Cutting the Cord

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Cyclones01

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I am but a simple man. This sounds way too complicated. So complicated that I'm willing to continue paying the outrageous fee to DirecTV just so I don't have to deal with all of that stuff.

I have 3 TV's in my house, 2 of them are considered "smart" TV's. What are the chances that there will be something (one unit) in the near future that will easily plug into the USB ports of those TV's and then access my home wireless network and then give me easy access to all the apps that are being mentioned in this thread once I pay for the subscriptions? Or does this type of thing already exist? Also, potential for using USB sticks in those USB ports to DVR programming from the aforementioned apps?

Yes and no. There a few products that do this, but a lot of them are still evolving (albeit, quickly).

What you'll want will largely depend on what content you are looking for, and how you want to access it. Currently, there is not one thing that can directly rival DirecTV in terms of the amount of content available and the ability to have it all aggregated in one place. As you stated, though, you pay a premium for that. The same things can ultimately be accomplished via other means. It takes a little creativity and possibly some sacrifice to do so, but it can save you a decent amount of money.

What I would do, and am actually in the process of doing myself, is list out all of the networks you watch, including sports networks. Then determine what you service you need to keep watching them. I'll use my situation as an example.

Most of the shows that I watch are on Netflix, Showtime and HBO. Then there are a few on each of ABC, FX, Fox, AMC, etc. Sports are the only thing I seem to ever watch live anymore. If I can't watch them live, I don't watch them at all. I pay just north of $100/month for DTV, on top of Netflix and Hulu (another $17).

If I cut DTV, in order to get what I want, I'd need:
Sling ($20, +$5 for the sports package) - ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNNews, AMC, TNT, TBS, HGTV
Netflix ($9)
HBO ($15)
Hulu ($8)
Total = $57/month

Allows me the ability to watch most of those things on-demand. The only thing I'm missing is Showtime, which hopefully will be available on it's own soon, similar to HBO.

A Roku or Amazon Stick, I believe, will accomplish all of those things. You buy them for around $40 each, plug them into an HDMI port, connect them to your wifi, and stream content from each of those services.

There are some minor caveats for me, which may not be a big deal for you:

1. If you want things on CBS, they have their own similar service for $5-6, or you can get an antennae and record things over the air.

2. Sling doesn't have any DVR capability. If you don't watch things live, you either have to hope it's on a network that's available on-demand over Sling or Hulu. AMC is one such example. For me, I'd really just be relying on Sling for the ESPN channels and whatever networks they have that aren't available on-demand (pretty much, AMC).

So all I'm looking for is something that allows me to stream TV shows on-demand (Hulu/Netflix/HBO mostly cover the vast majority of those, with some exceptions), while still being able to get live sports (Sling should cover that).

Like I mentioned though, this is all still evolving. We have 2 Chromecasts and use them frequently. Currently, Sling TV doesn't support Chromecast, but it's supposed to soon.

The one major issue with all of this is that we'll have no way of watching some of the ISU football games this year, assuming a lot of them will be on Fox Sports One. But, if I'm saving $85 a month, I can afford to go grab a beer or two and watch at a bar, or head over to a friend/family members place and watch.

Hope that is at least somewhat helpful.
 

Cyclones01

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Good god... that is way longer than I thought it was.

TL;DR: It doesn't have to be very complicated, a Roku stick should allow you to whatever you want.
 

CyCrazy

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I am really clueless on what the best route to do this would be.

I would want:

All ESPN, FS Midwest, FS1, History, Discovery etc for myself

The wife would want, the Bravo, HGTV , Nick, Disney, Disney Jr and all that kiddo crap.

I would love to do this but I just haven't really looked into it. The only thing holding me back is watching all the sports on my tv, because in reality that is 98% of what I watch, I don't watch any network shows or series for that matter.
 

ISUAlum2002

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Good info in that post. Like you said, these services are evolving and I'm guessing they will get even easier to effectively configure in the very near future.

I have a friend who has been pushing Roku on me but I haven't researched it much, just believing that it'll be a total PITA managing that many different services that will need to be purchased in order to use it like I would want to. I don't watch any scripted live action shows except for Law & Order reruns on TNT on the weekends, so it's all about live sports for me. The wife likes her lame medical dramas, so a concession would need to be made there. But I've gotten way too comfortable with the convenience of DirecTV's HR-34 DVR unit (otherwise known as "Genie"), and want to make sure I'm able to have a suitable replacement for it.
 

cyclonesurveyor

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Jan 26, 2009
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Yes and no. There a few products that do this, but a lot of them are still evolving (albeit, quickly).

