“Cutting the cord”; not sure I really agree with this nomenclature. After all, in most cases, you’re not “really” cutting the cord (or need for a line to your house).
There are a number of ways that folks decide to “cut the cord” and those very words mean different things to different folks. Therefore, to be clear, in this article, I’m going to provide an overview of my experience with moving from a Cable TV service to online streaming. More accurately, my conversion from a bundled-offering by a cable service to an internet-only service from that same cable company.
First, let me say that I have nothing against cable companies nor their appetite for greed and profitability. Quite the contrary, as a capitalist I’m in awe of the industry. That said, the cable companies tend to leave much to be desired when it comes to customer service. I realize that without direct competition, your customers are a bit at your mercy. Especially if they’re tied in to a one, two, or three year contract, but C’MON .. a bit of respect for good clients wouldn’t kill anyone; would it?
One of my biggest peeves with cable companies, for example, is the constant offers that are made to potential customers not yet using the service. To me, that is akin to being told that if you’re a good [paying] customer in good standing for a long time, you’re going to get the shaft! After all, if you’re a “new” client or one of those customers that call every year (or whatever time their bundle offer expires) and threaten to drop the service, you’ll be rewarded with a discount. If you’re a client that continued with the bundle and absorbed the price increase, however, you’ll get nothing. Not even an offer once in a while (like a free month after 2 years of being in good standing and paying full price); that would go a long way to making good customers feel important and respected. Taking care of the “good” clients that provide a solid recurring revenue stream should be a priority for any business.
Another issue I have with cable companies in general is more of an ideological issue that is not solved by cord-cutting, but I still find it frustrating. The whole “bundling” of available channels is annoying, but I understand the business aspects of it (though when cable companies own some of the channels that you’re forced to pay for it becomes more than irritating). The “real” peeve, however, is that the cable companies and content providers are double-dipping at our expense. There’s subscription revenue (which is provided by customers when they pay for the subscription to the “bundled” channels), and then there’s Ad revenue. It used to be that the major networks (over-the-air stations) were free (to anyone within reach with an antenna) because the programs were/are subsidized by Ad revenue. With Cable subscriptions, the subscription fee should pay for the added infrastructure and the ability to provide additional networks/channels/content. The Ad revenue is just additional gravy?? Just doesn’t sit well with me; c’est la vie!
I’m also not a fan of having to “rent” devices (e.g. DVR boxes and remotes), and paying for “Guide” service (??really??). At one point, after the cable company stopped providing analog service, I had one DVR box (which I HAD to have) and many small Cisco DTA devices. So, whereas prior to digital only service, all my TVs received basic cable at no additional charge, now I had to rent a bunch of small DTA devices. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a tech guy and invited the conversion to digital (hoping that some day I’ll get fiber to my house; still waiting, btw), but I hated to pay a bunch more money for equipment I really didn’t want and couldn’t manage/administer myself (constantly had to call to reset those boxes; still get night tremors over that). Eventually, the cable provider came out with their App [which was well designed and worked well] and I made sure I had smart TVs that supported it… goodbye DTA’s! BUT the cable company STILL required me to have one Cable box … "couldn’t have cable TV service without it", I was told (despite a bunch of times I asked to turn in my box and just use the streaming App). At that point, I decided to cancel cable TV altogether. As an aside, I’ve been getting streaming only plan advertisements lately; I guess they finally heard me/us.
Again, I don’t want to come across as if there’s no good that comes from cable companies because there is. They do a decent job at maintaining a ton of infrastructure and invest plenty into new technologies. They’re also one of the better Internet Service Providers available to most residential households.
So, I decided to reduce my subscription from a TV/Phone/Internet bundle to an Internet-only plan. After all, their internet service isn’t too bad. BUT, what to use for Live TV and Phone? I began my research and the results were:
Phone Service:
I found that Ooma (www.ooma.com) provides a good, basic service for “free” (you pay a nominal monthly charge that covers Taxes, fees, 911 service, etc.). Of course, for a monthly fee, you can opt for premium services. I’ve had my [basic] service for approximately one year and, so far, so good.
Streaming:
Live TV:
In addition to streaming YouTube videos (on the YouTube app), there are a number of Streaming Apps that one can download to watch older TV shows, movies, etc. As an Amazon Prime member, we’re able to stream a number of “free” (i.e. included with Prime), and ad-free. TV shows, movies, games, sports, etc. With Amazon Prime we can also rent movies (btw, I also use Vudu for streaming rentals on movie nghts). Other apps are Netflix (which, like Amazon, has its own, award-winning content), Vudu (which also has some free offerings, but these include Ads), Pluto TV, Tubi TV, and a host more.
When converting from cable, however, most folks want Live TV offerings (esp. important for sports, news, game shows, talk shows, etc.). Having said that, I will point out, however, that I’ve noticed that “the younger” crowd couldn’t care less about Live TV; watching movies and pre-recorded TV shows (in binge fashion) seems to be their method of choice.
