I'm cutting the cord!

[bigboxes]

Man, this has been brutal. I spent over an hour on the phone with Time Warner Cable in August trying to get a decent deal. They got bought out by Charter and are now Spectrum. Thought I kept my same price. Come to find out that they added an extra bogus charge to make my package deal even more expensive than before. Plus, they fail to inform me that they have cut a lot of channels to my package. That includes ESPNU, ESPN News, MLB, AHC, and a lot more. Called them about that. They said that the package is no longer available. But I could get a better deal. I'd get all new equipment and all the channels I wanted, including BTN which I currently pay extra for as part of a sports package. This would include DVR service. The catch? It's going to cost me just a little bit more.

Eff that.

I feel I've been paying too much for too long. I'm tired of overpaying for 200+ channels of crap that I never watch. This duopoly keeps my bill creeping higher and higher every freaking year. It wouldn't bug me as much if we had true competition and we could pick our channels a la carte. But no, we can't do that. When I heard SlingTV offered a skinny package last year for $20 I was like oh yeah! But when you try to add in your local sports network the costs rise up. There's not one package that has what I'm looking for. Plus, the picture qual has been reported as subpar. I'm thinking of trying Playstation Vue out. It's like $40 for 45 channels and $45 60+ channels (all the basic, plus regional sports, BTN, SEC, NFL, MLB). They allow 5 simultaneous streams and 28 day DVR on their servers. I also heard that DirectTV Now is launching service for a reported $35 for 100 channels, but only one stream and no DVR (only 72 hours). I need multiple streams so that is out for now until they can offer something better. Probably will cost more. I hear Hulu is going to get into the live streaming game as well.

Well, I'm going for it. I've been with cable tv in one form or another for the last 22 years. No more. I've bought three Amazon Fire TV boxes and hardwired them with CAT6 cabling. The Fire TV devices are really quite good. Quad-core (two pairs of cores) processor, 4K capable, miniSD card expandable, HDMI, slim remote with voice recognition, wireless ac and ethernet connectivity. All in a device the size of a coaster. I'm sure the wireless ac is quite capable, but I went with ethernet. When it comes to video streaming I don't want to wait on buffering if I can help it. I downloaded VLC player and ES File Manager and am able to browse and play the files on my file server. Badass! I've tested everything out and it streams Amazon Prime Video very easily. I've had to order a 15 foot optical audio cable to move the sound from my TV in the living room to the Denon receiver. I've got a 10 ft. one that I am currently running to the cable box. I want to run the cable through the wall instead of hanging straight down on the outside of the wall so I have to go with the longer cable to do so. The Fire TV box only has HDMI out and my receiver doesn't have HDMI, but has three optical audio inputs.

I've also purchased digital antennas for each of the TVs. I'm getting 87 digital channels out in the living room. Combine that with Amazon Prime Video and some live streaming service and I don't think I'm going to miss cable tv. I figure I will save $50 month on my current service (when paired with cable internet). My buddy in Denver cut the cable in March, paying only for Hulu Ad Free and Netflix. When I told him that my wife was freaking out over the change he put me on speakerphone and his wife asked me why I was torturing my wife. LOL. It seems that she felt the same way when my buddy dropped DirectTV.

Before you Kodi guys chime in... I've already have that hooked up on the dedicated HTPC that I built in January. It's cute, but gimmicky. Not really a reliable way to get HD streams when you want them. And yes, I have all the sports add-ons installed. You can spend your night searching for a working stream and then the qual usually is sub-par. Now, if you are streaming to a smaller laptop or monitor it may be adequate. But to my HDTVs it looks quite poor quality and that's if I can find a working stream. I've already have a dozen or so streaming sites that I use on my desktop while surfing the internet. I like free, but I like reliable and quality and will pay to get that, within reason.

Anyways, I plan on giving Vue a trial starting on Friday. I've got all the wires run and tucked away. I'm turning in my cable tv devices on Saturday. If cable tv can be competitive with IPTV then I may switch back in the future. Until that day, adios muchachos!

 

[Arbitr8]

I pay about 240 a month with Cox that includes cable, Internet and a home phone for the telemarketers to call on.

I think I will cancel all but the internet get a couple of smart tv's and get a Amazon Fire Stick box that should cover everything. By the way try vipbox.biz on your computer or phone and you can get any sporting event in the world as long as it is televised for no cost, you might have to watch a couple of commercials but no big deal.