What you'll want will largely depend on what content you are looking for, and how you want to access it. Currently, there is not one thing that can directly rival DirecTV in terms of the amount of content available and the ability to have it all aggregated in one place. As you stated, though, you pay a premium for that. The same things can ultimately be accomplished via other means. It takes a little creativity and possibly some sacrifice to do so, but it can save you a decent amount of money.

What I would do, and am actually in the process of doing myself, is list out all of the networks you watch, including sports networks. Then determine what you service you need to keep watching them. I'll use my situation as an example.

Most of the shows that I watch are on Netflix, Showtime and HBO. Then there are a few on each of ABC, FX, Fox, AMC, etc. Sports are the only thing I seem to ever watch live anymore. If I can't watch them live, I don't watch them at all. I pay just north of $100/month for DTV, on top of Netflix and Hulu (another $17).

If I cut DTV, in order to get what I want, I'd need:
Sling ($20, +$5 for the sports package) - ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNNews, AMC, TNT, TBS, HGTV
Netflix ($9)
HBO ($15)
Hulu ($8)
Total = $57/month

Allows me the ability to watch most of those things on-demand. The only thing I'm missing is Showtime, which hopefully will be available on it's own soon, similar to HBO.

A Roku or Amazon Stick, I believe, will accomplish all of those things. You buy them for around $40 each, plug them into an HDMI port, connect them to your wifi, and stream content from each of those services.

There are some minor caveats for me, which may not be a big deal for you:

1. If you want things on CBS, they have their own similar service for $5-6, or you can get an antennae and record things over the air.

2. Sling doesn't have any DVR capability. If you don't watch things live, you either have to hope it's on a network that's available on-demand over Sling or Hulu. AMC is one such example. For me, I'd really just be relying on Sling for the ESPN channels and whatever networks they have that aren't available on-demand (pretty much, AMC).

So all I'm looking for is something that allows me to stream TV shows on-demand (Hulu/Netflix/HBO mostly cover the vast majority of those, with some exceptions), while still being able to get live sports (Sling should cover that).

Like I mentioned though, this is all still evolving. We have 2 Chromecasts and use them frequently. Currently, Sling TV doesn't support Chromecast, but it's supposed to soon.

The one major issue with all of this is that we'll have no way of watching some of the ISU football games this year, assuming a lot of them will be on Fox Sports One. But, if I'm saving $85 a month, I can afford to go grab a beer or two and watch at a bar, or head over to a friend/family members place and watch.

Hope that is at least somewhat helpful.

The $15 Slingbox app for iphone/ipad & Android will allow you to cast with Chromecast. i got for my my in-laws for their lake house setup.

just realized you said SlingTV, sorry no idea on that.
 

huntt26

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Apr 10, 2006
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I am but a simple man. This sounds way too complicated. So complicated that I'm willing to continue paying the outrageous fee to DirecTV just so I don't have to deal with all of that stuff.

I have 3 TV's in my house, 2 of them are considered "smart" TV's. What are the chances that there will be something (one unit) in the near future that will easily plug into the USB ports of those TV's and then access my home wireless network and then give me easy access to all the apps that are being mentioned in this thread once I pay for the subscriptions? Or does this type of thing already exist? Also, potential for using USB sticks in those USB ports to DVR programming from the aforementioned apps?

Totally understand. Right now there isn't a box that does everything. However, I fully expect that to change. The problem is each box has it's own ups and downs and exclusives.

I work in IT, so having lots of wires and boxes is fun :)
 

AuH2O

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I'm not very tech savvy (translation: old) so researching all the options was a bit overwhelming, but cut the satellite and have Fire TV and got sling TV for March madness and the NBA playoffs. In principle I like it, but during heavy traffic times it is as though it can't buffer adequately. I assume my DSL is the constraint.
 

ArgentCy

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Ended up cutting the cord yesterday and will be first looking into a DVR for the OTA antenna and getting back onto Netflix DVD's (because my internet sucks and streaming would cost a year's worth of DirecTV). It looks like I really need to dig out some of the old computers I have lying around and make a good Linux Box for a media center. Will look into that as I have more time.
 

keepngoal

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Ended up cutting the cord yesterday and will be first looking into a DVR for the OTA antenna and getting back onto Netflix DVD's (because my internet sucks and streaming would cost a year's worth of DirecTV). It looks like I really need to dig out some of the old computers I have lying around and make a good Linux Box for a media center. Will look into that as I have more time.

Im interested in learning more on that.....
 

ArgentCy

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Ha, the grovelers have called on my cell phone like 6 times today while I'm at work. Finally answered and they start trying to the half price with sunday ticket, blah blah blah. Nope no thanks, ESPN really ****** me off.. There is nothing worth my time on that box and they should be paying me to watch some of that stuff.

