Amazon had a deal a while back where for $299 you got the Roamio OTA and lifetime service... I snagged it as fast as I could...
Yes normally they do have a monthly fee if you don't have a lifetime subscription..
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Does anyone only have AppleTV - no cable?
- Thread starter nighthawk67
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Amazon had a deal a while back where for $299 you got the Roamio OTA and lifetime service... I snagged it as fast as I could...
Yes normally they do have a monthly fee if you don't have a lifetime subscription..
I pay around $15 a month for Tivo, but only paid $50 for the box brand new at BestBuy. I like it because you can set up Hulu, Showtime, Netflix and Amazon Prime to work through the Tivo. When you search for a program it will combine and list all the streaming and OTA services where a show is available. Pretty slick.
I started with Tivo after dropping Directv. It worked pretty good except when needing to hook up several TVs. I eventually gave Tablo a second look and glad I did. Tablo is more money up front but only $5 month. After a free trial, I did the lifetime for $150 and that works for any new box you need as they go bad unlike Tivo. I still have the Tivo hooked to the main tv, I have Roku's at every tv that get Tablo's signal. Roku is better than Tivo for streaming imo, so I never used it for that. Did Tivo ever get Vudu?
Although I never really had an issue with Comcast, it was a hassle to have to renew the 'contract' every six months or so when the rate changed (always up). I've reached a point in my life where broadcast tv doesn't interest me as much. My wife likes baseball , so MLB on Apple TV isn't a bad deal and since I figured I've saved approximately $ 4,000 over the last 3 years. I'm able to get some OTA with rabbit ears...My haven't we made progress. Don't miss cable and all the 300 channels I could watch.
I did just sign up for 3 months of the new Direct TV. No contract and I get a ATV4 free, so actually saved a few bucks. Wife can have some Christmas specials that she likes to watch and I can cancel in March and have a new ATV with a $50 savings.
For the past 4 years I had an ATV3 with just internet (own modem, so save money on there as well) and OTA antenna for the main TV stations. Subscriptions first to Netflix, later added Hulu. Costs about $62.
Now I signed up for the ATV4 DirecTVNow deal, so my costs are $35 higher. Want to try it out, usually we are fine watching the first set up.
Now I signed up for the ATV4 DirecTVNow deal, so my costs are $35 higher. Want to try it out, usually we are fine watching the first set up.
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ATV4 (2), no cable\Sat for about 2 years now.
- Tablo OTA DVR connected to a rooftop antenna for local channels.
- DirecTVNow (how can you go wrong, $105 ATV4 and Free service for 3 months).
- Netflix is heavily used in my house.
- For ripped content, Infuse - doesn't require anything special on Macs and PCs (like Plex).
- iTunes for Music, and AirPlay for miscellaneous.
I have Roku with machtv service from eBay (don't ask look it up).
Just added Apple TV free from directvnow and use Netflix, Hulu, CW, and hbogo
Just added Apple TV free from directvnow and use Netflix, Hulu, CW, and hbogo
I have OTA for local football games and Sling for ESPN, ESPN 2, TNT for basketball, and guess those will take care of the Bowl games.
In 2006 I moved to a rural location back in the woods with no cable. I used to watch many hours of cable TV before that, but decided to wait until I missed it before getting a dish. More than 10 years later, I still don't miss it. My Verizon DSL rarely tops 1 mbit/sec so streaming is not an option. But it's all good, I have found better ways to spend time.
Over the years I built a large library of DVD's however, and have them all in iTunes now. I watch these on two AppleTV 3's and that is really all I need (although I wish they were faster). Not interested in sports, so that isn't an issue.
Over the years I built a large library of DVD's however, and have them all in iTunes now. I watch these on two AppleTV 3's and that is really all I need (although I wish they were faster). Not interested in sports, so that isn't an issue.
