Following Launch of New App, Spectrum Users Can Get Apple TV for $7.50 per Month

[Aragornii]

It's a nice attempt and they should get credit for finally having a decent log in, but at this time it's pretty awful.

First, it's only 2-channel sound and the picture quality is pretty bad. It's like what watching TV was like 15 years ago.

Also, there's no pause live tv, no fast forward and rewind, and anything you watch on demand forces you to watch a lot of commercials. That's what watching TV was like 20 years ago.

There may be people that find a regular use for it but I imagine there will not be many.

 

[cmaier]

What a stupid affirmation.
Scrubbing with this remote is a joy, I don’t even remember how did we do it before. The track pad is top notch and acts as a Dpad if you tap it where the arrows would be.

The remote sucks. Who can even tell which end is up without staring at it in bright light for 5 seconds? Trackpad is imprecise for navigating the interface, but fine for scrubbing content.

 

[fairuz]

I seriously prefer the early 2000s cable boxes. Remote that actually has the buttons you need, ability to switch channels with zero lag time, ability to skip ads if you have a DVR. The Apple TV version is just worse. Also, the new cable boxes are worse because they do the same thing plus lag.
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It's a nice attempt and they should get credit for finally having a decent log in, but at this time it's pretty awful.

First, it's only 2-channel sound and the picture quality is pretty bad. It's like what watching TV was like 15 years ago.

Also, there's no pause live tv, no fast forward and rewind, and anything you watch on demand forces you to watch a lot of commercials. That's what watching TV was like 20 years ago.

There may be people that find a regular use for it but I imagine there will not be many.

But they give you the 4K Apple TV to watch it on?

 

[tharitm]

hoisyourdaddy said: ↑
In the past you needed to have a Spectrum cable box to keep your Silver or Gold level subscription.
A Spectrum rep confirmed today you can keep your existing Spectrum package without any of their boxes or cable cards IF you purchase a new Apple TV 4K from them directly either for $180 or the monthly deal. You also must have Spectrum Internet service.

Now it is up to you at that point to compare it to DirectTV Now, Playstation Vue, YouTubeTV etc to see who has a better deal. If you have a triple play with Spectrum for Phone and Internet then it may be worth it.

Wait so you need to get the Apple TV from them to use their service without the box? We can't use the existing Apple TV right?

 

[cmaier]

Wait so you need to get the Apple TV from them to use their service without the box? We can't use the existing Apple TV right?

No.

 

[RUQRU]

Wait so you need to get the Apple TV from them to use their service without the box? We can't use the existing Apple TV right?

Yes and no.

I have Apple TVs now that run the Spectrum app because I have a cable box DVR. So I have a Spectrum TV cable package,

If you want to run the Spectrum app without any of their cable boxes and keep a Spectrum TV package you need to buy ONE Apple TV 4K from them.

In the past they said you could not get Spectrum TV cable package without at least one box...now they are changing that if you buy an Apple TV 4K from them. You can then continue to use your other Apple TVs, ROKU or whatever else runs the Spectrum app with the cable package.

 

[w5jck]

I hope someone will do a Youtube comparison review of using the Apple TV and a Roku with the Spectrum TV app. A lot of the complaints I'm hearing concerning the ATV running the Spectrum app are not issues with my Roku Express running it, but the Roku version of the app has been around for many months and has likely been improved. With my Roku Express, the picture quality is as good as using the cable box, so less good than streaming Hulu or Amazon Prime Video which use true 1920x1080 compared to 720p upsized like most cable companies. With my Roku the channel lag is virtually non-existent as channels change faster than with the cable box. The Roku remote is certainly a lot better than my older ATV gen 3's remote. It takes a few moments to load the app and to load a channel, but nothing I wouldn't expect from a streaming service. I will say though that like any streaming service, there is a time delay between what is broadcast over the air and even on cable, so if you are watching a live sporting event keep in mind that the streaming is likely 30-60 seconds behind OTA.

Someone asked if it was worth getting ATVs to replace their cable DVRs. First, no recording on the ATVs or Rokus. Second, the ATV costs $180, so you would take 18 months to recoop your investment, but after that it is saving you $10+ per month. If you accept Spectrum's offer to buy one at $7.5/mo, then you will save about $2.50/month for the duration of the loan, then you would save $10+/month. I doubt Spectrum would finance more than one ATV per account though. Personaly, I would go with Roku Expresses at about $30 per unit for multiple cable box replacement. But again, currently there is no way to record on the ATV or Roku so no DVR service unles you keep one cable box.

