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Cord Cutters thread '18 - I cancelled Directv


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Finally cut the cord so to speak. I cancelled DirecTV, we had 5 TVs hooked up, so the equipment fees alone were $50+ a month. so total bill was $130-150, and usually got sunday ticket free.

 

so thats $1,800/yr ill be saving..  I did get YouTubeTV, cool thing is, you can share it with 5 people, so my sister signed up, shared it with me. so i added it to each TV on the apple tvs and boon we have live TV of all major networks and live local news and all that. 

 

I must say, YoutubeTV is by FAR.. BY FAR the best streaming tv service EVER. i have tried, sling, playstation vue, directv now, and i think one other.. but i was always throttled or just had crappy streams with each of them.. which is why i never cut the cord before..  i guess google(owns youtube) is big enough that comcast doesnt have the balls to throttle the service.

 

it is crystal clear 100% of the time, 1 single time in the last 3 weeks, when i went to playback a DVR (it has unlimited dvr as well) a bearcats game and played it back the second it ended, it was like 480p. im guessing the dvr just hadnt encoded the HD stream yet.. i went back the next day and played it, 100% crystal clear.

 

so i have youtube tv, free for now, will be $35once my sisters household and mine start fighting over 5 at a time streaming, its just her her husband and a 3 and 5 year old, and here its me, wife and almost 11 and 13 yr olds, so honestly itll be a while before 5 of us stream at once.. as thats the limit.

 

we pay for netflix and hulu, and we have amazon prime, so between the 4, we are missing nothing, i can use my ohio homies address to get sunday ticket streaming only service paln, it was $200 last year, will be probably $300 this year, but $300 is way cheaper than $1800.

 

I did also grab nba league pass 1 team plan, like $15/mo so with VPN i can stream nuggets games.  so fars its been "not great but acceptable" quality wise, but found the fastest testing vpn so far, ill try for next game(PureVPN).

 

directv should offer a streaming ppv option per game. id pay $25/game to stream bengals games, 4-5 are on locally anyway, and if they are out of the palyoffs in week 7 i can pick and choose if i even want to pay to watch them.

 

anyone else cut the cord recently?

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1 hour ago, Cat said:

So how do you get it to all of your TV's? And how do you DVR - from your PC?

youtube tv stores DVR data in the cloud, and its unlimited, i mean its youtube, storing video is kinda their thing. so its all included in the streaming monthly fee($35) and theyve added like 11 new channels in the 3 weeks or so that i have had them, no price change.

 

As for getting on each tv. its not just on TV's, youtubetv works on iPads and tablets as well, but i have an Apple TV on every tv i own, so its just an app on the tv, click the app, choose live channels, dvr, etc and pick.. it has a menu like cable does for live tv, you can scroll through pick a channel and watch live. 

 

some screen shots from the web based version:

 

Screen Shot 2018-03-03 at 12.37.36 PM.pngScreen Shot 2018-03-03 at 12.37.42 PM.pngScreen Shot 2018-03-03 at 12.37.46 PM.pngScreen Shot 2018-03-03 at 12.37.50 PM.pngScreen Shot 2018-03-03 at 12.37.52 PM.png

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Just had Directtv to try to catch some of the Olympics.  Have Netflix and Amazon Prime - No Hulu though because we never use it when we do have it. I've got a month of Sling that I can use for free, but I haven't been super impressed in the past.  I would love to try YoutubeTv but there isn't access here at the moment and I'm a little too lazy to go through the hoops with a VPN.  I can't imagine paying for another service at this point.

 

Most shows we are watching via plex, but I just rebuild a machine as a new Plex server and I've got a few kinks to work out.

 

On the upside I was just bumped to 100Mps from 60...still can't get the fiber company to come and install it at my house. They are 2 miles away and the line is already there....they suck for installs (basically they call when they are in the area).

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On 3/4/2018 at 8:57 AM, Montana Bengal said:

Just had Directtv to try to catch some of the Olympics.  Have Netflix and Amazon Prime - No Hulu though because we never use it when we do have it. I've got a month of Sling that I can use for free, but I haven't been super impressed in the past.  I would love to try YoutubeTv but there isn't access here at the moment and I'm a little too lazy to go through the hoops with a VPN.  I can't imagine paying for another service at this point.

 

Most shows we are watching via plex, but I just rebuild a machine as a new Plex server and I've got a few kinks to work out.

 

On the upside I was just bumped to 100Mps from 60...still can't get the fiber company to come and install it at my house. They are 2 miles away and the line is already there....they suck for installs (basically they call when they are in the area).

started using hulu more lately. running dry on netflix, started watching more movies too..   i really cant say how great youtubetv is.. if it becomes available, give it a shot.

