Cable cutters, rejoice

[Charlie Spencer]

The smart TV's that I have all have apps for the standard cord cutting services.

If you wanted to try out an IPTV service, I'd suggest the firestick. They are inexpensive and simple to set up.

• Is 'IPTV' a catch-all term for these assorted services, or is it a specific service?
• Is Firestick a device, a service, or both? If it's a device, what's it do that my TV doesn't, and what service are you using with it? If a service, does it come with it's own device or should I be able to find it already on my TV?

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

Cox keeps pushing a $200 wifi modem. I aint biting.

My new hotspot cost that much, but it's 5G compatible.

All I can get at the house is DSL and I'm not going to pay another $90/month for DSL.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

• Is Firestick a device, a service, or both? If it's a device, what's it do that my TV doesn't, and what service are you using with it? If a service, does it come with it's own device or should I be able to find it already on my TV?

Firestick is a device. If you don't have a SmartTV, it basically turns your TV into a SmartTV.

 

[Charlie Spencer]

You can't just pick it up, type "220" on your remote and go. But you'll be able to pull up a guide.

You could run into problems with the bride. I know I do. Mine, not yours.

Ease of use is going to play a big part in this decision, possibly even more than the channel availability and selection. I'm comfortable shifting between input feeds, but she likely won't be.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

• Is 'IPTV' a catch-all term for these assorted services, or is it a specific service?
• Is Firestick a device, a service, or both? If it's a device, what's it do that my TV doesn't, and what service are you using with it? If a service, does it come with it's own device or should I be able to find it already on my TV?

It's a catch all for all internet provider services. There are a wide variety of services that can meet your needs.

The firestick is a device. This device allows for a much wider variety of apps that can be installed vs the library of apps that are available from your smart TV provider. The firestick is much more versatile than the comporable Roku device.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

Ease of use is going to play a big part in this decision, possibly even more than the channel availability and selection. I'm comfortable shifting between input feeds, but she likely won't be.

The device plugs into one of your HDMI ports. No need to switch input feeds.

You can go into YouTube to see these things in action.

 

[Charlie Spencer]

The firestick is a device. This device allows for a much wider variety of apps that can be installed vs the library of apps that are available from your smart TV provider. The firestick is much more versatile than the comporable Roku device.

Apps? Like tablet / phone apps? If so, that's probably not going to be a factor in my decision; we only use a handful of those now. Right now I'm primarily interested in reproducing my current viewing experience, just for less money.

I'm not sure what criteria I should use to determine what device to get. Heck, I'm not clear on whether I need one or not. Obviously the available services is important, based (I assume) on which services carry the channels I want. I don't know if there are other factors besides services I should consider; I didn't know apps for these devices existed until this evening. Is this device decision one I'm going to be able to make and forget for five or seven years, or is it something I'm going to be revisiting every 12 - 18 months?

For whatever reason, I'm not comfortable with YouTube as anything other than a jukebox. I actually enjoy reading instruction manuals and technical guides, but I find demonstration videos to be an annoying and distracting way to assimilate technical information. So many of them are just so badly done. I also have a hard time backing the video up to a particular point when I want to review something. I don't know if my attitude and experiences with YouTube say anything about how happy I'd be with the TV tools we've been discussing.

 

[Ray_]

@dpkimmel2001 thank you for the router answer.

Charlie, I think you'll find at least with the Firestick and Roku that they are user friendly and pretty much guide you to what you want. As far as programming goes, I considered my wife's need mostly and DirecTV NOW at the $65 package has mostly the same channels we had with the satellite service. Also the UI and guide are similar to a traditional experience. I think you'd be surprised at how simple getting going is. I think the only thing we miss is the ability to change channels with a numpad and the limited DVR but with all the on demand available it hasn't been horrible.

 

[Charlie Spencer]

I think you'd be surprised at how simple getting going is.

