AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Home Theater and Video => Topic started by: SET Man on 29 Jun 2018, 09:51 pm
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Hey!
I'm writing this on my Mac while sipping a frappuccino at a Starbucks using their Wi-fi.
So, I've been without cable TV and internet at home for the past 2 weeks. I've not been without cable TV the past 30 years here in NYC. But two months ago it got to the point where I felt that I had enough of this BS from cable company. Going back about 6 years ago, I switched from Time Warner to RCN for both cable and internet service. RCN is a smaller company but I was fine with their cable and internet service. At the time of switching it was cheaper than Time Warner. But of course the bill kept going up to point that my last bill from RCN was $204!!!! So, I was looking for cheaper way. After Time Warner changed their name to Spectrum, they have special offer of $100 a month for cable, internet and phone. So, I left RCN and went with Spectrum. Of course after my first year is over my bill increased to $140 a month in March. I was having problem with my cable box early last month, so I called them and asked of why my bill increased significantly. Of course they told me that my 1st year promotion expired. I told them I will cancel my service and they didn't even try to make me stay with them. So, I drop off the cable box and modem at the service center.
And now I'm without cable or internet. I've been watching TV from over the air antenna and doing everything on my iPhone 5s. Luckily I still have the old "unlimited" plan from Sprint of which is unlike the current "unlimited" plan the old plan is really unlimited 4G LTE and no slowing down to 3G after you reached certain GB used. The strange thing is that I don't missed cable TV much but not having internet at home is a bit annoying. And I have to bring my Mac to Starbucks for certain things. Eventually I will get an internet service. Currently RCN have an offer of $35 a month internet service and of course that's for the first year. I guess after that it will be about $50/mo still cheaper than internet and cable TV. So, my plan now is to get just the internet only and stream TV from Sling TV for $20/mo. Anyone here using Sling TV? One other problem is that my LCD TV is very old and I will need to get a new one to make this transition easier.
I think I'm done with cable TV. But unfortunately I think I still need internet at home. Anyway, anyone want to share their experience of Sling TV or other streaming service and internet provider, especially in NYC area are greatly welcome for this newly cord-cutter. :D
Take care,
Buddy
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Might find what I wrote helpful. check the LINK at the bottom
Just found and have been using a STREAMING system called GEARS RELOADED TV, with the Mayfair Guide
Total Monthly Outlay about $18mo and it has WORLD WIDE channels, and virtually all Premium Channels.
To access the service I use a Nvidea Sheild Android Device ($179 on Amazon)
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=155954.msg1692030#msg1692030
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There is no TV in my home already some years, I rec it every one.
I dont need pay to brainwash my mind and endure all that s* every day for hours on end, not to mention TV series and silly action films on flatulent subwoofer.
In a moment of my life I realized I was addicted to TV, and those depressing images occupied a large part of my sleep time to being processed and removed from the conscious mind.
After a few months without seeing the Big Brother trash I clearly noticed that my reasoning, concentration and awareness increased, and I do not even know what those sub-celebrities are doing, drinking or druging.
Google for: stopping watching tv
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There is no TV in my home already some years, I rec it every one.
I dont need pay to brainwash my mind and endure all that s* every day for hours on end, not to mention TV series and silly action films on flatulent subwoofer.
In a moment of my life I realized I was addicted to TV, and those depressing images occupied a large part of my sleep time to being processed and removed from the conscious mind.
After a few months without seeing the Big Brother trash I clearly noticed that my reasoning, concentration and awareness increased, and I do not even know what those sub-celebrities are doing, drinking or druging.
Google for: stopping watching tv
You can have a TV and not watch all those dumb programs. That's what I do. I no longer watch news on TV either. Bunch of liars, all with a political agenda.
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deleted
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Do you have seen the Weather Forecast man talk in how much chemtrail was sprayed today or even lately :scratch:
Huh?
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I dropped cable TV about 5 years ago when I went through an extended unemployment stent. When I started working again I just didn't add it back, as I'd already acclimated to life without cable.
Nowadays between Filmstruck, Netflix, Amazon and my local public library, there's literally more content to watch than I could ever get to in my lifetime. And no commercials either. Cheaper too. Way, way cheaper. Life is good :thumb:
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I dropped cable TV about 5 years ago when I went through an extended unemployment stent. When I started working again I just didn't add it back, as I'd already acclimated to life without cable.
Nowadays between Filmstruck, Netflix, Amazon and my local public library, there's literally more content to watch than I could ever get to in my lifetime. And no commercials either. Cheaper too. Way, way cheaper. Life is good :thumb:
I've been surprised by the number of excellent programs on Amazon Prime, but you have to dig for them.
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Never had cable, never will. Landline phone plus fast enough internet costs me $87/month. Cell phone is $100/year (Tracfone).
Amazon, Netflix and the NY Times allow sharing so pair up with a friend, that is what all us old people do.
No need to record, many TV shows like everything on PBS, CBS Sunday Morning, etc. are streamed for free. Saturday Night Live is free the next day on YouTube.
Movies are released quicker at Redbox and are only $2.00, I got 5 boxes within a 1 mile radius of my house, reserve movies online and pickup while running errands.
