Cord cutting: A beginner's guide

I cut the cable about a year and a half ago, best decision ever. We all have Roku TV's and Roku boxes on the outside TV's. There's no way I'll ever go back. I'm currently worried that streaming channels are going to get so specialized it will bring up the cost to get all of the media I want.

 

How to get all the football a junkie needs when the cord (Direct tv in my case) is cut? That's my biggest concern. Typically I'm in the Swamp every home game but will the money saved cutting the cord be spent at the pub for the away games or for the NFL team I like?

 

We cut the cord about 4 years ago.

We have a Mohu Leaf antenna to get the over the air networks. Where we live (Raleigh NC area) we can get all of the major networks in crystal clear HD. All the major channels have multiple secondary channels (ie, our old channel 11 now has 11.1, 11.2, and 11.3) which generally carry old re-run type stuff. All together I'd guess my antenna picks up about 30+ channels.

I have a Fire Stick for streaming Amazon Prime (something we already had for the free shipping), and Netflix. There are also a ton of other apps you can download to get various other paid and free content (Hulu, HBO, etc). Most smart TVs have built in apps too, but I'm not sure if you can add additional apps, or how good their library of apps is. My TV is not smart, but the Fire Stick just plugs into an HDMI port and makes it as smart or smarter than most smart TVs.

I really like the YouTube app. You can find lots of stuff to watch, but I really enjoy it for music videos. It is like MTV was back when it came out, without the VJs, and you have control of what to watch. It is also great for watching concerts. Too young to have seen Led Zeppelin in their prime, no problem... search and you will find a dozen or so full concerts to choose from.

Then there is the app called Kodi. It is more like a mini-operating system for media. Straight out of the install, it doesn't have much. But it has the ability to install "add-ons" to add more and more streaming options - some legit, some not so legit. Mainly the apps "scrape" various websites that contain video and music and allow you to play just the video or music w/o all the crap (ie., ads, viruses, etc.) that those websites might try to hit you with if you are using a computer to view the videos. It takes a little know how to get Kodi loaded on a fire stick and the addons going, but as usual Google can help you figure out how.

I tried Chrome TV, but didn't like it. It really just lets you stream from your phone or tablet. I've never tried a Roku so can't comment on that.

 

Depends on the NFL team you like. If it is a local team, odds are the game is on the major networks (ABC, FOX, etc.) and you can get it "over the air" with a good antenna (again, I highly recommend the Mohu Leaf, for about $50 on Amazon). Most Sunday's we have about 5 or 6 games we can watch on 2 or 3 of the networks. Panthers being our local team, they are always on one of our networks. If you are a fan of a non-local team, it will be more hit and miss depending on how many channels you can pick up over the air.

Then as LakeGator said, there are less legit ways to stream most sports you are interested in. Again, Google can help you with your options. The Kodi App I mentioned has an addon called Sports Devil that is pretty good for sports.

 

Great! Appreciate the info Enviro. We 'cut the cord' last weekend, called and cancelled Direct TV. It was almost too easy but I think we were mo / mo having been with them so long. But I am suspicious, I asked if there were any fees we owe by cancelling and they (the chick in India) said 'don't see any'. Have been averaging $195 / mo. with Direct (incl NFL Pkg) I think I can get most of what I want for about $50 / mo. Bought a Roku Streaming Stick. I've only scratched the surface of what apps I can get there. YouTube TV has SEC Network and most major networks. Yeah I might have to go to the pub for some games but that's not the end of the world! I'll check out the Kodi, Mohu Leaf, etc. Thanks.

 

Cut the cord years ago.

Only carry Netflix and Amazon (we do Prime anyway...). Plenty of TV to watch

For Gator sports I carry one service from end of August till end of NCAAT. That was YouTube TV this year.

I think the only Gator football or basketball I've missed is one, maybe two early season directional school opponents for the basketball team. I'm talking those early November games before the tourneys...

Just cut the darn cord....

 

I just cut my TV off and got 1000mb internet with just local TV. I have comcast and I called earlier and the lady tried to up sell me the whole time. Didn't listen to my needs at all. She told me that 1000mb internet was going to be 120 per month and with taxes, around 140. My bill was already 190 a month for preferred and 250mb speeds. So I wasn't about to go for that. After pushing and scraping my way through a deal, the best she offered me was 1000mb speeds with streaming Xfinity TV. We were still at around 140 after taxes and fee's. She also told me I would have to have a tech come out and install and "verify" the speeds which was 70 bucks for the in-home visit. She said she "couldn't do the deal without scheduling a technician to come out". I even mentioned that I'm in IT and I'm more than capable of hooking up a modem and making sure it's up and running and I asked if he was running new cables (I knew he wasn't), but she still insisted. So luckily, she was having PC issues oddly enough and we got off the phone. She was supposed to call me back but never did.

