Opinions On TV Providers

westie

westie

Its Dethklok!
Long story short. I've been with DTV for something like 20 years. (Since SpeedVision) Lately they've been cutting channels and not prices. NBC, CBS, BEiN Sports, Smithsonian, etc. I've decided to cut the cord. Literally. But before I subject myself to a lengthy and painful conversation to an overseas call center I thought I'd pick the brain of barf on what's the best provider(s) to use. I do have a smart TV and great internet. I do not like watching TV via tablets and laptops. I think if I go the Hulu route I can download apps to my smart TV? Hulu coupled with Netflix seems to pop-up a lot in my research. I want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I make the break up call. So what are you guys and gals using?
 
Abacinator

Abacinator

Unholy Blasphemies
Prime streaming, Netflix, Hulu. I like prime for the ability to rent or buy newer content. All 3 services have some really good original series (and some really bad ones :laughing)
 
ScarySpikes

ScarySpikes

tastes like burning
If you are looking for the closest to a drop in replacement for cable, then Youtube TV is probably the closest. If you really just care about getting movies and TV shows, and not so much about Live News and sports, then Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime TV are all options. A recent smart TV should be able to handle any of these options, otherwise it's pretty easy to get a device that can handle it.
 
russ69

russ69

Backside Slider
I just researched the cost of dropping DirectV. Looking at local cable, Dish, and other services. All the services that offer full programming choices (local, news, and sports) cost about the same. The packages and fees are all bundled different but for most people the final balance with be the same.
I ended up reducing my programming to the minimum I could accept and supplementing that with Amazon Prime and a World Superbike subscription. It still costs way too much (DirectV).
 
gnahc79

gnahc79

Fear me!
We have an Amazon FireTV cube with Hulu and Netflix. We plan to cut DTV as well. I plan to add Philo (for Nickelodeon) and CBS All Access. Still cheaper than DTV. I would recommend some sort of dedicated streaming device (FireTV, Roku etc). The smartTV apps typically are flaky and slow.
We rarely use DTV anymore for viewing. Hulu (the no commercial package) has nearly all of our shows except for CBS. We're not a big sports TV family either.
 
mototireguy

mototireguy

Moto Tire Veteran
Rabbit ears.

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budgie45

budgie45

panty sniffer
How much does all that cost a month

gnahc79 said:
We have an Amazon FireTV cube with Hulu and Netflix. We plan to cut DTV as well. I plan to add Philo (for Nickelodeon) and CBS All Access. Still cheaper than DTV. I would recommend some sort of dedicated streaming device (FireTV, Roku etc). The smartTV apps typically are flaky and slow.
We rarely use DTV anymore for viewing. Hulu (the no commercial package) has nearly all of our shows except for CBS. We're not a big sports TV family either.
Click to expand...
 
Bay Arean

Bay Arean

Well-known member
I came home from camping weekend to find no more CBS. Ridiculous. I finally have been pushed from my procrastinating slumber on this issue.

I would like to know about digital antennas and if anyone has used them, positioned them, etc.
 
budgie45

budgie45

panty sniffer
I want to get rid of directv I’m still paying $80 for shorty channels I cut it down from $120 month..

How does a fire stick work
 
gnahc79

gnahc79

Fear me!
budgie45 said:
How much does all that cost a month
Click to expand...

netflix: $13/month
Hulu no commercials (get it the cheaper commercial version is crazy annoying): $12/month

CBS All Access through FireTV: $6/month
Philo: $20/month...I'm on the fence about this one. I can easily tell the kids sorry no Nickelodeon. It's not the end of the world :laughing

So it'll be ~$30/month if I exclude Philo. The biggest thing we lose is that for DTV you keep saved recordings as long as you want. For Philo it's 30days, which can be a problem if you have kids that watch some episode over and over again.
 
scootergmc

scootergmc

old and slow
Bay Arean said:
I came home from camping weekend to find no more CBS. Ridiculous. I finally have been pushed from my procrastinating slumber on this issue.

I would like to know about digital antennas and if anyone has used them, positioned them, etc.
Click to expand...

We cut it all. I have an in-house flat antenna for OTA on top of an entertainment cabinet. Can't see it at all. Works great, but I live in the valley. We get a lot of OTA channels, most of them useless or Spanish. But if major networks is what you want it works great. I do miss the gigantic variety of live sports, but weekends are usually good for a couple Liga MX matches- and golf. :laughing
 
Kurosaki

Kurosaki

Akai Suisei - 赤い彗星
Godsdarling said:
If you cut the cord can you still watch baseball/football games and MMA?
Click to expand...

Yes.

I have DAZN, ESPN+, Fight Pass.

That works for UFC, Bellator, PFL, etc.

Fox Sports Go has baseball and basketball.

The NBA finals this year were also available on ESPN+ as well as whatever channel they were on TV.

Adding up all the various streaming services for movies, shows, sports, etc is ultimately just as expensive as just having satellite. But if you're smart and you share those costs with friends and family, share your login information, it's cheap as fuck. :party
 
Kurosaki

Kurosaki

Akai Suisei - 赤い彗星
russ69 said:
I just researched the cost of dropping DirectV. Looking at local cable, Dish, and other services. All the services that offer full programming choices (local, news, and sports) cost about the same. The packages and fees are all bundled different but for most people the final balance with be the same.
I ended up reducing my programming to the minimum I could accept and supplementing that with Amazon Prime and a World Superbike subscription. It still costs way too much (DirectV).
Click to expand...

budgie45 said:
I want to get rid of directv I’m still paying $80 for shorty channels I cut it down from $120 month..

How does a fire stick work
Click to expand...

Spread the costs around, guys.

All of the streaming services I have work fine with multiple people being logged in at the same time.

Ditching satellite TV and paying for all the apps and streaming services a la carte is a suckers move.

Tell your friends I pay for Netflix, you pay for HBO Now, You pay for DC Universe, You pay for Hulu, etc etc. Give each other your logins.

Just a heads up for people who are in the process of making the change, if you have Spotify premium, Hulu is free. So you can cut that cost out.

Also, if you have relatives or friends who have DirecTV, you can use their subscription information and login in online and stream DirecTV, so there's that too.

Most major TV channels have episodes of their shows available the next day to watch for free. There's also that to consider.
 
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Eldritch

Eldritch

is insensitive
westie said:
Long story short. I've been with DTV for something like 20 years. (Since SpeedVision) Lately they've been cutting channels and not prices. NBC, CBS, BEiN Sports, Smithsonian, etc. I've decided to cut the cord. Literally. But before I subject myself to a lengthy and painful conversation to an overseas call center I thought I'd pick the brain of barf on what's the best provider(s) to use. I do have a smart TV and great internet. I do not like watching TV via tablets and laptops. I think if I go the Hulu route I can download apps to my smart TV? Hulu coupled with Netflix seems to pop-up a lot in my research. I want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I make the break up call. So what are you guys and gals using?
Click to expand...

I prefer streaming content only. Comcast is the devil. What viewing is required for you?

The only thing that is attractive about TV service is local news and Sports.
 
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