It's Time To Cut The Cord

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Given the opportunity, easy access, and directions to pirate movie websites over the years, I've watched my share of free movies. But at the end these sites eventually became increasingly difficult to access and needed constant downloading of this and that, that they became more work than entertainment. I'm happy with my current paid streaming services.
 
I realize this discussion has been inactive for a couple of weeks but came across this NY Times graphic today and thought it worth including here.
Broadband and Cell costs.jpg
Note: I didn't link due to the NY Times firewall but the graphic is part of David Leonhardt's column dated 11/10/2019 in the opinion section.
 
skilletlicker said:
I realize this discussion has been inactive for a couple of weeks but came across this NY Times graphic today and thought it worth including here.
View attachment 37288
Note: I didn't link due to the NY Times firewall but the graphic is part of David Leonhardt's column dated 11/10/2019 in the opinion section.
Click to expand...

Interesting and not surprising. Why may be more telling is broadband and cell cost as a percentage of income. We may still be at or near the bottom.
 
Other questions I have are how much governments subsidize phone and internet access and whether they treat them as for-profit enterprises or public utilities.
Andy M. said:
Interesting and not surprising. Why may be more telling is broadband and cell cost as a percentage of income. We may still be at or near the bottom.
Click to expand...
 
GotGarlic said:
Other questions I have are how much governments subsidize phone and internet access providers and whether they treat them as for-profit enterprises or public utilities.
Click to expand...

Interesting way to look at it GG. Also interesting to consider the question with one word added, which I have taken the liberty of inserting using red text.

And to Andy's point. One would naturally expect prices to rise with income in a market pricing system based on "what the market will bear." Sadly, a pricing model common among monopolies, oligopolies, and kleptocracies.

Edit: In my first post today I used the word firewall but meant paywall.
 
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WOW! I can't believe it took me 10 months to pull the trigger.

I consulted with a friend who is a techie expert. His input finally got me to do it.

I ordered a Netgear modem/router and three Roku+ streaming sticks. Yesterday I did the switchover. Swapped out my modem/router for the Comcast one and added the Rokus to three TVs. Had to call Comcast to activate the new router/modem and downgrade the service. Had a few false starts doing the software setup but it was all done and I watched the 6 o'clock news and the Red Sox-Yankees game on my new setup last night.

I downgraded Comcast from the old Triple Play bundle to internet only, Added YoutubeTV and I'm done. According to my calculations, I'm saving about $125-$130 per month! I get ALL the channels I ever watched live with Youtube TV and a library of reruns if I'm interested. Also a handful of 30 day free trials for different streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ etc.

Gonna use the Disney+ to watch Hamilton then probably cancel it before the end of the trial period.

Two points worth mentioning: Comcast was excellent in the transition and very helpful. Other than trying to upset me a couple of times, which I expected. Also, the hardest part of the transition was getting at all the wire connections behind the 52" TV on the heavy oak credenza to unplug the old and plug in the new.
 
Congrats. We have been cordless for a few years now. Don't miss a thing.

We even did it when we had crappy satellite internet. Now we have a Verizon prepaid unlimited Hotspot that they don't offer anymore. Much better.

We have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and CBS all access. We have Dusney only because it was a free year from Verizon.

I can't stand watching regular cable anymore. Commercials and only what they want you to watch. It truly is very limiting.

We were paying 150 a month for satellite internet, 150 a month for cable/satellite.

Now 70 for internet, 15 for Netflix 12 for Hulu and 12 or so for CBS. Amazon is free with our Prime which is 16 a month. Add in Spotify and we have all our entertainment much cheaper.
 
My cell phone service is through Comcast/Xfinity (they use the Verizon cell network). It's only available to Comcast customers. SO and I have have our phones through Xfinity mobile service for $16 per month total. I had to take that into consideration. So I compared the cost of internet plus cell service from both Verizon/Fios and Comcast.

Fios internet was much cheaper than Comcast's but the difference in phone cost swung the decision back to Comcast. Verizon wanted $45/mo. per phone.

My internet only price is good for two years and there are no fee or tax add-ons.
 
GotGarlic said:
We already have Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix. DH doesn't want another monthly payment (yes, I know Amazon is annual) (I have a lot of insurance co-pay expenses).
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I understand. The Disney+ deal is good because you can rent it for just one month. It's roughly the cost of a movie rental.
 
Actually for Amazon, you can make a monthly payment. I pay 16 bucks a month. It is more than if I paid all at once, but I don't like the big up front payment.
 
I'm excited by other things I've found.

With Roku I can use an app on my phone as a remote and to manage my account. But the big deal is that I can play all the photos in my photo library on TV.

Also, there is Serious Eats TV with dozens of recipes and tutorials.
 
One thing people forget about cutting the cord is that you don't need to subscribe to all of the services. It's perfectly fine to have Hulu for a few months and then switch to Netflix and putting Hulu on hold. You don't need to be paying for every service every month.

Youtube TV is a nice service but they jacked up their rates from $50 to $65. I'm still subscribed but I split it with two other people so my cost is only $22.
 
bbqcoder said:
One thing people forget about cutting the cord is that you don't need to subscribe to all of the services. It's perfectly fine to have Hulu for a few months and then switch to Netflix and putting Hulu on hold. You don't need to be paying for every service every month.

Youtube TV is a nice service but they jacked up their rates from $50 to $65. I'm still subscribed but I split it with two other people so my cost is only $22.
Click to expand...

YoutubeTV was the best option for me. They have ALL the channels I ever watched on cable and more. Also, these channels were live rather than streaming after the fact. They have a free DVR service and a family plan for up to 5 connections overall. We probably won't keep any other streaming services after the free trial period.
 
Andy M. said:
Also, these channels were live rather than streaming after the fact. They have a free DVR service and a family plan for up to 5 connections overall. We probably won't keep any other streaming services after the free trial period.
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Not sure that I understand the "live rather than streaming after the fact" comment. Hulu, Philo, and Fubo all have live TV. Also, I don't understand the appeal of watching something live. I always watch recorded because I want to be able to skip the commercials. Even the Super Bowl, I'll start watching the game 2 hours after it starts and catch up. Yes, you do have to be careful to not look at your phone while watching the game to avoid knowing the score.

YTTV allows 6 accounts, each with their own DVR but only 3 simultaneous streams.
 
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