So just a few minutes ago, I started a chat with the retention specialists (that's the key) and told him what I wanted. I said I want 1000mb internet and no TV and if I couldn't get it I would explore cancelling because there are other services offering very competitive prices for what I want. He did start out with a package with TV just to see if I'd bite (as any good salesman should) but quickly retreated because he knew I didn't want that. I ended up getting 1000mb internet with basic local TV for 49.99 a month and with equipment, taxes and fees it ends up being 115/month. I'm fairly happy with that. I have access to Netflix and Amazon Prime already. I will add Hulu and then figure out the rest as I go. I'm a little nervous about football games next season but there's always firstrowsports lol.

Thanks for the inspiration guys, now I gotta get a Roku or something for a couple TV's.

 

If you're looking into HULU sign up for Spotify Premium, you get that and HULU for $9.99 a month.

 

Sweet, thanks for the suggestion. I was looking into Youtube TV and Hulu Premium but I may as well have just stuck with cable for their prices. My wife and I both work from home so we both need really good internet so I can't skimp on that. I think I can find most stuff online somewhere, with Netflix or on Hulu but I'm open to any other streaming service that offers most TV shows semi close to when they air. My wife needs This is Us and New Amsterdam relatively soon after they come out or she'll have an conniption

 

Yeah this sucks. They are who I have now and have increased prices at least 3 times now in the short time I've had them. If I lived alone I could easily live w/o any cable. I already have HULU, Amazon, HBO, Showtime anytime, Netflix, and between my Movies Anywhere, VUDU, and Google movies, accounts I have over 5000 movies that I own, but alas some of the household demands their murder porn a'la ID, and Discovery Channels.

 

One suggestion, whether you cut the cord or not. Check out your local library. I see every movie and every pay TV series (HBO, Showtime etc.) completely free, and completely legal. The only downside is that with those TV series you'll be a year behind, so you won't be able to join in on the local water cooler talk about last nights Game of Thrones, but I have seen every episode, didn't pay a dime, and didn't break the law to do so.

Aside from being free, the amazing thing is I see movies I love, that I'd never even heard of until they showed up on the "New Releases" page of my library. If it sounds remotely interesting and isn't completely trashed on Rotten Tomatoes, I put it on hold. If it's horrible, I stop watching and return it. It doesn't cost me anything, so it doesn't matter.

Your mileage will vary depending on how good your local library system is and how easy it is to access.

Pro Tip - Finding the new releases page and spending a minute a day checking it and putting things on hold is key. Otherwise you'll end up waiting for months and months after the DVD is released.

This week's haul. Overlord looks pretty awesome.



And currently waiting for me to pick up:

Bohemian Rhapsody
Instant Family
Creed II
Mary Queen of Scotts
Vox Lux​

I have no idea what those last two are, but the price was right.

edit: oh yeah...only 480p.

 

My problem with TV is that as I get older there are fewer and fewer shows that appeal to me and I don't watch reruns. I don't think it has anything to do with TV getting worse, I'm just aging out of the demographic that popular shows are aimed at. I don't watch any sitcoms or reality TV right now - not a single one. Even with Netflix and Amazon Prime, there's usually several nights a week where I just choose to watch a movie instead.

Football season is a little better, but that's the only sport I care enough about to really pay attention to and they tend to cram most of the games worth watching into the weekend.

I really should get rid of cable - we're getting there, but old habits die hard.

 

I was ready to cut the cord way before my wife, but I trapped her at a her-family get together. One of the in-laws was talking about it, and I said, "I'd like to get rid of cable, but my wife isn't ready."

She chimed up, "You can get rid of whenever you want... I don't care." Surprisingly enough, she lived up to her word when we got home, and the next day I cut the cord!

 

Unfortunately, or is it fortunately?, my wife isn't the problem, it's sports. Even though I really only care about football, sports in general is my go to when there's nothing on TV. I could probably live without seeing the random hockey game or curling (yes I do), but for some reason I watch the playoffs of pretty much any sport even if I ignore it the rest of the year. I don't watch baseball at all*, but I watch the World Series almost every year. I'll even watch the NCAA tournament as long as the Gators are in it, or sometimes even if they aren't, and I would rather watch curling than basketball. Sports is the original and best Reality TV - way better than watching someone climb a peg board over a moat or some such thing.

Having had to find the odd Seahawks game or two while in Florida I know I can always find the stuff online, but it's often a pain, and usually less the great quality. I'm working towards telling Comcast to take a hike, just not there yet.

* I've been waiting to jump on the Mariners bandwagon again since 1995, but that doesn't seem to be happening.

 

Sports is probably the biggest stumbling block for many. But like I said above, with a good over the air antenna you can get an awful lot of sports for free.

Sling looks like a good option too. For $25 you would get a lot of normal cable channels including the main ESPN channel. For $5 more you can a sports bundle that includes SEC network and a few other ESPN channels.