Cutting The Cord on Cable/Satellite TV Service?

ElcaballitoMVP

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I've read good things about YouTube but the channel lineup seems limited. There are at least 3 or 4 that my wife and daughter love that aren't offered. I think the only way I can sell this plan to them is if I can convince them that they won't lose anything.

Can I assume that with any of these services I still couldn't get NESN since I live in NY?
Do you have TMobile by any chance? They've given away MLB TV every year so you could use that for Sox and Directv Now for the majority of the rest.

Edit: I have Directv Now and like it. I haven't tried the others, so there may be a better option, but the DVR function works well, it has a traditional looking guide setup and gets me about 90% of what I need (no MLB, NBA, etc). For the VOD channels, I use an antenna and pickup CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC and a few others and the quality is as good, if not better than what you get streaming. It is a bit of a pain in the ass if reception is an issue and having to flip between video sources, but it gets the job done.
 

Bigpupp

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Have you looked into Philo? We combined YouTube TV with Philo and it has everything we need. We're paying $1 more per month than we were for Direct TV Now (and about $50 less than before we cut the cord) and the service is much much better.
 

Marceline

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Have you looked into Philo? We combined YouTube TV with Philo and it has everything we need. We're paying $1 more per month than we were for Direct TV Now (and about $50 less than before we cut the cord) and the service is much much better.
That looks promising, seems to fill in the gaps from YouTube TV pretty nicely. $56/month for both.
 

glennhoffmania

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What specifications do I need to make sure my internet connection has to be able to stream without issues? I don't think speed will be an issue as I usually get around 200mbps but are there bandwidth issues? We have a lot of devices on my wifi and a Spectrum rep once warned me about having too many things going at once if I start streaming (of course they probably don't want me watching anything but their cable). So if I had two tvs going and had some mobile devices connected as well for non-streaming stuff how do I figure out if my network can handle that?
 

glennhoffmania

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That was my guess but I was trying to confirm and I can't find anything about minimum requirements or what Spectrum supports. Not surprisingly their web side is fucking awful.
 

LoweTek

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The law is pretty clear on the legality of either providing or receiving IPTV content for which the originator of the stream (e.g. NESN) has not been compensated. For the receiver it's really no different from Pirate Bay, torrents or other means of streaming copyrighted content at little or no cost. The IPTV provider is clearly acting illegally. He's delivering licensed or copyrighted content for which he has paid no compensation to the owner.

I'm assuming everyone knows this and is willing to take their chances. Que sera sera. I'm not doing it.
 

Bertha

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I’m in the midst of a 2-week YouTube TV trial. I watch most sox, Celtics, and pats games, quite often on DVR. I am fairly happy with their DVR functionality so far. Primarily use any of 3 devices. TV with built in apps, TV with roku, and older iPad. All somewhat different controls, but all worked well.

Biggest draw for me, besides cost savings, is typical month involves about 4-5 nights in hotels in New England. I live in NH. Watched Tuesday’s Celtics-Cavs game late Tuesday/early Wednesday from hotel in Boston. (Parade was awesome Tuesday morning!)

Two things not yet clear to me.
Does recording run late if game goes beyond scheduled time?
Will I be able to view a Sox game on NESN, or Celtics on NBCSB, while in a hotel outside of New England (No MLB or NBA package)?

Thanks for any input you have.
 

Scott Cooper's Grand Slam

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Does recording run late if game goes beyond scheduled time?
Yes. I had the Eovaldi game on my DVR for awhile.

Will I be able to view a Sox game on NESN, or Celtics on NBCSB, while in a hotel outside of New England (No MLB or NBA package)?
No. You get access to regional sports networks based on your location. Those of us in the NESN broadcast radius get NESN at home. On the bright side, you can watch YES next time you’re in NYC.
 

finnVT

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No. You get access to regional sports networks based on your location. Those of us in the NESN broadcast radius get NESN at home. On the bright side, you can watch YES next time you’re in NYC.
Depends on the device. If you're using something without location services, or if you disable/block them, then it defaults to your home zip code. So if you're using Chrome, and block it when it asks for your location, it'll assume in NH (or perhaps wherever you were last, I'm not sure) and give you those channels.

At least that's been my experience, though it's possible I'm misunderstanding why it works for me.
 

johnmd20

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Depends on the device. If you're using something without location services, or if you disable/block them, then it defaults to your home zip code. So if you're using Chrome, and block it when it asks for your location, it'll assume in NH (or perhaps wherever you were last, I'm not sure) and give you those channels.

At least that's been my experience, though it's possible I'm misunderstanding why it works for me.
I have Youtube TV and I live in NYC. I went to Cleveland for Thanksgiving and brought one of my Roku's and it didn't default to Cleveland's zip code. Thus, I was able to watch the Jets/Pats on CBS because that was airing in NY. It wasn't airing in Cleveland.

