Any cord cutters here?

[trof]

I went with ROKU ($30 one time, no monthly fee) and YOUTUBE TV ($49/mo.) about 6 months ago.
YOUTUBE TV gives me local channels, a heap of sports channels, and all the channels I used to watch on DISH at $130/mo plus beaucoupe movie channels .

[Sherman A1]

1. I haven't as of yet but really want to do so

What Internet provider are you using and what costs? I am with Spectrum for both TV & Internet at $116 per month, but that deal ends next spring.

[trof]

5. Centurylink. They're abysmal but have an exclusive contract in our little town.

They are the only landline available here.
The only other ISP choice is satellite.

I pay $80/ mo. for phone and internet.
I was paying $180 for that and DISH.

I used ROKU for about 3 months before I canceled DISH.
I would suggest easing into it and learning how to use it.
It's really pretty easy.

[dewsgirl]

2. Yes. We do have Netflix and Disney plus. I live stream

all my news. We use the Roku for almost everything, I cast to it often. We used to have a bundle package that was around 200 dollars a month. It was ridiculous.

[MoonchildCA]

3. My husband and I did it almost a year ago.

We bought a ROKU for each of our two TVs--the $99 models.
We already had (and still have) Netflix and Amazon Prime. We use our daughter's Hulu account, and she uses our Netflix.

We haven't had the need to go with any other package. I stream MSNBC on Tunein Radio when I get ready and drive to work mornings, and on the way home. And NBC now has live news coverage free from 6:00pm to 11:00.

We haven't looked back. (Except at the $20k or so we spent on cable over the past 10-12 years...)

[trof]

6. $99 for ROKU or for the TVs?

I've never seen a ROKU stick for $99.
Usually $30 - $50.

[Codeine]

11. There are fancier Roku models than the stick.

They work a bit faster and have some additional features.

[Bradshaw3]

4. Tht's what I did too

Roku and Youtube TV replaced DirectTv at $130. It's basically as good, just some trouble sometimes with downloading. Overall I'm happy and saving $80 a month.

[trof]

8. BUT...we now laugh at thunderstorms.

You don't lose signal on wifi.

[Bradshaw3]

25. That is another advantage

Plus, DTV customer service sucked afer ATT got them.

[Lochloosa]

7. 4 years now. We never looked back.

[avebury]

9. I picked up a decent antenna a while back

and was surprised how many local channels I get for free. I take Amazon Prime (119 per year) and Netflix at 8.99 a month. Roku offers a lot of free channels if you look for it. I watch a lot on YouTube for free. I am surprised at what you can find for free including Real Time. You can find tons of old movies that have been loaded up on YouTube. You can find podcasts of a lot of old radio shows.

There is s lit out there to watch or listen to for free if you take the time to look around.

I cut the cord at least 2 years ago and wished that I had done it years ago. I know people who gave cable bills that are insane.

[trof]

12. youtube (free on ROKU) has an AMAZING amount of movies and TV shows.

ROKU channel Filmrise has hundreds (thousands?) of movies with few (very short) commercials.

[avebury]

20. I love the old movies from the 1930s and 1940s

where the could tell a whole story in 60 to 80 minutes.

[Codeine]

10. I only keep cable

for Formula 1. They’ve got a computer app but not a proper streaming app for my tv. As soon as they’ve got one I’m done.

[CountAllVotes]

13. Yes, a year ago

I pay nothing for television and I get 18 channels on an old analog television set.

I still have a DSL connection to the internet for $35.00/mo. and that is it!

Don't miss the rip-off cable TV one bit!!

[Canoe52]

14. I've got a cord, cut and stacked, need another to make it through the winter.

Sorry about, but when I read your title that’s what I thought you were referring to!

[trof]

17. FIREWOOD!

HA!
Been there, done that.
16 years in New Hampshire cutting, splitting from my own woodlot, and feeding two fireplaces and a wood stove.
Twice (thrice?) warmed.

[MuseRider]

15. Very happy to have done this.

Roku, Hulu, Netflix and Prime. MUCH cheaper than the DirecTV package we used to have. We do have to worry about thunderstorms but not as much as we did before because our service set up a tower closer and with better bandwidth (I think that is the right word?). If we lose it we can at least get local channels.

We do not miss much. We will add CBS All access to see Picard, we both want to see that so after that is over we will likely cancel it.

[jmbar2]

16. I cut the cord

I subscribe to Netflix, HULU and Amazon Prime for specific programs, then cancel when they don't have anything good.

I get over-the-air stations by using a $15 "batwing" indoor antenna, and then usi9ng the TV scanning function to find all the available stations. Includes PBS 1,2,3, and 4, ABC, NBC, and CBS.

