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We've cut the cable (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Addai's Adidas
- Start date
TLEF316
Footballguy
Considering making the jump. I've already scheduled cancellation of my Direct TV (calling one last time on Friday to give them an opportunity to sell me). Even if they give me the same discount they gave me last year, it would still be a little more expensive than youtube TV (which is where I'm leaning) but the familiarity and Sunday ticket (which I would require for free to stay, since they gave it to me last year) would be worth the price difference for me.
I just went through my channel guide and it looks like the only channel I CAN'T get on YTTV would be the YES network. But I've found myself watching fewer and fewer Yankee games the past couple of years, so I doubt I'd really miss it. Everything else is there and I'd save like $40 a month off DirectTV (assuming they give me the same price as last year). Could cut that more if I dump some movie channels (cinemax, showtime).
A couple of things do concern me.....my wifi is kinda spotty in my upstairs BR. So I worry it might crap out at times (I'd probably a buy a fire stick or some other device to use up there. Its a Smart TV, but its a little older). I'd probably use my Xbox on the main TV and my basement TV is a Roku. So I THINK I'm covered in terms of access.
I like that youtube has all the channels (once I buy HBO MAx and the sports package add on) and I'm sure the service is reliable (it obviously wouldn't be this popular if it wasn't). But I'm just so used to just turning on my TV and channel surfing. The idea of having to boot up an app, rely on it working, etc....just makes me a little nervous. Just more steps to the process and I like things simple.
I just went through my channel guide and it looks like the only channel I CAN'T get on YTTV would be the YES network. But I've found myself watching fewer and fewer Yankee games the past couple of years, so I doubt I'd really miss it. Everything else is there and I'd save like $40 a month off DirectTV (assuming they give me the same price as last year). Could cut that more if I dump some movie channels (cinemax, showtime).
A couple of things do concern me.....my wifi is kinda spotty in my upstairs BR. So I worry it might crap out at times (I'd probably a buy a fire stick or some other device to use up there. Its a Smart TV, but its a little older). I'd probably use my Xbox on the main TV and my basement TV is a Roku. So I THINK I'm covered in terms of access.
I like that youtube has all the channels (once I buy HBO MAx and the sports package add on) and I'm sure the service is reliable (it obviously wouldn't be this popular if it wasn't). But I'm just so used to just turning on my TV and channel surfing. The idea of having to boot up an app, rely on it working, etc....just makes me a little nervous. Just more steps to the process and I like things simple.
PlayaHata
Footballguy
TLEF316 said:
I would highly suggest you invest in better Wi-Fi coverage before you cut the cable. Go with a mesh system. I've got an Orbi that I love, but any decent one should work. Spotty Wi-Fi when attempting to do streaming, whether it's YTTV or anything else is frustrating beyond belief, so you want to avoid that at all costs.
I switched from DTV to YTTV with Rokus on all of our TVs a year ago and in hindsight wish I would have done it sooner. I do not miss DTV whatsoever.
ChiefD
Footballguy
Yeah agree. We installed a google mesh system that works good.
One other suggestion - test everything before you make the switch. Anyone can do the free trial on YouTube TV or wherever, so check all the TV's, devices, menus - all of that stuff. I spent a good month doing all this before making the final switch.
Haven't missed cable one bit.
FairWarning
Footballguy
What you may want to do is find a IPTV provider that will give you a 24-48 hour free trial. It works the same as streaming YouTube TV or compatible systems and see the positives and negatives for yourself.TLEF316 said:
TLEF316
Footballguy
Thanks guys. The wifi thing really isn't a huge deal. 2 of my 3 setups are or can be easily wired and the 3rd is a TV I very rarely use (usually just right before I go to sleep or waking up early on a weekend when I'm top lazy to get out of bed) and most of the time, it works perfectly fine.
Definitely gonna try the YouTube TV free trial. My biggest cord cutting fear was being forced to jump to multiple aps during regular TV watching, but yttv has every channel I watch
Definitely gonna try the YouTube TV free trial. My biggest cord cutting fear was being forced to jump to multiple aps during regular TV watching, but yttv has every channel I watch
Al Czervik
Not wearing pants
TLEF316 said:
FYI... if you get your internet from your cable company, you will still be able to watch the YES network. You will have to download the YES app separately on Roku or Fire TV. Then, when you open the app, it will ask you to select your provider and log-in to your cable account. Just enter the log-in you use to manage your cable bill pay, etc and you are all good. I have YTTV and watch History Channel and the Regional Bally's Sports this way.
