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Cord cutting: A beginner's guide

Discussion in 'Gator Bytes' started by LakeGator, Mar 8, 2019.

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  1. Nov 6, 2020 #41
    Bushmaster

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    Its on YouTube TV.

    Just cut the cord already. Trust me on this, if I can do it, anyone can. Had cable and satellite for years, tried netflix for $10 and hulu for $5. Worried about football is whyi never switched.

    Saw an ad for YouTube TV, checked out the channels, and wow. I now have more tv than I could watch if I retired and stayed home all day. Costs me about $90 a month for all of that, but it was $190. I can probably trim down the online streaming stuff.

    Now, I am not a tech geek so when people start talking firestick, roku, and such, I didnt know anything about it. I boughta rku box and thought it would get a channel called roku and that is what you would watch. It is a connection to a bunch of streaming services and connects to he internet. Its awesome. Just do it.
     
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  2. Jan 31, 2021 #42
    nlmrod

    nlmrod VIP Member

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    I have not been able to consider cutting the cord for years due to poor internet. Ive been buying 2Mb of bandwidth for years from a distant DSlam. I just signed up for Verizon LTE wireless internet fully expecting it not to function. I was shocked my speeds jumped to 45-50 Mb down and 3.5 Mb up. Waiting on Amazon Firestick as I type this. My TV is smart and large but about 5 years old with no meaningful streaming apps.

    I am soaking up all the current info I can as cord cutting is about to begin. The Directv is about to get axed.

    Questions or comments: What happens with Directv? Do they send a crew to gather all the equipment when you unsubscribe? I am strongly considering YoutubeTV due to the large channel selection and ability to buy premium. About the closest thing I saw to Directv at about a third of the price. Any suggestions or traps I need to avoid? We mostly watch sports, news, premium movie channels, and a lot of streaming like Amazon Prime.

    Jim
     
  3. Feb 1, 2021 #43
    LakeGator

    LakeGator Mostly Harmless Moderator VIP Member

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    The normal approach with the satellite providers is that a contractor brings the equipment and installs it. Their skills and competence seems to vary so it is wise to monitor them to make sure your home is not damaged. I don't believe they ever retrieve the actual ugly dish off your house. I believe they send you a prepaid box to return the other equipment but this probably varies.

    I like YouTube TV, especially for sports. I love that I can tell it to record all college football games. The really great feature is that I can then go to the recorded, or recording, game and use the "Watch key plays" to see the plays that some intern thought were key. It is a great way to see the 38 seconds of action in a 3 hour game.

    I suggest you subscribe to the cord cutters newsletter mentioned at the start of the thread.

    The various 'services' are doing their best to make cord cutting more expensive as people abandon 'cable' but it is still better than being a victim of those companies.
     
  4. Feb 20, 2021 #44
    vaxcardinal

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  5. Apr 13, 2021 #45
    WC53

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    Do the streaming services care where you are? Currently paying for two services as my wife is in another city for half of each week. Still would have to pay for two internet access and hopefully don’t go over the 1tb limit?
     
  6. Apr 13, 2021 #46
    LakeGator

    LakeGator Mostly Harmless Moderator VIP Member

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    In general, the streaming services seem happy to allow you to be in different places. I have read that some of the services are cracking down on password sharing but most, like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon have profiles that allow you to have a small number of members share your subscription. I know my wife uses all three of those services I have listed when she has left me to visit her family. She seems to always come back - so far. :)

    I am not sure about the 1tb limit. The only limits of which I am aware are set by some Internet providers. The streaming companies are more than happy to spew bits your way.
     
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  7. Apr 20, 2021 #47
    thatguy

    thatguy Moderator

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    Last edited: Aug 29, 2022
  8. Apr 21, 2021 #48
    thatguy

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    Last edited: Jul 12, 2021
  9. Feb 25, 2022 #49
    LakeGator

    LakeGator Mostly Harmless Moderator VIP Member

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  10. May 8, 2022 #50
    thatguy

    thatguy Moderator

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  11. Jul 8, 2022 #51
    LakeGator

    LakeGator Mostly Harmless Moderator VIP Member

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  12. Aug 25, 2022 #52
    cocodrilo

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    I’m thinking of buying a 43” Roku TV to have on hand if and when my present TV dies (it’s 15 years old). I would keep the new Roku TV separate from my present AT&T U-Verse and just use it to try streaming. If I like streaming, then I’ll cut the cord.

