Give me your suggestions for streaming devices, subscription services, etc.

If you're an iOS guy get an Apple TV.

Roku 3

Netflix, Amazon Prime (especially if you ever buy stuff on Amazon), then maybe Hulu (I don't get enough value to have their premium service)
Good OTA antenna
SlingTV w/ sports package in the fall

Wish I could do this, but I love Aggie/college football.

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Roku 3

Netflix, Amazon Prime (especially if you ever buy stuff on Amazon), then maybe Hulu (I don't get enough value to have their premium service)
Good OTA antenna
SlingTV w/ sports package in the fall

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I do exactly everything on there. Cept I keep Sling on year round for the most part. I like baseball as well.

With the paid subs I come out to about $41 dollars a month. mix with $47 interwebs and I'm looking at around $88 a month for internet and streaming subscription services. Which I guess isn't that much cheaper than basic cable services but no contract and I pay for what I want. Though I normally dont count Amazon Prime as I use that as a streaming service second behind free shipping.

how do you record live TV?

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Get the slingTV app with the sports add on and you should be able to get all ESPN channels including SEC Network.

An OTA antenna will get you games on ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC.

I rarely end up on other channels for CFB.

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Sling is a must for live sports if you cut the cord. I get 95 percent of the games I wanna watch and those that slip through at least on NFL side I stream through Verizon redzone. If you work a lot redzone is awesome.

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how do you record live TV?

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You typically don't.

But if you are cutting the cord, you typically want to reduce how much TV you watch, so it isn't that big a deal.

But if you are somebody that absolutely must record live TV all the time you are probably not going to be able to get off of cable.

There are things you can do but they will be less automated and convenient.

Again, I consider these somewhat divergent goals though.

I did it months ago and haven't missed it at all. I will be picking it up again in the fall for football season though. If I can't record live games I will miss them and missing them is not an option right now. I use suddenlink and they don't have contracts so I can add it and then delete it easily.

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how do you record live TV?

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tablo, simple.tv, channel master, tivo OTA, etc.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I believe that since I will maintain Uverse internet service that I will at least have basic cable. Maybe not. I'll have to see.

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how do you record live TV?

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tablo, simple.tv, channel master, tivo OTA, etc.

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Very awesome options. I prefer the Tablo or the Simple.TV devices. I bought the Simple.TV from Woot with a lifetime subscription and it's worked great. I tested the Tablo as well and it worked wonderfully (I've since moved it to a relative's house).

I've got a Roku 3, SlingTV subscription (Base, HBO, Sports and Hollywood Extra), Netflix with 2 BluRay disc option, Hulu Plus (signing up for the Showtime as well), and a Plex system loaded with all of my BluRays, DVDs, and music.

Total cost per month is still less than I'm paying for a Choice XTRA DirecTV, which I'll be cancelling in a month.

The hardest thing was BBC, since my fiance likes BBCA (and I must admit, I'm a big fan of TopGear, but that's been less of a problem lately), but there's still enough room in the budget should we decide to do a UK VPN and connect to iPlayer.

A barebones PC - something like this ECS Liva from Newegg
Then install Open ELEC or Linux distro of your choice.
Add Kodi (formerly XBMC)
and then TV Addons

Then watch pretty much anything you ever wanted to watch for free (including worldwide live sports).

You can also install Kodi/TVAddons on FireTV or Ouya.

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Roku 3

Netflix, Amazon Prime (especially if you ever buy stuff on Amazon), then maybe Hulu (I don't get enough value to have their premium service)
Good OTA antenna
SlingTV w/ sports package in the fall

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I do exactly everything on there. Cept I keep Sling on year round for the most part. I like baseball as well.

With the paid subs I come out to about $41 dollars a month. mix with $47 interwebs and I'm looking at around $88 a month for internet and streaming subscription services. Which I guess isn't that much cheaper than basic cable services but no contract and I pay for what I want. Though I normally dont count Amazon Prime as I use that as a streaming service second behind free shipping.

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Exactly. You still have to consider the total cost of your monthly subs:

8.25 Amazon Prime
8.99 Netflix (streaming only)
7.99 Hulu Plus
20.00 Sling TV
5.00 Sling Sports
TOTAL 50.23 before tax

Keep in mind that's $50.23 with no DVR. I pay $75 (that's full price, year 1 was $50) with Dish and have the 3TB Hopper with many more channels.

