Comeby! said:

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At what point do these tv companies that have Internet services start jacking up you monthly access fees to what you were before you cut the cord?

After you cut the cord and add all your channels and DVR it seems you are almost back up to your pre-cut costs minus a significant amount of channel (albeit just the ones you want).

I'd love to cut the cord but I don't see a big enough savings to do it.

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I save more than $1000 a year, and I have all the options I need. I'd say that's enough savings to do it.

Comeby! said:

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At what point do these tv companies that have Internet services start jacking up you monthly access fees to what you were before you cut the cord?

After you cut the cord and add all your channels and DVR it seems you are almost back up to your pre-cut costs minus a significant amount of channel (albeit just the ones you want).

I'd love to cut the cord but I don't see a big enough savings to do it.

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I was paying ~$130/mo for DTV with 2 HD receivers (1 DVR) and now am paying ~$48/mo for PSVue and only lost AT&T Sports Net (Astros) and Nickelodeon, which the kids watched. Some of those shows are on Amazon Prime and they can watch them that way...so no real loss there. By cutting the cord, I'm now saving $960/yr on TV and have access to my channels on multiple TVs throughout the house. The DVR is a bit different, but with the way streaming is going, it will catch up with traditional DVRs soon, IMO. Also, I'm not paying to rent equipment from them.

I consider internet a wash since I was paying for that anyway, but I pay ~$70/mo for 200 mbps internet through Suddenlink with no data caps. So, together with Vue, I pay less than satellite cost me each month.

For you, $960/yr may not be a big deal, but for a single income home with 2 kids, it's a lot that can be better spent elsewhere (pre-school tuition, savings, auto/homeowners insurance, extended weekend somewhere with the wife, etc).

$1000/year is a big deal. Maybe my current tv packages aren't big enough.
I'll have to put the pencil to the paper again and see.

Worth noting, here are some additional details on the Comcast Xfinity IPTV offering. They have branded it "Instant TV"

https://9to5mac.com/2017/09/27/comcasts-new-xfinity-instant-tv/

Quote:

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XFINITY Instant TV starts at $18 per month, which essentially equates to a basic TV package that includes broadcast stations like ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, NBC and PBS, along with public and government content. There's no word at this time if those feeds will be taken from local markets or the national equivalent. ...

Premium channels like HBO and Starz will be available as add-ons at the usual subscription price along with latino and deportes services. Comcast will include a 20-hour cloud DVR feature at no additional cost along with access to two streams at once per subscription.At launch, Comcast will offer its streaming service on PCs, tablets, smartphones and Roku devices, unfortunately leaving Apple TV customers out in the cold.

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Quote:

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• Enjoy local and national live sports, news and the most popular shows as they air.
• Add premium channels and channel packs to make sure you get all your favorite programming.
• Record up to 20 hours of your favorites and watch them at home or download them and take them on the go.

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Quote:

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You can also choose to add the following channel packages:

• Kids and Family ($10 per month) Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, MTV, National Geographic Channel, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, NickToons, Universal Kids, TeenNick and TLC.
• Entertainment ($15 per month) A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, E!, Food Network, FX, FXX, Hallmark Channel, HISTORY, HGTV, Lifetime, OWN, Syfy, TBS, TNT, TV One, USA and VH1.
• Sports and News ($30 per month) CNBC, CNN, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, ESPNU, Fox Business, Fox News, Fox Sports 1, Golf Channel, MSNBC, NBC Sports, NFL Network and Regional Sports Networks based on markets.

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At $63 I don't see the value personally. It would be similar to the $55 Vue Elite package. For that $7 jump you do get A&E, Nickelodeon, History, MTV, live CW, and live PBS. Keep in mind CW and PBS have free VOD apps. You would lose some as well from Vue like Science, Destination America, IFC. If this was more around $55 you could look to see if the trade off is worth it.

Now.... because they already have TV deals, they could go live locals in many markets immediately?

Talked to my dad last night, he has officially cut the cord.

He talked a neighbor into climbing his tower and installing his OTA antenna for him. I need to find out what kind of antenna he bought but he lives in BFE and his antenna has a built in rotor. He said he found a sweet spot where he can get about 39 channels but I think he will find that under certain weather conditions he will have to use the rotor to get what he wants.

He's currently running free trials with SlingTV and FuboTV? Never heard of that 2nd one but he's a tight ass and those are the two cheapest. He's been having problems with Fubo but Sling seems to be working OK. I had already told him to get ready to upgrade his router because he has about the cheapest wifi router he could find at the time. Now he's going to go spend a couple of hundred bucks on a new one just to see if that fixes his FuboTv problem.