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ConstruxBoy
Kate's Daddy
It's fine if your channels are all on YTTV, although it is a little slower than changing them via cable. What is annoying with cutting the cord is a Saturday afternoon when you're trying to surf between an EPL game on the Peacock app, a CFB game on the ESPN+ app and another CFB game on YTTV. Switching apps is annoying as hell. Wish there was a better way to do it.
ChiefD
Footballguy
I just bought extra TV's for my garage. I always have two going in there with separate games and I have a third one in the basement I can bring up if there are three games going on at once that I like.
My garage turns into a sports bar and I love it.
God Bless cheap flat screen TV's.
I just bought extra TV's for my garage. I always have two going in there with separate games and I have a third one in the basement I can bring up if there are three games going on at once that I like.
My garage turns into a sports bar and I love it.
God Bless cheap flat screen TV's.
My wife would probably kill me, but this is giving me an idea - I've been planning to add a TV to the garage where I built a home gym to be able to put something on for extra background noise, but maybe I could add 2-3 smaller ones and put on multiple games/shows
ChiefD
Footballguy
It works great. I just bought a 40" Vizio when they go on sale for around $150. They usually have Chromecast built in so streaming is a piece of cake.
They are also so light that if I want to watch a game on my back patio with a firepit going I just carry it out there. Love streaming and the flexibility it provides.
Takes a while to get used to the idea of not channel surfing, but I got over that pretty quick.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
TCL Roku TVs are another option. As you say, these TVs weigh less than the friggin' remote that operates them so they are easy to move around. Also, as you mentioned, they are dirt cheap. I've had the oldest TCL maybe 8 years and have had zero problems with it. Once it goes, I'll just get another (probably cheaper than what I bought this one for).
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ChiefD
Footballguy
Not really. Heating and air conditioning. So if it relates to those I can definitely help. But I've also been a contractor for 20 years so I might be able to help on other things. Send me a PM.
Harry Frogfish
Footballguy
You need 4 for it to be complete. You'll end up there anyway, just get it over with and enjoy.
culdeus
Footballguy
I hang a TV on the wall also in home gym, but let me suggest just pulling laptops into the room if you want to go more than 1.
Harry Frogfish
Footballguy
Dude, let him do it right. This isn't a dorm room. Let the guy throw 4 up in his garage while she's gone one day. A nice dinner will cover it. Be happy.
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Sullie
Footballguy
This is SUPER long, sorry about the wall o' text but I wanted to explain my mindset. . .my God this thread is 10 years old, I remember reading it 10 years ago and thinking it made sense then. . . I procrastinate therefor I am.
The TLDR is "I am going to cancel DishTV after 10 years or whatever and go to a streaming service like Hulu or FuboTV."
I've had Cable/DirectTV/DishTV (so one or the other) for over 30 years now. I think I switched from cable to DirecTV around 2000 and back then DirecTV was wonderful, cheaper, amazing. Brand new equipment, outstanding customer service, free from cable I was pleased. Then we moved to a new home around 2007, signed up again and DirecTV sent me USED equipment and my entire experience was horrible. I put up with this for about 3 years until one day one of my USED receivers broke. I called customer support and they wanted to charge me for replacement equipment. I said "can I just exchange it" and they said yes but there's a fee, you'll have to pay for replacement cost even though I was renting the equipment (which is BS too.) Finally, I said, "Okay can I just send this in for repair" to which they said "yes but it's $20 for us to send you the container and then you must pay for shipping back and forth." So, in my super pissed off state, I cancelled and switched to DishTV that very day and I'll be 100% honest, DirecTV was entirely indifferent.
DishTV has been wonderful to deal with, I was issued brand new equipment, they've always been great about sending me upgraded equipment, customer support is awesome, etc. so this plus a combination of laziness, perfectly simple integration/channel guide system, an unwillingness to change on my part, ease of use, the feature set (hopper, dvr, room to room operation, etc.) and channel selection (including perfect local channel integration) are the main reasons I've stuck with DishTV all these years (I think 10 or 11 now.)
