Cable - cutting the cord

[Oakley]

We are thinking of cutting the cable cord and going exclusively with streaming. Our concern is losing local channels for news, etc. Have spoken to a few people who indicate they get local channels and a few others. Have any of you gone to just streaming and are you happy with the service?

Thanks

[Nucky]

Thrilled. Comcast for internet, just the starter package with my own Motorolla Router, Roku Sticks and One Roku TV and YouTube Tv. About $50 a month. Beautiful. Good Luck.

[Dan9871]

We've been using Hulu which is about $56 a month for the content we want. We use a Roku box but may switch to Apple TV now that is get's Amazon Prime movies.

We were using Direct TV Now (their streaming service no the satellite service) but their prices started going up and their content down so we switched to Hulu.t

We also use Netflix and Amazon Prime which adds another $25 a month to have access to movies.

We're happy with that combination of streaming services. They all get a little flaky once an a while though.

For now streaming can give you just about everything you can get on cable or satellite for quite a bit less money. But their prices have been trending upward and as content gets more and more divided among the streaming vendors you will need to subscribe to more and more streaming services... for example Disney content will probably only be available on Disney's streaming service when it comes on line later this year. So my guess is that as time goes by streaming may end up costing close to what cable does but for right now enjoy the ride!

[UpNorth]

PS Vue has a 2 month special for $39.99 on their regular $49.99 package. Good for 2 months, but you have to sign up before May 6.
Great deal, has all your locals plus a whole lot more. You can stream on Roku or Amazon Fire (unlike YouTube TV). Good DVR that you can control with your Alexa app on Fire TV. Or, watch on your phone or computer. By far the best streaming service at the moment IMHO.

[Suziegrandma]

We cut the cord back in the fall. Yes you can get local channels and news. There are several programming options out there. We’ve tried a few and really like Roku and YoutubeTV. YoutubeTV provides several channels including local, hgtv, discovery etc. it’s $49 a month. You can change cancel anytime and try another service. We also have Amazon Prime which has channels also. You can also get your hometown news on Haystack Tv which is free. We are very happy. If you don’t have a smart tv, you can use Roku or Google chrome cast or Apple TV if you have HDMI slots on your tv.

[rustyp]

Here is a comparison that may help you

CNET compares: AT&T Watch TV vs. Philo vs. Sling TV vs. DirecTV Now vs. YouTube TV vs. Hulu with Live TV vs. PS Vue vs. Fubo TV V - Google Sheets (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t0ZW8qC9ggVw5UZUiPmfGZdxndtcKjojSi_FYn0Fzw0/edit#gid=1648413801)

[Harry Gilbert]

For those who use roku check out "pluto tv". Its free and a mix of channels, some are familiar some are oddball. But it is a option that again is free. It may be available on other streaming devices but I know it is on Roku

[seoulbrooks]

Second Roku and YoutubeTV…...gives you local channels, some movie channels, and sports channels with DVR capabilities for $50 a month.

[UpNorth]

Don't know if they are still doing it, but when we had YouTube TV about a year ago, the major networks (CBS, ABC and NBC) would block our DVR recordings on some prime time shows and only allow you to watch the "on demand" version. With "on demand", you cannot FF through the commercials. That was the deal breaker for me. Otherwise, it was a good service, but now the price has gone from $35 to $50 a month in a very short time. And you can't play YouTube TV on a Amazon Fire device, which has Alexa voice remote.
PS Vue is a better choice IMO, and their Core plan is on sale for $39.99 till May 6.

[PoolBrews]

I had DirecTV for 20 years... I'm a techie by trade (and heart), and so loved the resolution and audio that it provided (true 5.1). Reliability was also fantastic. However, once my bill started hitting over $130 a month in retirement, I started looking at alternatives. I have used both Hulu Live and YouTube TV extensively. After 1 week on Hulu, I turned it off - the video quality is nowhere near as good as YouTube TV, and the DVR is VERY flaky - had many shows record at the wrong time (i.e. missed last few minutes of shows), and had many instances of obvious pixelation in playback. Both offer a good channel selection, but for reliability, YouTube TV is a far better choice.

The big issue with YouTube TV is that you can't skip commercials on any recorded CBS shows - they haven't signed an agreement on that yet. Interestingly, if you watch a recording the same day - i.e. record at 8pm, then watch at 9pm, you can skip commercials. After midnight, YouTube replaces the recording with the on-demand version - so no skipping. Commercial skipping works on all other channels.

The other big item you give up on all of the live streaming services is that audio will only be stereo - none of them have 5.1 for live streams.

If going to streaming, keep in mind you need to have the proper amount of bandwidth to support streaming. At least 50 MB. If you opt for a lower cost internet service like 25 MB, you will have times when you experience screen freezes, etc. I have always had at least 150 MB, and never experienced any issues in this regard. This becomes especially true if you run more than one TV or device.

Cheers!

[PoolBrews]

FYI - the PS Vue deal is only for 2 months - then the price goes to $49.99.

[UpNorth]

FYI - the PS Vue deal is only for 2 months - then the price goes to $49.99.

That's true. But the best thing about any of these streaming services is that there are no contracts, extra fees or equipment you have to rent from a cable or sattelite company. All will give you a week or two of free trial. You can cut them off and switch at anytime. Regarding bandwith, we have the lowest price internet service from Comcast (about 25mps for $19.95). No problem in streaming any of these services.

One more thing - you can get locals with YouTube TV, PS Vue and others, but the only network you will not get is PBS. This is because of the way the PBS local stations operate. But you may see this issue resolved before long. In the meantime, get an outdoor antenna and pick up PBS and a whole bunch of other stations for free.