Getting Rid of Cable

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:46 pm

That might actually be the fatal flaw. I don't watch televised sports and neither does he, so YouTube (Amazon Prime, Neflix, Hulu) meets our needs without an issue. I honestly don't know how sport addicts cut the cable. Maybe they rely on OTA signals and an antenna to watch local games only? Sorry, not much help.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:50 pm

I don't want any sports.

I will need the networks (which I might be able get for free with an antenna, although the Blue Hills between us and Boston might make that questionable) plus TCM, BBC America, AMC, Comedy Central, and one or two others that I'd have to look up. We already pay for Amazon Prime, so I guess we'll have immediate access to their huge library. I might change Netflix from DVDs to streaming, although as I understand it their streaming library is extremely limited and shrinking all the time (we primarily rent old movies and tv shows), so maybe I'll stick with DVDs. Depending on how much I have to spend to cover those basics, I might add some luxuries like HBO and CBS No Access.

If I buy an internet-ready TV, do I need any hardware other than an antenna to make all of that happen? That is, does the TV act as a master tuner that can connect to whatever providers I have accounts with?

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:56 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:50 pm If I buy an internet-ready TV, do I need any hardware other than an antenna to make all of that happen? That is, does the TV act as a master tuner that can connect to whatever providers I have accounts with?

I think you need to read up on the TV, but generally you should have an input that looks for antenna signal. Mine does it through Coax so I had to have an OTA antenna that feeds Coax. I picked up a cheap solution that is ... OK.. but requires nothing but a my coax connnection and it like a window facing the broadcast direction.

I think I bought a $15 model just to test things out without a real commitment.

https://www.amazon.com/tv-antennas/b?ie ... e=10966881

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 3:05 pm

My wife was the sports girl but then only Lady Vols basketball. Each season she'd get the Sports South package that covered most of the games that were on tv for that season then drop it after they were done.

Side note: Our tv sometimes stays as a black screen when I turn it on. I can hear it but no graphics at all. Usually a couple on offs solves it. So may be forced to get rid of cable tv yet again if I have no tv to watch tv on.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 3:13 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 3:05 pm So may be forced to get rid of cable tv yet again if I have no tv to watch tv on.

an extra $15-20/month wouldn't hurt.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:27 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:50 pm I might change Netflix from DVDs to streaming, although as I understand it their streaming library is extremely limited and shrinking all the time (we primarily rent old movies and tv shows), so maybe

I don't believe that their streaming library is "extremely limited and shrinking all the time". True, they have been shifting more to original content over the last decade, but they still have thousands of movies and tv shows available. I have to wonder who's telling you that...was it a hulu or youtube rep?

If I buy an internet-ready TV, do I need any hardware other than an antenna to make all of that happen? That is, does the TV act as a master tuner that can connect to whatever providers I have accounts with?

Almost any tv you buy these days will be internet ready. Just plug in an Ethernet cable or connect via Wi-Fi. What you want to check is if it's a "smart tv". And again, most these days are. By smart, that means they come equipped with an operating system that allows them to add/access streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc.. Or you could just buy a 40 dollar Roku stick or Amazon Fire stick which both have robust app support and never have to worry about it.

After that, you just add the apps, subscribe to what you want, and off you go.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:44 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:27 pm
Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:50 pm I might change Netflix from DVDs to streaming, although as I understand it their streaming library is extremely limited and shrinking all the time (we primarily rent old movies and tv shows), so maybe
I could see the opposite being true, but I definitely don't believe that their streaming library is "extremely limited and shrinking all the time". I have to wonder who's telling you that...was it a hulu or youtube rep?

If I buy an internet-ready TV, do I need any hardware other than an antenna to make all of that happen? That is, does the TV act as a master tuner that can connect to whatever providers I have accounts with?
Almost any tv you buy these days will be internet ready. What you want to check is if it's a "smart tv". And again, most these days are. By smart, that means they come equipped with an operating system that allows them to add/access streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc.. Or you could just buy a 40 dollar Roku stick or Amazon Fire stick which both have robust app support and never have to worry about it.

After that, you just add the apps, subscribe to what you want, and off you go.

Thanks, I thought it was supposed to be that easy with new TVs. I want to keep things as simple as possible and sign up for as few services as possible. For example, I see that the cheapest way to get TCM is to buy "Sling" for $25/mo (vs Hulu for $45).