Don't know much about the Linus box now but hell I had a TV tuner in my computer like 10 years ago. I'm sure I can figure out how to first record the OTA and then start streaming like Cyclones.TV.

You proved that it is all about the money and you CAN"T HAVE any more of mine.
 

3GenClone

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http://gizmodo.com/so-many-people-are-cutting-the-cord-we-need-more-intern-1707226252

The article above breaks down a recent study performed by Cisco. Here are some findings I found interesting about cord-cutting and how it will impact infrastructure in the near future:

In the next five years, more than 50 percent of the world’s population will have internet access, and 80 percent of internet traffic will be devoted to video, says a new study by Cisco. But it’s not just billions more dinky YouTube videos that will suck up all that bandwidth. It’s our shifting TV habits.


“The cord-cutting household [consumes] more than twice as much data per month as non-cord-cutters,” Cisco exec Robert Pepper tells the Washington Post.
In other words, cord-cutters aren’t only going to change the business of television, they’re also going to dramatically change the amount of internet that we need. Consider this: Global IP traffic is five times as big as it was five years ago, and will triple threefold over the next five years. Next year, worldwide IP traffic will reach 1.1 zettabytes per year (1 zettabyte is 1000 exabytes; one exabyte is one billion gigabytes). That number will go up to two zettabytes in 2019.
 
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keepngoal

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http://gizmodo.com/so-many-people-are-cutting-the-cord-we-need-more-intern-1707226252

The article above breaks down a recent study performed by Cisco. Here are some findings I found interesting about cord-cutting and how it will impact infrastructure in the near future:

Next year, worldwide IP traffic will reach 1.1 zettabytes per year (1 zettabyte is 1000 exabytes; one exabyte is one billion gigabytes). That number will go up to two zettabytes in 2019.

That number seems small for worldwide IP traffic. Either way... it proves people want better choices for what they view on their TV.
 

runbikeswim

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We just cut the cord. Got fiber internet, and using Rokus, using sling, hulu, Netflix, hbo, and prime.

The sports or recording is an issue, but we decided that we were watching too much tv anyway.

We cut our cost by about $200 a month.
 

cyclonestunners

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I have a roku and cut the cord, and I'm never going back. The most important question to ask yourself is: how connected are your friends? I pay for Amazon Prime, then trade that with peopel who have netflix, hbogo, hulu, etc. If you had to buy each of those individually, the price would really be about the same as cable. As it is right now, I pay about 10 bucks a month for it.

Ify ou're savvy, I would suggest getting an hdmi connection to a laptop or a chromecast. The only thing I missed was live sports not on watchespn. Now I know a lot of streaming sports sites I use instead.
 

EnhancedFujita

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We are thinking of cutting and would probably save $100 by dropping DirecTV and picking up Hulu Plus as we already have HBO Now and Netflix. The only thing I think we won't have access to is AMC shows. They are on Sling TV but it's $20 a month. My main concern with Sling TV is that it appears to only be live TV without the ability for DVR/OnDemand watching. I need to watch stuff on my time. Anyone have experience with it?

A buddy also suggested torrenting through a VPN for the stuff on AMC, but I haven't done that since college and I figured the media companies had cracked down on it pretty well.
 

cowgirl836

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We are thinking of cutting and would probably save $100 by dropping DirecTV and picking up Hulu Plus as we already have HBO Now and Netflix. The only thing I think we won't have access to is AMC shows. They are on Sling TV but it's $20 a month. My main concern with Sling TV is that it appears to only be live TV without the ability for DVR/OnDemand watching. I need to watch stuff on my time. Anyone have experience with it?

A buddy also suggested torrenting through a VPN for the stuff on AMC, but I haven't done that since college and I figured the media companies had cracked down on it pretty well.


as to the last part, you can find stuff. Pirate Bay gets moved around every so often but it comes back. Then you can pause, rewind, and forward all you want.
 

Skyh13

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I am but a simple man. This sounds way too complicated. So complicated that I'm willing to continue paying the outrageous fee to DirecTV just so I don't have to deal with all of that stuff.

I have 3 TV's in my house, 2 of them are considered "smart" TV's. What are the chances that there will be something (one unit) in the near future that will easily plug into the USB ports of those TV's and then access my home wireless network and then give me easy access to all the apps that are being mentioned in this thread once I pay for the subscriptions? Or does this type of thing already exist? Also, potential for using USB sticks in those USB ports to DVR programming from the aforementioned apps?

If you watch over-the-air programming, and are willing to invest some upfront money in your cord-cutting, this product could make it easier:

http://www.cnet.com/products/tivo-roamio

The TiVo Roamio gives you a very easy way to DVR over-the-air programming. It's expensive though.