Well worth the $25 a month difference to me personally. Internet TV is close but not quite there IMO.

I have Roku 3 and Apple TV. I like the Roku better.

Sling Basic
Hulu Plus
Netflix
Amazon Prime
My in laws hbogo
My parents watchespn

I do miss being able to record. Also, we rarely watch local TV because our OTA channels don't come in well. I need to get an attic antenna. I could probably cut Hulu and we wouldn't miss it.

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I have Roku 3 and Apple TV. I like the Roku better.

Sling Basic
Hulu Plus
Netflix
Amazon Prime
My in laws hbogo
My parents watchespn

I do miss being able to record. Also, we rarely watch local TV because our OTA channels don't come in well. I need to get an attic antenna. I could probably cut Hulu and we wouldn't miss it.

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I'm currently in the process of cutting my cord. I had a Roku 3 already, and I signed up for several of the above, but I'll be dropping Hulu - with the ability to record shows OTA I don't need or use it, especially with the commercials I can skip on the DVR.

On that note, I have a Channel Master DVR with a 2tb HD, and it's a wonder. I put an antenna in the attic and I get 50+ channels OTA, then Channel Master comes with a free guide that goes a couple weeks out so I can DVR what I want. With the new update I can even record new shows only if I want to avoid reruns.

I have both Amazon Prime and Netflix, but I had them before I cut the cord, so that wasn't an additional expense.

The challenge for me was finding a place to find my kids' and wife's shows. At first I was looking at buying them one at a time on Amazon (most of the disney/lifetime/A&E crap is per purchase in addition to Amazon Prime), but it looks like I can get a lot of that from Sling. I have a Plex server to manage my ripped DVD collection, and Plex has apps for lifetime, history, a&e, etc that have some content, but there's not a lot there.

How does Sling work - does it include on demand content or is it all streaming?

Sling has both. Different channels have differing levels of On Demand, but all have streaming feeds.

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8.25 Amazon Prime
8.99 Netflix (streaming only)
7.99 Hulu Plus
20.00 Sling TV
5.00 Sling Sports
TOTAL 50.23 before tax

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I would argue that anyone who has both Amazon Prime and Netflix is likely paying for the prime to get the free 2 day shipping. There's not enough exclusive content on Amazon to make it worth $8 month.

Also, Hulu+ is a ripoff. Just get a decent antenna or watch the most recent episodes on Hulu free.

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Roku 3

Netflix, Amazon Prime (especially if you ever buy stuff on Amazon), then maybe Hulu (I don't get enough value to have their premium service)
Good OTA antenna
SlingTV w/ sports package in the fall

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I do exactly everything on there. Cept I keep Sling on year round for the most part. I like baseball as well.

With the paid subs I come out to about $41 dollars a month. mix with $47 interwebs and I'm looking at around $88 a month for internet and streaming subscription services. Which I guess isn't that much cheaper than basic cable services but no contract and I pay for what I want. Though I normally dont count Amazon Prime as I use that as a streaming service second behind free shipping.

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Exactly. You still have to consider the total cost of your monthly subs:

8.25 Amazon Prime
8.99 Netflix (streaming only)
7.99 Hulu Plus
20.00 Sling TV
5.00 Sling Sports
TOTAL 50.23 before tax

Keep in mind that's $50.23 with no DVR. I pay $75 (that's full price, year 1 was $50) with Dish and have the 3TB Hopper with many more channels.

Well worth the $25 a month difference to me personally. Internet TV is close but not quite there IMO.

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Agree with Diggity - we have Amazon Prime for shipping, and had it when we had satellite, so that's not a cost that is attributed to the cord cutting. Hulu+ isn't worth it (also agree with Diggity), so our "total" cost is $8.65 (our netflix bill, after taxes) and a one time $50 or so for an OTA antenna.

In the fall, I'll pay $25 for SlingTV and sling sports, so I'll climb up into the very low $30s total.

On top of that, I only really ever watch A&M football, so I can pick it up 5 minutes before the first game and cancel it 5 minutes after the last and not have to lock in to a heavy contract for 2 years.