Regarding Netflix, I was under the impression that they lean more and more toward original content and recent movies, and are constantly losing rights to older content as competitors take it away. Untrue? The netflix interface doesn't show me which titles in my queue are available via streaming, so I really have no idea how much of what's on my list would go poof if I switched. The internet says "Netflix streaming reportedly has fewer than 6,000 film and TV titles, while DVD Netflix has about 100,000."

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:04 pm

morlac wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:22 pm

Just played with my youtube TV at my sister's house last weekend and came away very impressed. I am going to look real hard at it when my year contract expires. Combining that with disney +, netflix and prime should cover just about everything but maybe local sports? Or does your tube TV use local affiliates for major networks? I mean there is always the Bar for watching Braves, Falcons, etc

YouTube does have the local networks.

dfs · Post by **dfs** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:29 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:44 pmRegarding Netflix, I was under the impression that they lean more and more toward original content and recent movies, and are constantly losing rights to older content as competitors take it away. Untrue?

I think you're generally correct about this. Once folks realized what a goldmine old content could be they started pulling stuff off of Netflix. Netflix has responded by creating quality content that they own.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:57 pm

They may be letting licensing expire on some older stuff, but they're constantly adding stuff. A lot of original stuff, as well as "Netflix" branded films which are usually foreign films they show here in the U.S. (which is often the hidden gems that make Netflix worth it for me). They also have a huge TV library (something I guess they've been growing more than movies over the last few years). I just don't agree that their catalog is rapidly shrinking and/or extremely limited. If you have Netflix streaming, you have a LOT of content to view.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 7:07 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:46 pm I honestly don't know how sport addicts cut the cable.

It's not unpossible, but you might have to do backflips.

Sling carries Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and NFL Network. It does not carry CBS, ABC, or ESPN.

Fire Apps don't generally have live programming (although sometimes Amazon does host live streams). CBS wants to charge you even if you're already paying for local channels from your provider to use their apps. Some of the networks will stream to phone apps but not the Fire app. Phone apps don't all support Chromecast; life would be simpler if the Xfinity app did. When sports are on CBS or WGN, I need to Chromecast from the computer, which introduces latency and is not a smooth experience. Recently, ESPN has become available in more expensive streaming packages. Since I don't watch amateur sports, it seems the only thing I'm missing is MNF when the Bears aren't playing. Like this coming Monday, when one team is likely to give up their perfect record.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 7:08 pm

Our cable wont. They do have a $20 hard up deal but its really only for children who get free lunches. Strikes me as something the gov forces them to have but they make it so no one can get it..not even me.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 7:37 pm

hepcat wrote:247 bucks a month?

A significant chunk of that was paying for equipment rentals...first box with DVR is $12, and $10 each for three other boxes in the house. Then you add in the $10 fee that Xfinity charges for HD service (a carry-over from ten years ago when you actually had a choice), a $9 regional sports fee, $10 local broadcast channel fee, $15 for HBO, and $65 for the actual channel package. Finally, throw in taxes and other fees, and it was roughly $165 just for tv. The rest was $85/month for 150Mbps internet.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 8:10 pm

morlac wrote:Just played with my youtube TV at my sister's house last weekend and came away very impressed. I am going to look real hard at it when my year contract expires. Combining that with disney +, netflix and prime should cover just about everything but maybe local sports? Or does your tube TV use local affiliates for major networks? I mean there is always the Bar for watching Braves, Falcons, etc

YouTube TV gives you the local affiliates for broadcast TV (including PBS), and I actually have more sports channels now than with Xfinity. The amounts of sports content is really pretty ridiculous. I live in CT and all of these are included...

ESPN
ESPN2
ESPNU
ESPNNews
CBS Sports
FS1
FS2
MLB Network
NBA TV
NBCSN
NBC Sports - Boston
Golf Channel
Tennis Channel
Olympic Channel
NESN
NESN Plus
SNY
YES
ACC Network
SEC Network
BTN (Big Ten)

I think it's really one of the biggest advantages to YouTube TV because so many other services charges extra for at least a few of the those channels.
The fact that this Indiana native (and IU alumni) living in CT can get BTN and actually watch my alma mater play is crazy. Comcast wanted to charge me another $10/month for a sports package, when my base service was already higher than YouTube TV.