Several recent events have made me initiate a change. 1.) Signal loss - I used to lose my signal on extreme rain/heavy snow and, honestly, it happened so infrequently I just didn't really care as I would switch over to recorded programs or internet (Netflix, Prime, Youtube, etc.) and generally within a few minutes I was back in business. About 5 years this got really bad, I complained and they quickly came out and installed a new dish on the house. . . but left the old one up there so I paid a roofer to remove it and repair the roof. However, now it happens constantly. Rain, mist, cloudy, windy, light snow, heavy snow and I mean if it's not pretty much perfect outside, no signal. It's raining right now and I have complete signal loss. 2.) Local channel disputes are CONSTANT. Each side blames each other, I don't really care, I'm the guy paying the bill, come on. And I tried an antenna, it doesn't work. I already have a stupid dish on my roof, now I have to install a 1950's era aerial antenna too? (Attic, roof, window, I don't really care, it's ugly and stupid looking - no thanks!) 3.) Expense, I do not have premium channels with my Dish subscription (no HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, etc.) I have the most expensive package, HD package, three receivers and the cost is DOUBLE the most expensive, loaded up thing you can get on Hulu or FuboTV - double.
So, with all that in mind, Sunday was the kicker. Total signal loss, local NBC channel was offline due to dispute, I started to watch the F1 race with my son on ESPN, boom, signal loss RIGHT during the start of the race. My son said "I got this" and did a simulcast from his phone to the TV from a Youtube feed he found so we could watch the race, later on the weather cleared and we switched it back. NBC Sunday night football was down, contract dispute, so I signed up for Hulu trial so we could give it a test run. First off, the picture clarity is amazingly cleaner/brighter/better, however, I'm not in love with the menu system, I think that is going to take some time for me to warm up to it, it's a lot like Netflix and Amazon Prime and I like but don't love those interfaces.
I work in IT, I work with TONS of different interfaces, different operating systems, different software, text based, windows based, you name it, I work with it but I believe my mind has been shaped, formed and molded by the simple channel guide/excel spreadsheet/table view. Channel Number/Description in column 1, Time in column 2 (present to future) and row by row of channel selections - it's simple, it's easy, you scroll up and down and side to side, find the channel you want, punch it directly in and you switch to it and it's been this way since it was printed in black and white ink since the newspaper days - it's hard to undo 50+ years of mental programming. The other thing a channel guide gives you is surfing and LESS to choose from. Generally, when I pull up a channel guide, I see like 8-10 channel options and I know that most of the time 80% of that is crap I have no interest in. For example, right now, I key in 120 and the History channel pops up in the channel guide and I see "Hist (yes), Hist on demand (maybe), FYI (maybe), A&E (no), Pop(no), Game Show (no), E! (no) and Cooking (no)" so, right there, I have one hit and two options so I go right to the History channel to watch American Pickers (where the hell is Frank???)
All that brings me to the point that the Hulu channel guide (so far) is my only ding. It's not bad, it's just not what I expected and I've found that I do not think it is customizable. In a perfect world, I would select a My Tab with the 10 or 12 channels we watch. Right now you "kind of" have that in Recent but you explore outside of your normal dozen, that channel gets added into the Recents whether you like it or not, I'd like to be able to remove a channel or just select "my favorites". So, much like Netflix and Prime, you select it, it pulls up and I see 4 rows of 6 (24 options), 6 TV Shows options, 6 movie options, 6 complete Network options and 6 Team options (basketball, football, ncaa football, nhl hockey, baseball, ncaa basketball) and much like Netflix/Amazon, you get to the point where you can't decide so you pick Youtube (for example.)
Sorry for the long post but anyway, the wheels are in motion, I'm cancelling my satellite TV and moving on whether it's Hulu, FubuTV, Youtube, something different, I dunno, but I'm done with cable, done with satellite and I'm moving on.
The TLDR is "I am going to cancel DishTV after 10 years or whatever and go to a streaming service like Hulu or FuboTV."
