Cutting the cord on cable - need recommendation

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by BizCat

I’m thinking about going back to cable. As much as I hate saying that. Too many streaming options and subscriptions to the point you’re not really saving anything.

The issue with streaming services is that the amount of content to watch is limited. And no sports. The funny thing is that I'm really not a sports fanatic, but it's nice to catch a baseball game every now and then. And watching the Olympics is a big plus as well. Can't do that with Netflix. I don't know how cord-cutters are dealing with the lack the sports.

And like I said, YouTube TV has unlimited DVR. So you can look through the tv guide and add anything that peaks your interest into your library and it will all get recorded. And you can watch any time later and fast forward through commercials. It's pretty amazing!

[Lee A Stewart]

I would do some research into free streaming services, specifically ROKU (does need a ROKU Device: $30) and Pluto TV.

[MrHT]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

I would do some research into free streaming services, specifically ROKU (does need a ROKU Device: $30) and Pluto TV.

Roku sucks. My Roku Premiere lasted me only 8 months before experiencing overheating issues. For $30, you get what you pay for!

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Roku sucks. My Roku Premiere lasted me only 8 months before experiencing overheating issues. For $30, you get what you pay for!

Mines been going for 2 years now with zero issues. I guess it's the luck of the draw.

[Eye Candy]

Originally Posted by MrHT

Roku sucks. My Roku Premiere lasted me only 8 months before experiencing overheating issues. For $30, you get what you pay for!

I would never use a Roku 4K stick. Too many variables as to whether a stick might or might not overheat. I've never had an overheating problem with my Roku 4660.

[beefytwinkie]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

I would do some research into free streaming services, specifically ROKU (does need a ROKU Device: $30) and Pluto TV.

Pluto TV is my go-to when I'm bored and unsure what to watch. Favorite channel: The Asylum. I have watched Megashark vs Giant Octopus at least 10 times now. Other hits such as Mega Piranha and Megashark vs Crocosaurus also have been viewed multiple times.

Flicks of Fury channel is also good. When they aired the English dub of Way of the Dragon I was so stoked.

[Member-638096]

Originally Posted by beefytwinkie

Pluto TV is my go-to when I'm bored and unsure what to watch. Favorite channel: The Asylum. I have watched Megashark vs Giant Octopus at least 10 times now. Other hits such as Mega Piranha and Megashark vs Crocosaurus also have been viewed multiple times.

Flicks of Fury channel is also good. When they aired the English dub of Way of the Dragon I was so stoked.

indeed. it truly is a great free alternative to cable and it's awesome that Paramount didn't bastardize it. The dedicated channels utilizing some of their key IPs like Mission: Impossible, Andy Griffith, Star Trek, and Gunsmoke was a welcome relief to see them still realizing that these still have precedence even in a time where not many people under the age of forty watch these (sans Star Trek, perhaps). the movie channels also have some great blockbusters(i.e. T2, Apocalypse Now, Hondo, Once Upon a Time in America, etc.) that will definitely generate views as well.

[Lee A Stewart]

Tubi has a great selection of older movies. You can also try PLEX. Both are free.

[ctujackbauer]

Pluto TV also has the Bloomberg Channel for live business news and all of the other 24/7 live major network news channels (NBC News Now, CBSN).

Bloomberg is the poor man's version of CNBC. I've gotten used to it because it is tough to beat free.

I cancelled Sling TV a few months ago and am currently cable-less.

[Lee A Stewart]

I cancelled cable 10 years ago. $200 a month was no bargin. Just have internet service for $72/mo. We pay for Peacock ($10/mo), Disney+ ($9/mo) and HBO Max ($15/mo). Once a year we add Amazon Prime ($13/mo) for a couple of months. Binge on their content then cancel. We just don't buy enough "stuff" to keep it for the shipping deals. When HBO Max plays out I'll cancel it and add Paramount+ for $10/mo. Our SVODs are ad free.

So monthly cost = $106 not including the tax on the SVODs.

Then we have all the free stuff with ads:

YouTube
Tubi
Roku
Pluto TV
Filmrise
PLEX

[ctujackbauer]

Speaking of these streaming services: does anyone wait around to see what movies are leaving?

I usually catch a couple before they disappear from a service after looking at the 'what's coming and going on Netflix/HBO Max/Hulu'. Peculiarly, they show up on different services sometimes, I think the movie "Waiting" has disappeared from Netflix and went to Hulu, then back to Netflix again, and I've missed watching it every time.

[beefytwinkie]

Originally Posted by Skylath

indeed. it truly is a great free alternative to cable and it's awesome that Paramount didn't bastardize it. The dedicated channels utilizing some of their key IPs like Mission: Impossible, Andy Griffith, Star Trek, and Gunsmoke was a welcome relief to see them still realizing that these still have precedence even in a time where not many people under the age of forty watch these (sans Star Trek, perhaps). the movie channels also have some great blockbusters(i.e. T2, Apocalypse Now, Hondo, Once Upon a Time in America, etc.) that will definitely generate views as well.

100% agree. I love all those random channels. Let us not forget the Baywatch Channel! From time to time, as background noise, I put that channel on where they have a camera on a train and film the train travelling through the countryside in Norway. Such random stuff. Also, I really like the Adventure channel because that is like my free Travel Channel. They air Anthony Bourdain all the time.

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Tubi has a great selection of older movies. You can also try PLEX. Both are free.

Tubi is pretty good. I watched Draft Day on it and there was surprisingly very few commercial interruptions. I think I only saw like three commercial breaks and each break was only about a minute or two. Maybe Tubi was being generous to me.

Originally Posted by ctujackbauer

Pluto TV also has the Bloomberg Channel for live business news and all of the other 24/7 live major network news channels (NBC News Now, CBSN).

Bloomberg is the poor man's version of CNBC. I've gotten used to it because it is tough to beat free.

I cancelled Sling TV a few months ago and am currently cable-less.

The one thing I do not like about the news channels is they just repeat the same seven or eight minutes over and over with a small update here and there. I get it, though. It is not meant to be a live 24/7 news like you get on live TV. Still, seeing the same story on repeat over and over throughout the morning is bleh. I'll stick with the creature features on The Asylum LOL.

[ctujackbauer]

Originally Posted by beefytwinkie

The one thing I do not like about the news channels is they just repeat the same seven or eight minutes over and over with a small update here and there. I get it, though. It is not meant to be a live 24/7 news like you get on live TV. Still, seeing the same story on repeat over and over throughout the morning is bleh. I'll stick with the creature features on The Asylum LOL.

I think it depends on the time of day and day of the week? For the weekday afternoon and primetime on the east coast, CBSN will have fresh news plus scheduled programs like Red & Blue. But yea on the weekend it's mostly just boring repeats.

Bloomberg Channel is live from 5 am to 6 pm east coast time on weekdays, as an alternative. It's not exactly appointment television though.

[beefytwinkie]

Yes, I did notice the CBS New York channel is live for the 5pm-7pm news hours. I did not know that about the Bloomberg Channel and will check that out on the weekdays.

I'll probably re-subscribe to Sling for a little bit toward the end of the year and then cancel in January when Christmas is over.

[beefytwinkie]

And I have now just discovered Smithsonian Channel has a channel on Pluto TV under the Explore category called Smithsonian Channel Selects.

My channel needs are now complete and I cannot imagine ever needing to pay for live streaming television on a regular basis unless this channel goes away.

[MrHT]

Philo would be awesome if it weren't for the lack or sports and news. But it's got a pretty magnificent selection of entertainment channels, and only $25/mo.

But I need my news and sports, which I bet would drive the cost up dramatically. So I guess I can't have my cake and eat it too.