NY Times for TV reviews and what to watch
The Bounty of Netflix International
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/movies/netflix-international-films.html?mabReward=CBMG1&recid=16h9Q7Fl7uRiVfwsJTanZTH6SJq&recp=2&action=click&pgtype=Homepage®ion=CColumn&module=Recommendation&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEngine (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/movies/netflix-international-films.html?mabReward=CBMG1&recid=16h9Q7Fl7uRiVfwsJTanZTH6SJq&recp=2&action=click&pgtype=Homepage®ion=CColumn&module=Recommendation&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEngine)
How To Share Amazon Prime
https://www.lifewire.com/share-amazon-prime-4157517 (https://www.lifewire.com/share-amazon-prime-4157517)
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I’ve been without cable/satellite tv for about 4 yrs now and don’t miss it. Been using an antenna for local channels and an Apple TV for Netflix/Amazon and every now and then hbo now. I just recently subscribed to sling tv and got the orange package for $20 a month. I like it so far as it has most if not all the channels I regularly watched when I was paying $125 a month for cable. I got ESPN,History,AMC,BBC America and others that come in 1080 on my Apple TV as well as my iPad and can cancel at any time, no contract which is nice.
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I’ve been without cable for years, but recently started to subscribe to “direct tv now” for college football two months out of the year. I can’t go without internet as I needed to work from home from time to time, so that allows me to bounce around between the streaming services. With the two months of directtv now i ended up only watching games after noticing the channels mostly loop series that can be found elsewhere. Cable tv as a streaming service is still a joke and still very much overpriced. With streaming you won’t ever be current with most tv series or movies and you need to be okay with that, initially it seems like all old content but in a few months new shows appear and life moves on.
I do like how apple tv merges the various streaming services but it can be a pain hide that sevice you just dropped from the trending lists.
Internet $55
Streaming: $12-35. (Rotating hbo, showtime, netflix and hulu with amazon prime video)
Phone: $9 (ooma)
To be honest with all if the robocalls I've been considering dropping my cell plan and strickly use wifi. I don't have a grandfathered unlimited plan, but i do pay $75/month for 32GB data cap. Anyone I want to talk to can be had over iMessages, facetime, discord and email. I still do remember life without a smartphone and know it would be a stretch to lose it
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I was so frustrated with slow and unreliable DSL 3Mbps internet, and SD DirecTV, and the lousy programming I was ready to drop it. I researched the options to provide the content we want for less money, no contract.
Then ATT installed fiber on our street, and offered promotions to get us off the copper and onto their new program. It was so much cheaper than what I was paying to ATT and DirecTV separately that I reluctantly went for it.
I had 3 teenagers in the house, 2 heavy gamers and 1 streaming youtube constantly. They were burning up their 20GB monthly 4G allowance by tethering to their phones. I got 50Mbps fiber service, it's more than enough, especially since 2 of the teenagers have moved out now. I got a new Genie box for HD, new wifi router (not great) new dish on the roof, but the big surprise was all the great HD-only channels I didn't even know existed because I didn't have HD receiver, like Velocity.
My overall TV/net/phone bill was cut in half, my service quality and content was improved dramatically and no more fixing a 20yo SD DirecTivo box. I rebuilt the power supply twice. haha
The ATT merger to DirecTV was rough at the beginning, but now it has improved a lot. I never liked ATT and I don't like talking to a human robot in Phillipines instead of a with-it professional in US, but they eventually get the job done, and they seem to care, or are trained to pretend to care, even when dealing with a curmudgeon like me. I can't complain about the customer service other than it takes too long.
Overall I'm happy with the changes. I don't like being on 2 year contract, but that was required to get all the new gear. Another year to go, then we'll see what it really costs.
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Hey!
I'm writing this on my Mac while sipping a frappuccino at a Starbucks using their Wi-fi.
So, I've been without cable TV and internet at home for the past 2 weeks. I've not been without cable TV the past 30 years here in NYC. But two months ago it got to the point where I felt that I had enough of this BS from cable company. Going back about 6 years ago, I switched from Time Warner to RCN for both cable and internet service. RCN is a smaller company but I was fine with their cable and internet service. At the time of switching it was cheaper than Time Warner. But of course the bill kept going up to point that my last bill from RCN was $204!!!! So, I was looking for cheaper way. After Time Warner changed their name to Spectrum, they have special offer of $100 a month for cable, internet and phone. So, I left RCN and went with Spectrum. Of course after my first year is over my bill increased to $140 a month in March. I was having problem with my cable box early last month, so I called them and asked of why my bill increased significantly. Of course they told me that my 1st year promotion expired. I told them I will cancel my service and they didn't even try to make me stay with them. So, I drop off the cable box and modem at the service center.
And now I'm without cable or internet. I've been watching TV from over the air antenna and doing everything on my iPhone 5s. Luckily I still have the old "unlimited" plan from Sprint of which is unlike the current "unlimited" plan the old plan is really unlimited 4G LTE and no slowing down to 3G after you reached certain GB used. The strange thing is that I don't missed cable TV much but not having internet at home is a bit annoying. And I have to bring my Mac to Starbucks for certain things. Eventually I will get an internet service. Currently RCN have an offer of $35 a month internet service and of course that's for the first year. I guess after that it will be about $50/mo still cheaper than internet and cable TV. So, my plan now is to get just the internet only and stream TV from Sling TV for $20/mo. Anyone here using Sling TV? One other problem is that my LCD TV is very old and I will need to get a new one to make this transition easier.