 

[bigboxes]

I pay about 240 a month with Cox that includes cable, Internet and a home phone for the telemarketers to call on.

I think I will cancel all but the internet get a couple of smart tv's and get a Amazon Fire Stick box that should cover everything. By the way try vipbox.biz on your computer or phone and you can get any sporting event in the world as long as it is televised for no cost, you might have to watch a couple of commercials but no big deal.

Like I said, I have at least a dozen sites bookmarked. Vipbox is one of them. Watching the NU/Dayton game on firstrow sports, at the moment.

 

[sloth316]

We dropped DirecTV back in August and opted for Playstation Vue (using a FireTV for our main TV and a Roku for our bedroom)...also did an antenna....I thought I would miss DirecTV big time at first, but honestly have been perfectly happy with Vue....saving over $70/month

 

[OneBadHuskerFan]

I'm currently with TWC and am paying $49.99 for 100Mb internet (I use my own cable modem because I got tired of them charging me $10/month for something that cost me $50 on Amazon) and signed up with PSVue about 2 weeks ago on the "Core Slim" package at $34.99/month. I couldn't be happier. It's got all the channels I like and saves me a ton from what I was paying for cable that had a million channels I didn't watch. PSVue also includes the ESPN channels that SlingTV doesn't have along with the Big 10 Network (which Sling also doesn't have).

In my opinion PSVue is well worth it. Much better than Sling (I had sling for almost a year and had enough of it).

 

[GBRhuskers]

I don't understand anything you guys are talking about. We're a Direct customer and very happy. Our monthly bill is around $85, we have the sports package. It's also nice because we get the NFL package at no additional cost each year, plus the Red Zone channels. Once or twice a year they offer us HBO, Showtime & Cinemax for free; usually a 2 or 3 month promotion.

Good luck to whatever you folks are doing.

 

[The.Bear.Lib]

I cancelled DirecTV in the spring and they threw $400 at me to sign back up in August so that made it worthwhile. Will probably suspend it next week and find a way to stream the bowl game. Was gonna do PSN but the credits from DTV made it worth signing back up with them.

We share a Netflix and HBO go account with my wife's parents. Could get the Bears games on antenna but they're not worth watching.

Switched from ATT to Comcast for internet, that's $29.99 a month for nice speed.

 

[RealHusker]

I might be the one guy in America that has no problem with his cable company. I'm with Consolidated Communications, and have been for about 5 years. We have Comcast, AT&T Uverse, & Google fiber available to us so no doubt the providers have to work hard to compete for customers.

Anyway, my bill is $150/month and has been right around there for the entire time I've been with Consolidated. I have every channel you'd want in HD - all on Fiber to the home, so the picture is fantastic. I've got 3 boxes that are wired for whole-home DVR, and get HBO, Starz, & Encore. My internet is also obviously fiber at 100 Mbps.

Every year I get a notice that my bill is going up. I simply call and ask if they'll reset me back to the promotional rates and every year they immediately say yes.

 

[bigboxes]

I don't understand anything you guys are talking about.

Instead of getting your live channels over cable or satellite, IPTV streams them over the internet. I'm not saying it's for you, but it's good to have competition. I'm getting HBO & Showtime for "free" right now for a whole year. I never watch them. I do download their programming and watch them later when I want. If you're happy with your current provider then I wouldn't switch or change your provider. If your curious, do some research and see what is available and what the cost is. Looks like significant changes are coming in the near future. Caveat emptor!

 

[bigboxes]

I might be the one guy in America that has no problem with his cable company. I'm with Consolidated Communications, and have been for about 5 years. We have Comcast, AT&T Uverse, & Google fiber available to us so no doubt the providers have to work hard to compete for customers.

Anyway, my bill is $150/month and has been right around there for the entire time I've been with Consolidated. I have every channel you'd want in HD - all on Fiber to the home, so the picture is fantastic. I've got 3 boxes that are wired for whole-home DVR, and get HBO, Starz, & Encore. My internet is also obviously fiber at 100 Mbps.

Every year I get a notice that my bill is going up. I simply call and ask if they'll reset me back to the promotional rates and every year they immediately say yes.

