN included a link to our package and the new packages comparison. It makes it look like we will still have those 2 channels, but I'm still confused.

We have the Live A Little package. The only reason we went with DTVN is that it was the only service who offered both of those channels on the same tier.

And help is appreciated.
[doublepost=1552666543][/doublepost]

UPDATE: Please disregard. I did some researching and found my answer. my channels will not be changing. For now...

I'm on Sling blue ($25 / month) and I get HGTV and ID.
 
Most people don't put in the effort to get their OTA (over the air) antenna to work. Don't expect it to work by just plugging it in.

1) Get an amplified indoor antenna (you plug it into an electric outlet).
2) Check out the websites that shows your position in relation to the transmitter towers. The antennas are directional so you need to decide between which channels you want.
3) The antenna seems to work best near a window (even if the tower is not in that direction. A sliding glass door works best).
4) Connect the antenna with it facing in the direction of the towers you want to receive and elevate the antenna. I purchased a large wooden drying rack and mounted the antenna on a screw on one end of it. That way I could easily try different antenna locations / orientations and it elevated the antenna.
5) Spend a lot of time trying different antenna locations and orientations. I spent 4 - 6 hours until I got the best placement. I live 35 - 40 miles from the transmission towers, on the wrong side of the building (in relation to the transmission towers) and with trees all around and I get about 30 OTA channels.
[doublepost=1552709169][/doublepost]
How do you like it? Sling is the main competitor I've been looking at.

It's ok.

I never have had buffering issues (25 Meg connection) but there are people who have an issue with it.

It has a free trial so my advice is to give it a try to see if meets your channel requirements and it works for you.

Unless you absolutely need ESPN and the Disney channel, get Sling Blue.
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.