Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

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F150HD
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by F150HD »

'cord cutting' used to have meaning and was a great money saver from the jaws of Comcast and the like, but, $70+ with tax for YTTV (or Hulu) is way over the top. Wondering what the cost increase will be in 2021.
rich126
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by rich126 »

F150HD wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:34 am 'cord cutting' used to have meaning and was a great money saver from the jaws of Comcast and the like, but, $70+ with tax for YTTV (or Hulu) is way over the top. Wondering what the cost increase will be in 2021.
Yeah but now YouTubeTV has a little musical tone when it starts up, like Netflix, but not as catchy :)

I have You Tube TV but my amount of watching new shows is very limited and I could probably do w/o it. I record a few shows but I could just as easy skip them and once in a while sign up for CBS All Access or whatever and binge on them.

Everyone has different "wants". When I was younger it was sports but I find it difficult watching any sports event live due to all the ads and my lack of interest in sports (maybe I overdosed on them).
----------------------------- | If you think something is important and it doesn't involve the health of someone, think again. Life goes too fast, enjoy it and be nice.
lazydavid
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by lazydavid »

F150HD wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:34 am 'cord cutting' used to have meaning and was a great money saver from the jaws of Comcast and the like, but, $70+ with tax for YTTV (or Hulu) is way over the top. Wondering what the cost increase will be in 2021.
In which states does YTTV (or Hulu) charge tax? IL taxes the crap out of everything (2nd highest overall tax burden in the US, behind NJ), but my YTTV bill is $64.99 to the penny.
MDfan
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by MDfan »

lazydavid wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 5:17 pm
F150HD wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:34 am 'cord cutting' used to have meaning and was a great money saver from the jaws of Comcast and the like, but, $70+ with tax for YTTV (or Hulu) is way over the top. Wondering what the cost increase will be in 2021.
In which states does YTTV (or Hulu) charge tax? IL taxes the crap out of everything (2nd highest overall tax burden in the US, behind NJ), but my YTTV bill is $64.99 to the penny.
I don't pay any tax, either. Mine is $64.99 (plus premium channels) with $0 in equipment fees. Still $50 cheaper than my FIOS was. If the costs keep going up maybe I'll consider going back. But it's still a bargain for me and has pretty much every sports channel I want.
Johnny Thinwallet
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Johnny Thinwallet »

sleepysurf wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 8:20 am BTW, for those who don't have Smart TV's (with built in YouTube TV, Netflix, etc.), the latest "Chromecast with Google TV" dongle plus remote is fantastic! See... https://www.engadget.com/chromecast-wit ... 24220.html
YTTV actually just sent me a free Chromecast. A few weeks ago they sent me an email saying I qualified for a free one due to me being a customer (without interruption) since some period in 2018. I initially thought it was a scam and did my own searches prior to clicking on the link, but sure enough it was legit. No charge at all, and it was just delivered a few days ago.

Now I have no idea what to do with it as I really don't need one, though I suppose I'll hook it up and see what it has to offer. I'd rather have had a $50 bill credit, but oh well.
Exchme
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Exchme »

strongboy2005 wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:15 am The only thing I don’t like is no 5.1 surround sound. Everything is in stereo sound
I had a similar issue. I think I was a little lucky in solving it as I happened to have just the right combination of connections available.

My issue turned out to be my TV and receiver were mismatched in capability. The TV was 4K but the receiver was too old to have the latest copy protection implementation DHCP 2.2, it had DHCP 1.4. On other TVs around the house, it is no problem because the TVs are not 4K, so YTTV knew to send my what the TV could handle. But on the mismatched one, YTTV would sense the 4K TV and try to send 4K content on some channels, but the older receiver couldn't handle it and I had an unwatchable jittery picture. Articles on the internet told me to change the wiring so that the Roku went to the TV first, then the receiver. That gave me great 4K picture, but stereo sound as all I saw was old RCA plugs on the TV for the Audio Return Channel. I was about to go buy a new receiver when I noticed that the TV happened to have a digital optical outlet for the ARC and my receiver had the same kind of input, so now the Roku comes to the TV first, then uses the digital optical outlet to bring 5.1 audio back to the receiver. So I not only save $120/month vs DirectTV (had multiple recorders), I also get 4K programming on some channels like TNT and kept my surround sound.
Broken Man 1999
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

OldOne wrote: Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:11 pm
Spectrum just raised their Internet prices again, and now regular priced Internet is $74.99. I currently have a $5 "promotional discount" added on from calling their retention department, but that means I'm still paying $69.99. We also have YTTV at $64.99 plus tax.