I'd say that Google Fiber is the wild card there. Wish we had that option here. That being said, my bill was nearing $150 dollars/mo. With my new setup I'll be getting 100M cable internet and PS Vue for about $100. I bought my Fire TV devices for about $65 each. I didn't pay anything out of pocket as my wife had earned a lot of Amazon bucks doing surveys and focus groups online. Lucky me!

 

[Arbitr8]

Instead of getting your live channels over cable or satellite, IPTV streams them over the internet. I'm not saying it's for you, but it's good to have competition. I'm getting HBO & Showtime for "free" right now for a whole year. I never watch them. I do download their programming and watch them later when I want. If you're happy with your current provider then I wouldn't switch or change your provider. If your curious, do some research and see what is available and what the cost is. Looks like significant changes are coming in the near future. Caveat emptor!

What is IPTV?

 

[bigboxes]

What is IPTV?

Sorry, I'm a pc tech. Here ya go! IPTV or Internet TV

 

[redwine65]

Century link is great as long as you call every 3 months and:
1. tell them you want to disconnect because they over charged
2. get sent to the retention department and sit on the phone for 20 minutes till they get back to the deal they made with you to start out with.


with this internet tv stuff, can you get the big 10 network?

 

[TwinsRRUs]

87 digital channels?

I get NET1, NET2, NET3, (once a year CBS), FOX, NBC from digital.

Even then, they cut in and out every time someone drives by my house, so we almost don't even watch via our antenna anymore.

Fire Stick TV is all we use. I love it, but some things started agitating the wife.

My wife watches cooking competition shows on one of the apps (not sure which app, but it has commercials). It drops internet service every now and then (or just freezes) and restarts itself (usually towards the end of a 5 minute commercial). When it resumes, we have to watch the 5 minutes of commercials again.

I am too cheap to pay for TV. My wife already had an Amazon Prime account and won't go without it.

It works awesome for the Watch ESPN app whenever the games are on an ESPN channel. That's about all I use it for as I rarely watch TV and would prefer the kiddos not watch a ton of TV daily.

You guys in the cities sure have a lot of options and high internet speeds. Rural living has its benefits, but severely lacks good technology for low/decent prices.

 

[RealHusker]

Century link is great as long as you call every 3 months and:
1. tell them you want to disconnect because they over charged
2. get sent to the retention department and sit on the phone for 20 minutes till they get back to the deal they made with you to start out with.


with this internet tv stuff, can you get the big 10 network?

I had to do that with Comcast. With Consolidated, there is none of the hassle. I just ask, they say "no problem", they send me an email confirmation and away we go.

 

[jawatkins]

Century link is great as long as you call every 3 months and:
1. tell them you want to disconnect because they over charged
2. get sent to the retention department and sit on the phone for 20 minutes till they get back to the deal they made with you to start out with.


with this internet tv stuff, can you get the big 10 network?

With PSVUE you can get BTN. PSVUE is available through roku, firestick, apple tv or you can use a playstation

 

[redwine65]

real and ja, thanks for the info

 

[bigboxes]

With PSVUE you can get BTN. PSVUE is available through roku, firestick, apple tv or you can use a playstation

Or a PC, tablet or phone (Android or iOS)

 

[bmb81664]

Century link is great as long as you call every 3 months and:
1. tell them you want to disconnect because they over charged
2. get sent to the retention department and sit on the phone for 20 minutes till they get back to the deal they made with you to start out with.


with this internet tv stuff, can you get the big 10 network?

I have CL. Every year the same crap. Renegotiate a price and then they never give you the price they agree to. So you keep calling. Actually, now I get on a chat session with them. Beats being on the phone with them.

 

[PeliniTheCrutch]

I have CL. Every year the same crap. Renegotiate a price and then they never give you the price they agree to. So you keep calling. Actually, now I get on a chat session with them. Beats being on the phone with them.

Spot on...especially the bolded part. And then they try to say you can get an extra $10 off per month if pay your bill through automatic checking withdrawal. Anyone who does that would be a complete moron with CL...you'll just get overcharged even more and never get your $$ back.

 

[Huskers_Rule]

I went to Sony Vue in July, was tired of $250 a month to Comcast. I selected the 70 channels for 34.99 since it included BTN. I still have Comcast as my ISP and it includes local channels for TV. I love the fact the charge is 34.99 with no extra fees, bet that changes over time when the crack fiends (gov't) figures out they aren't getting the same "revenue".

