Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

[Slip Away]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

Glad you are paying attention

The point is, once you get everything you need to stream a variety of services, plus the equipment (Roku, BlueRay Player or Smart TV,internet connection etc) you are just slightly
less than what cable/satellite costs. If the old movies and TV shows keep you entertained without any current programming, that is fine. Would not work for me. We can handle cable, and get much of the streaming(free) capabilities as an addition to our cable services. Different Strokes......

 

[jkust]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

Well, I am crazy conservative with tv services. I've just been patently against paying for cable and at 40 years old, have never paid for any cable or satellite. Running the numbers, I've saved a lot of money...a shocking amount. Here's the thing...to get cable internet, you have to buy the local only cable package....which is fine because I can't get a decent OTA signal. Now just a month ago they required a cable box to get even non hd tv locals where as I was receiving hd locals plus they raised the price. We have basically been blocked from this low price option we've had for years plus our tv service has been downgraded to 480 which looks bad on large tv's. Our content then has been Netflix for a number of years...just the streaming version.

Our thing now however is that at our lake home there is no OTA tv signal we can get. The house is wired for satellite in several rooms plus the satellite is on the roof. It works since I've powered up the satellite boxes hoping the would somehow work and of course they won't show content as they are expired. Apparently folks up there all have satellite at the house and they just bring the satellite box to their cabins on the weekend. I tried running Netflix on my tv up there streaming from my Ipad and Iphone but it just burns through my data. One 2 hour movie uses almost my entire Ipad data package so that isn't practical but we want to be able to watch tv up there. Even if OTA worked up there, there is only one channel. Regardless, the tv shows on network tv at home are just fine and Netflix is a good complement.

 

[atx111]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

Totally agree that there is no one size fits all solution for everybody. Even with the upfront costs of equipment and the monthly fees of the streaming services, we'd still be saving well over a grand a year. I guess we just don't feel like we've received any true benefit to shelling out that money other than making a dent in the couch complaining there's nothing on tv.

 

[Grandad]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

I guess we just don't feel like we've received any true benefit to shelling out that money other than making a dent in the couch complaining there's nothing on tv.

That's pretty much our sentiment. I think the TV industry is definitely on its way out if there isn't an improvement in content. We don't watch sports and we can get our news streamed, so if all the remaining programs are cheaply made "reality", dance-athon and infomercial shows, why bother buying any of it? - Grandad

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

Not gonna say I never have, but I can say I never will again. Had a VERY close call with Warner Brothers....

 

[eavega]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

Funny no one has even mentioned piratebay. :lol:

Come on, don't act like you have no clue what I am talking about...

Quite honestly, with the reasonable cost of online subscription services plus the availability of mainstream content on mainstream, legal sites, piratebay is not worth the possible consequences. With content owners clinging desperately to a business model that doesn't work anymore, you can be sure that if you are tracked down downloading content illegally from the web, they are going to come down on you like the Old Testament.

Additionally, if we steal the content, then the folks that produce it won't make money. If they don't make money, they will stop producing it. It is a self-correcting problem with bad consequences for all.

That having been said, $150 a month for the 4 or 5 shows I watch each week is abuse in the other direction. I do hope we can go to a pay-as-you-go system soon. I'll trade watching your commercials for content. I'll also pay $5 or $10 a season for a show I watch. Just don't ask me to pay $100+ to also receive 80 other channels with content that I have no interest in watching. I'd rather spend that money on my boat!

Rgds

-E

 

[jkust]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

I'd love to see an al la carte type cable package. The head of one of the cable companies recently said that will never happen. Problem with Netflix as our only content is there's a lot of b grade movies and series but our big issue is there's very, very little movie selection that isn't rated R that I care to watch with the family so a family movie night is a lot of searching for anything pg-13 that is even remotely something anyone wants to watch. I don't know how many more Alaska subsistence living series I can endure. As for a pirate bay type of situation...I've got way too much to lose to care steal anybody's content plus you have to draw the ethical line.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

I'd love to see an al la carte type cable package. The head of one of the cable companies recently said that will never happen...

Reasonable chance that he won't be the head of that cable company for too much longer

On demand content is going to be the name of the game going forward. It may take time, but that's where it's gonna' go. Subscription / pay-per-view / ad supported are all going to be options and the cable companies are going to eventually have to learn to compete in that kind of market.

The indie movie market is probably on the verge of a bit of an explosion in the next several years too.

