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Cord-Cutting Services Are Following Cable TV's Footsteps

MULTIZ321

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Cord-Cutting Services Are Following Cable TV's Footsteps
By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols/ Networking/ ZDNet/ zdnet.com

"When I cut the cable cord in 2009, I saved over $100 a month and still got to watch all my shows. Ten years later, my internet video streaming bills are closing in on cable TV-level bills.

What happened?....."

Richard
 

chriskre

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Now you just have to buy one of those little boxes that goes around all these fees for $100-$250 per box.
Buy it at the flea market or on Amazon. Cobi opens up a world of TV and movies for the price of the box
and a programmer putting all those apps in it. How they haven't been shut down I have no clue but
they are going strong. I'm tempted to get one of those boxes myself. It pays for itself in a month or two.
 

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I addressed this same revelation on another thread and was shot down recently. While cord cutting can be cheaper, it isn’t necessarily going to remain that way. Basically all of the large streamng services such as amazon have already started the price raising game. Get them hooked. Reel them in. Hit them with the price increase. I will say again, cord cutting is not for everyone. Then again, neither is cable tv. Each person should thoroughly research their needs and what it will cost and entail before jumping into the water.
 

Ironwood

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Took the first step this morning, reducing our TV package to basic plus a couple of add ons. With Netflix, Prime and a Roku streamer that's pretty much all I need. Most of the TV channels I gave up were everything from the property channel to cartoons which I never watch. Sacrificing a couple of sports channels while retaining a couple. I'm able to stream more and more live sports, so I'll give it a go!
 

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I am sure there are indeed some services where you can pay as much as you use to with cable. Especially if we, the consumer, keep wanting to get every single channel we "want". Since not every single channel you want in a perfect world is unlikely to be in any single service bundle, you get "mad" and get several services, and can certainly end up with a large bill.

I do not see Amazon and Netflix as equivalent to cable tv or satellite, those are more equivalent to renting DVDs in the old days though they do come out with some original series now. Still, it's not the same as live tv for the most part.

If people can just forego a channel or two though, they can be way ahead still. We are not missing any channels in the least since going to $16/month philo and antenna with Emby as a DVR for all antenna shows. Grand total: $16 per month is a little less than $100-$200 cable/satellite bills.

Will this go up? Philo probably will eventually (though they have been around a long time). Antenna, no. Still $0. Sure, we lost of few channels from satellite, oh well, we'll live. We also gained channels we did not have before, so who can say if we actually lost anything, I suspect not anything important in life.

Yes, I am not getting that super expensive set of channels that a lot can't live without, sports, oh well. I will live. Live TV has some sports, and, if there is an OU game I don't get on antenna (a couple games a year), I will go to the local BBQ joint and watch. We often go out to eat on weekends anyway, so no extra expense. That's not worth the extra $100 per month or even larger bundles to me.
 

bbodb1

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@Bucky - I think you are right on the mark with your comments here. I am pretty close to being in the same boat as you are given our experiences with cable, satellite, and streaming subscriptions. We still have not found a solution that really works for us because regardless of how you receive it these days, the quality of programming being offered currently is disappointing (and that is being kind). We have found that free OTA TV has really degraded in our area as infomercials make up even more of the typical broadcast day and many of the other OTA channels (Laff, Comet, etc) have soooo many commercials they are unwatchable.

I'm trying to find a solution that offers quality programming choices at an affordable price and at present, I am striking out on both of those fronts.

Perhaps the take away here is to get away from TV entirely.
 

isisdave

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We live halfway between LA and San Diego in a spot where we can't get any LA stations OTA. We do receive a few San Diego stations on a BIG antenna, but fewer than before they all went digital. This has restricted our choices, but if you get decent OTA coverage, consider using a DVR (digital video recorder).

We never watch programs containing commercials live, always delayed on our Tivo. Tivo has a couple of great features: Press a button to skip to the end of the current commercials (I don't know how they do this, and it isn't on every program, and not even on every episode of the same program, but it's great); triple fast forward speed; and a 130% play speed that adjusts the pitch of the audio, so voices don't sound like Donald. Duck, I mean. The OTA version is only $239 and has no monthly fees.