 

im just to the point where i dont want to build or maintain or think about any time of media server. i just want shit to work..

 

i think i might get a second router, run the VPN on it full time, and just change to that wifi when we want to use the vpn for sports and things

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/3/2018 at 11:29 AM, GoBengals said:

Finally cut the cord so to speak. I cancelled DirecTV, we had 5 TVs hooked up, so the equipment fees alone were $50+ a month. so total bill was $130-150, and usually got sunday ticket free.

 

so thats $1,800/yr ill be saving..  I did get YouTubeTV, cool thing is, you can share it with 5 people, so my sister signed up, shared it with me. so i added it to each TV on the apple tvs and boon we have live TV of all major networks and live local news and all that. 

 

I must say, YoutubeTV is by FAR.. BY FAR the best streaming tv service EVER. i have tried, sling, playstation vue, directv now, and i think one other.. but i was always throttled or just had crappy streams with each of them.. which is why i never cut the cord before..  i guess google(owns youtube) is big enough that comcast doesnt have the balls to throttle the service.

 

it is crystal clear 100% of the time, 1 single time in the last 3 weeks, when i went to playback a DVR (it has unlimited dvr as well) a bearcats game and played it back the second it ended, it was like 480p. im guessing the dvr just hadnt encoded the HD stream yet.. i went back the next day and played it, 100% crystal clear.

 

so i have youtube tv, free for now, will be $35once my sisters household and mine start fighting over 5 at a time streaming, its just her her husband and a 3 and 5 year old, and here its me, wife and almost 11 and 13 yr olds, so honestly itll be a while before 5 of us stream at once.. as thats the limit.

 

we pay for netflix and hulu, and we have amazon prime, so between the 4, we are missing nothing, i can use my ohio homies address to get sunday ticket streaming only service paln, it was $200 last year, will be probably $300 this year, but $300 is way cheaper than $1800.

 

I did also grab nba league pass 1 team plan, like $15/mo so with VPN i can stream nuggets games.  so fars its been "not great but acceptable" quality wise, but found the fastest testing vpn so far, ill try for next game(PureVPN).

 

directv should offer a streaming ppv option per game. id pay $25/game to stream bengals games, 4-5 are on locally anyway, and if they are out of the palyoffs in week 7 i can pick and choose if i even want to pay to watch them.

 

anyone else cut the cord recently?

I did just a few months ago. Went with an android box, pretty sure it runs Kodi (it is called "MaggTV" if you are curious). Anyways, it was kind of a steep price up front - but never having to pay for monthly cable again? I'll take it! I can see the savings already. I'm pretty sure the price is mostly due to the maintenance they do on a daily basis (system updates, improvements, etc), as the android box itself is rather unimpressive specs wise.

 

As far as stream quality, it does take a little bit of patience sometimes. Typically I use one particular "app" that provides a stream for pretty much any cable network I could think of. If a particular network happens to be "down" on that app, it's as simple is just going to another app and trying again. All of the apps have pretty much the same interface, and almost all streams are in 1080p (some do give you the option of choosing standard definition streams if your speeds aren't very high). There are at least five or six streaming apps available at one time so your chances of finding what you want are pretty good. I think the instruction booklet mentioned its' recommended to have at least 30mbps or something near there.

 

Now, if i could just get rid of Spectrum all together and go with Greenlight or something for the internet id be a very happy man.

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On 3/14/2018 at 10:30 AM, Griever said:

I did just a few months ago. Went with an android box, pretty sure it runs Kodi (it is called "MaggTV" if you are curious). Anyways, it was kind of a steep price up front - but never having to pay for monthly cable again? I'll take it! I can see the savings already. I'm pretty sure the price is mostly due to the maintenance they do on a daily basis (system updates, improvements, etc), as the android box itself is rather unimpressive specs wise.

 

As far as stream quality, it does take a little bit of patience sometimes. Typically I use one particular "app" that provides a stream for pretty much any cable network I could think of. If a particular network happens to be "down" on that app, it's as simple is just going to another app and trying again. All of the apps have pretty much the same interface, and almost all streams are in 1080p (some do give you the option of choosing standard definition streams if your speeds aren't very high). There are at least five or six streaming apps available at one time so your chances of finding what you want are pretty good. I think the instruction booklet mentioned its' recommended to have at least 30mbps or something near there.

 

Now, if i could just get rid of Spectrum all together and go with Greenlight or something for the internet id be a very happy man.

definitely a solid way to go, a friend in ohio who cut the cord did the kodi based amazon tv sticks, he loved it, but the tv sticks would burn out every few months, so getting one loaded with kodi (he wasnt too tech savvy) was like $60, so he was spending $60 every 2-3 months plus the hassle of NO tv while waiting on new one, so he eventually bailed to using the same system i am using with apple tv and the apps and streaming options.. 