I get MSNBC, CNN and a bunch of other newsfeeds through
https://livenewschat.eu/politics/

There's a bit of a learning curve with newschat.eu. The screen will pop up in the middle of a jillion ads. Somewhere above the viewing screen, you'll see a toolbar with icons for various newsfeeds. Click the Rooster for MSNBC, then expand the screen to cover up the ads.

[Opel_Justwax]

18. I'm a cord cutter, but I don't buy Cable, Internet or Satellite TV.

If they want me to watch commercials then they need to give their videos to me for free. IMHO.

[coeur_de_lion]

19. I just have a Sony Smart TV and

subscriptions to Amazon and Netflix. I can watch Youtube for free so far. I have extra subscriptions through Amazon to my British channels and HBO.

My husband is a total sports addict so he still has his cable but at least we don't pay cable for my TV.

[Skittles]

21. long time ago

I get by with antenna TV and Netflix

[Wellstone ruled]

22. Just did a Roku a week ago today.

With U Tube and Amazon Prime,we have everything and more than what we were paying Dish($112 per Month). $39 bucks for the Roku,free U Tube and try Tubi,that one is a hoot. Never going back to a Sat TV service again.

[Stuart G]

23. i have never, never had cable. I live near Chicago.

Every few months I test to see how many free channels I get. There are channels and sub-channels. Repeat..all are free. It is now up to 35 - 40 ..not sure. I get all the network channels, and so many others. 2 Spanish channels, old show channels, shopping channels 2 or 3 educational channels, and more. Don't watch much of it, but on one "old show channel, I watch old eps of "Columbo" and 1 or 2 others old shows. I do like to watch "Judge Judy" a couple of times a month. I am on the computer much too much. If I want to watch a full length movie, I go to the library and take one out. Often I bring them home, and don't watch them. I took home a four last week, but brought them back late. Didn't watch any of them..So when I took them back to the library, I took out three "James Bond" films to watch. I will report back if I watch any of them, but I do like "Goldfinger" a whole lot, and may watch it. I will see. The library I go to has a great collection of old movies and TV shows that many here have never even heard of. Ever hear of a show called Maverick ?? see I told you so.

[sakabatou]

24. My family's on Roku

[csziggy]

26. Yes, since about two years ago

Same as you, I'm stuck with Centurylink. I had their Prism TV until they pretty much stopped support for it, the quality went down, and price went up.

I have a Roku on each of our four TVs and just upgraded my husband's Roku upstairs. He'd been using the outdated free Roku we got when subscribing to Sling and it was doing a lot of buffering. Since his TV is furtherest from the WiFi router, he needed a better one and the new one we bought claims to get better WiFi reception.

We have Sling Blue for the basic cable channels - $25 per month + $5 for news channels so we get MSNBC. NetFlix, BritBox, and if I can get it set back up, Acorn TV. The last two satisfy my need for good British mysteries and other British programs (or should that be programmes?). Sling gave us a deal for CuriosityStream for science programs.

I also like the free streaming channels - Roku, Sony Crackle, Tubi, and odd things like Comet, SyFlix & Pluto.

If you don't have one of the new Roku remotes, get one! They cost $30 but it gives you controls for the TV - power, volume, and mute - plus if you want, you can use voice control. I replaced the old remote for mine and it is certainly nice to only have one control rather than two. Now I only have to pull out extra remotes if I want to watch a DVD.

[MontanaMama]

27. I use Roku to stream Sling TV,

Netflix, MLB TV and a few other services. We get more tv than we need and are saving over $100 a month from what we were spending with Charter. We don’t get CBS, ABC or Fox because I don’t want to pay extra for them but they are available through Roku. I still get MSNBC and CNN. I don’t miss cable or satellite at all....except a little bit when we don’t get the Oscars or the Grammy’s.

[Onyrleft]

28. My Tubi watch list is longer than my Netflix list.

That and Pluto TV are free with commercials.

[LeftInTX]

35. I like Tubi! LOL

Last edited Sat Nov 16, 2019, 05:20 PM - Edit history (1)

It's got a mix of higher rated stuff with lots of grade B stuff. Decent closed captions and their commercial breaks have better integration than most. I also like the watch list and continue watching options. (Many of the other free apps don't have one or the other)

[RockRaven]

29. I've got a TV antenna and a DSL connection, and I'm content...

I don't subscribe to any streaming services.

