Want to Quit Cable

[IBQTEE1]

OK, so now that the new year is upon us, I am looking at cutting cable but need some help. I have Comcast and can't have a Dish.

What is better?

Sling
Hulu
Amazon Prime
Firestick

I do watch some shows on NBC and ABC but mostly cable stations. This is where my being a girl comes in. I like shows on Bravo, A&E, IDTV, F/X.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[massphatness]

If you already have Amazon Prime, a Firestick is a good starting point even if you have a smart TV. And if you don't have a smart TV, it turns your dumb TV smarter.

Firestick, by itself, is not a service -- it's more of a portal to other services. For example, you can access Netflix, Hulu, etc through the Firestick as well as all Amazon Prime digital content.

In addition, you can download the apps for your favorite cable channels and access them through the Firestick. Your experience will vary by app -- some give you full access to their content on a delayed basis but require you to watch commercials to access it. Others limit the content or charge a monthly fee for full access.

We have a Firestick on our primary TV and use it access:

* Amazon Prime Digital Content -- both free programs covered by our Prime subscription as well as rentals thru Amazon that will play over the Firestick-enable TV

* Netflix (monthly fee applies)

* HBO GO (we're still with our cable provider & have HBO as part of the package, but HBO offers a monthly subscription option for cord cutters)

Because we're not yet cord-cutters ourselves, I don't really have any apps from the different cable channels.

I have no experience with Hulu, Sling, Roku, etc -- but if you already have Amazon Prime, pick up a Firestick and test drive it. Amazon has refurbished ones for $35- or new for $47-.

If you don't have an Amazon Prime account, please get one immediately. Jeff Bezos is divorcing and needs the cash.

[bvilchez]

We quit cable from Frontier Comm. about 2 years ago and have been loving it ever since. We have the usual suspects such as Netflix and Amazon Prime which Vin mentioned above.

For actual live TV service we went with DIRECTV NOW. It's an application that serves just like cable but without the contract. Once or twice a year they run a promotion that gives you an free Apple TV 4 as long as you pre-pay for 3 months of service. We pay $40 a month for 125 channels which also includes the local news, ESPN, HBO, STARZ, and the a few others. We add the Spanish channels package (approximately 12 channels) for an additional $5 a month whenever my mother comes and stays with us a few weeks. They also allow you to add-on other packages if you like and can add the app to other devices. But again, you can cancel whenever you want.

[The Poet]

Do you have an antenna atop your home, or one of those indoor digital antennas? That will get you your few broadcast shows you watch, for free. Otherwise you can watch a ton of stuff on regular Hulu for 8 bucks a month, though you will need to wait a day or more after airdate, and also will have a lot of movies available too. I have zero experience with "live" TV streaming services, so am of no help there . . . as usual.

Oh, and great to hear from you again, Cutie. It's been a while. Don't be such a stranger.

[Ashcan Bill]

Like Vin said you either need a smart TV or something like a Firestick or Roku box to allow your TV to stream content over your WiFi connection.

As far as the various services, if you have Amazon Prime you automatically have Amazon's video. I tried Sling and didn't like the somewhat limited options. Then I tried DirectTV Now (with an HBO add on) and have been completely happy with it.

I also put an indoor antennae on a couple of our sets and can bring in local news and whatnot on them if I want.

The funny thing was both the streaming and over the air broadcasts give me a much better picture than I ever had with my old cable service.

[Wharf Rat]

Here’s a side by side comparison of the different offerings.

https://www.cnet.com/news/directv-no...nels-compared/

But, all this is location dependent. for example, YouTube TV isn’t available in my area. And, I can’t get all 3 traditional networks via digital antenna. So, you need to dig into your exact situation.

[14holestogie]

Originally Posted by Ashcan Bill

I also put an indoor antennae on a couple of our sets and can bring in local news and whatnot on them if I want.

The funny thing was both the streaming and over the air broadcasts give me a much better picture than I ever had with my old cable service.

I'm going on three years without cable. I bought a good antenna and mounted it in my garage attic and haven't missed the $200/month cable bill.
I subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime for about $30/month and have yet to run out of programming.

I do miss the Golf Channel and other sports channels, but not enough to pay another $100/month.

[jledou]

I am going on a year and a half now. We have an antenna in the attic to go along with a Tivo over the air dvr. The picture isn't always perfect but we still dvr enough to have shows to watch on a regular basis.

the tivo also takes care of netflix and amazon prime.

the one thing I miss is ESPN but as Tim said it is not enough to pay for cable or one of the other cable streamers such as DirectTV Now, PS Vue or YouTube TV etc.

[hotreds]

DirectTV Now is what I lean to, but that is because it carries the local Fox Sports Cincinnati with Reds Games. You do need good internet speed to cut the cord, and depending on your service provider your speeds can get slower than molasses in winter during prime time, or they throttle your speeds if they see you using a lot of bandwidth. Sometimes cable IS your best option, all things considered. That doesn't mean you shouldn't also have Netflix and/or Amazon Prime. I HATE commercials, so I mostly watch Netflix.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by 14holestogie

I'm going on three years without cable. I bought a good antenna and mounted it in my garage attic and haven't missed the $200/month cable bill.
I subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime for about $30/month and have yet to run out of programming.

I do miss the Golf Channel and other sports channels, but not enough to pay another $100/month.

I'm almost with Tim, do not do Hulu. I miss a few sporting things, but I get over it. I get about 20+ channels with the antenna and occasionally watch stuff on Netflix or Amazon Prime - my boys use our subscriptions to those more than we do.

It is all a attitude of choosing to live without certain things while saving money. I miss it less the longer I go without.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[Hippi3Slay3r]

I can't say enough good things about Hulu Plus and Hulu live TV its worth it to me just for Married with children and Modern Family. Love me some Ed O'Neill

[BeerAdvocate]

i have had Sling Tv for over a year now. $25 a month gets you ESPN, ESPN2, TNT,TBS,History,A&E....a bunch of great channels. Pair this with Netflix,Amazon Prime and or over the air antenna and you have plenty to watch. I dont miss cable at all1

[G G]

I had direct tv and dish network at various time, but got tired of paying a bunch of money when we only really watched less than 10 channels in the packages.

About 2010 I bought Roku Boxes and we did primarily Netflix, also had Hulu for a time, and Amazon.

About 2 years ago we bought fire sticks and now I have Directv Now since I have AT&T wireless and get a $15 a month discount on Directv Now. We also have an antenna for locals although most of our locals are included with directv now.

Don't question the legality of it too much, but I also run Kodi on the fire sticks and have Exodus add-on for it. Exodus has pretty much 99.2 % of ever movie or TV show EVER made and the cost is free.

[IBQTEE1]

Thank you everyone for your input. Now I have to figure out what to do. There is a lot of info to research but this helps out a ton.