I've had Cable/DirectTV/DishTV (so one or the other) for over 30 years now. I think I switched from cable to DirecTV around 2000 and back then DirecTV was wonderful, cheaper, amazing. Brand new equipment, outstanding customer service, free from cable I was pleased. Then we moved to a new home around 2007, signed up again and DirecTV sent me USED equipment and my entire experience was horrible. I put up with this for about 3 years until one day one of my USED receivers broke. I called customer support and they wanted to charge me for replacement equipment. I said "can I just exchange it" and they said yes but there's a fee, you'll have to pay for replacement cost even though I was renting the equipment (which is BS too.) Finally, I said, "Okay can I just send this in for repair" to which they said "yes but it's $20 for us to send you the container and then you must pay for shipping back and forth." So, in my super pissed off state, I cancelled and switched to DishTV that very day and I'll be 100% honest, DirecTV was entirely indifferent.
DishTV has been wonderful to deal with, I was issued brand new equipment, they've always been great about sending me upgraded equipment, customer support is awesome, etc. so this plus a combination of laziness, perfectly simple integration/channel guide system, an unwillingness to change on my part, ease of use, the feature set (hopper, dvr, room to room operation, etc.) and channel selection (including perfect local channel integration) are the main reasons I've stuck with DishTV all these years (I think 10 or 11 now.)
Several recent events have made me initiate a change. 1.) Signal loss - I used to lose my signal on extreme rain/heavy snow and, honestly, it happened so infrequently I just didn't really care as I would switch over to recorded programs or internet (Netflix, Prime, Youtube, etc.) and generally within a few minutes I was back in business. About 5 years this got really bad, I complained and they quickly came out and installed a new dish on the house. . . but left the old one up there so I paid a roofer to remove it and repair the roof. However, now it happens constantly. Rain, mist, cloudy, windy, light snow, heavy snow and I mean if it's not pretty much perfect outside, no signal. It's raining right now and I have complete signal loss. 2.) Local channel disputes are CONSTANT. Each side blames each other, I don't really care, I'm the guy paying the bill, come on. And I tried an antenna, it doesn't work. I already have a stupid dish on my roof, now I have to install a 1950's era aerial antenna too? (Attic, roof, window, I don't really care, it's ugly and stupid looking - no thanks!) 3.) Expense, I do not have premium channels with my Dish subscription (no HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, etc.) I have the most expensive package, HD package, three receivers and the cost is DOUBLE the most expensive, loaded up thing you can get on Hulu or FuboTV - double.
So, with all that in mind, Sunday was the kicker. Total signal loss, local NBC channel was offline due to dispute, I started to watch the F1 race with my son on ESPN, boom, signal loss RIGHT during the start of the race. My son said "I got this" and did a simulcast from his phone to the TV from a Youtube feed he found so we could watch the race, later on the weather cleared and we switched it back. NBC Sunday night football was down, contract dispute, so I signed up for Hulu trial so we could give it a test run. First off, the picture clarity is amazingly cleaner/brighter/better, however, I'm not in love with the menu system, I think that is going to take some time for me to warm up to it, it's a lot like Netflix and Amazon Prime and I like but don't love those interfaces.
I work in IT, I work with TONS of different interfaces, different operating systems, different software, text based, windows based, you name it, I work with it but I believe my mind has been shaped, formed and molded by the simple channel guide/excel spreadsheet/table view. Channel Number/Description in column 1, Time in column 2 (present to future) and row by row of channel selections - it's simple, it's easy, you scroll up and down and side to side, find the channel you want, punch it directly in and you switch to it and it's been this way since it was printed in black and white ink since the newspaper days - it's hard to undo 50+ years of mental programming. The other thing a channel guide gives you is surfing and LESS to choose from. Generally, when I pull up a channel guide, I see like 8-10 channel options and I know that most of the time 80% of that is crap I have no interest in. For example, right now, I key in 120 and the History channel pops up in the channel guide and I see "Hist (yes), Hist on demand (maybe), FYI (maybe), A&E (no), Pop(no), Game Show (no), E! (no) and Cooking (no)" so, right there, I have one hit and two options so I go right to the History channel to watch American Pickers (where the hell is Frank???)
