Cord Cutting

[21Kid]

We haven't had cable for nearly a year now and have tried a few different options. Mostly Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. Hulu's new commercial free option is appreciated. But, it's frustrating trying to catch up on shows I've missed when they only broadcast the newest shows. Or they only have some shows previous seasons, or only the newest 3 or 6 shows of others. Some shows within the same station are on a delayed release and some are immediate. I've thought about cancelling it because it is frustrating not knowing which shows will be available new vs later. Although our local signal isn't very good. NBC is spotty and I can't get CBS at all OTA.



I was wondering about SlingTV. Has anyone used it? I miss shows on AMC(TWD), HGTV, Food, Travel, (Cartoon & Disney for the kids). But, doesn't have local channels either. What does everyone else use?

[Cam]

We have Netflix and Hulu, but I rarely use them.

[thesameguy]

I think if you are trying to replicate an actual cable TV experience with online services you're going to be disappointed. There is no place to go to get all current and past TV content. If you're dumping cable, you kinda need to accept it's a different ballgame - you're trading a mountain of always-available content for some content that you may have to wait a year or two for - especially with TV shows.

[Random]

Mapper's been getting by with a combination of Hulu Plus and season passes on M*GO (built-in subscription tv/movie service on the Roku). The only things we're "missing" are sports. *shrug*

[21Kid]

TSG - yeah, that's why I'm trying to see what other people use. I don't want to completely replicate the whole cable lineup. Just trying to figure out what works best for other people. I suppose it's still a much better deal when I add it all up.

Netflix - $8 I almost could have gotten rid of, in favor of Amazon(free w/Prime), until they came out with Daredevil, JJ, House of Cards, etc...
Hulu - $12
Sling - $20
Total - $40

Random - never heard of M*go, looks like you have to buy/rent shows & movies? I don't understand why people would pay $40 for one show's season. Are there other options?
And I still don't understand why streaming rental options cost so much more than physical discs? That seems completely backwards. Do people really pay $5?

I'm getting what sports I can from the local OTA signal. I miss some anyway since I don't watch the local FB team.

[thesameguy]

There are probably too many permutations here for any one person's approach to have any value to you... what is it you are trying to accomplish?

To complete my thought: I pay for Netflix streaming and their 1 DVD option, which I think is like $15/mo. I have Amazon Prime, but I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've used it for video. Essentially, everything I watch comes from Netflix for $15/mo. I don't care about TV shows at all. If something is really great it will end up on Netflix eventually and I'll watch it then. Or maybe it won't, and that's time I haven't lost to the TV. Based on what you've said so far, it's pretty clear my approach isn't useful to you, hence my question about where you're trying to get to.

[21Kid]

Get ideas on what works for everyone else. To see if I can incorporate something into the current Netflix/Hulu lineup.

Just trying to see what else is out there that might be of interest. Or see what other people do that I could get hints from.
Sling sounds promising and would add a majority of the other stuff we use to get with cable.

[Random]

Random - never heard of M*go, looks like you have to buy/rent shows & movies? I don't understand why people would pay $40 for one show's season. Are there other options?

Yeah, it's buy the rights to watch. No expiration that I can see. It seems to work pretty well for either binge watching or watching a single show. Mapper uses it for "Elementary." If you're not time-sensitive, you can wait for teh DVDs to show up at the local library, I suppose.

There may be cheaper option, but CBS shows are a pain--they don't put them on Hulu (or didn't), so you're left trying to cast something from a tablet to the teev to watch them off CBS's website, or go through an intermediary like M*GO.

We're saving a shitload ($8/mo for Hulu, annual fee for AmazonPrime, and the occasional season pass at $30-40) compared to our old DirecTV bill ($120/mo), so I'm not too worried about it. The kids watch PBS (free via Roku), NASATV (ditto), and stream stuff via AmazonPrime. On the occasions that my f-i-l is over and NEEDS to watch "the game," we log into his SlingBox via the Roku.

[Jason]

I do Netflix and Hulu (commercial free), and any show not on either I torrent. If cable gave me an a la carte option, they'd have my money again, but I'm not paying $100+ for 500 channels, when I only want to watch 10.

/noshame

[thesameguy]

Nononononononnoono.... It's $10/channel, but if you buy ten you get 490 FREE.