Our total out-the-door price for TV/Internet right now is $139.20 per month. This is the most we've ever paid for TV/Internet. Six months ago back in June - before the recent price increases - this same combo of service for us was $113.23 per month. In six months, the same exact services have gone up a combined $26 per month.

Up until now, we always managed to keep our TV/Internet price between $90 on the low end and maybe $115 at the high end. It seems like those days are gone.
My AT&T Uverse (or whatever it's called now) TV is $156.28/month and my only extra is SEC Channel. My AT&T internet costs $50.27 for "Internet 100" which is the slowest AT&T offers. Then, I have one land line phone @ $32.99/month. Total comes to $254.68/month. Just the Uverse bill has 8 (eight) fees and taxes. Good News (Yeh, right) is that I get a discount because I have a "bundle" so am not charged for additional bandwidth. Right now, because Uverse TV is nothing much more than commercials and old, old, old reruns, I watch more Netflix and FREE YouTube than AT&T TV. I've not yet opened my December bill but think it should be the same. Next month though, the increase will definitely come. I hope to have a DVR (not owned by AT&T) in place and have dropped AT&T TV.

Hey, any suggestions will be appreciated.
OldOne wrote, "...Then, I have one land line phone @ $32.99/month..."

You could easily whittle $25/month or so off your total bill by going to a VoIP phone line. I have had many years of service using VoIP, thru providers like MagicJack, Vonage, and currently ooma. I have had service with ooma for 10 years, costs me $5.50/month, every penny is for a government tax or fee! :x

ooma's voice quality is excellent, only time it has ever been out of service is if we have an outage of our internet service. I have a cordless base station plugged into the ooma unit, and we have cordless handsets all over the house.

Broken Man 1999
“If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven then I shall not go." - Mark Twain
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OldOne
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by OldOne »

You could easily whittle $25/month or so off your total bill by going to a VoIP phone line. I have had many years of service using VoIP . .
Thanks. I'm considering several options. Actually, my one land-line phones costs me $48.13, not $32.99 as I first stated.
AT&T's "Phone Unlimited N. America" base cost is $32.99. Fees include: Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee $1.61, State-Cost-Recovery Fee 40.21, TX Local 911 Fee $0.80, TX Municipal Right of Way Fee $1.88, TX State 911 Equalization Fee $0.06. Taxes include; TX City Sales Tax-Telecom $0.34 and TX States Sales Tax - Telecom $2.72 for a TOTAL of $48.13 per month.
AT&T's "TV - U-verse TV" has similar charges (Base charge of $112.00 plus Fees & Taxes similar to land-line phone with TOTAL of $156.28 per month.
AT&T's "Internet 100" ("$10 off ongoing" because I have bundle) costs $50.00 with only State Cost-Recovery Fee of $0.27 for TOTAL of $50.27 per month.
If I got all the figures right that adds up to $254.68/month. By the way, I use that land-line phone maybe 3-4 times per WEEK.
So, all my fault and I need to come up with something better but I always put it off.
bayview
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by bayview »

I could live happily without a landline, except that there are times when it would be handy to have a “family” phone number.

In addition to our individual gmail accounts, DH and I created a joint account for mundane things like utility bills and emails from contractors, etc.

A landline is useful for similar chores. But I’m not paying $30/month, so if BrokenMan and others could provide specifics of how their cheapo accounts works, I’d be deeply appreciative.
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SwampDonkey
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by SwampDonkey »

Our biggest hiccup when it comes to cutting the cord is the Hallmark channel.

As it currently stands, my kids watch 50% YouTube videos and the other 50% divided between Disney+, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.

I only watch football but I can find that online if need be. Occasionally I'll watch a tv series or movie with my DW on one of the streaming apps.

But HALLMARK channel!!!! My DW says having the full line-up of Hallmark movies is non-negotiable :wink:

Has anyone found an easy and cheap way to have to access to all of their movies, even the most recent ones?