 

[Grandad]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

Here's an interesting article on where things may be headed in regard to unbundling cable programs. - Grandad
Cable TV Companies Forced to Unbundle in Canada - Businessweek

 

[atx111]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

I kinda skimmed though that article. It says if the same thing happened in the US, only 20 or so channels would survive. Well, as far as I'm concerned, those 20 are probably the only ones worth watching and the rest are total junk. That's why it would be hard to get done here, the channels that are more watched basically subsidize the ones that aren't. I'd be all for a la carte programming if it were and option.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

So what do you guys do for sports like ESPN and other sports channels that are only local which you can only get on Cable or satellite?

 

[jkust]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

So what do you guys do for sports like ESPN and other sports channels that are only local which you can only get on Cable or satellite?

Good question. The only sports me and my family watch is the Sunday Vikings game. I tried in earnest to figure out how to watch it up at the lake this season where we have no tv content situation figured out yet. I want to stream it from one of my devices to the tv. The NFL really has it locked down and there was no way to see it for free and I think one and soon to be two ways to even be able to pay for a live stream. The Vikings game for example is just a local broadcast and still can't get it. Even if you get a work around situation there is just so much that you just are going to have to miss with the slowness of the content owners to adapt to customers wants.

 

[eavega]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

So what do you guys do for sports like ESPN and other sports channels that are only local which you can only get on Cable or satellite?

This is really the only Achilles Heel of cutting the cord. If you are a sports enthusiast, there is no viable option for viewing live sports via internet stream. The professional and collegiate franchises have this so locked up that there is no content provider for this. As far as I have heard, this is the most valid argument for NOT cutting the cable.

Right you do have the option via NFL network and MLB.com to receive streaming content on a subscription basis. I don't know if that includes full game broadcasts or if its just highlights and updates.

I'm sure as the business model changes, live sports will also get dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

I really would love to give up the Dish but a lot of College sports is on ESPN. TV keeps the wife occupied and not focused on the honey do and the honey faults list. I really don't like movies. Too much violence and drama. I like science shows, the Weather Channel and some others. Probably 800 channels I never watch but still pay for and that really ticks me off too. Too many commercials. We really like college football on ESPN. Yea all these small bills add up to big bills$ Did I really need a Smart Phone? LOL

 

[jkust]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

End of the day, if there was no such thing as Netflix, we wouldn't have any non-local content. Just imagine that you have literally never had cable and have never seen any of the shows other than snippet here and there. For us, and I bet not for many people, our expectations are really low having not ever had cable/satellite. I think that is the big struggle with cutting the cord. I did the math a couple years back and figured I have additional $25k in the bank just from not paying for cable. Of course you could make that argument with a person who doesn't have a boat versus someone that does so it is a bit silly but still probably paid for my boat and years of related expenses.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

This is really the only Achilles Heel of cutting the cord..

I would love to cut the cord but I don't see it happening. When you turn my TV on, it usually is on ESPN already!

Cutting the cord would mean no Monday Night Football.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

I would love to cut the cord but I don't see it happening. When you turn my TV on, it usually is on ESPN already!

Cutting the cord would mean no Monday Night Football.

Yea and if you think about a cheaper channel package deal -no more ESPN. They get you coming and going

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

It really boils down to the cost of entertainment. Lets say your TV is being watched for 3 hours a day. Thats just over 90 hours a month. If your cable/sat bill is $120.00 a month thats just over a $1.30 an hour. Not sure what other form of entertainment can be had for that cost.

 

[jkust]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

It really boils down to the cost of entertainment. Lets say your TV is being watched for 3 hours a day. Thats just over 90 hours a month. If your cable/sat bill is $120.00 a month thats just over a $1.30 an hour. Not sure what other form of entertainment can be had for that cost.

It boils down to what is important to you I suppose. We don't put a lot of emphasis on TV, if for no other reason we just aren't around enough to justify it at home. I've got an 80 something year old relative and watches tv a lot in the winter with the full monty of packages and at that age who cares.

On the flip side, it is a similar lesson to the old compounding interest lesson we learned way back when I suppose. That much every month for in my case 2 decades since I bought my first house is a lot of money to have saved from just not paying for content. The mere idea that such a thing as streaming content came along was like a godsend for those times when I actually want to watch something.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Getting Ready to Cut the Cord

Good question. The only sports me and my family watch is the Sunday Vikings game. I tried in earnest to figure out how to watch it up at the lake this season where we have no tv content situation figured out yet. I want to stream it from one of my devices to the tv. The NFL really has it locked down and there was no way to see it for free and I think one and soon to be two ways to even be able to pay for a live stream. The Vikings game for example is just a local broadcast and still can't get it. Even if you get a work around situation there is just so much that you just are going to have to miss with the slowness of the content owners to adapt to customers wants.

Our cabin in WI doesn't have TV at all by choice. In the fall, my boys and I escape to the cabin and on Sunday Mornings, we hang out at the local bar/restaurant where they have all the games on AND a free taco bar. In my view, that is a win-win..