All that brings me to the point that the Hulu channel guide (so far) is my only ding. It's not bad, it's just not what I expected and I've found that I do not think it is customizable. In a perfect world, I would select a My Tab with the 10 or 12 channels we watch. Right now you "kind of" have that in Recent but you explore outside of your normal dozen, that channel gets added into the Recents whether you like it or not, I'd like to be able to remove a channel or just select "my favorites". So, much like Netflix and Prime, you select it, it pulls up and I see 4 rows of 6 (24 options), 6 TV Shows options, 6 movie options, 6 complete Network options and 6 Team options (basketball, football, ncaa football, nhl hockey, baseball, ncaa basketball) and much like Netflix/Amazon, you get to the point where you can't decide so you pick Youtube (for example.)
Sorry for the long post but anyway, the wheels are in motion, I'm cancelling my satellite TV and moving on whether it's Hulu, FubuTV, Youtube, something different, I dunno, but I'm done with cable, done with satellite and I'm moving on.
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Sullie
Footballguy
Okay, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I hate to admit this, I think it's partly snobbery and partly ignorance but I thought the Hulu experience would be like going from Google search to Yahoo search. . . there I said it and yes I was 100% wrong so there I said that too!
The channel guide is a big swing and a miss on Hulu's part. There are posts out there from 2019 about how much their channel guide sucks, my take is that Hulu's whole vibe is "tough $hit, like it, lump it or leave" we're not fixing it. To my eyes ChiefD, I kind of feel like FuboTV has a better Sports package but I really hate admitting this (this sounds super lame) but I absolutely LOVE TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and the lack of that on FuboTV was a deal breaker for me.
TCM is like beer to me. I drink 1-2 beers a week, generally on a Friday or Saturday night. I watch TCM Friday night and Sunday night if the NFL game sucks b/c it brings me back to my childhood, 5 kids and my Mom and Dad huddled around the TV watching an old Gary Cooper movie or some other fast talking high trousers movie from yesteryear.
Sullie
Footballguy
Yes sir, that was a big deal for me as well, I probably watch local TV channels as much as anything and honestly this is why I held off for so long. Like I was saying earlier the clarity and crispness of the picture is amazing, not like SD to HD amazing it's way more subtle than that, maybe like a TV upgrade like a really good but non-OLED TV to an OLED TV type of upgrade a jump but not a giant leap if that makes sense?
I have found that between the "Sports" guide, the "Recent" nd the "Favorites" I don't really have an issue with the Hulu guide. Far from perfect and there are things I'd like to change, but with those 3 subsets of guides readily available, I really have not found it to be something that I find myself complaining about too much.
And add in the recent integration of ESPN+ programming through the Hulu app, and sports is that much better/easier as no longer do I need to see what is on in the ESPN+ channels, it's all laid out in the Hulu sports guide and can be viewed from the Hulu app, no need to flip to the ESPN+ app (for live shows/events)
ChiefD
Footballguy
In Hulu, if you go to the Sports guide, assuming you have an ESPN+ account as well, it will show all of their programs as well, not just the ESPN, ESMPN2 and ESPNU programs - for example, ESPN+ carries a ton of the college football games that aren't nationally televised - my nephew plays for Harvard so we've been able to watch all the Harvard games that are broadcast on ESPN+ through Hulu - no need to go to the ESPN+ app
Sullie
Footballguy
So, I just wanted to add something to this. I ordered an Amazon Firestick w/remote and it came in today and I bought this to test it out on my 10 year old TV's (I've got an older Sony and an older Samsung.) My interface on my newest TV (it's a 2 year old Samsung) is pretty amazing in that you download an App, it pops up on the TV and you do your thing and, to me, of all the things I've ever used (Roku, AppleTV, DirecTV, DishTV, etc.) the Samsung has been about the best. . . until now.
The Amazon Firestick is better. At this point, if I could, I would just rip and replace all the old TV's crappy software (except my newer Samsung) but the 10 year old Samsung and 10 year old Sony software is outdated crap at this point. They used to have Netflix, Hulu, etc. apps but those were removed b/c of older TLS 1.0 (I think.) But, anyway, I would rip the old software out, re-format w/Amazon Firestick software and just run with it, it's outstanding. I had no idea, absolutely no idea it would be this good. Kudos to Amazon developers, well done, it brings my old war horse TV's up to the 21st century!
