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I've finally unplugged from cable!

My Dad is considering the same move, but hasn't pulled the trigger on it yet.

I wonder, does this have anything substantial to it?

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What do the forum denizens (AKA more experts than I) make of this?
 
RedAkston said:
I'll admit it was mostly for financial reasons but it also makes sense.

My cable company raised my rates and wanted $225/month for 100 Mb/s internet, their standard 200 channel package, a Tivo box and a Tivo receiver (for the bedroom), HBO, Showtime and the sports and family packages of which there were only a handful of the sports package programming that I watched and a single channel of the family package that I watched.

A couple of months ago I did some research on Sling TV. The only drawback that I found was that FOX News wasn't a part of the package, only CNN. I realize that FOX News is a biased source, as is CNN, but I watch follow multiple news sources because they all have a lean one way or another and the truth is generally somewhere in the middle.

So I did some calculations this week and came to the conclusion that I could save almost $100/month by unplugging from cable. I'm now subscribed to the following:

Hulu Plus (commercial free) - $12
Netflix - $12
Sling TV - $20
HBO - $15
Showtime (as an add-on to Sling TV) - $9
100 Mb/s internet plan - $60
Total - $128

Sling has some "on demand" programming but they also stream live for several channels that I watch shows on, including ESPN. Hulu Plus, while having a lot of overlapping with their movies (as well as Amazon Prime - I'll get into that later), has a lot of the shows I watch available the next day. The only drawback is CBS, which unfortunately carries a lot of football on Sundays (it's off to the local watering hole to watch football on Sundays it appears).

But the final nail in the coffin for cable was the increasing amount of apps available. You need an account with a cable or satellite company in order to watch their shows and lucky for me my ex-wife has cable and has given me her username and password to use. This opens up all the apps out there for me to use to watch shows on demand. NBC, FOX, FX, History, TNT, ABC, CBS, AMC and others. So I can still get my Netflix fix, my Walking Dead fix, my Ray Donovan fix and all my other "fixes" and save money.

I've said for some time that cable companies are slitting their own throat. The type of "a la carte" offerings like Sling TV are a thing of the future. People have been wanting "a la carte" programming from the cable companies for years and they have consistently refused. I guess technology has caught up with them, just as technology caught up with the phone companies (can you believe what we used to pay for long distance calls?).

The lack of having a DVR does sting a little since I work a very weird schedule now and sleep whenever I can. But with a few exceptions, I can get what I want, when I want and wherever I want (I have wi-fi at work). Ain't technology great!
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For that kid of $ you can go to a lot of shows.

worked in television news, I hate TV and all its programming...Inspired by SCTV I threw my TV set off my third floor balcony in 1993. I get broadband and phone for under $100 a month
 
eohrnberger said:
My Dad is considering the same move, but hasn't pulled the trigger on it yet.

I wonder, does this have anything substantial to it?





What do the forum denizens (AKA more experts than I) make of this?
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No you'll get over the air HD broadcasts. Been available as long as HD TV.
 
eohrnberger said:
My Dad is considering the same move, but hasn't pulled the trigger on it yet.

I wonder, does this have anything substantial to it?



What do the forum denizens (AKA more experts than I) make of this?
Click to expand...

My parents officially turned off their cable last month. It's now cable internet, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix.
 
RedAkston said:
I'll admit it was mostly for financial reasons but it also makes sense.

My cable company raised my rates and wanted $225/month for 100 Mb/s internet, their standard 200 channel package, a Tivo box and a Tivo receiver (for the bedroom), HBO, Showtime and the sports and family packages of which there were only a handful of the sports package programming that I watched and a single channel of the family package that I watched.

A couple of months ago I did some research on Sling TV. The only drawback that I found was that FOX News wasn't a part of the package, only CNN. I realize that FOX News is a biased source, as is CNN, but I watch follow multiple news sources because they all have a lean one way or another and the truth is generally somewhere in the middle.

So I did some calculations this week and came to the conclusion that I could save almost $100/month by unplugging from cable. I'm now subscribed to the following:

Hulu Plus (commercial free) - $12
Netflix - $12
Sling TV - $20
HBO - $15
Showtime (as an add-on to Sling TV) - $9
100 Mb/s internet plan - $60
Total - $128

Sling has some "on demand" programming but they also stream live for several channels that I watch shows on, including ESPN. Hulu Plus, while having a lot of overlapping with their movies (as well as Amazon Prime - I'll get into that later), has a lot of the shows I watch available the next day. The only drawback is CBS, which unfortunately carries a lot of football on Sundays (it's off to the local watering hole to watch football on Sundays it appears).