I tend to over analyze technical things, esp. when an immediate decision isn't required and the outcome really isn't that significant in the long-term scheme of things. After all, it's just TV. Obviously I can try most / all of these without having to actually drop Dish until I'm comfortable; most of them have a free trial and no contract, right? I could quit, keep Dish, and mark it all down as a learning experience.

Our viewing habits are pretty simple. Other than the the broadcast networks and the half-dozen channels NASCAR is spread across, we watch maybe 20 other channels. No HBO or 'premium' channels, no on-demand, no sports channels except Golf Channel, we've never binge-watched anything. If it wasn't for NASCAR and golf, we could drop down two tiers, 'cause otherwise we're about as vanilla as it gets.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

Apps? Like tablet / phone apps? If so, that's probably not going to be a factor in my decision; we only use a handful of those now. Right now I'm primarily interested in reproducing my current viewing experience, just for less money.

I'm not sure what criteria I should use to determine what device to get. Heck, I'm not clear on whether I need one or not. Obviously the available services is important, based (I assume) on which services carry the channels I want. I don't know if there are other factors besides services I should consider; I didn't know apps for these devices existed until this evening. Is this device decision one I'm going to be able to make and forget for five or seven years, or is it something I'm going to be revisiting every 12 - 18 months?

For whatever reason, I'm not comfortable with YouTube as anything other than a jukebox. I actually enjoy reading instruction manuals and technical guides, but I find demonstration videos to be an annoying and distracting way to assimilate technical information. So many of them are just so badly done. I also have a hard time backing the video up to a particular point when I want to review something. I don't know if my attitude and experiences with YouTube say anything about how happy I'd be with the TV tools we've been discussing.

Yes, an app..... Like in a phone. I suggest you watch a video on it for a better explanation as I don't seem to be able to describe it well enough for you to understand.

I use a single app. When i launch it by clicking on it, it gives me access to more than 1000 channels via a television guide. I click on the channel I want to watch and watch it. I have access to everything that is broadcast through a single app. Every Cable channel. Every sports channel. Every movie channel. PPV channels. NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA packages. Every game. Every team. Adult channels..... And a whole helluva lot more.

I can't explain it any better than that. You can choose to look up info on it it not. If saving money is your thing than it's worth the time. My bill before streaming was just over $150/month. It's now $15/month. The math isn't hard.

I've told you all that I can tell you. This thread is full of info I've provided. If its not worth your time to look up some info on YouTube then I'm not sure how much I can help. That's where I got all the information for me to get started. If it's something that you like to check out at some point, let me know and I can help you get started.

 

[Brentford]

Made the decision today to go with standard Cox cable over satellite or streaming. I spoke with my neighbor who has Dish and he said the tree in the front lawn of our apartment is quite the nuisance. So far this year he says he has lost signal three times. While that may not seem like a lot, I'm sure it would be much worse when the tree is full of leaves. I dont want to be glued to a sporting even only to have the signal go out. It would be like streaming and having the stream buffer or freeze. I just didnt want to commit to a 2 year agreement only to have problems. And since I dont have home Internet, I ruled out streaming. Didnt seem logical to pay for Internet I didnt need just so I could get a streaming service. Not sure how much will be paying. Fot first 12 months it said $75.00 and $95.00 for each month after that, but of course cable companies have a ton of extra fees.

 

[StandOnIt]

cox internet even on the lowest tier is plenty fast. For one person and not a whole family it really works great. My friend has that setup.

 

[Brentford]

cox internet even on the lowest tier is plenty fast. For one person and not a whole family it really works great. My friend has that setup.

I always used the second tier. While it was fast, I had to reset the router/modem through their website quite often as it would stop working. It could have been a wire issue or it could have been their modem/router combination that was the problem. But yes, when working it properly, it was fast.