    Now I assume that with a Roku TV, I just plug it in to the wall (or surge protector) and sign up for a Roku account and that gives me access to all the streaming services, right?

    My basic question is, with Hulu, for example, can I put together my own little package of things I want to watch, or do I have to subscribe to a preordained package, including stuff I have no interest in watching, like I have to with AT&T cable?

    If I could just stream Turner Classic Movies, the three traditional networks and ESPN channels during football season, and one 24/7 news channel, I’d be happy. Can I do that, or do I have to accept other stuff too that I don’t care to watch?
     
  13. Aug 26, 2022 #53
    LakeGator

    LakeGator Mostly Harmless Moderator VIP Member

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    Streaming and cord cording continues to get more complicated as the providers all do their best to separate their victims from their money. More and more providers are adding their own stand-alone streaming channels.

    Once you have setup your Roku TV by putting on your local network and creating your Roku account you do have the ability to connect to virtually any of the streaming sources. Many of these are free but most, and increasingly so, have subscription fees. The Roku interface will show these and their cost.

    The aggregation streaming providers, like Hulu, have a variety of packages from which you can choose. There is virtually no granularity on these packages. IT very much resembles your choices with the normal cable company rip-off. As a hypothetical example, if you want ESPN then you will also be getting the cooking channel, as well. The good news regarding using any of these sources is that you can cancel and restart at any time you wish. You basically have a monthly contract. Most, like Hulu, have a free trial period so you can try before you pay.

    I am not a fan of Hulu. We used it for a year or so. My first complaint is their rather bizarre victim interface. They do not use a channel grid as they claim it is obsolete. We are currently using YouTubeTV as our streaming choice. IT provides a huge number of sources, including all the sports channels and, of course, TCM. Their ‘DVR’ is far better than Hulu in that there are no limits. My absolute favorite feature is that I was able to schedule every college and professional football game available with one click for each. That allows me to go to my Favorites and navigate to college football and view any of the games that were on channels connected to YouTubeTV which includes virtually all the D1 games. My second favorite thing on YouTubeTV is the ability to skip through the broadcast by watching only the ‘key plays.’ I don’t know who or what determines what a ‘key play’ is but this is a great way to catch up on a game or just see the highlights on a game of less interest.

    You probably should check out the various sources to see which suits you best using their free trials.
     
  14. Aug 26, 2022 #54
    cocodrilo

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    Thanks for the info. I'm thinking right now of buying a smaller smart TV, a 32" Samsung, as a standby and to try out streaming. If my 15-year-old TV dies (why isn't it dead already?), then I'll probably buy a new big TV to replace it, but meanwhile I would have the 32" Samsung on hand. A knock against the 32" Samsung is that you can't get Hulu even though it's a smart TV. But according to what you say, who needs Hulu? I will probably order the Samsung from Amazon. Meanwhile I'm hoping that my old TV will last at least until the Duquesne game this Saturday, not to mention the rest of the football season.
     
  15. Aug 29, 2022 #55
    thatguy

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  16. Aug 31, 2022 #56
    cocodrilo

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    I received my Roku TV today. Haven't unpacked and set it up yet, but I thought I'd start checking out streaming services on the web to see what they offer.

    According to the channel lineup linked below, on fuboTV you can get FoxNews and Newsmax but you can't get CNN.

    I really didn't think I would run into political bias in streaming services. FuboTV is the first one I've looked at, and the first one I've eliminated.

    Watch live football games all season
     
  17. Sep 2, 2022 #57
    vaxcardinal

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    Kind of late responding but…you need to get a bigger tv. And you should be able to download the cnn app to get that channel. Roku comes with preloaded apps but you can download plenty more
     
  18. Sep 2, 2022 #58
    cocodrilo

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    I bought the 32" because it's cheap and is really just a standby for when my 15-year-old 52" TV dies. When that sad day comes, I may be ready to invest in a larger, more expensive TV. What I wonder is, how do you go about burying a dead 52" TV?
     
  19. Sep 2, 2022 #59
    vaxcardinal

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    Where I live I just take it to the landfill. They then take care of recycling whatever parts
     
  20. Sep 2, 2022 #60
    cocodrilo

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    Thanks. I've never had to discard something that big.
     
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