I think I'm done with cable TV. But unfortunately I think I still need internet at home. Anyway, anyone want to share their experience of Sling TV or other streaming service and internet provider, especially in NYC area are greatly welcome for this newly cord-cutter. :D
Take care,
Buddy
Hi Buddy:
Man, I have been an RCN customer for about 6 years, the second time around, the first time was with them back to 2006-7. Their triple bundle prices kept increasing to upwards of 200 back then, so I cut them off and dealt with Timewarner but I could not tolerate their lack of transparency when signals dropped for two weeks at the time and they never acknowledged that their network was at fault. I dropped them and switched back to RCN, which had gotten that much better since the last time I had them. Now the deal is that they do have a tendency of bumping their rates up after the promo offer but I did the audacity of calling them and telling them a sob story. I told them that people from FIOS and also from Spectrum (AKA:Time Warner) were sending me offer and also knocking my door continuously....so they have not failed to keep the internet rates steady. I am paying around $56 a month of 300 mbps and that is all I need. So, do call them again and see what they can give you. When the deal expires tell them the sob story. I have repeated my act 3-4 times and either they increase it by 1-2 dollars and they bump the speed. The competition is insane in NYC and I do see that you have had RCN previously....certain places and buildings are only wired for one cable company. So.... that is my story. Man, if you lived in my hood, you could have my signal repeated to you. :thumb:
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ATT / DT are crooks. I had them 2 years ago. 2 year contract BS! Guaranteed pricing for 2 years? Read the small print unless it changed?
After a year my bill went up 50% and they charged all kinds of stuff for the equipment. They clipped a lot of people on this. I had to pay them $125 to kill the service, $22/month remaining on the 2 year contract. If I refused they would have ruined my credit. Great fucking Co. NOT! WTF I was pissed. Also got sick of the reception going out every time with storms.
Depending what you want "a la carte" services, streaming comes out more costly. But you can cancel and start back up anytime to your taste. There is absolutely is drivel on that TV anyway. They should be ashamed for paying those people what they do.
Really shit!
NO cheap route, they got ya!
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I have Netflix ($12), Amazon ($10) and Filmstruck ($10) as my 3 core streaming services. They have enough content that I want to watch that I'll never actually get to all of it. Hulu and HBO also have "some" content that I want to watch, but not a lot. So I sign up for the service for a month during a free trial offer, stream Game of Thrones and Westworld (HBO), Fargo, The Path, The Handmaid's Tale, Elementary, Preacher, 12 Monkeys, Legion (all on Hulu). Cancel after a month, don't pay a dime.
Amazon maybe shouldn't count as a streaming expense though, since I mainly use it for the free 2-day shipping they offer.
For shows that are on networks that don't stream on other platforms, I just wait for them to come out on DVD and request them at the local library.
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I watch movies, documentaries on DVD from the library on my computer.
I sometimes feel guilty for doing that instead of writing, reading, doing some art or an occasional project. Frankly, I'm amazed at how much time people spend watching TV/movies. There's so much that I'd like to do and so little time.
$50-100/ month? That's $600-1200 per year for me to buy audio equipment on my budget.
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We watch utube TV and it works great. $35.00 per month with the ability to have 6 TV,s, computers, ipads or cell phones. We have all the local channels, tons of internet shows and a boat load of movies. We also have an antenna for local channels although we would only ever need that if the net is down.
Some shows have commercials that you can skip, others make you wait through them. What we do is if a show has commercials we can't FF through we turn the show on early, let it play to the end or near the end and then start watching. Once the system thinks you have already watched the show it automatically skips the commercials for you the second time around.
Another great feature is you can record any show you want and watch it later. You can also tag shows as favorites and it will bundle them up in another place where they are easy to find. The shows are saved as well so you don't have to worry about them dropping off if you don't watch them right away.
For phone we use magic jack which costs about $30.00 a year. It works great and sounds great, just as good as our old phone line and we pay the same amount for a year as we used to pay for a month, actually even less.
We would never go back to Frontier for TV, we do still have them for internet until I can figure out how to get rid of them.
Definitely check utube TV out, it is the real deal.
Greg
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Paying almost $200 a month for cable, internet and a landline. Can't see myself ever going without cable, mainly because of sports and news along with some other stuff. Going without internet is tantamount to going without a car; might be possible for some, but far too inconvenient. The landline (combined with an answering service) works for me as I do not want to carry a cell.
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$200 in a year are $2400, in 3 years are $7200.
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$200 in a year are $2400, in 3 years are $7200.
Actually it's much worse than that. If you invested $200 per month, every month, for 10 years, you'd end up with:
$33,989
And if we extended it out to 20 years it would be:
$96,251
And that's with taxes taken into consideration. Not exactly chump change! You can do your own calculations here:
https://financialengines.com/education-center/topics/calculators/time-value-of-money-calculator/
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This is a lot of money to watching TV.
