Our contract is up in April, we will not be renewing.
Cutting the cord just got easier - Youtube TV
- Thread starter drypowder
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And the new Mobdro update has Hustler TV Europe and Penthouse HD in the channels section for those who want that (besides the numerous adult addons for Kodi). And Hallmark is one of the channels.
My biggest hurdle right now is trying to understand if/how to include DVR functionality in a streaming setup. Web searches bring up a lot of info but I don't understand most of it. Can any of you shed some light on this topic?
I've just learn to live without DVR. There are options out there...But spending more money isn't an idea I like.
DS
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I'm definitely not seeing that option with SlingTV. I can go back and watch an episode that aired earlier in the day but FF/RW is locked out. So far I'm unimpressed with it overall. I will definitely be looking at the Youtube option that started this thread.
ChickenHawk
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I'm 28 and have no idea what the heck Kodi is or half of the other stuff in this thread. Maybe I just read too much. The only thing that I miss since getting rid of cable is hockey and college football.
i've been without directv for over a year now, but haven't been able to find a streaming service that really did it for me. I think this might be the ticket - low price that includes most of the sports I want to watch, local channels, and DVR. Plus I was already paying for YouTube Red, so that is a added bonus.
OP
drypowder
Les Deplorables
Yeah, this looks like a great option for those already paying for YT Red. $25 on top of YT Red and dump cable/satellite provider.
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drypowder
Les Deplorables
Looks like Youtube now offers movies on demand (even apart from Youtube TV). When I go to Youtube > Home, as I scroll down, one of the sections is Most Popular Movies and I can buy and watch.
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drypowder
Les Deplorables
Hulu throwing its hat in the ring with a live TV offering: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...mer-hulu-gets-3999-live-tv-upgrade/101218510/
Cord cutting continues: Worst quarter for paid TV subscriptions points to a cord cutting future
Funny story - I was at my parents' place and some college kid who is working for Verizon was going door to door to encourage people to renew their Verizon FIOS service. Anyway, he and I got to talking, and this kid is a cord-never (the term the industry uses to describe those who've never paid for cable/satellite TV, as opposed to older cord-cutters), and he starts telling me all about how to avoid paying for TV (while he's on Verizon's payroll). Gen Z or whatever you call the people in their late teens and early 20s has a LOT of cord-nevers. They've never paid for cable/satellite TV (their parents did) and they aren't going to start when they move into their own places. Kid I was talking to knew very few people his age who paid for traditional TV service in their apartments. They mostly either paid for Netflix/Amazon Prime or didn't pay for anything at all beyond cable modem service.
So we are going to see more of these skinny bundle services over cable modem like Sling, Google, Hulu, etc. But I'd go a step further and say that the traditional programming model is dying.
First of all, other than news and sports, everything else doesn't make sense to watch according to a broadcaster's schedule instead of the viewer's own schedule. Why should someone sit down to watch a show at 9pm when that show isn't live? The only reason we've done it before is because we didn't have a choice. But now we do, and we are seeing that consumers are opting out of the traditional viewing schedule in favor of binge watching (or generally watching when it's convenient for them).
Second, even the skinny bundles are just a stopgap. While 40 channels at a lower price is more appealing to many than 200 channels for a lot more money, even 40 channels is way more than the average person would watch if he/she had to pay for individual channels. Eventually we will go full a la carte.
Cord cutting continues: Worst quarter for paid TV subscriptions points to a cord cutting future
Funny story - I was at my parents' place and some college kid who is working for Verizon was going door to door to encourage people to renew their Verizon FIOS service. Anyway, he and I got to talking, and this kid is a cord-never (the term the industry uses to describe those who've never paid for cable/satellite TV, as opposed to older cord-cutters), and he starts telling me all about how to avoid paying for TV (while he's on Verizon's payroll). Gen Z or whatever you call the people in their late teens and early 20s has a LOT of cord-nevers. They've never paid for cable/satellite TV (their parents did) and they aren't going to start when they move into their own places. Kid I was talking to knew very few people his age who paid for traditional TV service in their apartments. They mostly either paid for Netflix/Amazon Prime or didn't pay for anything at all beyond cable modem service.
So we are going to see more of these skinny bundle services over cable modem like Sling, Google, Hulu, etc. But I'd go a step further and say that the traditional programming model is dying.
First of all, other than news and sports, everything else doesn't make sense to watch according to a broadcaster's schedule instead of the viewer's own schedule. Why should someone sit down to watch a show at 9pm when that show isn't live? The only reason we've done it before is because we didn't have a choice. But now we do, and we are seeing that consumers are opting out of the traditional viewing schedule in favor of binge watching (or generally watching when it's convenient for them).