As it stands, we currently pay $125/month to Spectrum which includes internet and basic cable service with one cable box w/ DVR capability.
gearbanger
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by gearbanger »

If it weren't for sports, I'd cancel YTTV today. Just not a good option out there that I can find. Open to suggestions if anyone has one.
lazydavid
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by lazydavid »

SwampDonkey wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:35 am But HALLMARK channel!!!! My DW says having the full line-up of Hallmark movies is non-negotiable :wink:

Has anyone found an easy and cheap way to have to access to all of their movies, even the most recent ones?
We have Philo in addition to YTTV, in large part due to its inclusion of all three Hallmark channels. This does add $20/mo to our total costs, but my wife watches those and several other channels that Philo brings to the table quite a lot. So before considering any "premium" streaming services, my bill looks like this:

500 Mbps internet: $54.58
YouTube TV: $64.99
Philo: $20.00

For a total of $139.57. We use this on six "cable boxes" (Fire TV Cubes/sticks), and have five unlimited DVRs (of which we use 4).
MDfan
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by MDfan »

Frndlytv is $5.99/mo and has Hallmark channels. We did it for December only. If I had to watch Hallmark movies year round,
I’d just pay extra for the divorce.
Jim85
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Jim85 »

Have had YTTV for several years. It's really good. With the latest price increase I decided to check out Sling and Hulu TV with their free trials. They're just not as good, so I stuck with YTTV. Just got the new Chromecast with the Google TV remote, it's great. I pay $40 month to Verizon (50/50 plan) plus the YTTV $65. I have 2 phones, a tablet, a desktop plus the Chromecast on our wifi and never had a problem. Don't get more internet than you need. I think higher speeds are only useful for serious gamers.
bloom2708
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by bloom2708 »

lazydavid wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:49 am
SwampDonkey wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:35 am But HALLMARK channel!!!! My DW says having the full line-up of Hallmark movies is non-negotiable :wink:

Has anyone found an easy and cheap way to have to access to all of their movies, even the most recent ones?
We have Philo in addition to YTTV, in large part due to its inclusion of all three Hallmark channels. This does add $20/mo to our total costs, but my wife watches those and several other channels that Philo brings to the table quite a lot. So before considering any "premium" streaming services, my bill looks like this:

500 Mbps internet: $54.58
YouTube TV: $64.99
Philo: $20.00

For a total of $139.57. We use this on six "cable boxes" (Fire TV Cubes/sticks), and have five unlimited DVRs (of which we use 4).
FuboTV has the 3 Hallmark channels in the $64.99 package. I did the trial and was impressed. On AppleTV it has a Quick Flip to go between your last 2 channels. It was fast. The UI is maybe not as streamlined as YTTV, but pretty close. Picture quality was great.

Quite similar to YouTube TV. So you could drop the extra $20 for Philo or extra $5.99 for FridnlyTV
lazydavid
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by lazydavid »

bloom2708 wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:29 am FuboTV has the 3 Hallmark channels in the $64.99 package. I did the trial and was impressed. On AppleTV it has a Quick Flip to go between your last 2 channels. It was fast. The UI is maybe not as streamlined as YTTV, but pretty close. Picture quality was great.

Quite similar to YouTube TV. So you could drop the extra $20 for Philo or extra $5.99 for FridnlyTV
I may take a look, it's a bit more compelling now than when I looked at it late last year. But while we'd pick up those channels, we'd lose some others that my wife (Cooking, Destination America, DIY), I (ESPNU, SEC, ACC), or my father-in law (TBS, TNT, TCM, FXM) watch also. My part of that, which is mostly around College Lacrosse, could be addressed by adding ESPN+ into the mix, but then we get pretty close to our current costs again, and still have the gaps for the other two people. Fubo Elite gets a little closer at $80/mo, mostly only leaving my father-in-law (our home's largest TV consumer) out in the cold. There's no perfect solution. :)
CouponJack
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by CouponJack »

Anyone have any insight on when the Fox Sports regional networks will be coming back to YouTube TV?