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 10:29 pm

Jeff V wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 7:07 pm It's not unpossible, but you might have to do backflips.

Sling carries Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and NFL Network. It does not carry CBS, ABC, or ESPN.

Backflips not required. Sling DOES carry ESPN on the Orange (or Orange and Blue) package. The live streaming services pretty much all (minus fubo TV) carry the major sporting cable networks. They are all getting better and better at carrying locals too. Before subbing to any one live streaming service you should do your homework and make sure the locals you want/need are carried in your market by that provider. This is usually easy to find out - and if not just google how to find out.

Of PS Vue, Sling, Hulu Live, AT&T Now (used to be DirecTV Now) and YouTubeTV - I have tried all but Hulu live. All of them work well. My least favorite was DirecTV Now (when it was called that) mainly due to excessive buffering and the 2 stream limit. PS Vue was very good but more expensive for what I wanted at the time and the Roku app sucked until the last month or two I had it. Sling was perfectly fine except the lack of locals. YouTubeTV was and is by far my favorite. I will say however, this Fall I have dealt with far more buffering from YTTV than last year. I honestly only get this for CFB these days and I will probably drop it after the Super Bowl (yes, I know that's not CFB). The beauty of all of these services is you can try them for free or at a discount and figure out which one you like the most - and you only pay for a month at a time.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 11:08 pm

I have Sling Blue. I'm not going to increase my monthly bill just for ESPN (I've been surviving without MNF since cutting the cord 5 years ago). ESPN tends to be part of the more expensive streaming packages, which is fine I guess if you have a substantial interest in their programming.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu Sep 26, 2019 10:39 am

I haven't cut the cable, but I did rework my cable package so the monthly bill was reduced from $110/month to $45/month without sacrificing any channels that I actually watch on a regular basis, and even added a couple that I wanted but didn't have with the old package.

In addition to cable, I also have the following streaming services:

Crave+HBO+Starz
Netflix
Amazon Prime
Britbox
Rogers Anywhere TV (which lets me stream all the live channels in my cable package, as well as some on-demand content)

At the same time, I switched from a landline phone ($60/month) to a mobile data plan ($75/month) and bought a shiny new Pixel 3a, so all-in-all I've reduced my monthly phone/cable/internet bill by about $50/month.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Sep 26, 2019 11:27 am

I cut the cable years ago and my current streaming services are:

Hulu (without ads...may switch to the Disney bundle though when it's offered) - for most of the tv shows and a growing number of movies I can't find elsewhere)

Netflix - Original movies and shows, a lot of tv shows, anime, and a great selection of foreign movies and tv I would never have found on my own.

Shudder - Horror and Joe Bob Briggs 50 bucks a year

DC Universe - Got it for the comic library, but have been impressed with the video offerings so far.

Amazon Prime - mostly for shipping, but they've been going gangbusters on the original content for a while now.

Vudu - I digitized most of my blu rays and dvds years ago using this service. Plus I buy movies on the cheap that I like when they go on sale (they have a LOT of sales). With the MoviesAnywhere initiative, I'm not too worried anymore about putting all my eggs in one basket.

Plex - For news, music, podcasts, and other stuff I digitized that I couldn't find on Vudu/other streaming services.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Thu Sep 26, 2019 3:21 pm

i have:

OTA TV: free
Hoopla: free with public library card
Kanopy: free with public library card
DVDs: free with public library card

Jaymon · Post by **Jaymon** » Thu Sep 26, 2019 3:24 pm

We got a roku, which i like a lot. but then our next TV has roku built in, and that is flipping amazing. One remote, only a few buttons, and it can be controlled by roku app on my phone if I want. Amazing!

Paid subscriptions
Youtube.tv
hulu - no adds
netflix
**preordered disney+

non-paid channels that I like
Pluto TV -classic doctor who, and a lot of stuff playing 24x7
Aquascape. its basically a fishtank screensaver for roku, but I really like it.
CW they play recent episodes for free. Hot diggity.

I tried hulu live tv, but the instant i tried to watch football, it blacked out. youtube TV had no such troubles, once I switched, i never looked back. i like the youtube tv interface on how it merges on-demand and recorded shows.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:35 am

anyone know where I can get 1 month trial for YoutubeTV? I used to get pop ups as of yesterday. We have decided to switch from directv to this, and was hoping to get this set up this weekend.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:35 am

I am going to be asking some dumb questions as the 21st century drags me into it.