 

i have a final bill ill be paying off with directv for a long while, like $400, i setup $25/week to auto pay them,  but thats way better than sometimes 160/mo, and will be nothing in a few months. its great to not be paying that bill, i actually watch more tv now than when i had cable, and using the VPN to watch nba league pass still working flawlessly..

 

 

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did it a couple years ago.. I have Netflix, Amazon and  playstation vue on apple tv's and firesticks. They raised the price of playstaion already ($35 to $45).. I could see this shit turning in to what the cable companies do.. going higher and higher... Playstation channel selection is pretty great though.

Those youtube shot look pretty sweet... I assume they have a trial run... I might have to check it out

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I'm thinking about doing this as well. 

 

Correct me if I am wrong but if you have a VPN, NFL.com offers a package that streams games to other countries right? Couldnt you set  up your VPN to be from another country?

 

This would be the one thing holding me back.

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  • 2 months later...
On 3/25/2018 at 2:12 PM, Jamie_B said:

I'm thinking about doing this as well. 

 

Correct me if I am wrong but if you have a VPN, NFL.com offers a package that streams games to other countries right? Couldnt you set  up your VPN to be from another country?

 

This would be the one thing holding me back.

correct, however sunday ticket IS offered  streaming only, IF you CANT get directv ad your address, so if you pick an apartment building or rental nearby tht cant do dishes, put that as billing address and it works, i tested with a friends address last year, also its half price-ish for students.. i think its $350 reg and $200 student..

 

kinda hard to find the page, its not advertised, but search sunday ticket cant get directv...itll come up..

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

 We are cutting the cord this year as it's my last official working year.  Comcast is the only provider here for both cable TV and Internet.  My TV is pretty limited anymore.  I watch football and golf which are mainly OTA with some MNF and the Golf Channel on cable.  My wife watches the same stuff I do but she can just chill and watch something she has seen hundreds of times.  We do watch some series on OTA and cable but not much.  I guess even with the NFL which I was a religious watcher I have learned I am not as passionate and can be satisfied looking at the scores.

 

We did buy a new Sony 65" 4K t Christmas and we have Prime and Netflix that we are starting to use more.  But I haven't decided what others to look although You tube TV looks interesting.  Of course I would still be tied to Comcast Internet but after cancelling TV and and all the equipment fee I would cut my bill in half.

 

I still have a 25 foot antenna tower that I can put back into service. as we are less than 50 miles from the Louisville towers.  They are pretty much all together so I am not sure if I would even need a rotor for this?  I do need a new router.  Mine is an ASUS and has been great and still works great after 8 years but with all the wireless stuff in the house it struggles at the other end of the house.

 

I am open to any thoughts and ideas on any of this stuff.

 

DER

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  • 3 weeks later...

ill go in reverse order. as far as the router, ASUS routers daisy chain VERY well, so grabbing an A68u asus router and either using it as your new main router or adding it to extend your current ASUS would work great. ASUS has a daisy chain software called iMESH i believe and it also has an extender option, so both would fix your issue with wifi service across the house.

 

as for the "all the wireless stuff in the house" if you think its "too much" run a 2.4 and a 5 ghz network off the new router, and split the items on each, streaming video only on the 5ghz and everything else on the 2.4, if you have lots of neighbors or anything really close, you can also change which channel the 2.4 and 5 run on. that kinda thing really usually isnt an issue until you approach 30+ wifi things on the network. I ended up running cat5e through the house to prevent so much wifi shit on my network, so all of my streaming things are wired now.

 

im not sure about your area, but here, comcast re-instated a data use limit, they didnt announce it you may have it and have no idea what so ever. but its 1-2TB of data, which basically NO ONE uses that much without tons of streaming video.

 

I mention this because with using using strictly streaming options, we destroy that limit and have to pay an extra $50/mo to get "unlimited" data usage from comcast. So i would check that.

 

its possible you wont use more than the limit still, but its something to keep in mind. We have 4 people in the house and everyone is streaming stuff a lot of the time, we destroy that limit.

 

youtube tv is still the best IMO, another cool thing, you can give access to up to 5 users, so if you know anyone else in the same boat, you can split it with them and up to 5 people can stream at once. I am currently mooching off my sisters account as a user.

 

if youre looking for 4k video, the appletv 4k works solid, i have one on our only 4k tv, works really well.  golf channel has its own app if needed, nfl has redzone on there on their app, there is a sunday ticket app as well if you can get that streaming only option.

 

so tons of options.

 

 

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