I'm pissed i can't watch my local NBA team now...
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mrmass
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by mrmass »

Go to https://suppose.tv
On the left plug in hallmark and will display the services that offer it. The link below has Hallmark entered already.

https://www.suppose.tv/tv?m=211&f=1l211 ... =Syk0BQ96w
Doug E. Dee
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Doug E. Dee »

lazydavid wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:49 am
500 Mbps internet: $54.58
YouTube TV: $64.99
Philo: $20.00

For a total of $139.57. We use this on six "cable boxes" (Fire TV Cubes/sticks), and have five unlimited DVRs (of which we use 4).
Hi David,
Who is providing the DVR service please? And I assume it's cloud based?
lazydavid
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by lazydavid »

Doug E. Dee wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 12:22 pm
lazydavid wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:49 am
500 Mbps internet: $54.58
YouTube TV: $64.99
Philo: $20.00

For a total of $139.57. We use this on six "cable boxes" (Fire TV Cubes/sticks), and have five unlimited DVRs (of which we use 4).
Hi David,
Who is providing the DVR service please? And I assume it's cloud based?
YoutubeTV includes unlimited Cloud DVR service for 6 users (I misspoke when I said five). You can record every episode/showing of as many programs as you want at the same time, and they will all be kept for 9 months. Philo is exactly the same, except that the retention period is 30 days, and they have a "72-hour rewind" feature that lets you "record" a show up to 3 days after it broadcasts.

I assume that internally, Google just stores everything that broadcasts on every channel nationwide and keep it for for 9 months. If you have a "recording" set up for a particular program, then a "ticket" gets put in your account that makes that program visible so you can watch it at your leisure, as if you had actually recorded it yourself on a traditional DVR.
new2bogle
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by new2bogle »

YTTV: $69.XX after taxes
1 gig internet: $50.XX after taxes

~$120 after taxes is still cheaper than what I used to pay for just DISH.
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Dan-in-Virginia
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Dan-in-Virginia »

We switched over to YouTube TV and we love it. I have three of the dongles to setup—we’ve been using Apple TV.

I’m surprised Apple hasn’t been able to build in a similar service.
Chaunce
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Chaunce »

We too moved from cable (in our case Comcast) to Amazon Fire Sticks (no monthly box fee!) and YouTube TV. We are sometimes puzzled (e.g., the way in which the Amazon controller worked changed until we removed and reinstalled the batteries in the controller; harder to back up sometimes), but in general we are very happy. The assortment of channels is amazing and the value is strong. One of the blessings is that we have a second residence in Northern Michigan and we can now watch YouTubeTV twelve months a year without any additional cost other than the initial cost of an additional Fire Stick.
Doug E. Dee
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Doug E. Dee »

lazydavid wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 1:07 pm Philo is exactly the same, except that the retention period is 30 days, and they have a "72-hour rewind" feature that lets you "record" a show up to 3 days after it broadcasts.
Thanks David,
I think I'm going to cancel the triple play and try to get a promo rate for 200Mbps internet and go with a Fire Stick, Philo, Showtime and Netflix.

Normally, I just get another promo rate for 2 years of triple play but this time around, the deals are terrible! And all the crap fees that comcast adds on are really getting ridiculous.
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Rainier
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Rainier »

Anybody ditching YTTV and just getting add ons?

I'm thinking I could just do:
Hulu (tv shows a day later)
Netflix (free with T Mobile)
Disney +

We don't watch much live tv and can easily wait a day for new shows. I would like live news if some big, breaking event is happening. I would also like to watch the Olympics in July. Most other sports I don't care about.
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by lazydavid »

Chaunce wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:14 am One of the blessings is that we have a second residence in Northern Michigan and we can now watch YouTubeTV twelve months a year without any additional cost other than the initial cost of an additional Fire Stick.
Since you own the home, it absolutely makes sense to just buy another Fire Stick and install it permanently. But this also works for vacation more generally. When we pack for a trip, I grab a fire stick and remote off of one of the TVs and throw it in the suitcase, so we can use it at our destination. That way we have "our TV" wherever we go.
edge
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by edge »

How does the math for that work? Netflix is like 15-17, Amazon is 13....how much is your cable?
RobLyons wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 7:39 am How much are you paying for cable now? Personally, $65/month is too expensive to spend on TV but we're not much into TV to begin with. We have a fire stick and do Netflix, amazon prime video, and basic cable for less than 1/2 that price.
edge
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by edge »

Does Verizon not have 200/200 for 45$/mo where you live?
Jim85 wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:18 am Have had YTTV for several years. It's really good. With the latest price increase I decided to check out Sling and Hulu TV with their free trials. They're just not as good, so I stuck with YTTV. Just got the new Chromecast with the Google TV remote, it's great. I pay $40 month to Verizon (50/50 plan) plus the YTTV $65. I have 2 phones, a tablet, a desktop plus the Chromecast on our wifi and never had a problem. Don't get more internet than you need. I think higher speeds are only useful for serious gamers.
edge
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by edge »

You can use ooma for the phone number. I think I pay 6$/mo and it has great international rates.
bayview wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:18 pm I could live happily without a landline, except that there are times when it would be handy to have a “family” phone number.