I found that to be pretty convenient.
 

bigq

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I have Youtube TV and I live in NYC. I went to Cleveland for Thanksgiving and brought one of my Roku's and it didn't default to Cleveland's zip code. Thus, I was able to watch the Jets/Pats on CBS because that was airing in NY. It wasn't airing in Cleveland.

I found that to be pretty convenient.
This is a sneaky good trick. Thanks for the tip!
 

Marceline

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That's not correct, (edit: post 1013), with YouTube tv you keep the regional sports networks (NESN etc) while traveling. It's the local broadcast networks you will lose access to.

I have no problem watching NESN from anywhere with the service.
 

johnmd20

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That's not correct, (edit: post 1013), with YouTube tv you keep the regional sports networks (NESN etc) while traveling. It's the local broadcast networks you will lose access to.

I have no problem watching NESN from anywhere with the service.
Except, no, I went from NYC to Cleveland and I kept all the local networks and regional networks, as if I was in NYC. So it just sounds like every device must be different, depending on how serious they use location services.
 

Batman Likes The Sox

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A future question, perhaps: What is stopping something from YouTube TV from letting people pick whatever location they want for viewing, regardless of the location they're in? For example, maybe one day I want to watch the Boston channels, then I want to watch the local news in San Francisco, then local programming in the Dakotas to hear them talk like in Fargo.

I understand that's complicated in terms of interface, maybe you click on a map and that channel lineup pops up, but if local people can watch local stuff, what are the hurdles before local people can watch anywhere stuff?
 

Marceline

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You have to go through a VPN to do that (which you can do... It's described up thread). I think they also limit you to a small handful of "home" network changes for the year.

Edit: think I may have misread your question.

Nothing is stopping them from doing so from a technical perspective, but they have to sign agreements with each local broadcast affiliate to be able to carry them and I suspect something is tied in there with those contracts.
 

Marceline

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Except, no, I went from NYC to Cleveland and I kept all the local networks and regional networks, as if I was in NYC. So it just sounds like every device must be different, depending on how serious they use location services.
What device was this on? That's not been my experience with either phone or laptop, so that's interesting.

When I travel it produces a pop up when I open up the app that says something like, hey, we noticed you're outside your home area, you can keep your regional sports networks but you won't be able to access the local broadcast networks.
 

Vinho Tinto

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Except, no, I went from NYC to Cleveland and I kept all the local networks and regional networks, as if I was in NYC. So it just sounds like every device must be different, depending on how serious they use location services.
It must be a device thing. Whenever my family visits our parents in Massachusetts, the locals switch from Maine to Worcester or Springfield.

EDIT: As the pop states when you visit an out of market area, the DVR continues to record your home market programming. So I still have my local news recodings despite not being in the area.

Big fan of YouTube TV. As long as they can hold the price, I’ll be a subscriber.
 

johnmd20

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What device was this on? That's not been my experience with either phone or laptop, so that's interesting.

When I travel it produces a pop up when I open up the app that says something like, hey, we noticed you're outside your home area, you can keep your regional sports networks but you won't be able to access the local broadcast networks.
The Roku Ultra. It's not an old device, but it wasn't a tablet or laptop. That's probably why it worked.

Frankly, I regret not checking my laptop while I was in Cleveland to see if it worked the same. I'll admit, when it happened, I was shocked. I assumed the location would automatically update. That definitely did not happen, it was a nice surprise.
 

orgoman

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It must be a device thing. Whenever my family visits our parents in Massachusetts, the locals switch from Maine to Worcester or Springfield.

Big fan of YouTube TV. As long as they can hold the price, I’ll be a subscriber.

A lot depends on the device. I have found that - as mentioned upthread - it depends on whether location tracking is enabled on your device. For computers, phones, ipads - YouTubeTV will not work unless you have the location tracking turned on. It's part of the program. But Roku does not have location as part of the device. So once you "set" the location (through the initial set-up, or using a different device in a specific area) it stays linked to that location. Yet another reason why I love my Roku.

Or at least this is what I surmise from the last year or so of using it.