Now, as for Live TV. There are several choices now available (Hulu Live, DirecTV NOW, Playstation Vue, YouTube Live, Sling TV, Philo, Fubo TV, etc.) and plenty of cord-cutter articles and sites out there for you to conduct proper research. The best Live TV streaming service is very subjective and is dependent on the type of shows/sports/news you want to watch, whether or not you require DVR service, how many simultaneous streams you need, how much you can afford, etc. The list of important items for me (in order of importance) were:
availability of Live TV
similarity to cable provider offering (at least for wife’s shows)
ability to record live TV shows for later viewing
number of simultaneous streams
availability of local TV channels (for local sports, news, etc.)
ability to stream on mobile devices
no requirement for annual contract terms; i.e. ability to cancel on a monthly basis
Price
Also, I was fairly dependent on my wife’s habits, such as her preference for certain genres, recording her various shows, and availability of her favorite channels. As such, I created an Excel spreadsheet that I used to compare the various channel offerings (I used our cable service channel lineup as the base). From there, I was able to rule out a few services and chose to test 3 out (fyi, most, if not all, services offer a 7 day free trial; though I tested each of the services for at least a month each). The three (3) services I tested were:
Sling TV
DirecTV NOW
Hulu Live
Summary of Streaming Services (for me):
1. Sling TV
a. PROS:
i. Base Plan has a low Price
ii. Decent guide and ease of use
b. CONS:
i. Lack of channels that were necessities for me/us
ii. Not enough simultaneous streams
iii. No DVR functionality available (at least at that time)
2. DirecTV NOW
a. PROS:
i. Provides an experience that is very similar to cable TV (best experience of the bunch)
ii. Good channel lineup
iii. If you have AT&T mobile service, there are available discounts
b. CONS:
i. Very limited simultaneous streams
ii. At the time I tested it, there was no DVR option available (though I believe there is now)
3. Hulu Live
a. PROS:
i. 50 hrs of DVR service available
ii. Live subscription includes the “traditional Hulu” monthly subscription
iii. Has an unlimited simultaneous streams option available
iv. Decent channel lineup
v. Varioius Profiles available (great for family; “to each his/her own”)
b. CONS:
i. Some of the UI has been quirky; though it seems to be much better now
NOTES:
My research started a year ago. I’m sure the various services have been modified since I last looked. I urge you to do your own research before selecting a provider.
With the exception of Hulu (which provides an option for unlimited simultaneous streams) if you need more than the simultaneous streams provided, you’ll have to add another service subscription and that can get pricy. Be sure to check that the service allows you to use the number of simultaneous streams you actually need
TVs don’t count as mobile devices. That makes sense, BUT since location is also monitored (by most services) and none of the services have the ability to add a second home without incurring the full subscription cost, if you happen to be travelling, you may not be able to simply plug a stick into the TV and use your service (though you should be able to use your laptop, tablet or phone.
Streaming Services Conclusion
I ended up choosing Hulu with the unlimited simultaneous stream option. Kids and wife are happy with it; so I’m happy with it.
Devices:
There are a number of streaming devices available. Everything from usb sticks to TVs are available. I ruled out going the “Smart TV only” route since I had older televisions and was concerned how they would download/store/stream movies (esp. 4K movies).
With that, I narrowed my research to the following three (presented in order of [my] preference; 1=best):
Roku
FireTV
AppleTV
Summary of Streaming Devices:
1. Apple TV
a. PROS:
i. Great clean look; true to Apple Brand.
ii. Quick response
iii. Good quality streams/photos
b. CONS:
i. At the time I looked, available apps were limited
ii. The remote is full-featured, but not terribly intuitive
iii. Not crazy about having my personal login (and corresponding other “stuff”) available for all to use (not great for family rooms).
2. Amazon Fire TV
a. PROS:
i. Good quality video
ii. Decent interface
b. CONS:
i. The remote batteries die in a VERY short amount of time (measurably less life than the others) – Adding to the frustration,
ii. The remote doesn’t control the TV volume; needed to purchase a separate clip-on remote.
iii. Does NOT allow you to download apps from Amazon “competitors”. Therefore, for example, no YouTube (owned by Google) and no Vudu (owned by Walmart).
iv. Uses the same login as my prime membership. Makes things easily available to all; not crazy about that.
3. Roku
a. PROS:
i. Good quality video
ii. Easy to use interface
iii. Large quantity of available Apps
iv. No restrictions on popular apps like Vudu, YouTube
b. CONS:
i. The remote does NOT have a mute button only volume controls. Didn’t know how much I’d miss a Mute button until now. Having to decrease volume to zero and then back every time is quite frustrating.
ii. The Roku Ultra box seems to reboot every so often. Not sure why.
iii. The Roku Streaming Stick is affected by my microwave (hmm) - (only on 2.4GHz)
UPDATES:
2019 Oct
So, Roku FINALLY added a Mute button on their remote. I haven't bought a new device yet, but I look forward to getting one. [and, for what it's worth, Roku also now has the AppleTV channel]
2019 Jan
As I was updating my home network, I realized that the Roku Ultra only provides 10/100 connectivity! WHAT?? I was stunned! Why isn't Gigabit available? Anyway, doesn't change my list, but definitely a [disappointing] "Con"
NOTES:
Any of the devices provide a good quality picture. There are a number of well-written and thoroughly tested reviews of all the devices I mentioned. I’d urge folks to read the newer reviews to feel comfortable about the choice.
Streaming Devices Conclusion
I ended up choosing to use the Roku devices (mostly; still using one FireTV and one Apple TV in locations less frequented). So far so good!
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