So, now, I'm all in on Hulu on all the TV's. I'm going to snag another Firestick for the other old TV we have and run with those. I think the longer I use the Hulu app, the more I like it.
The Amazon Firestick is better. At this point, if I could, I would just rip and replace all the old TV's crappy software (except my newer Samsung) but the 10 year old Samsung and 10 year old Sony software is outdated crap at this point. They used to have Netflix, Hulu, etc. apps but those were removed b/c of older TLS 1.0 (I think.) But, anyway, I would rip the old software out, re-format w/Amazon Firestick software and just run with it, it's outstanding. I had no idea, absolutely no idea it would be this good. Kudos to Amazon developers, well done, it brings my old war horse TV's up to the 21st century!
So, now, I'm all in on Hulu on all the TV's. I'm going to snag another Firestick for the other old TV we have and run with those. I think the longer I use the Hulu app, the more I like it.
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rustycolts
Footballguy
Galileo
Footballguy
OK, I admit it. I am one of those schmucks still paying ridiculously high rates for ####ty cable service. I have Spectrum which also provides my internet. I am entertaining the idea of finally joining the modern era by switching internet providers and cutting cable largely to be free of Spectrum (although I hate the thought of ditching my spectrum provided email...the email sucks, but I have so many damn things tied to it). Anyway, can someone give me the cliff notes and save me 135 pages of reading?
I need live sports...NFL, NCAA (football and basketball), MLB and PGA specifically
I want local area network news and the local community channel
My wife needs Food Network, Cooking channel, HGTV
My wife wants major network programming (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX)
Bonus for IFC, USA, TBS, TNT, Comedy Central, A&E, HISTORY, CNN, but none of these is a deal breaker.
We currently have a Netflix account and Amazon Prime.
I just bought a new TV, a TCL 6 Series with Google TV. I haven't unboxed it yet as I am waiting for delivery on a new piece of furniture that will accommodate it. What is the set up I need to access all of the above and be free of Spectrum?
I need live sports...NFL, NCAA (football and basketball), MLB and PGA specifically
I want local area network news and the local community channel
My wife needs Food Network, Cooking channel, HGTV
My wife wants major network programming (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX)
Bonus for IFC, USA, TBS, TNT, Comedy Central, A&E, HISTORY, CNN, but none of these is a deal breaker.
We currently have a Netflix account and Amazon Prime.
I just bought a new TV, a TCL 6 Series with Google TV. I haven't unboxed it yet as I am waiting for delivery on a new piece of furniture that will accommodate it. What is the set up I need to access all of the above and be free of Spectrum?
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Who would you use for your internet provider if not Spectrum?
For the channels you've asked about, Hulu Live I think has most of them (not sure about HGTV and Cooking, but it has Food Network, your NBC, ABC etc., at least in LA local channels like KTLA, and USA, TBS, TNT, etc., not sure about IFC). For me, bundled with ESPN+ (and Disney+ as it's basically a no brainer package deal IMO), it's more sports than I need and more channels than I need.
Personally I have Spectrum for Internet as currently they are the best provider in my area, then I have Hulu Live for TV (along with ESPN+ and Disney+), Amazon Prime, Netflix, AppleTV (mainly because I've not cancelled since free trial ended, but need to watch season 2 of Ted Lasso). Have not tried out any of the others like Paramount+, etc, and have played around very little with Pluto TV which is free - only tried it as it had a movie I wanted to watch, but it seems like it has quite a bit on it.
If I could find a better internet provider I'd gladly switch from Spectrum (I only use them for internet).
Galileo
Footballguy
ChiefD
Footballguy
The only hitch in the giddy up is MLB. Bally Sports is the devil and is not available on any streaming service. They are supposedly working on a direct to consumer app as we speak but I’m not holding my breath on those a=holes.
snellman
Footballguy
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Sullie
Footballguy
I'm a newb to this but for me I ended up on Hulu Live+ (and I added on two packages) but FuboTV was my 2nd choice and I stuck with the evil cable company for my internet provider b/c it is my fastest option right now although there's a fiber provider that is marching towards my neighborhood, hopefully within the next year or two I can switch to fiber.