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How do you get here? Coffee shop free internet?
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With T-Mobile unlimited monthly plan I think you get 50GB of hotspot at 3G speeds. I think Verizon's unlimited plan gives you 10GB of hotspot per month per line at 4G speeds.
For non-streamers, I am not sure if 10GB a month would suffice but 50GB should be plenty.
Starbucks, McDonalds and lots of other businesses offer free internet. There is also free 'grey internet access' using an app where individuals publish passwords for free internet access at locations that require a password for use.
Typically public libraries and Universities have free internet access as well.
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There is no TV in my home already some years, I rec it every one.
I dont need pay to brainwash my mind and endure all that s* every day for hours on end, not to mention TV series and silly action films on flatulent subwoofer.
In a moment of my life I realized I was addicted to TV, and those depressing images occupied a large part of my sleep time to being processed and removed from the conscious mind.
After a few months without seeing the Big Brother trash I clearly noticed that my reasoning, concentration and awareness increased, and I do not even know what those sub-celebrities are doing, drinking or druging.
Google for: stopping watching tv
Hey!
Well, to me TV is not evil. Yes, there are lots of mindlessness shows out there these days to the point that I kindna feel bad for the younger generation that they growing up with these, but of course there are internet also... that's also full of mindlessness. I like to see what's going on in the world, so I still like to watch news on TV, from different outlet so I what's going on both side. You have be smart about it and not get brainwashed like some people.
Anyway, there are still some GREAT shows on TV. I do like to watch PBS shows locally here in NYC on Thirteen and of course news. By the way, talk about great show... I've been watching "Civilization" A great show if you like art and history. You can watch the latest episode online...
https://www.thirteen.org/programs/civilizations/what-is-art-good-for-ahpkad/ (https://www.thirteen.org/programs/civilizations/what-is-art-good-for-ahpkad/)
I’ve been without cable/satellite tv for about 4 yrs now and don’t miss it. Been using an antenna for local channels and an Apple TV for Netflix/Amazon and every now and then hbo now. I just recently subscribed to sling tv and got the orange package for $20 a month. I like it so far as it has most if not all the channels I regularly watched when I was paying $125 a month for cable. I got ESPN,History,AMC,BBC America and others that come in 1080 on my Apple TV as well as my iPad and can cancel at any time, no contract which is nice.
I bought a new TV so I can hook it up to my iPhone 5s via and adapter. Best Buy included a month free of Sling TV, so I will try it. I will register soon and see how well it work on my iPhone 5s. Otherwise I think my new LG TV have built in Sling TV app and also for other services too, but I will have to get hone internet for that. I checked the Sling TV and funny thing is that Orange and Blue are both $25?
Hi Buddy:
Man, I have been an RCN customer for about 6 years, the second time around, the first time was with them back to 2006-7. Their triple bundle prices kept increasing to upwards of 200 back then, so I cut them off and dealt with Timewarner but I could not tolerate their lack of transparency when signals dropped for two weeks at the time and they never acknowledged that their network was at fault. I dropped them and switched back to RCN, which had gotten that much better since the last time I had them. Now the deal is that they do have a tendency of bumping their rates up after the promo offer but I did the audacity of calling them and telling them a sob story. I told them that people from FIOS and also from Spectrum (AKA:Time Warner) were sending me offer and also knocking my door continuously....so they have not failed to keep the internet rates steady. I am paying around $56 a month of 300 mbps and that is all I need. So, do call them again and see what they can give you. When the deal expires tell them the sob story. I have repeated my act 3-4 times and either they increase it by 1-2 dollars and they bump the speed. The competition is insane in NYC and I do see that you have had RCN previously....certain places and buildings are only wired for one cable company. So.... that is my story. Man, if you lived in my hood, you could have my signal repeated to you. :thumb:
Guess what happened with me. This past Tuesday I came home and got a bill from Spectrum aka Time Warner for $240!!! WTF! I called them and told them that I returned my equipment last month on the 15th and paid the different. The rep told me that she got the record of me returning the equipment and account closing process was filed. But! Seems like nobody got to it!!! She told me she will take care of it when she back on the 5th. Anyway, what pissed me off the most is that because of their stupidity and carelessness the bill was an overdue bill, and of course I always pay my bills on time. Anyway, I will never go back to Time Warner again no matter what name they are changing to.
So, I've been without cable and internet at home for 3 weeks now. I'm going away for 2 weeks next month. I will see if I can go without internet until I get back and than I think I will call RCN again... you know they kept mailing me letter for me to switch back. Honestly they were fine but they kept raising the price to the point that it was way too much. I'll keep your method in mind when I call them. :wink:
How do you get here? Coffee shop free internet?
Yup, at Starbucks sipping an iced cappuccino right now while typing this. :lol:
Take care,
Buddy
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I bought a new TV so I can hook it up to my iPhone 5s via and adapter. Best Buy included a month free of Sling TV, so I will try it. I will register soon and see how well it work on my iPhone 5s. Otherwise I think my new LG TV have built in Sling TV app and also for other services too, but I will have to get hone internet for that. I checked the Sling TV and funny thing is that Orange and Blue are both $25?
