Cord-Cutting from Cable -- Is it Worth It?

[HereIStand]

Cord-cutting seems to be all the rage these days. For those who have tried this, how do you connect to the Internet? Have you found the cost savings, quality, and options available to be worth it?

 

[Halbhh]

Keep your money for something better. Our antenna gets all the major networks over the air, and also we have 3 PBS channels that way, and then our blue ray player has internet streaming for things like Netflix and Amazon and Youtube, Hulu, etc., (and occasionally we even have hooked up a laptop right into one of the HDMI inputs on the TV, so whatever the computer can display can go right onto the TV screen). So whatever cable costs, I wouldn't even know, but we don't pay that. Occasionally I think about whether to cancel Netflix, since it seems only Amazon and Youtube has what we stream lately. Just saw the great "John Adams" series from Amazon. The Amazon prime is a total of only $80 for a year. Lately, we only watch bits of news, some stuff like Nature or Nova on PBS, a inning or two of baseball live over the air at times, and a few series like John Adams, and then rent occasional movie like from RedBox or by paying Amazon for a rental, which is quick and easy and usually around $4, and saves a trip.

Just enjoyed the total change of pace of watching "Polycarp" on Amazon (free for prime).

Polycarp was mentored by the apostle John.

 

[tampasteve]

You have to have some sort of internet connection for "cord cutting" usually you use a cable provider internet, DSL, or fiber connection. Some people use 4G cell hot spots, but data usage can be an issue unless you have an unlimited plan.

I have been a cord cutter for close to 2 years. We dropped out cable tv package when we moved into our home and would not go back. We used to spend $115 a month on cable and internet and did not have HBO. Now I spend the below:

Internet from Spectrum: $32
DirecTV Now (their streaming only option - no dish): $35
HBO add on for DirectTV Now: $5 (also includes HBO Go for free)
Showtime add on for DirecTV Now: $5
Hulu: $9
Antenna for some locals: $0
Total: $86 a month

Most "cord cutters" do not include their internet in the monthly pricing because they would have internet even if they did not have any OTT (Over The Top) services like Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, etc. I did include it above for a whole cost picture.

 

[HereIStand]

You have to have some sort of internet connection for "cord cutting" usually you use a cable provider internet, DSL, or fiber connection. Some people use 4G cell hot spots, but data usage can be an issue unless you have an unlimited plan.

I have been a cord cutter for close to 2 years. We dropped out cable tv package when we moved into our home and would not go back. We used to spend $115 a month on cable and internet and did not have HBO. Now I spend the below:

Internet from Spectrum: $32
DirecTV Now (their streaming only option - no dish): $35
HBO add on for DirectTV Now: $5 (also includes HBO Go for free)
Showtime add on for DirecTV Now: $5
Hulu: $9
Antenna for some locals: $0
Total: $86 a month

Most "cord cutters" do not include their internet in the monthly pricing because they would have internet even if they did not have any OTT (Over The Top) services like Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, etc. I did include it above for a whole cost picture.

Thanks for the information.
It looks like Hulu would include most of what we watch -- FOX, ESPN, and HGTV. We occasionally watch PBS, and we do watch network channels for college football.
I didn't realize that DirecTV had a no dish option.
We have Charter/Spectrum cable and Internet. Guess we could keep the Internet and drop cable. Our TV connects to the wireless network.
Have you encountered problems with the streaming being slow or dropping out?

 

[tampasteve]

Thanks for the information.
It looks like Hulu would include most of what we watch -- FOX, ESPN, and HGTV. We occasionally watch PBS, and we do watch network channels for college football.
I didn't realize that DirecTV had a no dish option.
We have Charter/Spectrum cable and Internet. Guess we could keep the Internet and drop cable. Our TV connects to the wireless network.
Have you encountered problems with the streaming being slow or dropping out?

You will also need a streaming device like a Roku, Amazon Fire TV or Stick, or Android streaming box (stay away from the ones advertising "Kodi"). Some TVs support some apps like Sling and Hulu, but they are usually not updated apps and run much slower than a dedicated box. This is especially the case if you are wanting to make sure your streaming does not have issues buffering, etc. I recomend and love my Amazon Fire TV Box. Roku devices are the easiest to use for most people though, and they work well too.

Yeah, the Diretv reps don't usually talk about their options other than dish. There are several legal streaming services for Live TV that you should compare the channels available to cost:

Available everywhere in USA:
Sling TV (owned by Dish network)
DirectTV Now (DirecTV streaming service) no NFL Sunday Ticket though
Fubo TV (sports centered, but also has regular channels)
Playstation Vue (no Playstation required)

Available most of USA:
Hulu Live TV (includes live stations and Hulu on demand content)

Limited Availability:
Youtube TV (really meant for mobile device use)
Spectrum Streaming (Spectrum Cable's streaming service)
others....

Then there are a myriad of streaming on demand services:
Most Popular:
Netflix
Hulu
Pluto TV (free)
Curiosity Stream
Many, many more...

 

[tampasteve]

A new (and currently free) Christian TV streaming service just came out:
Giniko Faith TV - Watch FREE The Best Faith based Religious TV channels Live with DVR(Catch-Up)

It has apps for Roku, Android, Apple, and Amazon FireTV.