Second, even the skinny bundles are just a stopgap. While 40 channels at a lower price is more appealing to many than 200 channels for a lot more money, even 40 channels is way more than the average person would watch if he/she had to pay for individual channels. Eventually we will go full a la carte.
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I just signed up for two years of AT&T U-verse at a promo rate. We tried a few streaming services and were not as happy with them as we (I mean SHE) is with broadcast TV+DVR. Maybe things will change enough over the next two years that I can switch then, but for now I'm happy with the better service I get by dropping coax for a FOC to my living room.
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drypowder
Les Deplorables
The roadblock seems to be the content creators. I.e., Disney doesn't want to sell just one channel to the distributors (cable, satellite, over-the-internet skinny bundlers), they force the distributors to buy a package of channels. The other content creators do the same. And they've been able to get away with it because the bundlers were able to pass that charge on to the customers.
But with Netflix and Amazon Prime, you have people saying 'F*** it', I can live without all of Disney's (or other media company's) channels. So this is forcing the content creators to move toward selling smaller packages of channels. We're still a long way from pure a la carte, but things are changing rapidly in comparison to the glacial pace of change before most people had high speed internet.
A la carte also means many channels will cease to exist. There are a lot of channels that enhance a package, but couldn't stand on their own. Kind of like having all the factory 'goodies' when selling a Glock - they'll help the sale, but there's no interest in that stuff without the pistol.
And of course pure a la carte means you just buy a show, not a channel. If the only AMC show you're interested in is The Walking Dead, the only reason to pay for all of AMC's content is because they won't sell you just TWD.
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Funny stuff. A Glock reverence in a TV thread! Classic.
All hail a la carte TV. And screw the evil mouse,
WE have cable internet, VUDU, sometimes netflix over the summer, and over the air. Kicking around Amazon Prime but just not sure it's worth it for us. I also do Pandora for tunes in the garage. We've kicked around several ideas but just don't miss a big TV package that much.
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I'll never cut the cord unless I lose my company rate on DirecTV. It's the best discount we get...at least for useful products (free home phone isn't really a big deal for most people these days).
I've had Netflix almost since inception and am an Amazon Prime member. I use Netflix for some shows and Prime for others, mostly exclusives. Everything else is on the Firestick running the No Limits Kodi build. Movies, shows, live TV, it's all there. Even movies still in theaters. If you can't find something to watch on there, you're too damn picky. I do have Mobdro and Showbox on my phone and tablet, but rarely use them.
If anybody buys a Firestick and wants Kodi installed, just hit me up. DO NOT spend $80+ on one with it already installed. It's a ripoff. The whole install is only about a 10 minute process.
If anybody buys a Firestick and wants Kodi installed, just hit me up. DO NOT spend $80+ on one with it already installed. It's a ripoff. The whole install is only about a 10 minute process.
We have TW/Spectrum still. Really only because of RoadRunner. Watch most TV on Rokus though. Looking into cutting the cord since we have unlimited plans with Verizon now. The 4g tether on my phone can handle my Roku, tablet, and desktop at the same time easily.
I am experimenting with Sling. I like it. I like that it has all the main channels I watch plus on demand. Don't like the lack of fast forward, but it's not bad if it's not the latest episode. I enjoy live programming as it takes the onus off of me to find something or plan a lineup. We have Prime, Hulu, and Netflix too. I use Amazon too much not to have Prime, so that's a wash. I really like Netflix's progamming and it's cheap. Hulu I haven't spent any time on. I think that one is expendable.
I need to look into Kodi and cutting the cord. If there were better options for internet, nobody would have cable anymore...
I am experimenting with Sling. I like it. I like that it has all the main channels I watch plus on demand. Don't like the lack of fast forward, but it's not bad if it's not the latest episode. I enjoy live programming as it takes the onus off of me to find something or plan a lineup. We have Prime, Hulu, and Netflix too. I use Amazon too much not to have Prime, so that's a wash. I really like Netflix's progamming and it's cheap. Hulu I haven't spent any time on. I think that one is expendable.
I need to look into Kodi and cutting the cord. If there were better options for internet, nobody would have cable anymore...
I don't really watch news channels, but I know some Kodi builds have news feeds from all over the world.
RedneckFur
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I cut the cable 2 years ago. I get PBS from Chapel Hill on the TV in the living room, plus Youtube and Netflix on the blue ray player. On my computer I have Netflix and Kodi. I have had good luck finding all the shows that I enjoy watching, and I don't miss cable at all.
