Currently I have the “everything” package from a cable provider and it’s costing me about $200 a month for high speed internet, internet phone service and all of the premium movie channels.
My most important need is to keep a high speed internet provider (and not one that relies on a dish or antennae) and a DVR service. I’m not available enough for live streaming, I will miss 90% of everything.
I can easily lose the internet phone since I use my cell for just about everything.
But I want to keep my premium movie channels (HBO, Starz, Cinemax, Movie Channel, Showtime, etc) as well as having a local channels option and it would be nice if I could get Amazon as well as Netflix streamed to my DVR. Currently my cable provider only offers Netflix and a could others like Hulu but not Amazon.
Is there really a more cost effective alternative to the above?
Shit. I just dumped the basic plan from Direct TV. It was exhausting getting free of those parasites. I’ve gone to a $20 HD antenna from Amazon and said Fu#k it all to all the providers.
I will never subscribe to any of those providers again… EVER.
Depending on the provider, you may not be able to down grade without going “a la carte” for Internet at tv. And that’s usually more expensive than keeping the triple package. We just unplugged our phone.
We got rid of our cable tv plan this past spring. We only use the cable for internet. I don’t really miss it. We mostly just watch Netflix and Amazon prime tv, and we have sling tv for news and local sports, all on my Xbox One. We’re saving about $75 a month and not really missing anything.
Can you get YouTube tv where you are? I pay about $40 and get my local channels and unlimited DVR.
You can get a roku and add on just the premium channels you want to that.
I use my cell for a phone and have a cable modem.
If you call and cancel Direct tv they will offer you all kinds of deals and as a last resort they offer the streaming service which is priced ok. They only have about 20hr of DVR storage right now though.
Youtubetv uses your device location to find the local channels, so they change pending where you are viewing. Not sure how Direct tv does it. I only lasted for the trial period and dumped it. Again you can add premium channels to the Direct tv line up.
Both are monthly services with no contract.
So I now just have YouTube tv, Netflix, and amazon.
Apple TV with HBO Now and Netflix is all I have along with internet. Eventually either Netflix or HBO will get a movie I’ve been wanting to see. I don’t watch much television though.
I cut the cord but kept internet. I’m saving $80 a month. I put in a directional antenna and bought a channel master DVR to record the local stuff. I get ABC, NBC, CBS and 10 or so other channels that I rarely watch from the antenna. I picked up Netflix (already had Amazon Prime), we couldn’t be happier. Only thing I really lost is ESPN and I’ve learned to live without it.
The bitch about service providers is all of their equipment rental fees. Comcast Xfinity charged me for their DVD service, main box, digital converter box, and triple play modem/router. 4 months ago I bought a Netgear router, surfboard modem, and 2 amplified tv antennas. I went from $190/month to $110/month to maintain my land line and high speed internet both from Comcast. So far so good. My wife added Amazon prime last month. I like it so far. Forgot to mention that the TV antennas produce 15 channels HD…
That cord cutting is a bit of a canard. If you want to do everything legal you still have to pay someone.
Comcast / Xfinity has a business class Internet. No phone / TV. It’s fast and I think their most affordable.
After that you can got OTA if you live in proximity to a lot of broadcasters. Still won’t get you all that premium stuff.
Beyond that you have pay somebody which is sort of deciding do you want an iPhone or a Galaxy or Ford or Chevy.
There is a -LOT- of stealing involved when you hear people talk about having cut the cord and getting everything.
You just have to sit down and do the math. All those companies, NetFlix, Hulu publish their rates. Just make a list of everything you want. Then determine where it can be had, either through bundle or direct from source. Add 'em all up. You may be able to save some money but if you want a variety and no hassle situation, the prices are probably going to be pretty similar.
I gave up on all that NetFlix, Hulu stuff. I actually like watching Youtube videos. There is some really good stuff out there. It’s not the same as watching a real movie but the price is right.
I can’t think of a TV show that I would need to watch. The really good stuff if you haven’t seen it yet can be had at Goodwill for the season DVDs.