Sounds like you guys all have great set-ups, I do have a firestick from Amazon which I never use because my Wi-Fi is too slow to watch anything that I can stream from that on Kodi - haven't used my firestick in months, but my dreadful Wi-Fi is through At&t and is wrapped up in our DirecTV package. My Wi-Fi connection is the whole reason I started to think about this anyway because I was going to switch to TWC because they provide faster internet where I live, but started thinking about not needing cable at all because I only watch TV shows on Netflix, I pay for Amazon Prime, but I have honestly never watched anything on it.
Sports is my only major concern, but I think there are ways to watch through Kodi, but I would have to figure that out, which I'm sure there are many tutorials out there, my Wi-Fi has been holding me back from that until now when I switch.
Now for another small dilemma - I have basically 3 rooms in my house that I watch TV in, my bedroom, my living room, and my theatre room.
My watching goes like this..
bedroom - 40% Just watch shows before bed which is when I do a majority of my watching
living room - 10 % Honestly don't watch TV a lot anyways so when I do it's mostly sports
theatre room - 50% Mostly watch sports and movies
In my bedroom I stream Netflix on my Xbox one and I will probably just stick with that in there, but should I put my firestick in my theatre room since that's where I do about half my watching and where I would want to watch sports at too? So what should I go with for my living room watching?
So sounds like I'm going to go from paying $250/month DirecTV/Internet bill to paying for
-High speed internet ?
-Netflix (already pay for anyway) $10
-amazon prime (already pay for anyway) $10
So a lot of savings to be had here
Sports is my only major concern, but I think there are ways to watch through Kodi, but I would have to figure that out, which I'm sure there are many tutorials out there, my Wi-Fi has been holding me back from that until now when I switch.
Now for another small dilemma - I have basically 3 rooms in my house that I watch TV in, my bedroom, my living room, and my theatre room.
My watching goes like this..
bedroom - 40% Just watch shows before bed which is when I do a majority of my watching
living room - 10 % Honestly don't watch TV a lot anyways so when I do it's mostly sports
theatre room - 50% Mostly watch sports and movies
In my bedroom I stream Netflix on my Xbox one and I will probably just stick with that in there, but should I put my firestick in my theatre room since that's where I do about half my watching and where I would want to watch sports at too? So what should I go with for my living room watching?
So sounds like I'm going to go from paying $250/month DirecTV/Internet bill to paying for
-High speed internet ?
-Netflix (already pay for anyway) $10
-amazon prime (already pay for anyway) $10
So a lot of savings to be had here
I have only an Apple Tv along with an antenna and a few Silicon Dust HDHR tuners. Combined with EyeTV and the excellent Channels app i've not missed having cable for the last 5 years for one split second.
I've been using only Apple TV for a couple of years now. It's getting much, much better for scripted shows. For live events, including sports, it's still more of a hassle than it should be.
I have ESPN through Sling, so I can see any game on ESPN or ABC. CBS made college football still difficult, having a live broadcast on my phone app for the SEC game of the week but nothing for Apple TV. I've heard that such events will be rolled into the CBS $6 subscription plan through the CBS app, but that's still a little pricey for The Big Bang Theory and maybe six football games per year I want to see.
The new TV app seems to have promise once more support is added. I would especially love for Comedy Central and ESPN to get in that ASAP.
@Michael CM1, which Sling tier do you subscribe to? If it is the Blue tier you should be able to use your credentials to log into the Watch ESPN app and get all the channels. Also, have you looked at the Fox Sports Go app? I believe you can use your Sling credentials to sign into that app as well. Alternatively you can subscribe to the Blue tier to get the Fox regional sports networks.
ATV4 w/ no Cable here. Here's the key: you need a family member or friend who has cable is is willing to let you "borrow" their login information. This has given me access to baseball & some NFL through the fox sports go app, football through ESPN (college & MNF) and soccer and some college football through the NBCSports app. Everything else (basically any NFL game on CBS) is via an antenna. I really don't miss much and now I save ~$70/mo. It's glorious.
I do. I have Apple TV4, two Apple TV 3's and two Roku's.