They must have just changed the pricing as it does say both are now $25 even though Blue has more channels. I ended up getting both Orange and Blue for the time being for $39 to watch the World Cup from FS1. Blue only has Fox sports channels and Orange only has ESPN. I’ll cancel one or the other here soon.
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I remember when cable first came into existence, guaranteed no commercials, yeah right, what a crock a crap that ever was, how long were we supposed to believe that for?
Then hiking prices for b.s. programs, Kartrashian Family, Fat-A** Dancing Moms "special equipment" for this and that so on and so on, finally got sick of it all.
Now, a new 50" 4K Sony TV sits front and center, with nothing worth watching on the beautiful screen, oh wait, maybe 1 outta 10 viewable?
The wife and I settled for internet only, so when TWC (now Rectum) disabled the cable, guess what?
The bill stayed the same, way to go! I hope NetFlix doesn't get too greedy, so far, so good.
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So we got here from free coffee shop wifi as mentioned above. But those drinks at Starbucks are at least $5 a pop. If you have to stop in each day to check your email and the sports scores you are up to $150 a month. But you would likely be hungry at some point with all of those tasty pastries around. Could it be priorities? That is some good coffee though.
Why does everyone sound so angry and snarky or smug when discussing this topic? If you choose to ditch cable/satellite to save some cash that is awesome. Have suggestions for others on how they can save too, even better. But to respond with anger or disdain I just don't get.
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I've never had cable over the past 30 years, except for internet, which I currently have. I have Spectrum which bought out BrightHouse. No real complaints - got the introductory year at a good deal and now it is $64.99/month. I get good speeds (see pic below). Have Amazon Prime and Netflix. I own about 800 movies (used to buy more but not much now). Have tons of music files and lots of high rez. Get my phone (Ooma) from the high speed internet too and it is not expensive (and it lets me do things like have my voice mails sent to me attached via an email so I can listen from my smart phone no matter where I am). I have an antenna system and I get all the local TV stations and I don't watch much TV. Most people I know sooner or later bitch about the cost of service
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=182237)
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When it's my cash going out to a large corporation every month for less than quality programming, surplus charges, taxes, shifty billing and service, people have a right to be ticked off, everyone I know in different financial levels agree, so we compromise.
Paying monthly charges that nearly equal a small house mortgage or rent, have at it.
So don't take this reply as a personal offense, take it as individuals prioritizing life's important matters or educational needs and wants.
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"Why does everyone sound so angry and snarky or smug when discussing this topic?"
Because it's BS programing that's why.
"When it's my cash going out to a large corporation every month for less than quality programming, surplus charges, taxes, shifty billing and service, people have a right to be ticked off, everyone I know in different financial levels agree, so we compromise."
Absolutely correct!
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The biggest problem I have with cable tv and the streaming bundles like sling and direct tv now are the bulk of the channels are worthless. Each time i flip through a channel it's playing an entire season back-to-back 24/7. I don't need or want a cable channel to do this, nor do i want to pay for those channels. I would rather pay for Netflix and binge the tv series on my own schedule.
All I want from a cable service would be channels for sports, news, new shows, series or seasons, a curated set of movie channels by genre and maybe even decade; and finally a curated set of music and music video channels also by genre and decade. I would gladly pay $35/month for this compressed and $50/month for best bit-rate available (so 4k today). Of course all shows should be available to stream as well. Pairing this with Amazon prime or Netflix to provide older shows seems like a great match. But with Amazon and Netflix producing so many subpar shows, it's started to get hard to use those services too.
With OTA and Amazon Prime and also rotating through Hulu, Netflix, Showtime and HBO per month with an occasional rental does seem to keep the TV on most of the time.
With physical media on their way out, it will soon be a streaming only world...
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I haven’t had cable tv since I moved into my own house over nine years ago. Haven’t missed it. I only have cable for my internet. That and my phone with unlimited long distance is about $140/month. Not cheap.
The only time I turn on my tv is to put in a dvd or blu-ray.
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I checked Google Fiber and they already changed pricing from a "one-time fee" to monthly and annual fees, I knew it wouldn't last.
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I just got a HDTV antenna. I can get the local news in picture quality DISH could only dream of... last month with cable/sat. But I am going to get a streamer for movies and some stuff. I'm not done with commercials, well, I will be.
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Rx8man no offense taken.
So billing crap, unmotivated customer service reps and shifty package deals aside, how would you fix pay TV?
People ask for alacart channel programming but to me that would cost most people more. At best savings would be minimal because the channels most would want go for like sports will get $5 a month each and even lesser channels are $2 a pop.
OTA service is awesome but lacks replay/time slip and other DVR or streaming like functions. Most DVR devices that you can use with OTA have fees too for channel guides and such.
So what I would like to see us do here is a community based approach to finding better options and products to support and try not to take a steaming crap all over suggested options. Discuss.
:popcorn:
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Does it matter if ala-cart isn't cheaper? People might be very satisfied. You have to wonder...
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For OTA, for those interested (don't own it as I don't watch much TV) - there's this - https://www.channelmaster.com/Antenna_DVR_s/336.htm
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What originally started with Google Fiber was a decent idea, a one-time pay (with their box) but it sounded too good to be true.
