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Cutting Cable TV

Ironbar

Ironbar

Inactive
Aug 24, 2013
1,446
2,528
Tigard, Oregon
#1
I'm sick of paying for TV through Frontier Fios. I hardly ever watch TV anymore, and when I do I'm astounded that I pay for so much pure CRAP.

I'd still like to have TV, and am thinking about going to an over-the-air HD antenna and subscription-free DVR as we'd still like to record shows.

My conundrum seems to be with the available DVR units themselves. On the face of it, it would seem that the TiVo Roamio is best suited for us. It does everything we'd need, and for the price, you avoid all subscription fees. However, reviews of the physical unit on Amazon are sketchy at best. A LOT of reviews have mentioned faulty units, noisy cooling fans, and glitches within a very short time after purchase. That's not really encouraging.

There really doesn't seem to be a clear winner in the over-the-air DVR market. Therefore I'm asking the TB brain trust- for those of you that cut cable and use an HDTV antenna and DVR, what are you using, and how's it working out for you?

Thanks!
 
#3
Amazon Fire stick.

We started with DirecTV. The setup is very similar to a cable TV display, but there were issues with NFL games, so we switched to Hulu. It has a better library of shows on demand, but getting used to the display takes time. In an effort to be unique and personalized, there is no simple basic channel listing - you have to scroll through different headings. The good thing is there is no subscription, so you can try one for aa month and then switch. Just make sure you have decent internet, or you will have buffering issues.
 
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#5
FingerDub said:
These are great Solutions, until the internet service providers start charging more to provide internet Fast Lanes for Netflix and other similar services like Hulu and Roku and other stuff. It's on its way.
Click to expand...
I afraid you are right about this.

If you want to cut the “cable” to save any significant money, you need to cut ALL of them, including the streaming ones. Yes Wi-Fi may not have any cables connecting your device, but it does rely on them.

We looked at some of the alternative streaming services.
You are going to start at about $40/mo, not get everything you may have on cable, and when you drop cable tv from your provider, what happens to your bundle discount?

With most of the streaming services we looked at that didn’t require you to also buy an appliance, you might have to get two of the services just to cover most of what you get with cable.
Some channels that you get in your cable package are charged extra in the TV streamers. I’m not talking premium channels, just things like BBC World News, or Discovery Life. And none of what we looked at had the Weather Channel at any cost.

Before you cut the cord. Try out the TV streamers one week free trials.

Also set up your over the air antenna to see how many broadcast stations you can pick up.
Do a scan with your TV, because some of the stations have up to four channels Ch 8, 8.1, 8.2 ...

Then to see if you can really survive, only watch those channels on cable that you will have after you cut the cord.
This will help you really see what you are missing or can get along without.

Also compare OTA vs the same program delivered via cable or streaming.
You may find that the main channel OTA the X.1 channel may be better quality that via cable/streaming especially for watching sports.

Be mindful also that some OTA tv stations are subject to the TV repack. This may affect your reception when the station moves to a different channel. And the offering lineup can change down the road when version three of tv OTA broadcasting gets implemented. Remember the digital conversion and the government cheese TV converter vouchers? That’s not going to be a thing this time around. Version 3 may not require a new TV to see some stuff, but you may be sorry you ponied up for a V2 only set, especially if it is an expensive one and you really don’t need it.
If you just need to replace an old busted tv, then that’s another matter.

You can thank your congressman for letting the FCC become a government profit center.
 
#6
I’ve given up TV. We have internet and wifey has Amazon Prime for movies and vids and e books. She also keeps HBO because she is an IV GOT user.
I keep up with a few things and still do some online buying selling and trading, and wifey gets me to watch a movie with her occasionally.
 
#7
We cut the cord 5-6 years ago...have not missed it at all.
What took some getting used to? No surfing. Once I start a stream, I'm pot committed. That's a good thing. I stayed more focused on what I'm actually watching. :)

I use a Roku and a powered antenna for OTA free TV. This TV is on the 2nd floor & the antenna is attached to the window. Placement (height) makes a difference. With the antenna on the window (7ft high), I gain be about 8 channels vs. the antenna on the TV stand.

...and the HD from the antenna is better than the "HD" provided by our lame Cable Company.
 
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#9
Gentlemen, streaming services aside, I am WAY more interested to know if any of you have stand alone DVR's- you know, a DVR that you own and can record over-the-air TV shows on. I'm not interested in any streaming services because we already have Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. I am interested in a stand-alone DVR that I will own, and not pay a monthly fee to use, ie: TiVo Roamio, Channel master, et. al. Do any of you have one, if so, which one, and do you like it and why? Thanks!
 