If I have a smart TV that can slurp up whatever streaming services I subscribe to, and an antenna to pull in the local broadcast stations, do I need a DVR to time-shift the networks? I get that with streaming channels, all their content is on-demand. But if I want to follow some particular network TV show, do I magically have a way to access that network's whole catalog whenever I want it, or do I still need to capture shows as they're aired, as I do now?

If I do need a DVR to collect that content, what hardware do I need to supplement my smart TV + antenna? Is that a Roku, or is there something like a thumb drive that functions as a DVR? Or is this going to depend on what TV I buy? Do TVs have DVRs built in? Just how smart are they, anyway? How can I avoid getting one that's smarter than me?

Help. I want to buy everything I need at once, make it all work together out of two or three boxes, and not have to think about it again for 10 years.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 1:50 am

naednek wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:35 am anyone know where I can get 1 month trial for YoutubeTV? I used to get pop ups as of yesterday. We have decided to switch from directv to this, and was hoping to get this set up this weekend.

Go straight to tv.youtube.com and you should see a "start trial" button.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 1:54 am

Most networks will have about the previous month available on streaming for the majority of their shows. Each one will have at least one app for installation on the tv.

The lifespan of the DVR industry is probably measured in under a decade.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 1:57 am

Kraken wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:35 am I am going to be asking some dumb questions as the 21st century drags me into it.

If I have a smart TV that can slurp up whatever streaming services I subscribe to, and an antenna to pull in the local broadcast stations, do I need a DVR to time-shift the networks? I get that with streaming channels, all their content is on-demand. But if I want to follow some particular network TV show, do I magically have a way to access that network's whole catalog whenever I want it, or do I still need to capture shows as they're aired, as I do now?

If I do need a DVR to collect that content, what hardware do I need to supplement my smart TV + antenna? Is that a Roku, or is there something like a thumb drive that functions as a DVR? Or is this going to depend on what TV I buy? Do TVs have DVRs built in? Just how smart are they, anyway? How can I avoid getting one that's smarter than me?

Help. I want to buy everything I need at once, make it all work together out of two or three boxes, and not have to think about it again for 10 years.

it depends on whether the network puts their played content online or not. Most of them only leave the last X episodes (usually 3-4) online.

It's probably easier to get your own multi-tuner DVR. If you want to buy the device, Tablo, HomeRunHD, etc. If you don't mind renting, TiVo BOLT is like $7 a month. or you can get a TV tuner card for your PC and run an app on the PC like Plex (now with DVR) and such (which also lets you cast your PC's media library to the TV) NOTE: Plex DVR requires Plex Pass ($120 lifetime, or $5 a month)

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:48 am

Walk before you run. Before buying DVR stuff, try YTTV. It will likely provide your locals and have the usual limited DVR features the live streaming services all have. Don't rush out and buy things like an HD Home Run,etc until you know you need/want it.

When you cut traditional Pay TV - you shouldn't expect 100% the same experience with streaming. You are getting most of the same content for less money. Figure out what you can live without before trying to chase complete 100% parity with what you are giving up. (You won't ever get there in any event.)

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:12 am

Kasey Chang wrote:
naednek wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:35 am anyone know where I can get 1 month trial for YoutubeTV? I used to get pop ups as of yesterday. We have decided to switch from directv to this, and was hoping to get this set up this weekend.
Go straight to tv.youtube.com and you should see a "start trial" button.

The standard trial for YouTube TV is only 5 days...don't think there's any way to get more than that.

GungHo · Post by **GungHo** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 10:22 am

We cut the cord this week. Went with Hulu Plus(and all the add on: unlimited screens, cloud DVR, no commercials, etc). We already had prime and Netflix but added the Noggin channel to Prime bc Hulu doesn't include Nick Jr and the 2yo *needs* his Blaze and the Monster Machines. And we switched our cellular from AT&T to T-MOBILE and they include a Netflix subscription. So between both switches we're saving about $100/month and getting mostly everything we had before. We did ditch all the 'premium pay channels' except for HBO so that definitely helps as well. I even get the Longhorn Network thru the espn app with the Hulu subscription.
There's obviously a learning curve to knowing where /how to watch something and it's not streamlined like our DirecTV was. But it's nice knowing the TV won't go out every time it rains.