He didn't seem too happy with the channel guide on Sling, he's 79 years old and he says he has a hard time reading it from his easy chair. Now he's thinking it's time to get his cataracts removed.

Anyway, it was pretty entertaining talking to him. He basically watches football, baseball and old westerns. But he will drop 500+ dollars on equipment to save 50 or 60 bucks a month. I guess it's good to give him something to keep him occupied in his old age. Plus bragging rights at the church and he can be the go to guy on something. Old people need a little swag in their lives I suppose.

Moral of the story, if he can do it, anyone can.

$500 in equipment at a 10 month payout? I'd be all over that.

Comeby! said:

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$500 in equipment at a 10 month payout? I'd be all over that.

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I had $350 in startup costs with the new router, antenna and streaming sticks. I've already made that investment back in savings. It was totally worth it.

agproducer said:

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Comeby! said:

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$500 in equipment at a 10 month payout? I'd be all over that.

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I had $350 in startup costs with the new router, antenna and streaming sticks. I've already made that investment back in savings. It was totally worth it.

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Similar for me. $90 for a Fire TV, $120ish for a new router, and a 6-pack of beer and steak for my IT nerd buddy to come down and figure out why my ethernet wasn't working and to fix it. I'll make up the cost of the Fire TV this month with what I'm saving and the prorated amount I got back when I told DTV to EAD.

CoolaidWade said:

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aTm2004 said:

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Where are you located?

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In San Antonio. No CBS so I wasn't able to watch the 2:30 SEC game of the week.

I haven't tried Vue mainly because I heard the picture quality wasn't as good as some of the others. And mainly because I wanted to see what all the hype was about so I just picked DirecTV now because there was a code for a month trial on this thread.

Overall my wife and I like it. Just no CBS and DVR. We have 50 Mbps GVTC fiber and it's spot on. No problems streaming. It does buffer for a second every now and then but not too often. Probably only once every couple of hours.

I think I'll try them all beginning of next year so we can pick one when our two year contract is up next April. Honestly I hope Youtube TV will have more streaming options then the Chromecast by then.

I'm going to turn my DirectTV dish into a OTA antenna. I'm pretty sure legally they can't make me climb up there and take that dish down so unless they send someone on their dime that dish is mine.

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I'm guessing you'll be fine once you turn that dish into an ota antenna. I got a cheap $20 indoor hdtv antenna and i get KENS fine. What part of SA? I'm northeast. IIRC, KENS tx site is southeast.

ok, so we've been cordcutters for about 9 months now. Everything works well with PSVue except my wife demands the hallmark channel be a part of our christmas season.

Are there any options for this? the "hallmark anywhere" or whatever it's called is balls. there are only a few shows and movies that rotate about once a quarter. it will not suffice. I'm unfortunately looking at adding sling (or changing to it altogether) just for this one thing. i'm rather annoyed as the hallmark movies are all the same but if this is what it takes to keep her happy with the cordcutting experience, we'll have to make due.

Semi-related question, I've heard sling is not quite as reliable a stream as PSVue, is this true? Also is there a DVR function similar to what's on Vue?

Keep PSVue and get Sling or something during the holidays to keep her happy. Consider it a cheap Christmas present.

How is the resolution on these services, particularly PS Vue? I am not expecting 4k/UHD streams by any means, but would hope i could get at least HD quality

I have ATV's and am ready to drop DTV.

Sounds like PSVue is the best option?

Priorities:

- Sports - ESPN, etc
- E for wife
- DVR
- Will need antenna for locals?

HummingbirdSaltalamacchia said:

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How is the resolution on these services, particularly PS Vue? I am not expecting 4k/UHD streams by any means, but would hope i could get at least HD quality

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PSVue is 720p

Leander - Ag said:

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I have ATV's and am ready to drop DTV.

Sounds like PSVue is the best option?

Priorities:

- Sports - ESPN, etc You are covered with Vue -- ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNNews, SEC Network and several other sports channels
- E for wife -- It's there.
- DVR -- VUE has cloud DVR -- not really good at recording sports.
- Will need antenna for locals? -- depends on where you are. In Houston, you have all your locals that you need, except 39. You'll have to check your market. Try the free trial and the website has a list of channels in your market.

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aTm2004 said:

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Keep PSVue and get Sling or something during the holidays to keep her happy. Consider it a cheap Christmas present.