 

[Michfan]

I'd be cautious on some of the 15$ for everything IPTV. It's not entirely legal and those companies are susceptible to being shutdown.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

PlayStation Vue is Offering a 14-Day Free Trial For a Limited Time

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/pla...g-a-14-day-free-trial-for-a-limited-time/amp/

 

[Brentford]

Also as a note to those who are new to streaming, both Sling and Directv Now are known to have free offers if you prepay for a few months, no catch. I received a Roku through a Sling promotion and an Apple TV 4k box through Directv Now.

 

[VaDirt]

When I cut the cord, I bought a Roku, and started with PS Vue. I went to Sling, because the guide was much better (and for a couple dollars less offered mostly the same channels. But yesterday I switched over to YouTube TV. I did the 14 dat free trial, but literally was sold within the first 5 minutes. The layout, speed, and the fact it comes with local channels as well (without the need to have an antenna) will keep me there.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

Yeah I'll cancel that ****.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/10/media/youtube-tv-price-hike/index.html

 

[2 Sweet]

Yeah I'll cancel that sh!t.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/10/media/youtube-tv-price-hike/index.html

Meh. I like some of the channels they added (especially Motor Trend) and everyone else is raising prices too. It's still one of the best deals out there.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

Meh. I like some of the channels they added (especially Motor Trend) and everyone else is raising prices too. It's still one of the best deals out there.

Still a good deal out there. But man, I'm paying for Netflix, which just increased prices, DC Universe, YouTube TV, TikiLive, Hulu, CBS All Access and HBO.

Time to cut some ****. And I'd love to go to the commercial free Hulu plan.

 

[Bobw]

Still a good deal out there. But man, I'm paying for Netflix, which just increased prices, DC Universe, YouTube TV, TikiLive, Hulu, CBS All Access and HBO.

.

What does all those services combined cost per month?

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

What does all those services combined cost per month?

Less than DIRECTV.

 

[retired14]

I've got the fastest internet I can get. Waiting for Time Warner to come to town (it's available 150 yards away). Although, while their download speeds are twice as fast, I've heard their upload speeds are even slower than CenturyLink.

Regardless, my internet's fast enough for me to stream on four devices at once.

The only gripe I have with Vue is that MSNBC is "Mobile Restricted" and the ******* morons at NBC News won't open up MSNBC on their mobile app. Meanwhile, CNN, CBS, ABC and Fixed Noise all have their apps opened up for live streaming.

I'm on the basic, $30/month plan and am satisfied. Would upgrade but I'm already paying a ****load of money between CenturyLink ($95/month), Vue ($30/month), AT&T ($60/month) and Netflix ($10/month). Plus I've already got the basics.

I'm mad as hell at CenturyLink. They're forcing me to pay for home phone service which I don't even have. Plus, my service has gone out countless times in recent weeks. They've said it's only "overnight" outages but that's when I'm up.

I know what you mean about CenturyLink I pay $56.00 just for internet and I have 12 something for my computer and then they
kept giving me phone numbers for a business account and I went around and around with them and then they called and said
that I owe $800.00 for my business account I do not have a business with that company it is like talking to a brick wall then they finally got me a landline
phone for resident area because I am on a fixed income and I only have one cell that is for my rides then they told me that the
package that I have with my computer does not include the phone so then and they had to make a different account just for the
phone.

 

[Pat]

following...

 

[Magicmiler]

You guys are killing me. Fire stick, Roku, Sling... All this technology... Meh. ..My VCR still blinks 12:00......

 

[Charlie Spencer]

I think I understand the basics of the technology, it's the legality and reliability of many of the services that confused me.

This discussion was more active during the off-season. Back then, I got the impression the well-known services didn't carry Fox or NBC's sports channels, that to get races required using questionable fly-by-night operations, and that I'd have to look for a new one every few months when the one I was using shut down. I don't recall any post saying by name exactly what service they used to get races, but that was months ago. Lots of talk about cheap prices for 8 bazillion channels, but I find it impossible to believe a $20/mo service is operating legally.

Those are just my impressions, based strictly on this forum and a couple of 'cable cutter' web sites, with no personal experience to support my opinions.