And the truth was we didn't watch 95% of the channels we had.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 10:52 am

Kasey Chang wrote:
naednek wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:35 am anyone know where I can get 1 month trial for YoutubeTV? I used to get pop ups as of yesterday. We have decided to switch from directv to this, and was hoping to get this set up this weekend.
Go straight to tv.youtube.com and you should see a "start trial" button.

I did. It's a 5 day trial now. Used to be 30 days but yesterday it changed

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 11:31 am

JCC wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:48 am Walk before you run. Before buying DVR stuff, try YTTV. It will likely provide your locals and have the usual limited DVR features the live streaming services all have. Don't rush out and buy things like an HD Home Run,etc until you know you need/want it.

When you cut traditional Pay TV - you shouldn't expect 100% the same experience with streaming. You are getting most of the same content for less money. Figure out what you can live without before trying to chase complete 100% parity with what you are giving up. (You won't ever get there in any event.)

I do want to keep it as simple as possible. IDK what those "usual limited DVR features" might be. I'm guessing they let you cache a limited number of episodes in the cloud?

I'm mostly concerned with accessing old movies from TCM, but I also want to be able to keep up with AMC shows like The Terror, TWD, Preacher, etc; and Dr Who from BBC America; and Archer from Comedy Central (I think); and, um, whatever SyFy has (does SyFy even still exist?)...without having to actually "keep up" with them as they're aired. I am accustomed to letting my DVR worry about what is airing when and where, and just watching them 1-2 months after they record.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 11:47 am

naednek wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 10:52 am
Kasey Chang wrote:
naednek wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:35 am anyone know where I can get 1 month trial for YoutubeTV? I used to get pop ups as of yesterday. We have decided to switch from directv to this, and was hoping to get this set up this weekend.
Go straight to tv.youtube.com and you should see a "start trial" button.
I did. It's a 5 day trial now. Used to be 30 days but yesterday it changed

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

It was a temporary CFB promotion. Not sure if there's a way to get it now.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 11:55 am

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 11:47 am
naednek wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 10:52 am
Kasey Chang wrote:
naednek wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:35 am anyone know where I can get 1 month trial for YoutubeTV? I used to get pop ups as of yesterday. We have decided to switch from directv to this, and was hoping to get this set up this weekend.
Go straight to tv.youtube.com and you should see a "start trial" button.
I did. It's a 5 day trial now. Used to be 30 days but yesterday it changed

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
It was a temporary CFB promotion. Not sure if there's a way to get it now.

wish i knew that. I didn't see an expiration and just thought it was a normal thing. Was waiting for the wife to buy in on the idea, and of course takes too long to decide.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:09 pm

Yeah, news says it was 2 week trial up to August 15.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:21 pm

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:09 pm Yeah, news says it was 2 week trial up to August 15.

sorry Kasey, bit I kept receiving offers for a month. There was also a 2 week trial and a 3 week trial in August and early September.

I never paid attention because I thought my Directv bill was going be $45 until March next year but I misunderstood and my bill more than doubled after my contract ended. So all the times I saw the month free trial I just closed out not needing it as Directv was going to supposedly cheaper.

We were hoping to try the month free trial and set up our recordings for the new fall season and catch up on the shows we had recorded on the directv dvr, then cancel and wouldn't miss any of the new recordings as it would have been on YTTV. So now we're just going to have to bite the bullet and hope that the wife likes the interface and the offerings.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:32 pm

Football Sunday, and Sling no longer carries Fox.

i guess I'll have to switch to You Tube TV after all.

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Mon Sep 30, 2019 5:06 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 11:31 am I do want to keep it as simple as possible. IDK what those "usual limited DVR features" might be. I'm guessing they let you cache a limited number of episodes in the cloud?