There are other DVRs I haven't used -- ChannelMaster,Tablo, Zosi, and Amazon has one called Recast -- since it's Amazon, try it and send it back if you don't like it.

The problem with all the streaming boxes and packages is just that -- they're packages. We need some way to make our own packages, but that won't happen until Congress makes it happen. Not holding my breath.
 

Big Matt

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The companies who provide the band width will win long term. The cost to enter that business are too hard to overcome for everyone other than maybe Google. Buying Verizon would be expensive. Verizon will simply go to a la carte pricing and integrate in the other suppliers. If not they will just raise price for the band width.


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vacationhopeful

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I went "over the air" at my house pictured in my avatar about a year ago. NOT within a major TV market by 100+ miles, but seems with a digital antenna with electric ... attached to the TV, I get over 30+ stations. I am at least 120 miles from Philadelphia and 100+ from NYC and 50 miles from Allentown/Bethlehem with a small mountain range in between.

It seems the TV stations are being required to transmit services more so than a few years back. Something about the Emergency Broadcast Network and service to all areas (esp rural locations).

Yes, it sounds like a lot of channels ... but some are the same networks, just with a little overlap on service coverage.
 

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I am sure there are indeed some services where you can pay as much as you use to with cable. Especially if we, the consumer, keep wanting to get every single channel we "want". Since not every single channel you want in a perfect world is unlikely to be in any single service bundle, you get "mad" and get several services, and can certainly end up with a large bill.

If people can just forego a channel or two though, they can be way ahead still. We are not missing any channels in the least since going to $16/month philo and antenna with Emby as a DVR for all antenna shows. Grand total: $16 per month is a little less than $100-$200 cable/satellite bills.

While I do agree with you in general Steve, what’s the sense in watching tv at all if you cannot get the channels you want? That to me would just be a joke. I don’t turn my tv on for background noise. I usually turn it on for the purpose of watching a specific show. So, if I could get all the channels I wanted with Philo I would be on their bandwagon tomorrow. I’m surely not going to tell my wife to suck it up. You don’t really need that channel dear! The old saying happy wife happy life is also one of the most truthful statements ever uttered. Took me quite a few years to learn that because I’m a little hard headed but after 48 years I’ve learned my lesson!
 

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While I do agree with you in general Steve, what’s the sense in watching tv at all if you cannot get the channels you want? That to me would just be a joke. I don’t turn my tv on for background noise. I usually turn it on for the purpose of watching a specific show. So, if I could get all the channels I wanted with Philo I would be on their bandwagon tomorrow. I’m surely not going to tell my wife to suck it up. You don’t really need that channel dear! The old saying happy wife happy life is also one of the most truthful statements ever uttered. Took me quite a few years to learn that because I’m a little hard headed but after 48 years I’ve learned my lesson!

Thanks you for the kind comment!

My point was not that a specific channel was necessary, my point was people generally seem to think they need 35+ specific channels, as if they watch them all (as did we!). It comes down to does a given service have most of the channels you want, and if so, is it really the end of the world if it does not, how important is any missing channel. We have no problem at all with Philo. The channels my DW likes are the Discovery series, HGTV, Food, Cooking, and, Hallmark, all of which are there. We gained some, we lost some. The ones we lost were more than offset by those we gained. DW and I discussed, and, we decided we got everything we needed without the expense.

So, if there is one single channel you cannot get, my question I was asking was is that worth an extra $100 per month (in our case $16 vs $125). Perhaps you can get the content somewhere else, which is easy for most channels (not sports) for example.

My point was also is TV actually that important to you? Maybe it is to you. it's no longer to us, we have so many other things to do now. TV is near the bottom. But that's us, not making a judgement on you or anyone else.