Hope that helps
 

finnVT

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I live in Pittsburgh, but set my youtube tv account up while visiting family in VT last summer. I get all VT channels (CBS/ABC/NBC/Fox, NESN, NBC sports Boston, etc) on our Rokus here (two older ones and one newer one). When I access on my phone I get local Pittsburgh networks. Web browser can go either way-- if I deny location services, I get VT channels, if I allow them, I get Pittsburgh stuff. It's been that way for ~9 months now (though I have accessed it from VT a few times in between while visiting there, so that may keep the VT zip code "active", I'm not sure).
 

acf69

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Moving back to the US after 10-years, and this time to the Greenwich CT area. This thread is very helpful, as I find the TV-packages (cable & directv) way overpriced. I like the YouTube/Philo combination very enticing, not sure what I would be missing. Sports packages I can buy separate if needed. My biggest concern will be internet speed, any experiences from people living in the same area?
 

jayhoz

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As expected, I'm getting the runaround from Fios on downgrading to an internet only plan. New customer rate for 100mbps is $39 and they want to charge me $69. Has anyone successfully negotiated down to the new customer rate as an existing customer. I'd rather not jump to Comcast, but I can't stomach paying a $30 premium.
 

Marceline

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If you have a significant other or person who lives with you, you can just cancel and have them sign up as a new customer.
 

glennhoffmania

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If you have a significant other or person who lives with you, you can just cancel and have them sign up as a new customer.
I've tried this and it doesn't work. Maybe it would for Verizon or another company but not for TWC or Spectrum. I've always been told that the policy is there can't be service in that location for at least 30 days. The only way around it is to show proof that you're a new resident by providing a copy of a lease or whatever proving that you just moved in.
 
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finnVT

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I couldn't get verizon to budge when I downgraded, so I ended up switching to a $40/mo internet-only plan from comcast. When the 12 months is up, i'll switch back to verizon if comcast tries to raise it. But the service has been fine.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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Leaving in a bit to the studio :)
DirecTVnow is going up $10 on every plan. Premium channels are also going up, to $15. But despite what's been announced, there's some confusion on if a grandfathered $5 HBO will go up to $15, as many CSRs are saying that the GFd $5 price will remain (numerous customers have posted their chat transcripts).

https://www.techhive.com/article/3366257/directv-now-price-hikes-what-cord-cutters-need-to-know.html

AT&T will hike monthly rates by $10 across the entire line as of April 12th. And if you’re currently paying the extra $5 monthly fee to receive HBO, that’s going to jump up to $15 with this month’s bill. This is yet another instance of AT&T increasing rates after it argued that its acquisition of Time Warner would result in reduced prices for consumers. This is actually the second hike for those DirecTV Now subscriptions. But AT&T would likely argue that if you were already paying $50 for Live a Little and HBO before, that price effectively continues on with these revamped packages.
 

Murderer's Crow

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I've tried this and it doesn't work. Maybe it would for Verizon or another company but not for TWC or Spectrum. I've always been told that the policy is there can't be service in that location for at least 30 days. The only way around it is to show proof that you're a new resident by providing a copy of a lease or whatever proving that you just moved in.
You tried it and it didn't work, but ymmv. I just got my spectrum plan reduced from $245 to $151 by negotiating with them after they explained that if someone new in the house signed up, they would get the promo rate. The only service reduction was getting rid of cinemax and stars, which I never watched anyway.

I can paste bills for proof if you don't believe, you just have to be persistent with the right tone + get the right person on the phone. A few months back when I was getting my line fixed, the guy who came to fix it told me that the next time I go on a 2 week vacation, drop my equipment off for a cancellation a couple days before and then request a new account with a new name for a couple days after I return. I'll have almost no service loss and will fall within the window where they'd likely offer new promos to you anyway.
 

glennhoffmania

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You tried it and it didn't work, but ymmv. I just got my spectrum plan reduced from $245 to $151 by negotiating with them after they explained that if someone new in the house signed up, they would get the promo rate. The only service reduction was getting rid of cinemax and stars, which I never watched anyway.

I can paste bills for proof if you don't believe, you just have to be persistent with the right tone + get the right person on the phone. A few months back when I was getting my line fixed, the guy who came to fix it told me that the next time I go on a 2 week vacation, drop my equipment off for a cancellation a couple days before and then request a new account with a new name for a couple days after I return. I'll have almost no service loss and will fall within the window where they'd likely offer new promos to you anyway.
Good to know, thanks. I'll try again. I specifically asked this question and they shot me down last time.

At this point I'm trying to decide if it's worth switching to Verizon (which we just got in my building) or cutting the cord. The Verizon installation sounds like a a huge pain in the ass. They said they need to bring in an electrician to install a new outlet by my front door so they can hook up the ONT box, and that could mean punching holes in walls. On the flip side, I'm just not sure that streaming will give all of us everything we want unless we sign up for several services, which would make the cost savings pretty minimal.
 

Murderer's Crow

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Good to know, thanks. I'll try again. I specifically asked this question and they shot me down last time.