 

[Jimmy Frank]

I use sonarr.tv, plex, and sabnzb.

 

[bomber89]

With PSVUE you can get BTN. PSVUE is available through roku, firestick, apple tv or you can use a playstation

So if you don't own a playstation you can still get PSvue on multiple tv''s in your house? Please explain thanks so much.

 

[jawatkins]

So if you don't own a playstation you can still get PSvue on multiple tv''s in your house? Please explain thanks so much.

Up to 5 devices, only one PS4 and one PS3 though. You can use it on pretty much any device with their app.

 

[bomber89]

Up to 5 devices, only one PS4 and one PS3 though. You can use it on pretty much any device with their app.

So I own 1 ps3 I can watch TV on two separate tv's? One of them isn't a smart tv? Thanks

 

[bigboxes]

So if you don't own a playstation you can still get PSvue on multiple tv''s in your house? Please explain thanks so much.

You need a device that you can stream to. Obviously, a PlayStation will work, but so will a Roku, Amazon Fire TV/Fire Stick, Chromecast, PC, tablets and phones, Apple TV and other Android devices. You then download an app and login to the service you subscribe to.

 

[bomber89]

Thxs!

 

[bigboxes]

So I own 1 ps3 I can watch TV on two separate tv's? One of them isn't a smart tv? Thanks

You'll need a separate device for each TV.

Edit: You can use your PS3 on one TV, but you'll need a separate device for each one. The good thing is that you already have the PS3, so you don't need to buy that. But for other TVs you don't have to have a PlayStation for each one. You can buy a much cheaper device, such as an Amazon Fire Stick or Chromecast device that could cost you as little as $30-$40. However, with those devices they are WiFi only and you'll need to make sure your wireless router can handle the bandwidth. Mine can, but I still prefer a wired connection. That's one of the reasons I went with the Fire TV over the Fire Stick.

 

[bigboxes]

I use sonarr.tv, plex, and sabnzb.

I already download everything known to man. LOL

 

[CameronKrazie86]

I have playstation vue, have had it since April. I have the $29.99 package and then I got HBO Now for "Westworld". Once it's over, I'll drop it. My internet is $70 which sucks but $100 combined normally.

Playstation Vue added NBATV recently so now I have every nationally broadcast NBA which is very important to me. I bought an antenna for $20 from Target for ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and CW.

Windstream is my only option at my current apartment complex. They wanted $160 for just the internet and tv channels. I declined.

Only 2 downsides to Playstation Vue since I've started.

1. Sometimes the PSN network can go down so you're out of luck using the service until it comes back up. I expect around Christmas it'll be down often as it usually is around the holidays - thank the immature kids who Ddos the network "for the lulz".

2nd is that it's about a minute to two and a half minutes behind real time. So don't check twitter or facebook unless it's a commercial.

Aside from those, I've had a great experience. Sometimes the antenna takes some adjusting (daily/weekend) but 95% of the time I've had a good experience.

 

[SeaOfRed75]

I'm currently with TWC and am paying $49.99 for 100Mb internet (I use my own cable modem because I got tired of them charging me $10/month for something that cost me $50 on Amazon) and signed up with PSVue about 2 weeks ago on the "Core Slim" package at $34.99/month. I couldn't be happier. It's got all the channels I like and saves me a ton from what I was paying for cable that had a million channels I didn't watch. PSVue also includes the ESPN channels that SlingTV doesn't have along with the Big 10 Network (which Sling also doesn't have).

In my opinion PSVue is well worth it. Much better than Sling (I had sling for almost a year and had enough of it).

Where do you live where time devil gives you a price like that for 100mbps? pay close to that for 15mbps in Lincoln . can't wait for allo to get to my area to be able to ditch twc.

 

[bigboxes]

Where do you live where time devil gives you a price like that for 100mbps? pay close to that for 15mbps in Lincoln . can't wait for allo to get to my area to be able to ditch twc.

Here 100M cable internet (TWC/Spectrum) is $29.99 bundled and $39.99 stand alone.

 

[SeaOfRed75]

Here 100M cable internet (TWC/Spectrum) is $29.99 bundled and $39.99 stand alone.

Fing A I hate twc and their ilk. Seriously only get 15mbps for that in Lincoln . Will be be 100mbps from Allo for about that. Or if you want to pony up $80 you can get gigabit . Not sure about their tv prices and dvr setups.