I do tend to stay behind on the news unless I take the time to find it, but all said and done, not seeing all the bad news every day is probably better for my state of mind.
I do tend to stay behind on the news unless I take the time to find it, but all said and done, not seeing all the bad news every day is probably better for my state of mind.
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drypowder
Les Deplorables
Just for reference, the TV skinny bundle services that stream over the internet currently include:
Most of these are 40-50 channel 'skinny bundles' with options to add on additional channels; and most of these are no-contract.
With 40-50 channels plus all the content on the internet, it's difficult to understand why people would pay for 200+ channel packages. They're ain't enough time in the day or enough quality programming to warrant that many channels.
- Sling TV
- Playstation Vue (no Playstation required)
- DirecTV Now (no satellite dish required)
- Youtube TV
- Hulu Live TV
Most of these are 40-50 channel 'skinny bundles' with options to add on additional channels; and most of these are no-contract.
With 40-50 channels plus all the content on the internet, it's difficult to understand why people would pay for 200+ channel packages. They're ain't enough time in the day or enough quality programming to warrant that many channels.
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Here are a couple quick links to get started with Kodi on the Firestick. I may create a new thread in the future.
Installing Kodi:
http://www.wirelesshack.org/how-to-install-kodi-on-the-new-updated-fire-tv-stick.html
No limit build:
http://www.wirelesshack.org/how-to-install-no-limits-magic-build-kodi-16-1-jarvis.html
Be aware that there are 2 versions of the No Limits build, one with and one without XXX content for those of us with kids.
Installing Kodi:
http://www.wirelesshack.org/how-to-install-kodi-on-the-new-updated-fire-tv-stick.html
No limit build:
http://www.wirelesshack.org/how-to-install-no-limits-magic-build-kodi-16-1-jarvis.html
Be aware that there are 2 versions of the No Limits build, one with and one without XXX content for those of us with kids.
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I bought the Amazon Fire TV box, not the stick, and a digital antenna. Between Vue and the antenna I get about 75 channels. It was a tough sell for the wife because shes old school and was skeptical about streaming. And with Vue you can stream up to 5 devices.
Out here in the boonies I have slow Windstream internet and it still keeps up with all the devices we have running at the same time.
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https://www.amazon.com/HONGYU-Andro...2412&sr=8-10&keywords=Android+pro+TV+unlocked
https://www.amazon.com/DeepSea-Hand...94072563&sr=8-3&keywords=mini+wireless+keypad
Those two items @ChickenHawk and you'll die before you've seen all the channels and movies...all you need is a good internet connection above 10MBs
No contracted TV...no payments...just way too much stuff to watch.
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Who are y'all using for internet service? I'm trying to find the cheapest option but it seems like no matter who I look at I can get tv for a extra 25.99 a month.
ChickenHawk
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Thank you sir. I will have to check into this.
This is the real crux of the matter. It's not the cable company's TV holding it back, it's internet access that's worth a damn holding it back. Most folks don't have more than one reliable source for high speed. I can use RoadRunner or some crappy DSL. If I have RR, I may as well get cable over paying for a bunch of other services. If we had real access to cheap high speed like many countries it would be a non issue. We need the South Korea system. Their internet dominates ours...
I agree with extreme prejudice! Most THIRD WORLD countries have faster public WIFI than we have direct connections. I wanna see what comes out of the NYvs Spectrum/TWC suit. Greed made them overload nodes, without any updating of infrastructure for over a decade.
I spent days and a lotta cash trying to conform to all kinds of BS from Time Warner's tech support, only to find out the truth from a tech later. I pay for 300MBs and was lucky to get 15, until after I upgraded all my equipment and cabling, to where it exceeds that which is available anywhere today. The tech enlightened me. The best I could hope for, with the number of people on my node is 300MBs. It decreases with every device activation on the node. I told him that I was able to get 300 when on the phone with support. He told me that if I pressed a tech or engineer while on the phone, they'd kill off everyone on the node except me until I saw 300...then put them all back on. It's freakin rediculas !
It's criminal is what it is. The lack of competition allowed and the level of government interference is mind-boggling. Greatest country in the world and our internet is a joke in many places around the globe... It should be blazing fast and next to free...
Not only THAT...What about this logic of "Air Time" for phones instead of a one way duration rate like the rest of the danged world !
Well most are unlimited now so that's gotten to be a non issue unless you're traveling. I'm not looking forward to my bill next month when I get back from Spain... And Cuba the next month is REALLY gonna kill me...