My (limited) experience with live streaming services' DVR functionality is that they are much more like watching On Demand shows on cable. Often I haven't been able to skip ads and the "recordings" don't last long. After just looking at some info on YTTV's DVR funtionality it looks like your recordings (ie tagged shows) should last 9 months. Once you add a show to your "Library" YTTV saves ALL episodes for 9 months. My experience has generally been that I can't skip ads (though there are usually less than on a live broadcast). From the video on YTTV's web site, you would infer that not skipping the ads is the exception and not the rule. However, for me I have never "DVRed" a show on YTTV and been able to skip ads. Keep in mind, I hardly ever use the DVR feature. I generally only pay for YTTV for live sports (or sport - college football).

I can tell you that earlier this year I "DVRed" the new season of Luther on BBC America - and I absolutely could not skip ads.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Mon Sep 30, 2019 5:53 pm

Ok for youtube tv...

Some shows (not live) have commercials you can't skip. In my googling it seems to happen to live tv and VOD. During the inital tutorial a pop states you can change the source and it shows some sort of Carrot (v) that you can pull down, but I don't see that anywhere on various show pages. I'm not sure if I'm making any sense.

The wife went to go watch season 1 of Will and Grace and couldn't skip. I told her it's because it's VOD, But when I try to watch it (I need a shower) I don't even see commercials.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Oct 12, 2019 12:10 am

After watching this video I better understand that Hulu TV and Youtube TV are my main cable replacement choices. Which one do you have (or do you have both)?

They both have the main thing I want: TCM + the ability to record movies. I'd say close to 50% of my TV viewing is old movies that I record off of TCM. Hulu's interface looks easier to use, whereas Youtube has unlimited DVR storage. But I think it comes down to which mix of channels appeals to me more. They each have some channels I like that the other doesn't have.

Let's say that I go with Youtube; that means I'm not going to get A&E or Cartoon Network (both on Hulu). Or I go with Hulu and give up AMC and BBC America. Is there a way to get those 2-3 channels without buying both packages? Cuz they're both expensive, and there's a lot of redundancy.

Also, this: I like Youtube's lineup better, but the review says "You can literally only watch live or DVR stuff" -- in other words, just like cable, which isn't a dealbreaker, I'm going to miss cable -- whereas "Most shows on Hulu are already available in the database (On Demand)" meaning one can just push a Play button and watch it. Anyone care to unpack that further?

Pretty sure I'm going to get one or the other, and it feels like a big decision. (And a 5-day trial isn't nearly long enough to make it when it's all shiny and new to you.)

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Sat Oct 12, 2019 1:01 am

Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Oct 12, 2019 12:10 am After watching this video I better understand that Hulu TV and Youtube TV are my main cable replacement choices. Which one do you have (or do you have both)?

They both have the main thing I want: TCM + the ability to record movies. I'd say close to 50% of my TV viewing is old movies that I record off of TCM. Hulu's interface looks easier to use, whereas Youtube has unlimited DVR storage. But I think it comes down to which mix of channels appeals to me more. They each have some channels I like that the other doesn't have.

Let's say that I go with Youtube; that means I'm not going to get A&E or Cartoon Network (both on Hulu). Or I go with Hulu and give up AMC and BBC America. Is there a way to get those 2-3 channels without buying both packages? Cuz they're both expensive, and there's a lot of redundancy.

Also, this: I like Youtube's lineup better, but the review says "You can literally only watch live or DVR stuff" -- in other words, just like cable, which isn't a dealbreaker, I'm going to miss cable -- whereas "Most shows on Hulu are already available in the database (On Demand)" meaning one can just push a Play button and watch it. Anyone care to unpack that further?

Pretty sure I'm going to get one or the other, and it feels like a big decision. (And a 5-day trial isn't nearly long enough to make it when it's all shiny and new to you.)

I have a two trial if you are interested.

The only thing I don't like about Youtubetv and maybe it's me... I can't figure out how to delete a show on the DVR or tell it to only record one episode.

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Sat Oct 12, 2019 8:34 am

Kraken, at this point I would say you are overthinking this. You aren't making a monumental long term decision. That's what you do when you sign up for cable or sattelite. Just pick one and try it. At worst you pay for one month and then you can switch to something else.

You also need to stop worrying about specific channels. My experience is many channels you "can't live without" you don't end up missing. There's probably not an easy way to subscribe to one or two specific channels you want - but if you have patience, there may well be a way to get to the content you want on that channel in the future.

In the long run you will enjoy how much less you are paying for TV which will greatly outweigh the pain of missing the one or two must have shows on the network you were sure you couldn't live without.