Cutting the cord - Options for moving away from cable tv

E

Eggi

Veteran XX
I know there was a thread about this relatively recently, but search (here and google) is failing me.

Anyone recently move away from cable tv and have opinions on the best options right now?

$ wise, it seems like I'll be paying ~$140-150/mo no matter what I do if I want a sports package, HBO, and a few basic cable stations like TNT.

I'm looking at the following options:

#1) Stick with Comcast - with taxes, bill is $140/mo. I have way more channels than I need, but their packages dont really give me an option to downgrade

#2) Comcast internet ($75/mo 100mbps) + Sling TV ($55 - blue+orange+HBO) - Total of $130...probably closer to $150/mo after taxes and fees

#3) Comcast internet ($75/mo 100mbps) + Playstation Vue ($55 for their ultra slim package which includes HBO & Showtime) - same as SlingTV but includes ability to DVR things

Given the parity in prices, I may stick with Comcast for 1 more year as their xfinity interface is pretty decent, but would like to give them the middle finger soon.
 
dude... just cut that shit... seriously...

give it two weeks, and you'll be fine without all the shit you think you want to watch.


Download the rest and make a plex server. (also pay for a good internet connection.)

we did it in 2010, and never looked back.

The only thing I could see you needing to really pay for anything beyond the internet connection, is perhaps one of the sling accounts for some sports fill in... But I only watch select sporting events, and when I do, I go to a bar down the street that has cold beer on tap for me. :shrug:

Honestly, setup your own plex server, pay for a seed box account (10-15$/mo,) and you're set on whatever you want to watch.
 
Last edited:
comcast + vue . price may be very close, but you won't be paying comcast more than you need to on things like simply having a HD TV ($10). Do you really need the premium channels? I only subscribe to HBO when GOT is in season and that's what 2 months?
 
Rayn said:
comcast + vue . price may be very close, but you won't be paying comcast more than you need to on things like simply having a HD TV ($10). Do you really need the premium channels? I only subscribe to HBO when GOT is in season and that's what 2 months?
Click to expand...

yeah, that shit is annoying. I at least got them to give me the free DVR box. Last year, they gave me a much better deal because a competitor in the area (centurylink) was offering big discounts, but thats not the case this year.

my gf likes watching viceland shows (they have their own channel now, but also have options through HBO) and we watch a few other HBO shows. HBO is worth it for us.
 
I pay for cable... but I don't know why... I rarely even turn on the TV. I guess I do it for the sake of a guest, should they come visit.

Honestly though... cable TV is a dead service. I use streaming services likee Netflix and CraveTV for all the entertainment that used to be provided by the Cable service.

And the price can't even be argued with. $20-25 compared to $100+? Ala Carte programing, on demand? Watch stuff anywhere? Cable doesn't compare. It's a dinosaur. Soon to be extinct.

Pretty sure HBO has their own streaming service now too.
 
I was doing Fios and Sling and cancelled Sling in favor of Vue. Vue is awesome. Network connectivity wise it is vastly superior to Sling...which was always downgrading quality and buffering.

I also have a WatchAir for OTA channels...still has a little ways to go to.

** EDIT **

For price info comparison I have Fios 50/50 on a 2 year contract at $68/mo. and pay for Vue $29 plan. OTA for local channels and premium content (Netflix shows, HBO, movies etc.) I torrent to HTPC. Not super elegant but works for me. Only thing I really miss is local sports channels (I live just outside of Boston).
 
Last edited:
Ruthven said:
I was doing Fios and Sling and cancelled Sling in favor of Vue. Vue is awesome. Network connectivity wise it is vastly superior to Sling...which was always downgrading quality and buffering.

I also have a WatchAir for OTA channels...still has a little ways to go to.
Click to expand...

I was just going to get one of those amazonbasics HD antennas to cover OTA channels - don't really care about DVRing broadcast stuff. The watchair sounds pretty slick though...will have to keep an eye out for gen 2 or 3.
 
1. Regular HD antenna for OTA. (Cheap)
2. HBO Now for $14.99/month
3. Internet provider

Basically all you need if that's all you watch.
 
Here's one of the threads.
Clearstream C2 Best Antenna Everrrrrr by TonyElTigre - TribalWar Forums

Yeah, the bandwidth caps suck. Daughter lives on a 10 acre farm in the middle of nowhere. They don't have internet or TV. She uses her phone as a hot spot using 20 gigs of data a month (AT&T). They have a simple indoor HD antenna that gets 5 channels. You still need an internet connection and they charge more for it alone. Then you pay for individual services (subscriptions).

JoMo, what you describe is what people had 35 years ago. They had an antenna on top of their home, then HBO came into the house on a wired connection as cable started up. People are now repeating that cycle with a digital antenna, and an internet connection with subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, and so on. Do you save enough money?

Oh, and my daughter had satellite internet for a while. It's slow, and they also have limits.
 
Last edited:
NoGodForMe said:
JoMo, what you describe is what people had 35 years ago. They had an antenna on top of their home, then HBO came into the house on a wired connection as cable started up. People are now repeating that cycle with a digital antenna, and an internet connection with subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, and so on. Do you save enough money?
Click to expand...

Personally I just use OTA and Netflix and Amazon Prime and I'm so far behind on my TV watching that I probably have 6 months worth of non-stop TV to watch before I watch all the stuff I'd be interested in.

The 'rabbit ears' I have hooked up on one TV are about 20 years old I think. They all work the same.

I got a refurbished Tivo OTA DVR for $199 on Black Friday to record any OTA shows I'm interested in and may miss.
 
Get an antenna for local channels so you can watch jeopardy and PBS

Then whenever you want to watch a movie, you can rent it on Amazon for $3 or $4. I only watch a few movies a month so it's worth it vs paying for anything else. Plus you can basically watch any movie you want instead of trying to figure out what's good on Netflix

The thing with TV shows is if you stop watching then you just stop caring about them
 
I cut the cord about two years ago. I use Kodi on two HTPCs for most viewing, and we can stream anything we may have missed in prime time. Sadly, the only thing I miss is cable-based sports, but I can go to the bar or to a friend's house if I really need to see something live. We have 3 HD antennas, and they work pretty well.

There was an old thread, and some of people on this site have some pretty awesome setups.
 
I really only got vue for sports. I get local, nfl and ESPN. Almost anything else in going to watch is coming through downloads to kodi
 
Comcast internet ($59/mo)
Newsgroup server ($7/mo)
SabNZBd (Free)
Sonarr (Free)

Auto download shows usually ~10 mins after they are done airing (fully over), unpacked, sorted, and named onto HD.

There are fancier ways to do all this but this was relatively easy to get going and doesn't require keeping up with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top