Just cut the cable

I did see a commercial over the weekend that DirecTV Now streaming is available for $10/month with a qualifying AT&T Wireless plan. So if you have AT&T, might be worth checking out?
 
deanvogs said:
I have not tried Hulu yet, but when my satellite agreement is up, I will be checking out all of the streaming options.

Here is something I will also getting to provide me with my local channels (since very few streaming services are providing them yet, and only in certain markets). It's called Tablo: https://www.tablotv.com/

Several benefits to this over just hooking up each TV to an antenna.
1) You only need one antenna, you can put it down by the router and out of sight, or you could mount it outside or in the attic easy enough as well and just run the line into the house.
2) You just stream it over AppleTV, Roku, etc. just like you are already doing with the streaming service. Open up Roku, click on the table app, and away you go.
3) You can hook up a USB harddrive and record away. That easy. Now you have all of your locals with a DVR.
4) Works with your phone devices, and tablets as well.
Click to expand...

Ok, so my 2 year service plan with DishNetwork is up. I was locked into a $81 a month rate for a Hopper and one Joey and my service for the last 2 years. They said they had a special rate to keep me, so I called in to check on that. They said my new rate was going to be $110 a month. No changes in service, no new channels, just to keep what I have. I said no thanks. I called again last night to terminate service to get the retention department. They said they would go down to $93 a month, but that was the best they could do. I said ok, I'm going to cancel service. They paid to put my account on hold, meaning I keep the equipment for 6 months for free, and they are hoping I don't like streaming and I come back to them.
 
Now onto the streaming experiment. I have tested out the PSvue and I really like it so far. It has a DVR function, it has the BTN, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNnews, FS1, FS2, Fox midwest, SEC, and even Chicago sports net for Cubs games. It also has Bravo for the Mrs. So it checks all the boxes for cable channels that we need. It also has many more: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/n...plans:pdc:network:vue:home&emcid=pa-vu-111688

The only problem is local channels. Right now in the Des Moines market the PSvue only has CBS that you can stream live. The others are "on Demand" only, meaning no live sports, news, late night talk shows. Well that wasn't going to work for us. So I got a TIVO. Cost $50 to by one, hooked up an antenna, and now we have our local channels and a hard drive to record locals as well. We don't watch many network shows, but what we do watch we DVR, so now we have the covered with TIVO. The only thing that sucks is TIVO is $14.99 a month! This stinks, but until PSvue gets the other local channels we want those stations to that is what it costs.

So all in I am at $60 ($45 for PSvue and $15 for TIVO) a month vs $93. Hopefully that will come down another $15 a month once PSvue picks up the rest of the Des Moines local channels.
 
Oh, another thing I forgot is you better have good internet. I have 40 GB speed and I don't have a problem streaming anything. I also have unlimited amount of data a month, but you need to check this out as I think Mediacom caps your data, and you might push up against that if you are streaming all of your TV programs.
 
deanvogs said:
Oh, another thing I forgot is you better have good internet. I have 40 GB speed and I don't have a problem streaming anything. I also have unlimited amount of data a month, but you need to check this out as I think Mediacom caps your data, and you might push up against that if you are streaming all of your TV programs.
Click to expand...

I have Mediacom in Marion (sadly, ImOn doesn't get to my house) and it's not a cap per se; we have a certain amount we're allowed each month and every 50GB (?) chunk after that is an added cost. I've only hit it once but it is something consider as I've been thinking about doing some cord-cutting recently as well.
 
I checked my DirecTV bill after letting it get cut off over the summer, in addition to the monthly fees the disconnection and re connection had a $30 dollar fee.
 
I went with DirecTVNow because I have AT&T. They switched me to a cheaper/better plan than I had before so I got the $25 per month off. Now pay 10, vs 150 with DirecTV AND got a better wireless plan. It does not have BTN, but man, at that price, it is awesome.

As far as your locals, I bought something called an HDHomerun. It is a box you connect to your OTA antenna, then connect to your wireless router. You can then stream live TV to all of your devices, including whatever you are using for your current streaming. They offer a DVR service as well, but it is a little complicated and need to set up a NAS device to do it, but it I did it and it is working great. Where I live, I get 4 or 5 different ABC, NBC and CBS channels from different cities, so it is great to have different options if different games are playing in different cities (DC, Balt, Philly and a couple smaller markets. I really like it.
 
ESMDHawk said:
I went with DirecTVNow because I have AT&T. They switched me to a cheaper/better plan than I had before so I got the $25 per month off. Now pay 10, vs 150 with DirecTV AND got a better wireless plan. It does not have BTN, but man, at that price, it is awesome.

As far as your locals, I bought something called an HDHomerun. It is a box you connect to your OTA antenna, then connect to your wireless router. You can then stream live TV to all of your devices, including whatever you are using for your current streaming. They offer a DVR service as well, but it is a little complicated and need to set up a NAS device to do it, but it I did it and it is working great. Where I live, I get 4 or 5 different ABC, NBC and CBS channels from different cities, so it is great to have different options if different games are playing in different cities (DC, Balt, Philly and a couple smaller markets. I really like it.
Click to expand...

I looked at the HDHomerun, and also the Tablo. Tablo you just connect a USB harddrive and you can DVR shows. I opted for the TIVO because I got one for $50, and it works pretty well.
 