So a new competitor arrives with great prices, everyone jumps aboard, then the price hiking starts rearing its ugly head again, we dump, disconnect and move to another!
This works for me: Channel Master roof antenna, rent DVDs from the library or basic internet (20mbps) for Netflix and general PC usage.
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Rx8man no offense taken.
So billing crap, unmotivated customer service reps and shifty package deals aside, how would you fix pay TV?
People ask for alacart channel programming but to me that would cost most people more. At best savings would be minimal because the channels most would want go for like sports will get $5 a month each and even lesser channels are $2 a pop.
OTA service is awesome but lacks replay/time slip and other DVR or streaming like functions. Most DVR devices that you can use with OTA have fees too for channel guides and such.
So what I would like to see us do here is a community based approach to finding better options and products to support and try not to take a steaming crap all over suggested options. Discuss.
:popcorn:
I'd love to get rid of all my sports channels, ESPN, Yankee, MLB, etc. Many of these I pay for and never watch. Disney bundled ESPN and children's channels, to the the children's channels, the provider also had to get ESPN. I see no reason to pay for these. If sports fans want to pay, let them pay.
I think the biggest rip off is boxes. I have two boxes, and am paying some insane amount per month to rent them. I should be able to buy them for about $60 and never have to rent them, if there was competition.
I use an HD Homerun Prime as my main channel selector (boxes are for my mom, who lives with us in an in-law apartment).
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For OTA, for those interested (don't own it as I don't watch much TV) - there's this - https://www.channelmaster.com/Antenna_DVR_s/336.htm
I don't think you can buy it anymore. It appears like they were so beta the market rejected them and they stopped selling them for now.
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So we got here from free coffee shop wifi as mentioned above. But those drinks at Starbucks are at least $5 a pop. If you have to stop in each day to check your email and the sports scores you are up to $150 a month. But you would likely be hungry at some point with all of those tasty pastries around. Could it be priorities? That is some good coffee though.
Why does everyone sound so angry and snarky or smug when discussing this topic? If you choose to ditch cable/satellite to save some cash that is awesome. Have suggestions for others on how they can save too, even better. But to respond with anger or disdain I just don't get.
Hey!
Well, it had been a little over a month now for me without cable and internet at home. I have to admit that I don't miss cable TV much but I do miss having internet at home.
Anyway, yes, I'm at Starbucks again with my computer writing this. No, I don't have to stop by to use their wi-fi everyday to check my , email I can use my phone for that an more. There are only certain things that is easier to do on computer instead of using my good old iPhone 5s. And since I do go to Starbucks regularly anyway, do it doesn't cost me more money than usual, I just have to haul my computer with me and stay there for a while.
I see that you seems to be unhappy about the tone of many of us here on this topic. Well, if you are one of the few people whom are happy with their cable and internet service and the amount they pay each month for, than you are the lucky few. Everybody I know are frustrated by the way these companies doing their business with their, useless stuffs on their package, hidden equipment fee, bad customer services.
I do find all the comments here useful, to see that I'm not the alone when is come to being frustrated with cable companies. And to see how everyone here manages to go about without cable and different ways of getting shows online and etc. So, thanks you all for your opinions on this. I will eventually get home internet soon, likely from RCN next month. For now I'm using my iPhone 5s for emails, streaming my 1 months free Sling TV on my new 4K TV (sadly at a lower res :? ) and etc.
And perhaps instead of pointing out how we should discuss this topic, youravhandyman could help and come up with solution that fit everyone here?
Take care,
Buddy
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I don't think you can buy it anymore. It appears like they were so beta the market rejected them and they stopped selling them for now.
They sell this now after that was discontinued - https://www.channelmaster.com/Stream_Plus_p/cm-7600.htm#Header_ProductDetail_TechSpecs
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The reason people hate the these companies is simple. They over charge, they have terrible service and until now have had a monopoly over all of us. And on top of that they consistently raise our rates.
I set up Utube TV and couldn't be happier, $35.00 per month, all our local channels, tons of movies and you can usually skip the commercials. Plus you can record all your favorite programming. The other great feature is you can have up to 6 TVs or other devices connected and it doesn't cost any more.
I can't imagine going back to cable TV and all I have to pay them for now is internet.
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Hey!
Well, just an update. So, I went back to RCN and have been using their internet service for 2 months now. I received many mails from them, so I called them and went for up to 500mbs internet service for $45/mo including all taxes. Although, that is for the first year, they all do this, but I think after the first year I'll likely ended up paying $60-70/mo. Which is not bad, still cheaper than other companies available in my area. I don't always get 500mbs. I did speed test at different time and day and the speed average around 350-400mbs, well the key word is "up to" in their ad.
And so far the service have been fine and reliable. I'm using over the air to get my local channels and Sling TV for $25/mo and get cable TV channels that I like to watch like BBC America, AMC, Foodnetwork, History and etc. I do missed one or two channels but not a big deal. Anyway, so far so good and no more Spectrum aka Time Warner for me, by the way one of the guy I worked with just canceled his Spectrum cable service also.
Well, so far so good. Let's wait until next year and see how much this will cost me after my first year :roll:
Take care
Buddy
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I am in the UK and stopped watching TV maybe over 12 years ago now and guess what I don’t miss it. When I watch TV, I found out I watched all the crap and it was a waste of my life. It took me about 3 months to get used to not watching TV.