 

[Brentford]

Disney plus released an official list of all that will be immediately available and I think Netflex will definitely see a decline. Amazon Prime Videos will be fine since really it's just an added bonus for Amazon Prime users. Hulu will also be fine since they are owned by Disney and will likely be available in a package deal. I know I will strongly consider subscribing to the service.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

PlayStation Vue is done.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/11/06/death-playstation-vue-sign-streaming-closures.aspx

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

Disney plus released an official list of all that will be immediately available and I think Netflex will definitely see a decline. Amazon Prime Videos will be fine since really it's just an added bonus for Amazon Prime users. Hulu will also be fine since they are owned by Disney and will likely be available in a package deal. I know I will strongly consider subscribing to the service.

Disney's going to have a Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundle for like $13.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

PlayStation Vue is done.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/11/06/death-playstation-vue-sign-streaming-closures.aspx

That sucks. They were a good service for us with the exception of not carrying our regional sports network.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

Disney+ has a metric ton of content.

 

[Brentford]

Disney+ has a metric ton of content.

It was full of error messages when I first tried to use it around 8am, though I wasn't too surprised. Seems to be working just fine now, at least for me.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

It was full of error messages when I first tried to use it around 8am, though I wasn't too surprised. Seems to be working just fine now, at least for me.

I didn't subscribe to it until this afternoon. I wanted the Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle.

 

[Brentford]

I didn't subscribe to it until this afternoon. I wanted the Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle.

The bundle is really a good deal. I'm paying a current promotional price of $2.99 for Hulu and since I already have an NHL TV subscription, ESPN+ doesn't really have anything that appeals to me.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

The bundle is really a good deal. I'm paying a current promotional price of $2.99 for Hulu and since I already have an NHL TV subscription, ESPN+ doesn't really have anything that appeals to me.

ESPN+ has every 30 for 30 episode.

Disney+ is better than advertised.

 

[gnomesayin]

I didn't subscribe to it until this afternoon. I wanted the Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle.

I'm going to end up on this too. Did the 7-day trial of Disney+ just to check it out. It's a must for our kids. And the ESPN+ subscription will be nice to have. I was already still paying $5.99 for Hulu and barely using it.

This is not exactly a Netflix killer, as they are fundamentally different and there is still a ton of original content on Netflix that people want. But it is a very, very substantial offering to a lot of different sorts of viewers.

I don't see how the bundle stays at $12.99 for more than a year. Can see it creeping up into the $20-25 range quickly.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

I'm going to end up on this too. Did the 7-day trial of Disney+ just to check it out. It's a must for our kids. And the ESPN+ subscription will be nice to have. I was already still paying $5.99 for Hulu and barely using it.

This is not exactly a Netflix killer, as they are fundamentally different and there is still a ton of original content on Netflix that people want. But it is a very, very substantial offering to a lot of different sorts of viewers.

I don't see how the bundle stays at $12.99 for more than a year. Can see it creeping up into the $20-25 range quickly.

It's still worth it.

If YouTube TV goes down like Vue did, I'll give up traditional TV altogether and just use CBSN for news and not watch NASCAR.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

I don't see how the bundle stays at $12.99 for more than a year. Can see it creeping up into the $20-25 range quickly.

The thing to keep in mind about Disney+, almost everything they have on there, they've made a profit on. The subscription fees alone might be enough to keep pumping out new content. It's all Disney content, so they don't have to pay NBC, The CW, Fox, FX, ABC, CBS and TNT for content like Netflix does.

 

[Brentford]

It's still worth it.

If YouTube TV goes down like Vue did, I'll give up traditional TV altogether and just use CBSN for news and not watch NASCAR.

Really if NASCAR is all you'd be missing, it's really not that hard to find a stream to watch, as I'm sure you already know.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

I looked at the Disney+ website to see what content they have. I don't see anything there that I'm interested in.

If I could get a service that offered me my locals, news & sports channels, including my regional sports network, I'd sign up in a minute.