The younger generation is not watching very much cable TV or satellite TV and they probably never will. They don't read newspapers either. That is not going to change
 
MelroseHawkins said:
Did you get the TIVO used?
Click to expand...

Yes. You can buy the TIVO new for $399 and that give you free lifetime subscription (no monthly service fee then). I didn't want to go "all in" yet though, so I bought one used for $50 and will pay $15 a month to use the TIVO basically. I'm banking on PSVue and other streaming services eventually getting local channels, and then I can drop the TIVO.
 
deanvogs said:
Yes. You can buy the TIVO new for $399 and that give you free lifetime subscription (no monthly service fee then). I didn't want to go "all in" yet though, so I bought one used for $50 and will pay $15 a month to use the TIVO basically. I'm banking on PSVue and other streaming services eventually getting local channels, and then I can drop the TIVO.
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but but but but,,,,,you said numbers are healthy!? How many tivoites like there are you? Be a real fan, pay the cable. Support your sports!
 
HawkGold said:
but but but but,,,,,you said numbers are healthy!? How many tivoites like there are you? Be a real fan, pay the cable. Support your sports!
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? I do support the sports. I am just using a different model. Instead of paying DishNetwork $93 a month (where $22 of that goes to equipment), and a ton of the rest goes into a bloated business model, I have decided to go with a different company with a different way to supply TV stations to the consumer. You think PSvue, Hulu live, Sling, and Directv Now aren't paying ESPN, BTN, and all the other channels to carry them?
 
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I dropped Mediacom when they wouldn't play ball. Told them I can no longer pay their excessive amount. Best they could do was knock ten dollars off the bill. Turned the equipment in the next day. Tried PlayStation Vue free for a week and liked it. Then saw that DirecTV now had a deal. Pay for two months and get a free Roku Premiere, 4K capable streaming. Paid $40 a month for the bottom tier and HBO. Got the Roku for free.....

Now I am going to go to Playstation Vue. Can use it on 4 TVs. DirecTV now only two TVs can be utilized. Also, like the DVR function. Can get HBO and Showtime and all the sports channels for $70.....

Bought an Ooma for $70 on Amazon. Ten dollars a month and no telemarking at all with crystal clear sound. That costs $10 a month.....

Got Century Link, which is as good as Mediacom Internet, for $60 a month......

When I received the Roku, they emailed me an offer to try Hulu for two months free. I chose the upper tier without commercials. Really like Hulu, much better than I thought it would be. They have a lot of programs and commercial-free movies. Just might keep that.....

For local channels. I saw a deal on Cnet Cheapskate for an HD antenna, on sale for $21 on Amazon. Works very well on the North Wall. Get all the local channels in very good HD. The amplifier for the antenna doesn't do a thing. In fact, I get more channels without it. Have to use the North wall to get WOI, basically for the football games.....

I found a site that lists local and cable/satellite programming. Very nice because that is a minor problem with DirecTV and, I believe, Playstation Vue.....

http://www.tvtv.us/ia/des-moines/lu5853D



For about $140/150 I get fast, reliable internet, Playstation Vue with HBO and Showtime, and Ooma phone service,.....

The price will remain the same with everything but Century Link which changes after a year. If they don't keep the price low, I will just get Mediacom Internet.....
 
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deanvogs said:
The only problem is local channels. Right now in the Des Moines market the PSvue only has CBS that you can stream live. The others are "on Demand" only, meaning no live sports, news, late night talk shows.
Click to expand...
The reason I picked PSVue is because you can use your Vue credentials to log in to other apps. For instance, I can log in to the Fox app with my PSVue credentials and watch live sports. You can do the same with the ESPN app which will get you the ABC game not to mention ESPN3 for some of the early season basketball games.

I did see an article a few months back that ABC and NBC were close to cutting a deal with PSVue to stream in more cities and Des Moines was included.
 
Calculator said:
The reason I picked PSVue is because you can use your Vue credentials to log in to other apps. For instance, I can log in to the Fox app with my PSVue credentials and watch live sports. You can do the same with the ESPN app which will get you the ABC game not to mention ESPN3 for some of the early season basketball games.

I did see an article a few months back that ABC and NBC were close to cutting a deal with PSVue to stream in more cities and Des Moines was included.
Click to expand...

That would be awesome on the locals, as I will be able to save another $15 a month (TIVO fee) once they do that.
 
I get ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC locals on my PSVue. It really depends on the market. Ironically, I can NOT get Hulu "live" on my Roku yet.

As Calculator mentioned, you can use your PSVue credentials to get BTN, WatchESPN, FS1, etc., for live streaming on tablets, etc., when you are out and about. I got pulled in to work second half of ISU game and watched it on WatchESPN. I will say, ESPN came through in that particular instance.

One caveat: most of the streaming apps seem to not "like" it when you are out of the country (that may be rectified now). Last year we were in Quebec for our 20th anniversary (during Minnesota game week) and I couldn't pull WatchESPN or BTN apps. Oddly, I COULD go on ESPN website for GameCast. NOT a good way to follow a game that ends 14-7, though.
 
Tossed DirecTV for PS Vue this summer and haven't looked back. Kids and wife are happy. I'm happy.
 
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