As a cable box replacement for a second or third TV, I would say the Roku Express is a very good deal and if you are into the ATV then it likely would be too, but more costly.
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Yes and no.

I have Apple TVs now that run the Spectrum app because I have a cable box DVR. So I have a Spectrum TV cable package,

If you want to run the Spectrum app without any of their cable boxes and keep a Spectrum TV package you need to buy ONE Apple TV 4K from them.

In the past they said you could not get Spectrum TV cable package without at least one box...now they are changing that if you buy an Apple TV 4K from them. You can then continue to use your other Apple TVs, ROKU or whatever else runs the Spectrum app with the cable package.

Only the latest generation of ATV works with the app, or so I've heard. I know my 3rd gen doesn't work because it cannot add apps. You might be restricted to only the newest 4K ATV.

 

[RUQRU]

I hope someone will do a Youtube comparison review of using the Apple TV and a Roku with the Spectrum TV app. A lot of the complaints I'm hearing concerning the ATV running the Spectrum app or not issues with my Roku Express running it, but the Roku version of the app has been around for many months and has likely been improved. With my Roku Express, the picture quality is as good as using the cable box, so less good than streaming Hulu or Amazon Prime Video which use true 1920x1080 compared to 720p upsized like most cable companies. With my Roku the channel lag is virtually non-existent as channels are change fast than with the cable box. The Roku remote is certainly a lot better than my older ATV gen 3's remote. It takes a few moments to load the app and to load a channel, but nothing I wouldn't expect from a streaming service. I will say though that like any streaming service, there is a time delay between what is broadcast over the air and even on cable, so if you are watching a live sporting event keep in mind that the streaming is likely 30-60 seconds behind OTA.

Someone asked if it was worth getting ATVs to replace their cable DVRs. First, no recording on the ATVs or Rokus. Second, the ATV costs $180, so you would take 18 months to recoop your investment, but after that it is saving you $10+ per month. If you accept Spectrum's offer to buy one at $7.5/mo, then you will save about $2.50/month for the duration of the loan, then you would save $10+/month. I doubt Spectrum would finance more than one ATV per account though. Personaly, I would go with Roku Expresses at about $30 per unit for multiple cable box replacement. But again, currently there is no way to record on the ATV or Roku so no DVR service unles you keep one cable box.

As a cable box replacement for a second or third TV, I would say the Roku Express is a very good deal and if you are into the ATV then it likely would be too, but more costly.

Great points. I have been running the Spectrum app on ROKU for about a year. I think the ATV has better hardware and is faster but I agree the ROKU remote is much more simple to use. As I noted above, until now I have not been able to get rid of the DVR because I could not keep my TV package. So I may buy the ATV 4K for $180. The ROI is 6 months. They charge $20/m "DVR fee" plus $7.50 per cable box.

I got rid of most of the boxes and run ROKUs. My wife loves her ATV and the app runs fine from what I can tell. The ATV is more responsive than the ROKU but not an issue for me.

Since most of the shows I DVR are done to skip commercials I can record local OTA TV on my TABLO OTA DVR recorder. So if you watch locals on demand they disable commercial skipping so that is why you want a DVR.
All the shows without commercials on HBO, SHO etc are on-demand so no need to DVR those.

Bottom line, the deal with using the Apple TV 4k purchased from Spectrum so you can keep your TV package saves you some money by eliminating cable box fees. If you think Spectrum is too expensive then look at other OTT offerings. But this deal lets people who want the complete Spectrum TV lineup, including Premiums to save a few bucks.

 

[w5jck]

....They charge $20/m "DVR fee" plus $7.50 per cable box....

I have Spectrum in the Fort Worth area and they charge a bit differently. I'm currently having to pay $10/mo on my one DVR box, but I hadn't noticed the $20 DVR charge/mo, but the bill is totally unreadable sometimes. I had the Silver package and it was linked with the internet and landline phone for discounts for a year, but since the discounts expired I dropped the landline phone service (it sucked big time), and last year I wheeled and dealed with them to basically keep the Silver but without the premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc.) at a discounted price, but that is about to expire and the rate will go up about $30/mo, so I'm thinking about dropping them for a streaming service like DirecTV Now. Unfortunately they are the only company allowed to provide internet in my town so I have to keep that and since it won't be bundled it will increase by $35. So I get bleeped any way I go!!! Im exploring all my possibilities, but to get all my cable channels I want I will likely get stuck paying over $160/mo including internet service. It really sucks! I hate paying for 400 channels when I only watch about 40 of them.

 

[nsayer]

We have a little vacation home so we have an opportunity to choose between Spectrum and Xfinity. It's kind of amazing that we essentially get to choose between the most and least friendly-to-Apple cable companies in the US. The contrast between them is stark.