But the final nail in the coffin for cable was the increasing amount of apps available. You need an account with a cable or satellite company in order to watch their shows and lucky for me my ex-wife has cable and has given me her username and password to use. This opens up all the apps out there for me to use to watch shows on demand. NBC, FOX, FX, History, TNT, ABC, CBS, AMC and others. So I can still get my Netflix fix, my Walking Dead fix, my Ray Donovan fix and all my other "fixes" and save money.

I've said for some time that cable companies are slitting their own throat. The type of "a la carte" offerings like Sling TV are a thing of the future. People have been wanting "a la carte" programming from the cable companies for years and they have consistently refused. I guess technology has caught up with them, just as technology caught up with the phone companies (can you believe what we used to pay for long distance calls?).

The lack of having a DVR does sting a little since I work a very weird schedule now and sleep whenever I can. But with a few exceptions, I can get what I want, when I want and wherever I want (I have wi-fi at work). Ain't technology great!
Click to expand...

I've been pay-tv free since 2007. IMO, anything I want I can get on-line with a little creative searching. That includes new shows, sport and movies after they've been released for about a month.
 
calamity said:
I've been pay-tv free since 2007. IMO, anything I want I can get on-line with a little creative searching. That includes new shows, sport and movies after they've been released for about a month.
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piracy?
 
i love how every time someone takes down a youtube video--a song for instance-- and it disappears from my playlist And i'm like "damn anti piracy bull excrement" *a few keystrokes later* ohlook. Another video of the same song. And it even has better quality. I praise youtube once again. (and adblock too!)

youtube copies abound on the internet. All those antipiracy people lamenting over lost $$ for every free view.. i cry rivers of tears. How sad that movie execs and ganja smoking Hollywood screenwriters can't buy another gold toilet seat.
 
Cally said:
i love how every time someone takes down a youtube video--a song for instance-- and it disappears from my playlist And i'm like "damn anti piracy bull excrement" *a few keystrokes later* ohlook. Another video of the same song. And it even has better quality. I praise youtube once again. (and adblock too!)

youtube copies abound on the internet. All those antipiracy people lamenting over lost $$ for every free view.. i cry rivers of tears. How sad that movie execs and ganja smoking Hollywood screenwriters can't buy another gold toilet seat.
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I watch a lot of old movies and documentaries on youtube.
 
calamity said:
I watch a lot of old movies and documentaries on youtube.
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Same here. I've been obsessed with lions and hyenas this week. i watched five documentaries in the last two days. Brutal stuff-- animals being eaten alive. Reminds me of what a bitch Mother Nature really is, lol.
 
Interesting. The problem for me is the wife like the ABC, NBC, CBS shows including viewer participation shows like Dancing with the stars. I know that I can probably get some of those but are they "live", in time for voting on shows like DWTS?
Snowbird so I live in two different places. Like the idea of simply arranging the internet.
 
Eric7216 said:
Interesting. The problem for me is the wife like the ABC, NBC, CBS shows including viewer participation shows like Dancing with the stars. I know that I can probably get some of those but are they "live", in time for voting on shows like DWTS?
Snowbird so I live in two different places. Like the idea of simply arranging the internet.
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Basically "No", you can stream shows directly from their website, but the ability to stream is delayed until after the live broadcast.

As a snowbird, something like "Slingbox" might prove interesting. Instead of having to have cable in both locations, you only need one location and then Slingbox allows you to stream media to other locations. You cable company could be in Vermont at your home there, the cable box runs through the Slingbox, and then you stream it through the internet to - say - Florida.

I knew a military family whose husband was deployed to Korea, they hooked up the Slingbox to a cable box in the spare bedroom. He could watch US shows while in Korea.


Slingbox.com


>>>>
 
Eric7216 said:
Interesting. The problem for me is the wife like the ABC, NBC, CBS shows including viewer participation shows like Dancing with the stars. I know that I can probably get some of those but are they "live", in time for voting on shows like DWTS?
Snowbird so I live in two different places. Like the idea of simply arranging the internet.
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If you live in range (typically 50 miles) of a television station, you can pick it up with a digital antennae and you can get a good one for under $25 on Amazon. CBS will stream live shows if you are in an "approved area" and this is pretty fuzzy until you sign up, give them your credit card info and try to stream live TV. They have a free trial but they charge $5.99/month for it. If you don't live within 50 miles of a TV station, you're pretty much SOL.

Regarding Sling - I actually dropped it as I can get everything I watched on Sling from one of the apps for the station. I mainly watched ESPN, AMC and TNT. ESPN has a new app out that is incredible and allows me to stream live TV of any of their channels. Now you do need a cable login in order to verify your account, but I have one of these (my ex-wife who lives in another state). Sling also doesn't broadcast any of the non-cable networks if you are looking to this to get ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX or CW.
 
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