As for a "single" unit for your TVs.... I don't see that happening soon. HOWEVER, there are HDMI sticks (meaning, you plug them into an HDMI port on your TV) which give you access to all the streaming apps that people talk about. A couple of nice options which give you access to just about any of the apps you want, and also has a nice user interface with a remote, are the Amazon Fire Stick and the Roku Streaming Stick:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2472402,00.asp (Amazon Fire Stick)

http://www.cnet.com/products/roku-streaming-stick-2014/ (Roku Streaming Stick)

Both are pretty easy to use.

One other thing..
"Also, potential for using USB sticks in those USB ports to DVR programming from the aforementioned apps?"
This may literally never happen. When it comes to any type of DVR functionality with streaming apps, it's completely the responsibility of the content provider to give you this functionality, and nobody wants to do it. Content providers don't like DVR. Plus, so much streaming stuff is On-Demand based (meaning, it isn't live TV), that there isn't anything to DVR in the first place.
 

Skyh13

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We are thinking of cutting and would probably save $100 by dropping DirecTV and picking up Hulu Plus as we already have HBO Now and Netflix. The only thing I think we won't have access to is AMC shows. They are on Sling TV but it's $20 a month. My main concern with Sling TV is that it appears to only be live TV without the ability for DVR/OnDemand watching. I need to watch stuff on my time. Anyone have experience with it?

A buddy also suggested torrenting through a VPN for the stuff on AMC, but I haven't done that since college and I figured the media companies had cracked down on it pretty well.

I don't have any experience with SlingTV, but I listen to a weekly podcast which discusses the state of technology and entertainment, and they've talked about it quite a bit. Essentially, some of the channels have "DVR-like" functionality. This is from a CNET review:

[h=4]Can I pause live TV or skip commercials?[/h] Not on most channels. The pause, rewind and fast-forward commands don't work at all when watching any of the ESPN channels (including the SEC Network), AMC, TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, any of the Disney channels, ABC Family, Boomerang, HLN, IFC or Sundance TV.
[h=4]What about the other channels?[/h] On the other channels the pause, rewind and fast-forward buttons work as expected. You can pause a current show and rewind all the way to the beginning. You can also fast-forward, even through commercials, to catch back up to live time.
Most of channels also feature "3 Day Replay," allowing you to watch any show aired within the past three days. You can't easily skip commercials on those past shows, however.
The rest, including the Epix movie channels, Universal Sports, beIN Sports, Bloomberg TV, Baby TV and Duck TV, allow you to watch any show or movie that aired in the past 7 days.


http://www.cnet.com/news/sling-tv-everything-you-need-to-know/
 

EnhancedFujita

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as to the last part, you can find stuff. Pirate Bay gets moved around every so often but it comes back. Then you can pause, rewind, and forward all you want.

I didn't realize Pirate Bay was still around, I thought they were shutdown years ago. Guess I might have to brush up on the newest technology for torrents as it sounds like the Sling TV doesn't do OnDemand for AMC.
 

Triggermv

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Let me start by saying I fully understand why many people out there, especially in the older generations, are turned off by cord-cutting simply due to the among of expertise, effort, and time it takes to pull it off well. However, I'm just curious if there is anyone else out there like me who actually get their jollies out of those same turnoffs by everyone else? Maybe I'm just weird and it wouldn't be the first time, however, I almost look at cord-cutting as almost like a game to win and beat your opponent at. In this case, the cable/satellite companies are kind of like my opponent and it helps that companies like Mediacom (dead last rated cable company in the nation, yes, dead last) make a super easy villain. Its almost like a free-flowing game of chess where they make their move, I make my counter and so on. With that said, while I admittedly put a lot of skill, effort, research, and time into my moves, I can at least say with confidence that I'm winning and its been a fun game. Again, maybe I'm coo coo for coco puffs, but I'd guess there are others out there like me.

As a full-disclosure, it is worth noting that I'm also an energy trader for a living (gasoline, diesel, crude, propane) where my livelihood is made around jumping through a bunch of hoops to save a buck. Granted, even a fraction of a penny there can mean thousands of dollars, but you get the point. It doesn't stop there either, but really carries over into other things like where and how I buy groceries, clip coupons, plan vacations, play the credit card rewards game... pretty much anything finance related. At the end of the day, it really is more about playing and winning the game than it probably has ever been about the money (full disclosure: I'm not rich but I could afford cable). Maybe it is also related to the fact that I'm probably not good at too many things in life and this is one of the few things I'd say I'm actually good at. With that said, I've fully realized there are consequences of this, particularly in labels categories. To name just a few, there is penny pincher, cheapskate, fragile, tightwad... etc. You get the gist and I've been called everything, however, I secretly relish them all and internally, they only confirm the fact that I'm winning :). I now open things up for full criticism. I'll take it all.
 
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