I buy loads of DVD’s, go to the Cinema a lot that way I get to choose what I want to see rather than the 99% crap TV put’s on.
We have really good BBC radio in the UK so a lot of my news comes from BBC radio and it’s free.
I cannot do without Internet as I need it for work from time to time, So I still have home / mobile phone and Internet.
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I quit TV during the 1970's. I gradually got back to watching at least some times, starting in the early 80's. I have had cable, then dumped it, over and over. Currently I have only internet via cable. Dirt cheap as it is some sort of deal in my area. So my use will last as long as the deal does. I have used my phone as a connection to the net to my laptop, and that limited my time due to actual data costs. The big problem with that as Microsoft doing updates to Windows 10 I could not control, stealing the entire months data in a few seconds. But if I dropped cable I would go back to using the data via the phone to run my laptop.
As for TV, I use 'over the air' get thirty channels. No problem. Don't watch much.
Usually I am listening to music.
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I quit TV during the 1970's. I gradually got back to watching at least some times, starting in the early 80's. I have had cable, then dumped it, over and over. Currently I have only internet via cable. Dirt cheap as it is some sort of deal in my area. So my use will last as long as the deal does. I have used my phone as a connection to the net to my laptop, and that limited my time due to actual data costs. The big problem with that as Microsoft doing updates to Windows 10 I could not control, stealing the entire months data in a few seconds. But if I dropped cable I would go back to using the data via the phone to run my laptop.
As for TV, I use 'over the air' get thirty channels. No problem. Don't watch much.
Usually I am listening to music.
One fix for the Windows 10 updates is to head over to your local library on Patch Tuesday and manually trigger to the download and install.
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Hey!
Well, just an update. So, I went back to RCN and have been using their internet service for 2 months now. I received many mails from them, so I called them and went for up to 500mbs internet service for $45/mo including all taxes. Although, that is for the first year, they all do this, but I think after the first year I'll likely ended up paying $60-70/mo. Which is not bad, still cheaper than other companies available in my area. I don't always get 500mbs. I did speed test at different time and day and the speed average around 350-400mbs, well the key word is "up to" in their ad.
And so far the service have been fine and reliable. I'm using over the air to get my local channels and Sling TV for $25/mo and get cable TV channels that I like to watch like BBC America, AMC, Foodnetwork, History and etc. I do missed one or two channels but not a big deal. Anyway, so far so good and no more Spectrum aka Time Warner for me, by the way one of the guy I worked with just canceled his Spectrum cable service also.
Well, so far so good. Let's wait until next year and see how much this will cost me after my first year :roll:
Take care
Buddy
Remember Buddy, when the year is up and you see your bill being readjusted up....you call and you state that you are getting bunch of fliers from Spectrum and Verizon tempting you from dropping RCN and bang, you will get your bills down to the original cost or get a massive speed bump up. Theoretical 300 Mbps....actually gets me around 345 on their end. Plenty sufficient for anything and everything here. They even offer 1000 Mbps....Jesus. It is insane. :thumb:
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My wife and I quit about eight years ago and never have missed until the College BB playoffs. Now that I have my Amazon Fire Stick, I have too many shows to catch up on. It is great to have all those classic shows at hand.
Alexa, please play Rocky. And it is free on the Sony channel.
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My monthly cable bill was $205/month, and the day I got a letter saying that next month my bill would increase by $15 a month, I cut that cord.
Don't regret a single second.
Bought an OTA antenna and mounted it on the roof for less than $100. The wife wants the ability to have a "smart DVR", so we bought a TiVo unit, and pay about $15 a month for the "TV Guide", and all that goes with the "smart" recording.
The internet takes care of all our other needs. So for less than half the price, we're just as happy.
Now... If I can only figure out where that $125+ a month went... :scratch:
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My monthly cable bill was $205/month, and the day I got a letter saying that next month my bill would increase by $15 a month, I cut that cord.
Don't regret a single second.
Bought an OTA antenna and mounted it on the roof for less than $100. The wife wants the ability to have a "smart DVR", so we bought a TiVo unit, and pay about $15 a month for the "TV Guide", and all that goes with the "smart" recording.
The internet takes care of all our other needs. So for less than half the price, we're just as happy.
Now... If I can only figure out where that $125+ a month went... :scratch:
The cable companies are getting desperate but they should figure out that people are waking up and talking with their wallets. Most of the programming they offer in their 500+ channels...is low quality reruns and many local channels with their strange cadre of actors/aspiring actors ranting strange strange things. Do not miss it a bit.
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Yea I'm looking at the TV Cable BS again too. Mine was at $98/month and went up to $120 recently
( not as bad as Bob's)
(promo over) now it went up to $122 79. WTF! They tacked on another $1 to the rental cable box which is now used anyway, the other $1.79 I can't really find but service charge or something comparing bills. TV is absolutely drivel and garbage!!!!!!!
January change coming.
There is no way $205 /month is worth it. People are fed up.
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Found out that Disney will be starting their own streaming service in 2019.