And another point I was trying to make is at what point does it cost too much, maybe you do need every one of your channels. When does it become too painful though? $200/mo? $300/mo? At some point I would think it has to. We reached that point, and if or when you do, you will have to make that choice.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that's for everyone, etc. I am not trying to say that's what you should do. I was responding to the article which made the claim that you pay just as much as cable, not true (but could be). Just saying when we analyzed what we do now after retirement, vs, what we want to do, that's the path we went. That and being gone 4 months a year is another reason we went away from paying so much. If none of that applies to you, then you are not a candidate for cutting of course, which is fine. We were a candidate and after 19 years with Dish Network, sent it all back. Very happy we did. And we are saving.
 
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PigsDad

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Now you just have to buy one of those little boxes that goes around all these fees for $100-$250 per box.
Buy it at the flea market or on Amazon. Cobi opens up a world of TV and movies for the price of the box
and a programmer putting all those apps in it. How they haven't been shut down I have no clue but
they are going strong. I'm tempted to get one of those boxes myself. It pays for itself in a month or two.
While the Kodi boxes are not illegal by themselves, using the add-ons that allow you to stream pirated content is certainly illegal. I know a lot of people don't have an issue with streaming or downloading pirated movies, shows, music, etc., but that is nothing that I would ever take part in personally.

Kurt
 

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While the Kodi boxes are not illegal by themselves, using the add-ons that allow you to stream pirated content is certainly illegal. I know a lot of people don't have an issue with streaming or downloading pirated movies, shows, music, etc., but that is nothing that I would ever take part in personally.

Kurt

Yes, the problem is those boxes often try and claim they are legal, of course, it's just like a TS salesman! They are unquestionably, not legal. Well, as you say the box is legal, the content is not and they try and convince you it is. I also would never do that. Kodi is and continues to fight those boxes, I am sure they will embed more things to try and kill them.

I use to use Kodi around the house for our own legal content, but then moved on to Emby since it did more things than Kodi (other than stream illegal services) and functions as my free dvr.
 

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While the Kodi boxes are not illegal by themselves, using the add-ons that allow you to stream pirated content is certainly illegal. I know a lot of people don't have an issue with streaming or downloading pirated movies, shows, music, etc., but that is nothing that I would ever take part in personally.

true, the cable companies hope you never (ever) look at illegal streaming content on the internet

"Kodi is no different to using Windows, Chrome, or any other app to access pirated content. You don’t need any specialized technical knowledge and if you know where to look there are masses of illegal content you can watch for free. If Windows is safe from the long arm of the law, Kodi is also safe."
 

PigsDad

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true, the cable companies hope you never (ever) look at illegal streaming content on the internet
Actually, I hope no one ever looks at illegal streaming content on the internet. I know people like to make out like the cable companies are the villains, but they are just providing a service of providing legal content to their customers. And guess what -- legal content costs $$.

With being in the software business all my life, I have always been an advocate against digital pirating, whether it be software, music, streaming content, etc. In my mind, watching a pirated movie or getting a copy of some software from a friend is the same as outright stealing. I'm surprised at how so many people rationalize watching pirated material but would never shoplift from a store -- it is the same thing! Theft is theft, period.

Kurt
 

Bucky

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Had to bring this thread back up after waking up this morning and seeing what ATT did with Directv Now yesterday!
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/13/18263839/att-directv-now-2019-channel-changes-hbo-plan-price

Just the loss of some of the channels that my wife loves would have been enough to make me bail after this announcement. Much less the price increase. The major advantage with cordcutting, at least for now, remains the no contract needed aspect, in my opinion. Will imagine there will be many DTVN subscribers abandoning ship when they read about this.

I didn’t have DTVN when I was a cordcutter but I did have PS Vue and Sling TV for awhile. Wonder how this will effect the industry in general. Less channels at a higher price just doesn’t seem like a good business model n my opinion. So much for lower prices with the ATT merger.
 

rhonda

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We live halfway between LA and San Diego in a spot where we can't get any LA stations OTA. We do receive a few San Diego stations on a BIG antenna, but fewer than before they all went digital. This has restricted our choices, but if you get decent OTA coverage, consider using a DVR (digital video recorder).
How funny. We are just a tad south of you, SD County along Hwy 79, but can't get any SD stations OTA. All our OTA are from LA with the large rooftop antenna.

