What if your cable company doubled your bill, and you realized it was time to "cut the cord"? How would you access your favorite shows? How would you DVR those shows that you can't find on a streaming service? How do you transition to online TV?
This is less my usual "what if?" sort of post and more of a "I really need some advice from you fine folks who have navigated these waters". The cable company did double the bill, and the other options for cable/satellite TV are worse. (Tried them all. This company was the last option. We've already cancelled.)
But we can stream. We tried one streaming service, and we hate it. So, we're looking for recommendations. Advice. Anything that can help. Which streaming services are good? What do you use? Do you like it?
Thanks. Anything you can tell us is appreciated.
No words of wisdom here, I hardly watch TV at all. My husband is a TV addict. He wouldn't know what to do with himself without every cable channel available and all the streaming services too. Doubling you bill sure is extreme!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had cable in I don't know how many years! I will assume your favorite shows are not weekly on broadcast television. Not long ago my son bought a "Smart" TV, which makes streaming easier and with many choices. Try each one for a free trial month and see which has the most shows you want to watch. Right now we have Hulu, Disney Plus, and I think maybe Netflix (I don't watch much and when I do am not the one who signs in). I think my daughter gave my son the Disney Plus as a birthday present. The others can't cost much, since I haven't been asked to pay! I like Netflix for the shows I do watch, a lot more British crime/police/mystery dramas than some others offer. And Netflix original series, like the first The Killing. The TV has Tubi, which is a free streaming service, with ads.
ReplyDeleteActually, it's the weekly broadcast shows I'm most concerned about. I haven't watched TV live in years, and with an antennae, I'd have to watch them live, and that's just not going to work for me.
DeleteSo many people haven't had cable, so I know I'll be able to live without.
My son forgot to watch the series premier of The Simpsons Sunday (which is not really worth it anymore, but he was curious how they introduced the new voice for Carl). He streamed it yesterday. So, perhaps your shows are streamed a day later?
DeleteLikely. I just have to figure out where. Thanks for your advice. I do truly want anything anyone knows. I've been doing the cable thing so long, but I know there's probably another way.
DeleteA lot of people use the streaming accounts of friends. Or if there's something I really want to see but it's not available on anything I have access to, I go to a torrenting site.
ReplyDeleteI did cut the cord. ATT&T TV gives you access to broadcast channels and also provides DVR service. NBC just launched a streaming service, Peacock, which runs network shows on demand after they air. Ditto CBS all access, ABC and Fox Now.
ReplyDeleteI had CBS All Access for a while, but discontinued. I've downloaded Peacock. I'm hesitant for AT&T as their DirecTV is who doubled our bill. I take it you like them, though. Thanks. Ever bit of info helps.
DeleteThink about Sling, then. I think they carry broadcast channels. Or YouTube tv.
DeleteSling is on the list. The question is: are people satisfied with it?
DeleteDon't watch much broadcast TV because I get so annoyed at the constant commercials.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's why I like having a DVR. Fast-forward is my friend.
DeleteWe cut the cord back in 2018 and got rid of cable. Hubby got an antenna type thing that he could access local channels. We got Netflix and Amazon Prime for streaming. We weren't hooked on a lot of shows and still aren't so it wasn't hard to walk away. Now my DIL has almost everything that is possible for streaming, Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime and a few others I can't remember. Not sure how much she pays for everything but I still think it is less than what cable would be. Good luck in your decision!
ReplyDeletebetty
Don't have cable. I have netflix for 12.99/mo and am very happy with it. I also pay 5.99 for cbs all access so I can watch star trek. It's been years since I had cable. Too much money and I only watched like 20 channels regularly. I do miss the scifi channel though...
ReplyDeleteNever had cabble
ReplyDeleteWell, I have cable and not sure what I would do. I think I would buy the antenna and get the basic channels for free and then look into seeing what is out there that I can get namely my animal shows, old movies, Sci-Fi channel, documentaries..hmmmm I might be in trouble.
ReplyDeleteThere are streaming services that carry a lot of the usual cable channels. The interface is clunky, though.
DeleteWe've never had cable, so have never missed it. We have Netflix and Prime for streaming, and are happy with that. We do have an antenna for local channels and PBS. To me, it's worth waiting for things to come to the streaming services because then we can watch them whenever it's convenient.
ReplyDeleteI'm most concerned about the shows I watch on broadcast. So, they mostly appear on Netflix and such? Because I can wait for a few of them. I'm not that into them.
DeleteI have cable (with a DVR and without any premium channels) and also Amazon Prime - we rarely stream anything off of Prime. We were thinking of cutting the cord just when the pandemic came along. So I am interested in these responses, too.
ReplyDeleteIt's the DVR that I'd miss the most, although streaming option we're currently using has a 500 hour DVR. If I can get all my shows streaming the next day, I'll feel okay giving up the DVR.
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