#10
I can’t speak specifically to the Roamio OTA. I have the cable-enabled version of the Roamio. I also owned the two previous generations of HD-capable TiVos, going back more than a decade. I’ve never had a single problem with any of them. They’ve worked perfectly for me.

Also TiVo still has one of (if not the) best remote controls ever designed.
 
#11
Before any of y'all cut your cord and run out and buy an OTA antenna, HD or not, it's worth making sure you'll get some channels to watch. OTA does not mean everyone can get the channels in their market for free.
Because of the location of the property we live on, we can only pick up one OTA network channel without erecting a 30' or higher tower to put the antenna on.
The FCC has a cool website to give you that info, as well as several others out there. The FCC site is Plain Jane, a simple list of all the channels and signal strength based on the address you give them.
Other sites will provide you tips and tricks to get better reception and links to buy an antenna that you would need to get the channels available.
*Friendly tip from your neighborhood IT guy*: Don't click the box to allow them to find your location. It may ping you back to a router or network device somewhere down the line not anywhere close to your actual domicile.

-Mike
 
#13
When comparing cable cost to streaming, keep in mind whether you would want to stream any live TV. When I tried curtting the cord, the biggest weakness of the streaming bundles was live programming. That stuff never streamed smoothly and had inferior picture quality. Examples would be CNN and AMC.

Storing stuff in their cloud sounds great until you find out how clunky the cloud service is.

Receiving local TV OTA here is a pain because stations are in different directions from me. An antenna rotator is almost essential.

Right now I’m paying Comcast $115/mo for their digital starter package for two rooms. Includes local FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS stations plus AMC, FX, CNN, Velocity. The rest I rarely watch. No premium channels like HBO, but I do get AMC Premiere during Walking Dead and Better Call Saul. $5 extra, easily started & stopped.

My internet speed with bundle is 150 down and fast enough up. 12? No complaints.

If you haven’t politely threatened to quit cable over the high cost, try it Usually it takes signing a new two year contract but they’ll get you in on one of the new subscriber discount packages. That’s how I went from $170/mo to $115/mo for two years.
 
#17
buldog5151bass said:
Amazon Fire stick.

We started with DirecTV. The setup is very similar to a cable TV display, but there were issues with NFL games, so we switched to Hulu. It has a better library of shows on demand, but getting used to the display takes time. In an effort to be unique and personalized, there is no simple basic channel listing - you have to scroll through different headings. The good thing is there is no subscription, so you can try one for aa month and then switch. Just make sure you have decent internet, or you will have buffering issues.
Click to expand...

I went with Roku and tried live TV on Hulu and DirecTvNow. I rejected Hulu for the deficiency you mentioned. The DirecTvNow has a much more familiar guide where you can see what is on and what is coming on. You also have search options that allow you find what you want more easily. I also like the channel offerings better on DirecTvNow. I have the $50 package because the $35 package doesn't have some of the channels I want.
So instead of $160 a month for the main unit and 2 genies for the bedrooms, I'm paying $50 for DirecTvNow, $10 for Netflix, and I foget what Hulu is, but I'm thinking about dropping them because they don't really have anything I want that much. I also have VUDU set up on all 3 of my Rokus. There is no subscription fee, but it is a way to get the very best lineup of movies, including the most recent stuff.

One thing I really like about the Roku is it will search every provider and list those who have what you are searching for and if there is a fee, it will tell you how much.

Now, I do see that DirecTvNow is getting some negative reviews. Seems there is a lot of buffering issues and service outages. I have experienced both, but this is a very new market and will take some shaking out. It also is very dependent on a good internet connection with a lot of speed. My current is 75/75 and I called Frontier to find out my router is very old and will not work on some of the newer bands. They are going to install a new router, check all my wiring and upgrade me to 100/100. I could go to 500/500, but I want to see if I need it before I pay extra for it.

Sorry if I got a bit long winded, but I hope this will help.
 
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#18
Ironbar said:
OK, I can see that this was an exercise in futility. Just forget it, I'll find my answers elsewhere.
Click to expand...

The thread title kind of implies this is another discussion about cutting the cord in general. Maybe if it was more specific to OTA DVRs? I gave you my thoughts on the Roamio, which I have used in 100% OTA mode and it worked fine for that purpose. :)
 
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#19
Cut the cable TV cord many years ago. Still have a copper landline for internet so run streaming services on my Apple TV (Netflix, Amazon, Crave). I use a non-profit ISP so my monthly access for internet is cheap ($45/mo, unlimited usage, 25Mb/s download). We also have HD antenna if we want to watch local news (rarely) or some sports events (Olympics, NHL, curling, World Cup, etc) on occasion.

Next step is to discontinue land-line services and use only dry DSL for home internet. We're all on mobile plans so land line is nothing but telemarketers and the odd call from a distant elderly relative.
 

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