We're definitely in a transition period between traditional broadcasting and streaming. The real issue at present is the legacy of programming agreements that presently give the cable companies an advantage.

There's no reason in principle that I shouldn't be able to subscribe to Spectrum's video service just by itself. In principle, local channels might be a separate problem (but in principle, I don't see why I shouldn't be able to watch different "local" channels anywhere I like). At present, however, Spectrum is unwilling to provide a streaming-only subscription (you're required to have a local service address with Internet service and - at least prior to now - you had to stick a cablecard in a drawer).

I suspect that when we get home that the Spectrum Apple TV app will refuse to work from Comcast despite us having a Spectrum login. We have a Samsung smart TV that has a Spectrum app and it refuses to work there too. I'm probably going to try to VPN+VLAN the Apple TV to get it to work anyway, but that's a bit inconvenient since you wouldn't be able to use it locally for AirPlay or anything like that (without also setting up a WiFi network on the VPN'd VLAN). We'll see.

 

[garylapointe]

This would violate most cable company's municipal exclusivity agreements in a lot of areas.

No. It would NOT be "cable" it would be their new streaming service.
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The Apple TV remote will drive you mad. Whoever's idea it was to put that stupid little trackpad on it should be fired.

It made me cRaZy for the longest time, now I don't even think about it.

The AppleTV will learn a standard remote for "normal" use (no swiping though).

 

[RUQRU]

W

I suspect that when we get home that the Spectrum Apple TV app will refuse to work from Comcast despite us having a Spectrum login. We have a Samsung smart TV that has a Spectrum app and it refuses to work there too. I'm probably going to try to VPN+VLAN the Apple TV to get it to work anyway, but that's a bit inconvenient since you wouldn't be able to use it locally for AirPlay or anything like that (without also setting up a WiFi network on the VPN'd VLAN). We'll see.

The Spectrum TV app works ONLY if you subscribe to a Spectrum TV service package and Spectrum internet. It is not an OTT streaming service. It is cable via internet.

 

[nsayer]

The Spectrum TV app works ONLY if you subscribe to a Spectrum TV service package and Spectrum internet. It is not an OTT streaming service. It is cable via internet.

Yes. I know. I have both. I am saying, though, that I think that ought to change.

 

[Mac 128]

The remote sucks. Who can even tell which end is up without staring at it in bright light for 5 seconds? Trackpad is imprecise for navigating the interface, but fine for scrubbing content.

I don’t have a problem navigating the interface, but I do have issues with the scrubbing. Perhaps it’s the apps I’m using, but I’m using all the major apps, netflix, Hulu, amazon, hbo go, and Directv now. Whenever I pause the screen to scrub forward or backward, the insertion point is almost never where I stop. Then I find I have to be extremely carefully not to scroll much further than I want. It’s a tedious struggle to get exactly where I need to be on the timebar, and depending on the app, even more frustrating if I don’t see a real time picture to know where I am in the program. The worst is when I scroll to a precise location and then clicking the touchpad to play causes the insertion point to jump. Ive been retraining myself to use the play pause button, which sort of defeats the convenience. Altogether a poor experience. In many cases, I’d rather have buttons to scroll at a predetermined speed, or intervals, which stops and starts as I need. Hopefully this improves with time.

 

[827538]

In 2019 I expect a cable company to pay me for watching their ad infested channels.

 

[Glideslope]

This actually worked for me earlier. I asked Siri to change channel to ESPN, HGTV, and such and it worked like a charm.

Does not work with numerical requests. When my wife asks Siri for the Hallmark Channel it takes her to the Hallmark App. Not channel 43.

 

[w5jck]

Using an Amazon Alexa device to navigate TV by voice is a PITA too. Whenever you ask for a channel you are just as likely to get an app, a video they want to sell you, a song they want to sell you, etc. Very frustrating and the whole thing is driven by things Amazon wants to sell you! Remote is much better option.

 

[0388631]

Knock on wood I haven't had issues with Charter/Spectrum in many years. Never used their apps, though. Found them buggy in the old days. Then again, the explorer set tops they give out are crap, too.

 

[a.jfred]

I'm stuck with Spectrum, and internet-only right now. I go to check and see what's available (out of curiosity), and the website tells me to call.

Can I tell you how ... thrilled ... I am that my complex is stuck with Spectrum. Time Warner Cable was barely passable, this is so much worse, and I have 0 options (other than cutting internet altogether).

 

[w5jck]

I'm stuck with Spectrum, and internet-only right now. I go to check and see what's available (out of curiosity), and the website tells me to call.