And cutting the cord actually has a tendency to keep our family from watching too much TV which I like. Shows we used to have to watch, we just don't care about much anymore.

So it may only be $25 dollars less if you pick up every streaming service out there, but for most folks, you' talking closer to $40/month cheaper and having the flexibility of not being under a 2 year contract. Not to mention some of the benefits like actually reducing how much TV you watch.

I have been a cord cutter since Fall 2012.
We have 4 Roku3s in the house. (~$100 each)
We have an OTA antenna in the attic and use the existing cable to carry signal from attic to the biggest TV.
We do not feel we have a need for a recording device since we are watching streams of everything but sports.

Costs
Cable Internet 15Mbps costs $35 a month where I am.
We use Netflix, Amazon and Hulu+ - so roughly $30 a month combined.
We use HBONow on iPad to watch GOT mostly. $15 a month.
So about $80/month when I used to pay $150.

Netflix has tons of shows and I believe that unless you are a TV junkie you cannot see all of them.
Hulu+ is the closest to watching things via DVR. Commercials are annoying but the service is good enough.
Amazon is where we rent movies and have found some shows not on Hulu, also this is where we watch SciFi and BBCA shows such as Orphan Black. Also the older HBO series can be seen on Amazon unless you order HBONow.
We have been going to sports bar to watch Aggie games. I get a lot more done each weekend now.
Sling is being considered for Aggie football.
We watch news on the FoxNews Roku app and view in clips after they play live the same day. Local news will be on OTA signal.

Note:
BTW, we never run our ROKU3s at 1080p, 720p is enough to clearly show everything we watch. We don't like buying HD level movies on Amazon either, the standard level look sharp enough for us. Typically saves a few bucks and buffers better.

First, I'm an advocate of Internet TV. More competition makes the market place better for consumers.

For me personally, internet TV isn't where it needs to be yet for me to make the jump. Especially for a $25 monthly difference with no DVR and the draw backs of streaming .

Everyone's situation will be different. For $300 a year I'll take more channels, more reliability, & a DVR. Others would go the opposite way and save 300 bones.

That $50 list is what I would add personally, as would many others making the switch. My Amazon orders are strategically over $35 for free ship. Prime would be for streaming.

To be honest, it'd be more like $60 bc I'd also dd the packages Below On Sling for the family.
$5 for lifestyle channels
$5 for kids channels

Keep in mind Sling TV failed during March Madness due to overload. Hope that doesn't happen for high profile NCAA football games. Link:
http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/5/8348885/sling-tv-ncaa-finals-problems-watching

Let us know how it goes. I'm a couple years behind you on switching.

I feel like you missed the point. I'm saying it's not worth the $8 or $9 just for prime video. It's a nice bonus, but I was paying for it before that came along. If you don't want/need 2 day shipping, then Netflix has much better selection.

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I feel like you missed the point. I'm saying it's not worth the $8 or $9 just for prime video. It's a nice bonus, but I was paying for it before that came along. If you don't want/need 2 day shipping, then Netflix has much better selection.

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Aware. Had them both a couple times. Have neither now. I liked the movie selection much better on Prime. Netflix for documentaries.

I understood your point, I was illustrating that in my scenario that isn't the case. Prime would be adding to my monthly entertainment cost, not free shipping.

I feel like you're attempting to create a "versus thread" when I clearly stated I think cutting the cord works great for some, while not worth the nominal savings in other cases for the tradeoffs. The key is to be educated on these differences and not jump ship over $300 (either way, "upgrading" or ditching cable/satellite) for a product you mind find not worth it after investing in equipment.

Satellite, cable, & Internet TV all competing will make a better and more price agressive end product.

I'm honestly not trying to do anything...I'm just pointing out that for "most people", there isn't enough additional content on Amazon to justify the additional cost, so I wouldn't include it in my figures for cost of "cord cutting".

You see value in it, so that's fine.

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I'm honestly not trying to do anything...I'm just pointing out that for "most people", there isn't enough additional content on Amazon to justify the additional cost, so I wouldn't include it in my figures for cost of "cord cutting".

You see value in it, so that's fine.

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We'll call this round a draw.

