6 replies to this topic

[Lysistrata]

I think it's time for me to step into the 21st century.

 

I still use cable for internet and TV. I get my phone through T-Mobile.

 

My wife calls Cox Communications yesterday to negotiate a better deal after months of ever increasing fees, and they offer her a free home security system to keep paying ever increasing fees. Big mistake. Now she is determined to cut their heads off.

 

So I will ask my friends here if there is a better alternative for television.

 

I have been researching things like Roku, but it's a little confusing for an old cable guy like me. So if anyone here knows the best way to get rid of the high cost of cable, and watch what I want to watch on TV without landing in jail... I would appreciate the help.

 

Thanks in advance.

[SealTeamPi]

The biggest thing, is how much will it cost you to get internet alone. In my experience, Comcast knows how much the streaming services cost, and charge so that internet alone plus streaming service is more expensive than your current deal.

That said, Do you research on the streaming services and what extra benefits are more for you. So, the main ones, Hulu+, Youtube TV, and Sling all offer similar tv packages for similar prices. But you need to think about what extras are more important. Like Hulu offers you their movie library, where as Youtube TV gives you youtube premium and free DVR.

So TLDR, 1st figure out how much just internet is, 2nd figure out which streaming service makes the most sense for you. Good hunting

[William Poole]

I switched to roku and hulu a couple years ago, and i dont miss cable/ satellite at all. I would be happy answer any questions you have, but I am on a mobile device atm, so it would be painful to type a l large response on the touchscreen. Just pm me any questions when you get a chance.

Edited by William Poole, 06 November 2019 - 05:44 PM.

[Lysistrata]

I switched to roku and hulu a couple years ago, and i dont miss cable/ satellite at all.

Don't kill yourself with the hassle of a mobile... time is not an issue. I appreciate the help.

 

You still have to get internet from somewhere, right? I'm concerned with having enough speed to stream properly, and I don't believe I can do that without cable. Do you still get all the channels with Roku? Will I have to get a Tivo to replace my DVR?

 

I'm a creature of Netflix. I despise the "streaming wars", and something has to give because I will not subscribe to a hundred different streaming platforms to watch everything. I just want the few things I like to watch, and a happy wife. Thanks again!

[Finster Baby]

That's the issue tho Lys - you need 4 or 5 different providers:

Hulu - I believe that give you the best chance of local channels

Disney+ - if you wanna watch anything house of mouse starting next week, you need this, that includes Star Wars

Netflix - nuff said

Amazon Prime - covers what netflix doesn't.

Whatever decent streaming internet costs for you

 

All of this per month.

 

It all adds up, and yeah, next thing you know you're at the same amount for your cable bill.

 

Comcast is just as bad as Cox. 

 

This is such a scam.  Satellite is no better.  I live too far away from Philly and Baltimore to put an antenna on the house.

[SealTeamPi]

 

I switched to roku and hulu a couple years ago, and i dont miss cable/ satellite at all.

Don't kill yourself with the hassle of a mobile... time is not an issue. I appreciate the help.

 

You still have to get internet from somewhere, right? I'm concerned with having enough speed to stream properly, and I don't believe I can do that without cable. Do you still get all the channels with Roku? Will I have to get a Tivo to replace my DVR?

 

I'm a creature of Netflix. I despise the "streaming wars", and something has to give because I will not subscribe to a hundred different streaming platforms to watch everything. I just want the few things I like to watch, and a happy wife. Thanks again!

 

 

 

Your only real options for internet are cable or satellite typically. So you will most likely have to stick with cox for interenet. As for the DVR, like with YoutubeTV, its all stored in the cloud. So you wouldn't need a TIVO or anything like that.

 

The biggest issue I had with wanted to cut cable, was I pay 130/month for internet and TV, but for just internet was 90/month. With a 40/month streaming service for tv. Its basically a wash to change.

[William Poole]

ok, i am on real computer now. first i would make sure you have a strong internet service. i can only get 8mbps which is the bare minimum, and i can just barely get by with that. the roku sets up easy pretty much just plug it in to your tv and go. you will need a roku for each tv your setting up. to add channels there is basically an app store and you download what you want. you will end up with a page that looks like any given page on your phone only all of the apps will be thetv streaming services you have chosen. you might have a hulu button, a youtube button, netflix etc. many you will have to activate on a computer. so you download the netflix app and you goto netflix on your computer pay and activate, then they give you a code to punch in on your TV, and that service is up a running. for live tv i have hulu and for about $40 it comes with a large database of tv shows to watch. you can also subscribe to hbo and showtime through them also. the 2 problems with hulu is you have to pay extra to stream to more than 2 tv's at a time, and the interface is little bit confusing. playstation vue is similar, you don't need a playstation to watch i think netflix is likely better for movies, and sling likes to claim they are better for sports not sure if any of that is true or not. hope it helps.