Can I tell you how ... thrilled ... I am that my complex is stuck with Spectrum. Time Warner Cable was barely passable, this is so much worse, and I have 0 options (other than cutting internet altogether).

Spectrum was pretty good in Fort Worth until they bought Time Warner Cable and incorporated it into their system. Now it sux as bad as TWC! Unfortunately they have exclusivity in my little town just south of FW. I guess they padded the pockets of the local politicians.

 

[Aragornii]

I seriously prefer the early 2000s cable boxes. Remote that actually has the buttons you need, ability to switch channels with zero lag time, ability to skip ads if you have a DVR. The Apple TV version is just worse. Also, the new cable boxes are worse because they do the same thing plus lag.
[doublepost=1546712393][/doublepost]
But they give you the 4K Apple TV to watch it on?

I'm using my existing Apple TV.

 

[Shawn Llewellyn]

Yes and no.

I have Apple TVs now that run the Spectrum app because I have a cable box DVR. So I have a Spectrum TV cable package,

If you want to run the Spectrum app without any of their cable boxes and keep a Spectrum TV package you need to buy ONE Apple TV 4K from them.

In the past they said you could not get Spectrum TV cable package without at least one box...now they are changing that if you buy an Apple TV 4K from them. You can then continue to use your other Apple TVs, ROKU or whatever else runs the Spectrum app with the cable package.

"If you want to run the Spectrum app without any of their cable boxes and keep a Spectrum TV package you need to buy ONE Apple TV 4K from them"

I disagree I have 4 Apple TV's 4K and removed all of my boxes and everything is working fine without them! I would like to see the legal document stating you have to get one from them?

 

[RUQRU]

"If you want to run the Spectrum app without any of their cable boxes and keep a Spectrum TV package you need to buy ONE Apple TV 4K from them"

I disagree I have 4 Apple TV's 4K and removed all of my boxes and everything is working fine without them! I would like to see the legal document stating you have to get one from them?

Do you have a Spectrum TV package or just Internet?

"Removed all my boxes" or returned all your boxes? That is, did you just unplug your boxes or actually have them removed from your account? Are you saying you were able to keep your Spectrum TV package after turning in all your boxes and/or cable cards? So if you had, for example, Silver, you still have Silver without paying for any boxes?

If yes, what market?

The CSR told me the only way to keep my Spectrum TV channel package without any boxes and have the same lineup using the Spectrum TV APP was to buy an Apple TV 4K from the Spectrum store.

 

[Shawn Llewellyn]

Yes I have TV and Internet removed my boxes but for some reason it still shows 1 box active under my account. No boxes are hooked up also Im in Green Bay, WI . We have basic expanded DIGITAL Ter 2
[doublepost=1546785767][/doublepost]

Do you have a Spectrum TV package or just Internet?

"Removed all my boxes" or returned all your boxes? That is, did you just unplug your boxes or actually have them removed from your account? Are you saying you were able to keep your Spectrum TV package after turning in all your boxes and/or cable cards? So if you had, for example, Silver, you still have Silver without paying for any boxes?

If yes, what market?

The CSR told me the only way to keep my Spectrum TV channel package without any boxes and have the same lineup using the Spectrum TV APP was to buy an Apple TV 4K from the Spectrum store.

I’m returning my boxes tomorrow and will let you know what in-house reps tell me hopefully it’s not the case if so I guess I can use another box somewhere

 

[w5jck]

Yes I have TV and Internet removed my boxes but for some reason it still shows 1 box active under my account. No boxes are hooked up also Im in Green Bay, WI . We have basic expanded DIGITAL Ter 2
[doublepost=1546785767][/doublepost]


I’m returning my boxes tomorrow and will let you know what in-house reps tell me hopefully it’s not the case if so I guess I can use another box somewhere

Since you still have possession of one cable box, Spectrum lists that as still on your account. Once you turn it in and the system updates that information, you might lose the ability to view their cable programming. I hope not, but be prepared for that. My guess is that there is no TECHNICAL reason why a cable box would be required if you have compatible ATV and/or Rokus hooked up running the Spectrum app. I suspect it is just a money greed thing wherein Spectrum wants to get that extra $10/mo out of us. Cable/satellite companies are sleazy and at least borderline criminal in many cases. BTW, do NOT trust what any CSR from any company ever tells you. Most of the people working for CSR are not even in this country, and few of them know much about anything. It is not uncommon to talk to 3 CSR and get 5 or 6 different answers! The CSR follow scripts, and quite often those scripts are either outdated or flat wrong.