While that may not mean much on the surface, if you think about everything they own, will now no longer be available on any other streaming service.
So.... everything StarWars and LucasFilm is now proprietary.
Remember "back in the day" when you couldn't buy a Disney movie (on VHS) because they weren't releasing it, but every so often to create extra demand?
It's going to be like that again.
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Found out that Disney will be starting their own streaming service in 2019.
While that may not mean much on the surface, if you think about everything they own, will now no longer be available on any other streaming service.
So.... everything StarWars and LucasFilm is now proprietary.
Remember "back in the day" when you couldn't buy a Disney movie (on VHS) because they weren't releasing it, but every so often to create extra demand?
It's going to be like that again.
Well they'll stream stuff on their own platform and not make it available via any other platforms. Not just Star Wars but all the Marvel movies too.
What we'll end up with is we (consumers) will have to subscribe to several different services in order to get all the content we want. I'm already doing this - Hulu, Netflix and Filmstruck. About $35 per month for all 3. Combine that with the fiber gigabit internet I spend $80 for, and it's about $115 total. I don't mind, because there is literally more good quality content on these 3 services than I can get to in a lifetime. And I can watch anything I want at anytime I want.
Having said that, I definitely will not subscribe to the Disney platform for the same reason I don't subscribe to HBO or Showtime etc... that's because I've already seen most of the good content those platforms offer, so I'm not going to subscribe in order to watch a bunch of stuff I've already seen.
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Hey Buddy...wow, its been a long time since we chatted..haven't been on here much lately, so just came upon this thread. So here's my take on this...
In my area there's only one cable co., Cablevision, they were bought out last year by a French Co.
I think Cablevision were better to deal with than Time warner or Comcast, my opinion
Two years ago I decided to drop the cable and phone, and just have the internet...my bill was 180-190 for the triple play, and this was a promotional deal ...every year I had to call in and to get whatever promotional deal they had, so the regular price was about 25$ more. I had enough when they raised the fee on the remote! and the cable box and initiated a $6. extra fee for espn.
My cable package inc. hbo and showtime...the silver package.
At that time(2yrs ago)I got just the 60Mb basic internet. $49.
I already was a Amazon Prime member, so I was looking for a streaming option just as DirectvNow streaming service was kicking off. They were offering a free AppleTV if you signed up and prepaid for three months in advance which I thought was a damn good deal, who doesn't like free stuff. I jumped right in with their special promotional GoBig package @$35. for 100+ channels...whoopie, I was immediately seeing savings of $100. They also offered hbo add-on for $5. This promotional pricing was pitched as "forever", as long as I don't cancel. Regular price was $70.
Drawbacks: DirectvNow had teething problems throughout their first year...freezing frames, drop outs...my work around was to use the individual network apps. Now the DTN app is much more stable, its still a little slow loading.
Two years on, I'm pretty satisfied with the service. A few months ago, they raised the price by $5. across all their packages, so now I'm at 40.+5(hbo)=$45. plus internet at $55. Total $100.
All the streaming companies raised their prices by $5. at the same time...can u say, collusion? No no collusion. lol
Altice (they bought Cablevision)claimed they no longer offer the 60Mb basic speed, basic is now 100Mb at $69. I had to haggle with them to get back the $49. pricing which is a 1yr. promotional deal, so have to call every March to keep that pricing. Of course they had to nickle and dime an extra 5$ by suddenly start charging for the modem(they claimed the regular price is 10$). My next counter would be to buy my own modem...lol.
Cable companies, the bane of the digital world.
So thats my story. Later.
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Remember Buddy, when the year is up and you see your bill being readjusted up....you call and you state that you are getting bunch of fliers from Spectrum and Verizon tempting you from dropping RCN and bang, you will get your bills down to the original cost or get a massive speed bump up. Theoretical 300 Mbps....actually gets me around 345 on their end. Plenty sufficient for anything and everything here. They even offer 1000 Mbps....Jesus. It is insane. :thumb:
Hey!
Yup, that's my plan. But I don't mind switching every year, the problem is that I in a rental apartment and have to bother my landlord to get access to the back yard to hook up the cable :? Yeah, as for the 1000Mbps, I can't think of why I would need it, right now 300-500Mbps is fine for me :D
Hey Buddy...wow, its been a long time since we chatted..haven't been on here much lately, so just came upon this thread. ......
Hey!
Man! yes it had been ages! I don't come here much lately ever since the the NYAR disbanded and another big reason is that I'm DONE with my system. Because it seems like the more I tried to improve it, make it of what I think should be technically more accurate, the less enjoyable it becomes. So, I came to a conclusion that I have to stop before I loose all that emotionally goodness. Well, I'm sure you know what I mean because you've heard my system before.
Sorry for being of topic a bit, just a little shout out to an old friend 8)
Take care,
Buddy
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Because it seems like the more I tried to improve it, make it of what I think should be technically more accurate, the less enjoyable it becomes. So, I came to a conclusion that I have to stop before I loose all that emotionally goodness.
Bingo! :thumb:
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Bingo! :thumb:
Why, Bob, I didn't know you played.
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Bingo! :thumb:
[/quote
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Why, Bob, I didn't know you played.
:lol: That was my first time! :lol: