Cutting the Cable Cord

For those of you that "cut the cord", would you answer a few questions for me?

1. Who is your internet provider?
2. What streaming service(s) do you use for Live TV? Does it include Cloud DVR? How many devices can stream at the same time?
3. Is the user interface of your streaming service(s) easy to use? My kids know how to use Netflix and Disney+.
4. Does your streaming service(s) offer the local broadcast channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX?
5. Is your streaming service(s) compatible with Smart TV, Fire Sticks/Cubes, ROKU, TIVO?

Anything else you want to share would be super helpful!

Our viewing habits consist of local broadcast channels, sports channels, Viacom Networks, Disney Networks, Discovery/Scripps Networks, Turner Networks.

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord

1. Who is your internet provider?
FRONTIER - FIOS

2. What streaming service(s) do you use for Live TV? Does it include Cloud DVR? How many devices can stream at the same time?
I GOT AN ANTENNA FOR LOCAL CHANNELS/NEWS

3. Is the user interface of your streaming service(s) easy to use? My kids know how to use Netflix and Disney+.
I SUBSCRIBE TO NETFLIX, AMAZON PRIME, DISNEY+... ALL VERY EASY

4. Does your streaming service(s) offer the local broadcast channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX?
I BELIEVE THAT THINGS LIKE A FIRE STICK AND ROKU OFFER APPS FOR THOSE

5. Is your streaming service(s) compatible with Smart TV, Fire Sticks/Cubes, ROKU, TIVO?
I HAVE A FIRE STICK, FIRE CUBE, AND ROKU AND EVERYTHING SHOWS ON ALL TVS... MIND YOU, I DIDN'T SET THEM UP

Anything else you want to share would be super helpful!
AMAZON SHOWS THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.
IF YOU GET A FIRE DEVICE, THERE ARE WAYS TO DOWNLOAD APPS THAT SHOW ALL SORTS OF CHANNELS. I WATCH THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW I COULD WATCH FOR FREE. THERE ARE PEOPLE ON PLACES LIKE OFFER UP WHO SELL THEM ALREADY PROGRAMMED WITH ALL THE APPS YOU WOULD WANT - SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.


Our viewing habits consist of local broadcast channels, sports channels, Viacom Networks, Disney Networks, Discovery/Scripps Networks, Turner Networks.

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord

Message edited 8/6/2020 1:15:55 PM.

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord

1. Who is your internet provider?
We still use Optimum for internet. I'd like to drop them completely, but I just dont feel I have a great option to switch to and with things going on at home I'm just not up to the effort of switching to a new internet provider. I do feel better giving Optimum less money and the Fubo app we use has better options then the Opimum app.

2. What streaming service(s) do you use for Live TV? Does it include Cloud DVR? How many devices can stream at the same time?
We use FUBO. (Fubo.tv) Includes DVR, you can buy up to 500GB of space. I think the base package includes 2 streams at the same time, but they have family packages that have more DVR time and streaming sessions, etc. You can also make changes in your plan at any time, you are not locked in. You can change plans and its not the 'cablevision you are billed thru the rest of the month' thing. I'm home recovering from a surgery right now, so we subscribed to package with more channels for the next few weeks. When I go 'back' to work, we'll change it back down to normal.


3. Is the user interface of your streaming service(s) easy to use? My kids know how to use Netflix and Disney+.
Interface is good. Only annoyance is that each device has different interface. We watch on android phones, samsung tv and rokus. Each app is different, but they have to be. Because your Samsung tv remote doesnt have the same buttons as a roku does so they need to map buttons to different things based on the function. So the app is the same on each, its just selecting something may be the X button on this device and the Y button on another.


4. Does your streaming service(s) offer the local broadcast channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX?
Yes, its based on your zip code. So we get local NY ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX.

5. Is your streaming service(s) compatible with Smart TV, Fire Sticks/Cubes, ROKU, TIVO?
Yes, except for Tivo. You would use this instead of our tivo. The Tivo was actually the reason we ended up dumping optimum. We had Tivo for at least 15 years, and the cablecards with Optimium is a ******. They basicallly changed their signal months ago and screwed over the cablecard users, they refused to fix it, so we said its not worth the hassle. If you are a tivo user, I will let you know that the Fubo interface isnt as nice as the tivo interface. Fast forwarding is a little more clunky, etc. No automatic commercial removals.
But this app is only like 2 years old, Tivo has had years to perfect it. Fubo puts out a new version at least every month and its only gotten better and better in my opinion.

Anything else you want to share would be super helpful!

Fubo is the only app that has local long island sports, meaning MSG, MSG+, etc. So if you are Islanders, Mets fans that is the choice. There are multiple plans you can buy, and it changes the amount of channels you get. From your list I think the only thing we dont get is the Turner channels.

They have a free trial, so you can download it and try it out.

We supplement with Netflix, Prime, HBO, Showtime apps. We usually have 2 at a time, not including Prime. Like we have FUBO then we had HBO for a while, went thru all the HBO stuff we wanted to watch - then cancelled HBO and started up showtime and are now binging thru the showtime shows we are behind on. By the time we are thru Showtime we'll be ready to go back and watch everything on HBO that is new. So on and so forth.

It does change your 'channel surfing'. You really cant sit there and just go up and down thru programs. Because it would just take forever for the media to switch to the new stream. But there is a guide, so when you want to search for something to watch you can pop open the guide and see whats on each station, then when you see something you want select it. There is also a channel 'popup' bar which is similar to the guide but you can only see whats on now. So across the bottom all the channels come up, you see a tile of what is on and you can select it and it will switch.

Cutting the Cable Cord

I haven't had cable in 2 years and I agree with the above poster about using a FireStick. It has almost every app you could want and it's easy to use.

Cutting the Cable Cord

We use optimum high speed. Hulu with live TV. It has local networks. We also have netflix, amazon prime, disney plus. We use a firestick.

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord

We did it and never looked back!

We just use the apps on the TV and have subscriptions to the individual services (examples: hulu, amazon prime, disney plus, hbo, netflix, etc.)
NBC's peacock is free, there are other free services too.

Message edited 8/7/2020 1:34:50 PM.

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord

We cut the cord 2 years ago and i'm mad i didn't do it sooner!!! It was way easier than i thought, which is why i was hesitant to pull the trigger.

-We use Hulu and yes you can watch live tv, regular channels and record shows.
-we also have amazon prime and Disney+
-we also have netflix.

We use optimum for internet only.

We use MagicJack for our telephone line.

*We have firesticks that we use.

We have saved over $100+ a month by doing this.

Message edited 8/9/2020 8:41:15 PM.

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord

1. FIOS - Gigabit service

2. YouTubeTV - there are great articles/videos comparing all these services. YouTube gives you unlimited cloud storage and 3 active profiles. Because of those reasons (and channel selection) i choose them over Hulu. I have Amazon Prime for some movies. Disney+ is free with verizon phone service but won't renew it. Once some shows come on HBO or Showtime, i will sign up for that for the few months while my show i want to watch is on. YouTube includes some movies that are on TV for a limited time.

All of the services you can test for a week or 2 before fully enrolling. Try them all out, 1 at a time.


3. All services are pretty similar and simple enough to learn depending on age.

4. Yes, depending on service, they offer the locals.
So when i signed up for YouTube, i have all locals.

5. Most new TV's that can still download apps, have them. Where TV's are older and not getting update, thats where RoKu, Firesticks, gaming systems come in handy. For example, i can push Youtube TV from my phone via a ChromeCast.

Me being a techie, not sure why i didn't do this a long. I pay 65 for google and i believe 70 for gigabyte service from Verizon.

Happy shopping.

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord

Re: Cutting the Cable Cord