At this point I'm trying to decide if it's worth switching to Verizon (which we just got in my building) or cutting the cord. The Verizon installation sounds like a a huge pain in the ass. They said they need to bring in an electrician to install a new outlet by my front door so they can hook up the ONT box, and that could mean punching holes in walls. On the flip side, I'm just not sure that streaming will give all of us everything we want unless we sign up for several services, which would make the cost savings pretty minimal.
I had Fios when I lived with my parents. They come over, install some stuff, and leave. Usually no hassle for you personally, and probably just takes a couple of hours.
 

glennhoffmania

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I had Fios when I lived with my parents. They come over, install some stuff, and leave. Usually no hassle for you personally, and probably just takes a couple of hours.
I think it depends. My building wasn't wired when it was built 10 years ago. They had to add the wires, and their system is not compatible with the TWC wiring that was done during construction so we need the ONT box to convert the signal. They said it takes at least 6 hours and involves electrical work and patching/painting holes in the wall.
 

glennhoffmania

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Crow, I owe you a beer. I called Spectrum and said I'm about to switch to Verizon unless you're willing to work with me. I didn't even have to get into the thing with switching the account to my wife. They reduced my bill by about $60 and the only thing I had to switch was going from whole house DVR to two separate DVRs.
 

Ale Xander

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What's the most cost-effective way to get just HBO (GOT only needed) and ESPN1+2 for a month at time? Can be together, or separately.
 

Dollar

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What's the most cost-effective way to get just HBO (GOT only needed) and ESPN1+2 for a month at time? Can be together, or separately.
Probably signing up for 7-day HBO NOW and ESPN+ trials with a new email address every week.
 

Dollar

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In case anyone's currently a Cord Cutting free agent, today's the last day to register for a one-month free trial of DIRECTV NOW, which includes HBO and Showtime. If you sign up today, you won't be charged as long as you cancel by April 30th. Use code MARCH2019.
 

bosoxsue

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My question is opposite of this thread title, but I feel like it belongs here: Has anyone cut the cord and decided that it is worth it to go back to the cable universe? I’ve gotten some tempting offers from Xfinity recently. I pay $94/mo. for high-speed internet through them now. I have Sling Blue plus the news add-on because my husband is addicted to MSNBC, so that is $30/mo. We also add the sports package for RedZone and sometimes during golf majors. Netflix at $10/mo., CBS All-Access because we can’t get the local CBS station OTA, $6/mo. I have no NESN currently. The Xfinity mailer promises high-speed plus a full menu of channels, including Netflix, for $125/mo. for a two-year commitment. Assuming I don’t have to pony up for equipment charges (one box rental, tops, stream via Xfinity app on Rokus on other TVs), it seems like it’s worth it.

If you have reconnected the cord, do you have regrets?
 

Dollar

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It seems like it might be worth it because $94 a month for just internet seems really high. Is that the price they're offering to new subscribers? It might make some sense to try to get your internet down in the $40-50 range where I've seen most high-speed plans lately. If $94 is the best price they can do, I'd probably agree with what you're asking and "re-attach" the cord.
 

bosoxsue

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That's a good idea. I could try that tack with them first. I'm not optimistic, as they are the only game in town (for all intents and purposes). Their only competitor in this part of Connecticut is Frontier, the former SNET, which is mostly godawful. But it's worth a try before reattaching the cord.
 

Zedia

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My question is opposite of this thread title, but I feel like it belongs here: Has anyone cut the cord and decided that it is worth it to go back to the cable universe? I’ve gotten some tempting offers from Xfinity recently. I pay $94/mo. for high-speed internet through them now. I have Sling Blue plus the news add-on because my husband is addicted to MSNBC, so that is $30/mo. We also add the sports package for RedZone and sometimes during golf majors. Netflix at $10/mo., CBS All-Access because we can’t get the local CBS station OTA, $6/mo. I have no NESN currently. The Xfinity mailer promises high-speed plus a full menu of channels, including Netflix, for $125/mo. for a two-year commitment. Assuming I don’t have to pony up for equipment charges (one box rental, tops, stream via Xfinity app on Rokus on other TVs), it seems like it’s worth it.

If you have reconnected the cord, do you have regrets?
If it’s really just MSNBC you need, check out the free Pluto app, I believe MSNBC is on there. You may not be able to DVR though.
 

bosoxsue

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If it’s really just MSNBC you need, check out the free Pluto app, I believe MSNBC is on there. You may not be able to DVR though.
I love Pluto because of Slow TV. I'll look for the news stuff -- thanks!
 

NortheasternPJ

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It seems like it might be worth it because $94 a month for just internet seems really high. Is that the price they're offering to new subscribers? It might make some sense to try to get your internet down in the $40-50 range where I've seen most high-speed plans lately. If $94 is the best price they can do, I'd probably agree with what you're asking and "re-attach" the cord.
I went to Cancel and they told me the cheapest Internet only plan was $96 so sounds right.