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A barebones PC - something like this ECS Liva from Newegg
Then install Open ELEC or Linux distro of your choice.
Add Kodi (formerly XBMC)
and then TV Addons

Then watch pretty much anything you ever wanted to watch for free (including worldwide live sports).

You can also install Kodi/TVAddons on FireTV or Ouya.

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I'm surprised no one has jumped on you for "stealing" cable. It always happens when someone mentions XBMC/Kodi.

It has to be the dirty little secret here. There's no way this many tech savvy people are really paying for flocking Hulu. I also like the double-standard where it's acceptable for all of Dunn Hall to log into HBO Go under Jeff's parents' account, but if you torrent or stream, then you are not a real Aggie, because it's stealing and Aggie code and stuff!!!

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It has to be the dirty little secret here. There's no way this many tech savvy people are really paying for flocking Hulu. I also like the double-standard where it's acceptable for all of Dunn Hall to log into HBO Go under Jeff's parents' account, but if you torrent or stream, then you are not a real Aggie, because it's stealing and Aggie code and stuff!!!

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Leave my parents out of this!

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It has to be the dirty little secret here. There's no way this many tech savvy people are really paying for flocking Hulu

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Actually, the truth is that more than likely anyone tech savvy enough to be on here are making a good enough living to shell over SINGLE DIGIT DOLLARS PER MONTH for something like Netflix or Hulu. Just cause plenty of us refuse to do that doesn't mean we don't know how or have the ability.

I'm not going to go around calling people out for sharing accounts or doing what they see fit, but don't justify it by assuming, and then asserting, that everyone does it.

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I'm surprised no one has jumped on you for "stealing" cable. It always happens when someone mentions XBMC/Kodi.

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How is kodi these days? XBMC on a soft modded original xbox was mind blowing back when I first saw it (2006 IIRC). Media server with with16:9 and 720p/1080i output.

I've been considering getting an OG xbox for this & a few games I missed but would interested in kodi on a new machine as well (not for stealing hulu lol) for file sharing, music, movies, old game emulators, etc.

What box are ppl installing it on these day. A Decade Later. Yikes....

Kodi clients can run on as small as a RasPi

http://kodi.wiki/view/Raspberry_Pi

Supports 1080p, most of the codecs out, a good number of the channels, and can be had for less than $50 including a case.

OTA antenna
Roku

Hulu plus (essentially acts as you DVR)


We have Amazon Prime, but personally their selection is not impressive to me.

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Actually, the truth is that more than likely anyone tech savvy enough to be on here are making a good enough living to shell over SINGLE DIGIT DOLLARS PER MONTH for something like Netflix or Hulu. Just cause plenty of us refuse to do that doesn't mean we don't know how or have the ability.

I'm not going to go around calling people out for sharing accounts or doing what they see fit, but don't justify it by assuming, and then asserting, that everyone does it.

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Look out, we've got a baller over here! Sure, most of us could pay for all these services, but presumably cord-cutting is about saving money. This is a way to save ALL your money and get more content than all those other services combined.

I didn't suggest, or even imply, that everyone does it. I simply stated that I think more people here do it than admit it, for fear of the ethics police and their pitchfork-wielding posses. I also used hyperbole to refer to the fact that many people here talk openly about "borrowing" friends' or relatives' account log-ins and the moral S.W.A.T. team fails to repel through the windows for them.

Aggie MHA, Kodi is great. It does exactly what it's supposed to do in up to 1080p, and the interface is intuitive well-refined. Ouya is the easiest/cheapest platform probably if you are also looking for emulators (be sure to mail Nintendo a check if you download ROMs, though!), but HTPC (Win, Mac and Linux), barebones PC, Raspberry Pi, Apple TV, and other Android devices are all capable.

nwspmp, yeah, a Pi will work just fine, but for another $30 and still in the same range as Roku/ATV/Fire, you get more ports, built-in wifi, and 2 GB RAM in the barebones PC I linked.

I really didn't come to troll up a fight or moral debate, but it is a very viable option for those who won't lose sleep over it so I thought it was worth mentioning.

For what it's worth...I love my Kodi setup on my HTPC with my Homerun Dual HD TV tuner. I watch all the shows and movies I could ever need, record live TV (local) through the tv tuner, stream Pandora, sing Karaoke, and play high end PC games.