As to the discussion, we've been streaming using DirecTV Now since its inception ... but have just been informed of a second rate hike. Our "early adopter" package went from $35/m to $40/m and now to $50/m starting August. We have no cable out here and are thrilled to have moved off Satellite internet to Wireless (cellular) a couple years back.
 

SmithOp

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How funny. We are just a tad south of you, SD County along Hwy 79, but can't get any SD stations OTA. All our OTA are from LA with the large rooftop antenna.

As to the discussion, we've been streaming using DirecTV Now since its inception ... but have just been informed of a second rate hike. Our "early adopter" package went from $35/m to $40/m and now to $50/m starting August. We have no cable out here and are thrilled to have moved off Satellite internet to Wireless (cellular) a couple years back.

Have you tried a recommendation for aligning an antenna. Digital broadcasts are more directional than analog and the older analog antennae are not the best receptors for digital signals.

https://antennaweb.org/Address

My FIL lives in a rural AZ area south of PHX, after I installed a new digital antenna on a 30ft pole he is pulling in Phoenix, Tucson and even stations from Mexico.


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PcflEZFlng

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How funny. We are just a tad south of you, SD County along Hwy 79, but can't get any SD stations OTA. All our OTA are from LA with the large rooftop antenna.
And I'm in Poway, not far from you. I live between hills and have almost zero OTA from either SD or LA (have tried it). Online reception roses for my spot show the same. There are two cable companies with lines in my neighborhood. The rugged topography of inland SD and Riverside counties really messes with reception and causes strange patterns.
 

buzglyd

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I’m in Carlsbad and can pull in every channel with the cheapest Amazon $20 antenna. I can even grab a couple LA stations if I point it north.

Poway would be tough with all the hills for sure.
 

vacationhopeful

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Again .. the feds require OVER the AIR digital signals being sent for the Emergency Broadcast Network. YOU have to have a digital antenna for your digital TV to receive those signals. The house in my Avatar is a GOOD 100+ miles west from NYC, 40 north miles from Allentown (and on the other side of a ridge of mountains (the PA turnpike as a tunnel thru that ridge) and about 60+ mile south of the NY State line. BOONDOCKS!

A digital indoor antenna picks UP channels ... because the emergency broadcast network is required STILL today. Go and invest in a good digital over-the-air indoor (or outdoor) antenna. Mine for this chalet can be used either way for about $60 BUT I get those 15-20 channels with the antenna on a INDOORs table. Had NOT interest in climbing up on the roof to attach to the chimney .. if I got a few TV channels.
 

Steve Fatula

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DTVN is definitely going to cut their subscriber base. Not sure of the reason for their moves. Cut channels and increase rates. This is not going to go over well with many of those having the service, such as my sister in law. Rate increase is one thing, losing the channels they watch is another.
 

Steve Fatula

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Actually, I hope no one ever looks at illegal streaming content on the internet. I know people like to make out like the cable companies are the villains, but they are just providing a service of providing legal content to their customers. And guess what -- legal content costs $$.

With being in the software business all my life, I have always been an advocate against digital pirating, whether it be software, music, streaming content, etc. In my mind, watching a pirated movie or getting a copy of some software from a friend is the same as outright stealing. I'm surprised at how so many people rationalize watching pirated material but would never shoplift from a store -- it is the same thing! Theft is theft, period.

Kurt

Well said. Thieves, pirates, etc. will always convince themselves by using faulty logic that it's ok to steal this or that, not harming anyone, won't get caught, etc. They usually won't use the word steal of course. I won't get caught, therefore, it's ok to steal, great moral code. I would imagine those in the current college entrance scandal had convinced themselves it was ok as well. In their own mind, they were helping their kids I am sure. A terrible attitude.
 
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