The thing I like about the whole deal G is that, no matter what I choose (Hulu, Fubo, Youtube, DirectTV streaming, Sling, etc.) the best thing to do (imho) is just pick one and try it out. It's not like the old days where if you got cable for the first time or you switched to Dish or from cable/Dish to DirecTV you had to schedule an appointment, a guy came out with equipment, you had to leave 2-4 hours open in your schedule, etc. and then you had to commit for 12-36 months, rent equipment, haggle for service fees, haggle for best rates, argue about quitting, etc. Those days are GONE!
What's nice is that if you choose Sling and you have for a day, week, month, year or whatever and you decide you don't want it, you cancel it and go with Youtube and try that out. If you love Youtube but they take channels away next month or they raise their rates by $10 per month, etc., then you cancel that and try out HuluTV, and you just lather rinse repeat until you land on a streaming service that gives you everything you want for a reasonable price.
It took me all of 5 minutes to get started with Hulu and maybe 10 minutes to get it up and running on the living room TV, for the older TV's (like I mentioned above there) I'm going with Firesticks. Since I work from home, I plugged the Firestick in while I was logged into work, let it do its thing in the background (donwload updates, etc.) and at the end of the day, I fired up the TV and I was all set to go. No guys wandering through my house, hooking up boxes, running cables, etc. Pretty simple actually and I think you'll be happier in the long run. I think the key though is to make damn sure you have excellent internet service and I would go with a Mesh WiFi (like TP-Link, Google Nest, Vilo, Orbi, etc.) and make sure you have coverage overkill to eliminate dead spots, slow connections and internet/network congestion.
Al Czervik
Not wearing pants
Here is a good comparison: Live Streaming Services Channel Comparison in 2021
I have YouTube TV and it seems to me them and Hulu Live have the best channel options. Personally, the tie breaker was MLB Network being included with YouTube TV. Everything else seemed pretty equal. YTTV also has a solid channel guide (which is customizable) to navigate... it sounds like Hulu does not.
ChiefD
Footballguy
Yeah, I've been looking at YouTube TV pretty heavily lately just for the channel guide. I'll probably wait til spring to see how this Bally Sports thing shakes out with the regional MLB stuff.
snellman
Footballguy
The whole Bally Sports thing is why I went to the dark side. I really liked youtube TV but not being able to watch my Twins was a deal breaker.
GreenNGold
Footballguy
I recently switched from cable to Hulu with live TV, and cable is definitely better, I'm considering switching back and doesn't cost that much more than than the hulu live + sports package.
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Sullie
Footballguy
Okay, so it's been two weeks now and the longer I'm on Hulu, the more I love it. The picture quality (even on my older, crappy TV's) is much better, the interface is better, the overall experience just makes me happy. I'm paying 1/2 as much for more, that's the best, most simple way I can put it. I called Dish last Friday to cancel and I $hit you not, it took me 30 minutes to cancel the thing. Honestly, I knew that it was going to be a hassle going into it, these folks are just doing their jobs, I get that but it's still a huge, uncomfortable, pain in the ####. And by God they want it to be that way, I'm convinced this is all by design, but whatever. It's like saying "NO" to the finance guy at the car dealership. NO I don't want your stupid life insurance, NO I don't want fabric protection, NO I don't want window etching or whatever the latest BS snake oil it is you're selling this month.
In my home I have 3 flat screens set up (living room, office and den) 2x55 and 1x65. I was with Dish for 6 years. I was paying $26 per month for "equipment rental." My equipment had never been replaced. I've worked in IT for over 30 years, I know the sound of dying spinning disk (hard drive) when I hear the "death rattle" and mine was dying. I called support a couple of months ago and told them this disk was dying and I was told "sorry sir, we ran some tests and it passed, we can't do anything until it stops working." Whatever.
For people that insist upon sticking with cable, let me just throw this out there. $26 per month for 72 months is $1,872.00 over 6 years for "equipment rental." Don't be a lazy idiot like me and let yourself get screwed over on equipment rental or if you insist upon letting yourself get screwed, stick up for yourself and INSIST upon new gear every now and then OR keep the cable company honest and just quit their service every year or so just so you can get the best deals, newest equipment, etc. Don't be lazy about it. I was stupid and lazy about it, I won't let that happen any longer, there are way too many options out there.