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+1

agproducer said:

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HummingbirdSaltalamacchia said:

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How is the resolution on these services, particularly PS Vue? I am not expecting 4k/UHD streams by any means, but would hope i could get at least HD quality

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PSVue is 720p

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Good to know, thank you. Any idea what direct tv now, sling and Hulu tv are?

HummingbirdSaltalamacchia said:

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agproducer said:

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HummingbirdSaltalamacchia said:

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How is the resolution on these services, particularly PS Vue? I am not expecting 4k/UHD streams by any means, but would hope i could get at least HD quality

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PSVue is 720p

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Good to know, thank you. Any idea what direct tv now, sling and Hulu tv are?

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I think all are all HD. If not, that would be just a whole lotta dumbass on their part.

FWIW, I'm getting 1080p on both Sling and DirecTV Now.

With DirecTV Now, I'm having a lot more buffering and dropped connections during prime time, and sometimes the picture quality drops. When it happens, I switch over to Sling and have no problems. Makes me wonder if DirecTV Now doesn't have enough capacity to handle the peak demand. I really like the channel lineup and interface of DTV Now, but reliability seems to be an issue. My Roku is wired to my router, and I can also switch to wireless - I have fewer issues when wired, but I'm pretty certain the issues are on the other end.

Edited to strike out incorrect info.

Regarding Hallmark
I mentioned in OP Hallmark is supposed to come out with a standalone app this month. If it doesn't happen or is crap, buying my wife one month of Sling (Vue user). IIRC, the $25 package includes Hallmark.

Edit: Looks like the Hallmark app might not be what we expected. Will dig more. FuboTV is $20 & offers both Hallmark channels.

Regarding 720p
Fox, ABC, ESPN, Disney are all natively 720p not 1080i (unless changed very recently). Anything showing 1080i for those stations is being upconverted in your cable box/system.

As I understand it, 720p & 1080i take up roughly the same bandwidth. No TV stations broadcast in 1080p which is almost double the bandwidth. Any live TV (non PPV) showing as 1080p is being upconverted. It can only be 1080i or 720p due to FCC regs.

Progressive has a smoother image than interlaced ("p" vs "i"). Most video nuts will prefer 720p over 1080i for many shows, especially sports. I know a video editor who hates 1080i. He'll only watch 720p or 1080p content.

Bitrate and FPS are also taken into account. These are lower for IPTV so they likely went with 720 progressive image to avoid interlaced + lower bitrate + lower FPS... which would've lead to an overall worse viewing experience.

Think of how a 1080p blu ray looks better than a 1080p youtube video... lots of factors to consider along with resolution.

GrapevineAg said:

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FWIW, I'm getting 1080p on both Sling and DirecTV Now.

With DirecTV Now, I'm having a lot more buffering and dropped connections during prime time, and sometimes the picture quality drops. When it happens, I switch over to Sling and have no problems. Makes me wonder if DirecTV Now doesn't have enough capacity to handle the peak demand. I really like the channel lineup and interface of DTV Now, but reliability seems to be an issue. My Roku is wired to my router, and I can also switch to wireless - I have fewer issues when wired, but I'm pretty certain the issues are on the other end.

Edited to strike out incorrect info.

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DTVNow has been horrible for the last 2-3 weeks. Cant watch a full show on any channel without dropping/buffering at least once (error 1501s.) WTF is going on with their service. About to switch and try Hulu. Started w Sling 2 yrs ago.

No issues with DTVN on my Apple TV.

If you can, check your network settings/speeds and try the app on another device.

Has anyone here been successful with using a vpn to watch Astros games? I'm looking at getting Amazon Fire tv

htownag10 said:

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Has anyone here been successful with using a vpn to watch Astros games? I'm looking at getting Amazon Fire tv

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I use a Smart DNS to get around the blackout for the Astros. VPN will work, but you will get a ton of buffering. Also, it will not work with Amazon Fire. From what I've seen, if the streaming device is Android based, it won't work. It does work with Apple TV and Roku. I have more on it in the original post.

bjork said:

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No issues with DTVN on my Apple TV.

If you can, check your network settings/speeds and try the app on another device.

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Mine has worked perfectly as well...

Thought we had a PSvue thread, but couldn't find it.

Was happy to fire up the Roku last night and they completely reworked the PSvue interface. Tiles are gone and a guide is front and center now. It was flying on the Roku Premier too! Very happy with this update.

NColoradoAG said:

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Thought we had a PSvue thread, but couldn't find it.