I just don’t think there is any elegant low cost way to have current premium broadcast content. Other than local OTA which is not HBO, etc…
I have not tried it… but I know at least one one person who’s opinion on content delivery I would value very highly and he claims to love this setup. I forget which device he plugs to his TVs but it’s just one of those $50 dongles.
This is growing but beware this is for --your content–… .they are expanding though. So if you have a library of content it’s interesting. https://www.plex.tv/
We have Xfinity cable for high speed internet ($80/mo). No home phone just cells. We already had Amazon Prime for the free shipping so Prime video is also free. From Amazon you can purchase individual premium channels like HBO, individual movies or seasons or shows. We rarely buy any premium content, but do have Netflix at $9/mo. Get your own DVR and record whatever you want.
Today is day one without cable for me. I had the tv/internet/phone package from Xfinity for years, but the price kept going up and seemed like every few years they would move a must-have channel to a higher tier. I also have had Netflix and a Roku for a long time. The only reason I kept cable this long is for sports and Turner Classic Movies.
Hulu, Amazon and Youtube didn’t have what I wanted, but stupid me never checked out Playstation Vue cuz I got no Playstation. Now the Vue Elite level ($60/mo) gives me sports, TCM and every other channel I like plus a bunch I have not checked out yet through my Roku saving me about $80/month. And it includes a 28 day cloud dvr. The only thing I miss is the Xfinity remote. Roku is pretty basic.
I also replaced my old modem and router today which I should have done a long time ago. My MPS download speed went from mid-thirties to mid-ninties+.
I’m guessing you’re in Mediacom territory based on your new AO. If that’s the case, you’re f-ed for at least the next decade because mediacom will be the last cable company in IA to switch everything to fiber optic.
The cable company, albeit in a different town than where I currently live, pissed me off 20 years ago so I cut it off and haven’t looked back since. It did wonders for my family and especially my children. They would rather be reading a book, playing or running around outside instead of sitting in front of a television. Come Christmas I would ask them what they want and they would have to think about it for a while instead of spouting off what ever the newest gadget was they saw on the television.
Got rid of cable TV years ago. Now we just pay $60/Month for a 600 meg connection with no data cap. Bought an external antenna to watch the locals/news on, stream everything else.
We’ve been cord-cutters for about 10 years, starting shortly after netflix launched its streaming service. We’ve tried a variety of different solutions, here’s the current one:
No phone service other than cell phones
Frontier Fios fiber optic internet service 100mb speed ($50/month–the extra bandwidth helps if you have multiple tv’s or people and devices in your house that will be simultaneously accessing it)
The $20 HD antenna from Amazon. Handy for local channels, pulls in about 15 stations in our area.
Amazon Prime (included if you have a Prime membership, good comprehensive source where you can rent most movies and tv that’s available, lots of free content included, and can add a la cart channels like HBO).
Netflix
I would suggest similar to what someone above mentioned. Get yourself the Roku streaming device, they are the most universal device in the sense of working with most streaming services in a single integrated device that’s easy to use can control all your viewing in all services with a single remote. Definitely subscribe to Netflix, and get yourself an inexpensive HD antenna for local channels. If you don’t have a Prime membership, that’s a great source of both free video and the ability to rent the newest/latest stuff that comes out, not to mention all the free shipping and other benefits. And one more thing you’ll need, a cable tv-like package that includes a bunch of cable channels with add-on options. Best options IMO: Sling TV, or Youtube TV. Given your first post, sounds like you will want add-on movie channels, Sling TV is well setup for that: https://www.sling.com/. You can subscribe to whatever base package you want, $25 to $40, gives you a bunch of the standard cable channels. Then you can add the a la cart extras like HBO, specialty sports channels, etc. If I were starting today and wanted a la cart channels like you, I’d get the above setup, the roku, and add Sling Tv with whatever add-on channels you want.
I called my cable company and told them I don’t want anymore television and I just wanted internet.
Don’t miss crappy cable at all. Makes actually hate tv more when I’m at a hotel or something that has it.
My best suggestion for you is that you get off the idea you need the movie channels. Once you are happy with Netflix/Amazon and buying movies you’ll be free of cable. My wife and I love buying 5$ used DVD and Blurays, especially on movies we would like in our collection. I have bought some movies off of I tunes, but they are expensive.