If one is REALLY into particular TV-shows-of-the-pop-culture-moment or particular sports-leagues-as-a-whole/non-local-teams or anything else which is exclusively accessible, then this might not work. (that might sound pretentiously hipster-ish, but I mean it much more as NOT-ironic apathetic indifference)

But as a generally non-obsessed-with-particular-programs/sports-teams person I've got all the news and information I want, and there are hardly more commercials on free online streaming platforms than there are on cable. Is EVERYTHING available, at any moment? Well, no. But how much is that worth to you? Only you can decide that.

For me, the additional ~thousand bucks a year is not worth it. For me, TV usually ends up feeling like time wasted and it's a rare program which fulfills expectations and/or seems worth the opportunity time-cost. And now I gotta pay for that privilege? GTFOH.

[rownesheck]

30. We cut a few years ago

but still use comcast internet in order to stream. The internet package we have is supposed to be $130 a month with 1 TB. All of a sudden though, comcast says we are going over our 1TB limit every month. Bill is now anywhere from 200-300 dollars a month. I'm now starting to look for a new internet service provider because I think comcast is F'ing me over.

[Iwasthere]

31. $72.00 total a month. I have Everything

Amazon Forestick with Kodi on it. Less than $60 a month for Xfinity internet.

[tazkcmo]

32. Yes

But I cut mine all the way and didn't replace it. I don't care much for what's on TV these days and there are too many free resources for movies to bother with a pay service. I never was a big television watcher anyway. That's just me though.

[Mike 03]

33. Never had cable TV.

The only time I regret that is when the Women's World Cup rolls around, or sometimes during the Olympics.

I have a TV that isn't connected to anything for watching DVDs.

But I'm a satellite radio addict, and same for the internet. I get agitated whenever the internet goes down, but it would be worse for me if my SiriusXM player broke. You can find almost anything on satellite, including MSNBC, CNN, etc... My recurring nightmare is that one or both of the XM satellites run into pieces of space junk and blow up (since technically I have an XM radio).

EDIT: I have Amazon Prime and sometimes rent movies there.

[LeftInTX]

34. Got rid of cable when they got rid of Turner Classic Movies

That was the last straw.

Hubby has an Over The Air antenna where gets the local NBC and CBS affiliates. (Can't get ABC or PBS over the air)

We both have ROKUs. We subscribe to Netflix and watch all the free stuff on the free ROKU channels.

I watch CBSN as an alternative to cable news and I like it. Less hype.

Hubby had the most to lose by cutting the cord. He knew he would have to give up his sports, but he's been fine with it! I think he realized that his sports was mostly "background noise". Now his "background noise" seems to be this Kramer guy on the CNBC app.

[Clash City Rocker]

36. After this thread, I'll need to check out YouTube TV. I was thinking of going to Hulu live TV

But now I’ll look into the YouTube option.

[trof]

37. Works for me. Just one thing:

youtube is free with roku. Lots of movies, series, cooking shows/recipes, history, documentaries.

YOUTUBE TV is $49/m0 and gives you local channels, LOADS of sports channels, TCM, AMC, all the fx channels, syfy, and more.

[trof]

38. Oh yeah...PBS:

For a $5/mo. 'donation' I can stream all PBS content through my local PBS channel.
We just binge watched Downton Abbey.

[Xolodno]

39. Some time back....

...I got DirecTV because they offered channels I wanted to watch and was a low price.

The channels started getting pretty shitty (for example, history channel started airing more "ancient aliens"....travel channel was less about travel, etc.)

Then the price hikes....and package changes. Had enough. Switched to Fire TV with Sling and Netflix. Sling didn't have all the channels we wanted, but, for the price...and considering there was ONE show we wanted on the channel they didn't provide (and was available with separate purchase...). We eventually dropped Netflix and substituted for Hulu...and I'm one of the 10 million who signed up for Disney+, which includes Hulu and ESPN.

[marlakay]

40. We cut cord many years ago

Have antenna for free Abc, Cbs, Nbc, Pbs, and a few strange channels.

Then we pay for Netflix, Hulu. Hbo and Prime.

I recently signed up for free 2 weeks of youtube tv because I wanted to watch my team Seahawks play 49ers.

I like it but with all the streaming can’t afford it.

I forgot just got new iPhone and it gave me free year of apples new plus tv. All i watched on that is new show with Jennifer.

We have Sirius for our car so I can listen on ipad and phone so I listen normally to msnbc and cnn on that.

What really bugs me is in my town we only have one choice for internet Charter and after first year it went up and I pay $75 a month just for Wifi and its not even all that great.

[JCMach1]

41. Ditching the live part of Hulu for Disney+ Bundle with

Normal Hulu and ESPN+... Added Locast to stream local channels in DFW and use Mobdro for MSNBC... Have Amazon... I keep Netflix only PT these days