In my home I have 3 flat screens set up (living room, office and den) 2x55 and 1x65. I was with Dish for 6 years. I was paying $26 per month for "equipment rental." My equipment had never been replaced. I've worked in IT for over 30 years, I know the sound of dying spinning disk (hard drive) when I hear the "death rattle" and mine was dying. I called support a couple of months ago and told them this disk was dying and I was told "sorry sir, we ran some tests and it passed, we can't do anything until it stops working." Whatever.
For people that insist upon sticking with cable, let me just throw this out there. $26 per month for 72 months is $1,872.00 over 6 years for "equipment rental." Don't be a lazy idiot like me and let yourself get screwed over on equipment rental or if you insist upon letting yourself get screwed, stick up for yourself and INSIST upon new gear every now and then OR keep the cable company honest and just quit their service every year or so just so you can get the best deals, newest equipment, etc. Don't be lazy about it. I was stupid and lazy about it, I won't let that happen any longer, there are way too many options out there.
FairWarning
Footballguy
PlayaHata
Footballguy
YTTV has dropped all Disney channels, including your local ABC channel, all of the ESPN channels, plus a bunch of others, in a dispute with Disney. They are dropping their monthly price by $15 while the channels are gone, but I need to be able to watch those channels. I love YTTV but I’m going to cancel and switch to Hulu + Live TV for the time being, until the dispute is resolved. 
ConstruxBoy
Kate's Daddy
I did 7 day free trial on Fubo. I hate to give Disney money by going to Hulu.YTTV has dropped all Disney channels, including your local ABC channel, all of the ESPN channels, plus a bunch of others, in a dispute with Disney. They are dropping their monthly price by $15 while the channels are gone, but I need to be able to watch those channels. I love YTTV but I’m going to cancel and switch to Hulu + Live TV for the time being, until the dispute is resolved.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
They dropped the channels during the 4th quarter of the JMU-NDST semifinal. What a load of horse####. F Disney.YTTV has dropped all Disney channels, including your local ABC channel, all of the ESPN channels, plus a bunch of others, in a dispute with Disney. They are dropping their monthly price by $15 while the channels are gone, but I need to be able to watch those channels. I love YTTV but I’m going to cancel and switch to Hulu + Live TV for the time being, until the dispute is resolved.
The Flying Turtle
Footballguy
YTTV is playing a dangerous game with the customers base it is so easy to change now I am guessing they are going to lose a lot of people. Back when people were locked into cable or Satellite the providers could rely on the difficulty of changing to retain customers but that is no longer the case.YTTV has dropped all Disney channels, including your local ABC channel, all of the ESPN channels, plus a bunch of others, in a dispute with Disney. They are dropping their monthly price by $15 while the channels are gone, but I need to be able to watch those channels. I love YTTV but I’m going to cancel and switch to Hulu + Live TV for the time being, until the dispute is resolved.
Capella
Footballguy
Yea I went to fubo this morning and cancelled YTTV. Love love love the YTTV interface but that’s a dealbreaker for me.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
How are ESPN/2 not a part of ESPN+ too? Give me the option to roll them in and I'll pocket the difference from Youtube.
Going to ride it out for now, but Google vs The Mouse is about as heavyweight as it gets -- could go on for a bit.
Going to ride it out for now, but Google vs The Mouse is about as heavyweight as it gets -- could go on for a bit.
Drunken knight
Footballguy
was just coming in here to talk about this.PlayaHata said:YTTV has dropped all Disney channels, including your local ABC channel, all of the ESPN channels, plus a bunch of others, in a dispute with Disney. They are dropping their monthly price by $15 while the channels are gone, but I need to be able to watch those channels. I love YTTV but I’m going to cancel and switch to Hulu + Live TV for the time being, until the dispute is resolved.
After 25+ years with directv, in aug/sep of 20 I changed to yttv and have been very happy. Just signed up for espn+.
Will be saving a little every month, but I liked the convenience of having those channels integrated into the guide vs now having to switch apps to watch those games/shows
