Cutting the cord

[Minty Fresh]

the biggest saving that I see is the box rentals and the random tack on fees

This.  With DirecTV we are paying $45 a month just renting DVR's.

[The Chief]

the biggest saving that I see is the box rentals and the random tack on fees

This.  With DirecTV we are paying $45 a month just renting DVR's.

I get that, but dropping the TV portion doesn't reduce the price enough for it to come out worthwhile, even with the two boxes.  Then again we don't have DVRs so maybe that's the tipping point.  70% of the cost is having any kind of service with them whatsoever.

[DPMOmaha]

I guess I should rephrase:

For what they're offering, 35 bucks a month isn't enough to get me off of a traditional TV plan.  I doubt you'd even save any money by the time you're done.  I'm paying 101 a month for FiOS 100/100 and basic TV with Verizon's router and two TV boxes.  A quick check of the FiOS website shows 65/mo for that speed internet only.

I feel the same way about this as I do Sling and others...  you're putting up with a lot of extra hassle just to save 10 or 15 bucks, if that.  Nevermind teaching non-techie family members how to use a non-traditional TV delivery service.  Hard pass.

I get that. My situation is a bit simpler that. I'm not eligible for some of the bundle offers. If I were, that might change my equation, but when you include Internet and sling, I come in under $70. During baseball season, add another $25 to it, which was less than what I paid a month for Extra Innings when I had DirecTV. I live by myself, so I don't have to worry about any of those other technology obstacles some might face if they've got tech adverse family members.

[Minty Fresh]

I get that, but dropping the TV portion doesn't reduce the price enough for it to come out worthwhile, even with the two boxes.  Then again we don't have DVRs so maybe that's the tipping point.  70% of the cost is having any kind of service with them whatsoever.

PS Vue comes with the DVR feature without renting anything. 

[The Chief]

Unless it spits out cash it doesn't make up for the basic point I'm making

I just wish "internet only" plans were priced in a more worthwhile manner, but obviously that's not in the cable company's interest.  If I were going to cut the cord right now I'd just get a set of rabbit ears and deal with it.  None of the current IP-based TV solutions offer enough value (in my opinion only, of course) to be worth any cost at all on top of the already-high cost of cableco/fios-provided internet.

[comish4lif]

You can always just get a Firestick and jailbreak it.

[MarquisDeSade]

LOLz at you suckers stuck in the non-commie fiber world.

[DCFan]

Anyone familiar with this one?

https://layer3tv.com/

[GburgNatsFan]

Less content, lots of money, more "service." I mean, it looks like they come to your house in an expensive car instead of a van. That's gotta be good, right? (No. No it doesn't.)

Specifically, no Discovery or Velocity, so I'm out. And, it appears, no MASN.

Anyone familiar with this one?

https://layer3tv.com/

[DCFan]

Same content, same money, more "service." I mean, it looks like they come to your house in an expensive car instead of a van. That's gotta be good, right? (No. No it doesn't.)

How cool would it be to have the cable guy show up in a Beemer? 

[GburgNatsFan]

I'd rather have a guy in a van that carries a ladder and can actually manage to install the service... then again, layer3 requires that you have internet already, so what's to install?

It's $89 after the first three months.

No MASN. Nats baseball is the only thing keeping me from cutting the cord.

Pass.

How cool would it be to have the cable guy show up in a Beemer? 

[Natsinpwc]

I'd rather have a guy in a van that carries a ladder and can actually manage to install the service... then again, layer3 requires that you have internet already, so what's to install?

It's $89 after the first three months.

No MASN. Nats baseball is the only thing keeping me from cutting the cord.

Pass.

That's as much as cable.

[DCFan]

I'd rather have a guy in a van that carries a ladder and can actually manage to install the service... then again, layer3 requires that you have internet already, so what's to install?

It's $89 after the first three months.

Pass.

But that includes DVR service as well. FiOS is kick ass but it's killing me.  I pay around $400 a month for tv, internet, 3 iphones and 2 ipads. 

[GburgNatsFan]

But that includes DVR service as well. FiOS is kick ass but it's killing me.  I pay around $400 a month for tv, internet, 3 iphones and 2 ipads. 

And if you cut cable, they'd increase the bill somehow. Any change you make costs more money (or not less, anyway).

And if those three phones total $180 (which they probably do), you're internet/cable bill is lower than my Comcast internet/cable bill, and I don't have anything fancy.

Let's face it, they've got us all bent over.

[GuyFromCO]

Anyone use PS Vue? Search function Q, probably...

[Mathguy]

Here's a good article on setting up a VPN to get around the Internet ISPs efforts to sell one's browsing history

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/how-to-set-up-a-vpn-in-5-minutes-for-free-and-why-you-urgently-need-one-d5cdba361907

[comish4lif]

Does anyone have a way to get access to the MLB Network without having a cable account? Is there a video add-on or something for Kodi and the Amazon Firestick?

[DPMOmaha]

Only online availability I know of is Playstation vue.

[Minty Fresh]

Only online availability I know of is Playstation vue.

And that's a recent add.  When I first subscribed to PS Vue they didn't have MLB Network - it was just added about two weeks ago.

[Minty Fresh]

Anyone use PS Vue? Search function Q, probably...

I have it.  I love it!

[imref]

YouTube! TV launches: 50+ channels for $35 a month, very limited availability initially:

https://www.recode.net/2017/4/5/15191226/youtube-watch-live-tv-google-streaming

[DPMOmaha]

What are parental controls like on the PS Vue? Sling does a pretty good job with 'em. Last I had seen Vue didn't have much in that regard. I want to try it, but won't until that gets addressed.

[imref]

YouTube TV is launching a $64.99/month sports-focused bundle with a $10 discount per month for the first year):  Includes ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, FS1, NBC Sports + all ESPN nets (including ESPN Unlimited in 2026)