Sling TV. Works just fine besides an occasional once a week if that issue with a channel not connecting. I've saved around $80 a month on everything. Use my family's Netflix, HBO Go, etc. Only pay for 30mbs internet for $29 a month and $30 for sling that has the sports package. Don't let internet providers upsell you on MBS either, I have a zillion streaming devices, a roommate streaming, and have never had an issue.
Sling TV. Works just fine besides an occasional once a week if that issue with a channel not connecting. I've saved around $80 a month on everything. Use my family's Netflix, HBO Go, etc. Only pay for 30mbs internet for $29 a month and $30 for sling that has the sports package. Don't let internet providers upsell you on MBS either, I have a zillion streaming devices, a roommate streaming, and have never had an issue.
We have ATV4 and ATV3 (soon to be replaced with the ATV4). We cut the cord back in January and have not been missing it at all. I recently signed up for Directv Now, so we're able to watch live TV, but mainly to access On Demand content. Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, Starz and HBO Now apps account for the majority of shows/movies that we watch.
For sports, I have MLB.TV and NHL.TV subscriptions. For college football and NFL, I usually watch over the air or via the WatchESPN app (have parents cable login).
Again, we are not missing cable at all and we're able to watch essentially everything we want as well.
For sports, I have MLB.TV and NHL.TV subscriptions. For college football and NFL, I usually watch over the air or via the WatchESPN app (have parents cable login).
Again, we are not missing cable at all and we're able to watch essentially everything we want as well.
So I pay about $200 for cable and internet. I think I may be able to save, about $30 per month cutting the cord but I am not sure if it is worth it yet. People keep mentioning on here what they pay for cable, but I think you should include the cost of their internet connection also since it is all reliant on that.
This is a great point. I agree that you have to look at cord cutting from 3 angles: TV, internet, and phone. Oftentimes, having a bundle of the 3 is far less costly, and by pulling away from any 1 of the 3 you lose a lot of discounting. As an example, my mother-in-law's cable company actually increased her monthly expense when she bought her own modem and wanted to cancel phone. Crazy.
Agreed.
Cord-cutting just doesn't save enough money to make it outweigh the inconvenience. In the big picture, saving $100 a month is the equivalent of what I spend on a single nice dinner with my wife and kids. I'd rather live without that once a month then live with skechy a-la carte TV programming whose rules and content change with the wind.
BJ
We were without cable using primarily Apple TV (Netflix/Hulu) from 2010 up until recent. Lately I've been alternating between Vue (personal favorite), Sling and DirecTV Now. I enjoy the variety of programming, but have been contemplating cutting back to basics again since Comcast stiffed me with the $50 unlimited data fee. It all adds up to a hell of a bill.
I see your point. In the end, it's all going to come down to personal preferences. There's been tons of threads on this topic and the answer is always the same - it works for some, not for others. The fact that someone pays $200/mo for cable and internet is crazy to me. $80/mo for 100mps DL speed I think is the sweet spot for cutting cable. But, if you crave the convenience of cable, then maybe cutting the cord isn't going to work for you.
This is a good point also. I think internet prices have come down, but I like to keep towards the highest speeds because my roommate does a lot of online gaming and I stream a lot of 4K content. I have enjoyed the on demand feel and have liked using online only services such as Sling and DirectTV Now. I will eventually move that way in 2017 if I can figure out the sports part.
It's not a matter of craving the convenience of cable. It's a matter of not being comfortable with the unpredictability and inconvenience of the apps designed to replace cable. I think the model needs a few years to settle in before people like me make the move.
And more than that, for those budgeted for $200 a month and used to spending $200 a month, it's got to be more than financial savings to get us to cut the cord. There needs to be some breakthru feature to make it worthwhile. I've got Verizon FiOS and am very happy with the programming, UI, and picture quality. The apps I get for free with my $225 bundle like HBO Go, Showtime Anytime, STARZ, AMC, etc. etc. satisfy my need for on demand viewing as does my $12 Netflix subscription. Not to mention the $4.99 movie rentals via Apple themselves.
Apple TV as a platform for these apps on a paid cord-cutting basis will offer me what? Anything? Or just saving a few bucks I don't need?
BJ