Was happy to fire up the Roku last night and they completely reworked the PSvue interface. Tiles are gone and a guide is front and center now. It was flying on the Roku Premier too! Very happy with this update.

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Sweet! That was my only gripe about Roku -- the tiles. I'm excited to see if mine is updated.

beefiedoubleoh said:

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GrapevineAg said:

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FWIW, I'm getting 1080p on both Sling and DirecTV Now.

With DirecTV Now, I'm having a lot more buffering and dropped connections during prime time, and sometimes the picture quality drops. When it happens, I switch over to Sling and have no problems. Makes me wonder if DirecTV Now doesn't have enough capacity to handle the peak demand. I really like the channel lineup and interface of DTV Now, but reliability seems to be an issue. My Roku is wired to my router, and I can also switch to wireless - I have fewer issues when wired, but I'm pretty certain the issues are on the other end.

Edited to strike out incorrect info.

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DTVNow has been horrible for the last 2-3 weeks. Cant watch a full show on any channel without dropping/buffering at least once (error 1501s.) WTF is going on with their service. About to switch and try Hulu. Started w Sling 2 yrs ago.

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Pulled the trigger on Hulu TV this weekend. REALLY like it.

AgMarauder04 said:

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beefiedoubleoh said:

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GrapevineAg said:

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FWIW, I'm getting 1080p on both Sling and DirecTV Now.

With DirecTV Now, I'm having a lot more buffering and dropped connections during prime time, and sometimes the picture quality drops. When it happens, I switch over to Sling and have no problems. Makes me wonder if DirecTV Now doesn't have enough capacity to handle the peak demand. I really like the channel lineup and interface of DTV Now, but reliability seems to be an issue. My Roku is wired to my router, and I can also switch to wireless - I have fewer issues when wired, but I'm pretty certain the issues are on the other end.

Edited to strike out incorrect info.

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DTVNow has been horrible for the last 2-3 weeks. Cant watch a full show on any channel without dropping/buffering at least once (error 1501s.) WTF is going on with their service. About to switch and try Hulu. Started w Sling 2 yrs ago.

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Pulled the trigger on Hulu TV this weekend. REALLY like it.

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I just pulled the trigger on YouTubeTV after a few months with Hulu Live. I couldn't stand the buffering issues with Hulu Live and so far YouTubeTV has been better. Might try out direct tv now if there is another good promo around xmas time.

In a semi-related note. We have an older DLP HDTV (projection) that we have in our barn. I got an antenna for it but I guess it does not have a built in HD tuner? Do I need to get an OTA box to connect to the antenna then to the (HDMI) TV?

@wes, Vue added Hallmark!

Also for those who didn't like the tiles, Roku now has the Fire TV style guide.

Both welcome additions.

How do you access the new guide on PSVue through Roku? And is it dependent on the Roku you have...

Couple of things to add:

1. A quick search didn't show anyone talking about Vudu. It's a movie streaming service that I believe is owned by Wal Mart since your WM.com ID can be used as a log in. It's actually a very nice service with four options:

• You can purchase streamable movies. The prices are comparable to buying a Blue Ray.
• You can rent streamable movies. Prices are comparable to renting from Amazon or any of the other rental sites I've looked at.
• You can watch free movies with commercials.
• The limited number of Blue Ray movies I've purchased that came with a digital download have all shown up in my Vudu account as streamable due to their arrangement with Ultraviolet. I don't have a lot of movies in there, like three, but it's a nice feature nonetheless. I'll watch the BR on a regular TV but I can stream them on my PC which is nice.

2. I have a severely limited internet connection and have still been satisfied. I'm in the perimeter of BCS and have WISP from CEO. My downstream is about 7MB at best but occasionally drops as low as 3MB at peak times. What I have found is that any content that can be buffered works very well almost 100% of the time. Live sports is a bit hit and miss based mainly on whether my daughter is watching something on Netflix or not. When she's watching there's often going to be some degradation in the picture if she's not watching I get a very consistent picture. It's by no means perfect and if you're on a slow connection and wanting a perfect picture every time then this isn't for you.

There's multiple paid streaming movie services for purchase & rental: Google Play, Vudu, Apple, Fandango

Google Play is on Roku and of course all Android devices for Cast. GP will also let you download the movie for offline viewing (on an airplane for example) on your phone/tablet.

Yeah, the Vue guide option on Roku is obvious if your box has the update installed (which is automatically done). There's a "guide" label at top right you select. Sounds like you're running an older Roku.