In addition to our individual gmail accounts, DH and I created a joint account for mundane things like utility bills and emails from contractors, etc.

A landline is useful for similar chores. But I’m not paying $30/month, so if BrokenMan and others could provide specifics of how their cheapo accounts works, I’d be deeply appreciative.
edge
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by edge »

Ya...I did the math and with three TVs I’d save about 50$ over current rates which is mostly the equipment charges. And Verizon tries to raise my bill by 30-40$ on top of that.

MDfan wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 5:21 pm
lazydavid wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 5:17 pm
F150HD wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:34 am 'cord cutting' used to have meaning and was a great money saver from the jaws of Comcast and the like, but, $70+ with tax for YTTV (or Hulu) is way over the top. Wondering what the cost increase will be in 2021.
In which states does YTTV (or Hulu) charge tax? IL taxes the crap out of everything (2nd highest overall tax burden in the US, behind NJ), but my YTTV bill is $64.99 to the penny.
I don't pay any tax, either. Mine is $64.99 (plus premium channels) with $0 in equipment fees. Still $50 cheaper than my FIOS was. If the costs keep going up maybe I'll consider going back. But it's still a bargain for me and has pretty much every sports channel I want.
Last edited by edge on Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
hoops777
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by hoops777 »

thewizzer wrote: Sat Aug 22, 2020 9:15 am I use Hulu+live tv. I know you were specifically asking about YouTube, but just wanted to throw out a different option. I’ve been very happy with the setup. It also includes live sports and even keeps the most recent game, so I can watch the last Cubs game at my leisure. Built in Roku to the tv. Works great. Love it.
Curious about the picture quality for watching an NFL or NBA game on Hulu.
I tried it out a couple years ago and it was pretty bad compared to Directv.
K.I.S.S........so easy to say so difficult to do.
YeahBuddy
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by YeahBuddy »

edge wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 4:25 pm How does the math for that work? Netflix is like 15-17, Amazon is 13....how much is your cable?
RobLyons wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 7:39 am How much are you paying for cable now? Personally, $65/month is too expensive to spend on TV but we're not much into TV to begin with. We have a fire stick and do Netflix, amazon prime video, and basic cable for less than 1/2 that price.


I don't count amazon prime because even if they didn't offer video we would still be members. We barely use the video part now so really what we use is Netflix is $14 and $15 cable tv which is part of a double play (tv, internet) for $59.99/month.
If I get out of that package, internet price goes up to $69.99 alone and there is no competitors for high speed internet here.
So that internet with taxes and fees adds up to over $100 plus $65 youtube tv = $165+ vs now we pay about $108 for basic cable, internet, and netflix.

All this may be a moot point because I'm now trying a triple play with double the internet speed (600Mbps), home phone, 230+ channels and my kids suddenly like to watch some of the channels
:oops: and it's around $165.
Light weight baby!
earlywynnfan
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by earlywynnfan »

You can sign up for Hallmark tv directly for $5/mth.
Broken Man 1999
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

bayview wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:18 pm I could live happily without a landline, except that there are times when it would be handy to have a “family” phone number.

In addition to our individual gmail accounts, DH and I created a joint account for mundane things like utility bills and emails from contractors, etc.

A landline is useful for similar chores. But I’m not paying $30/month, so if BrokenMan and others could provide specifics of how their cheapo accounts works, I’d be deeply appreciative.
The VoIP works over your internet. The various providers have small boxes that connect to your router, then you plug a phone into the provider's box, (I plug in my base station so I have several handsets scattered around the house), and thru magic you have phone service. OK, that is the short story, but that is all you really need to know!

Providers are plentiful, I have used MagicJack, Vonage, and ooma. I have used ooma for ten years now.

ooma provides 911, some providers use a third-party to provide 911 service.

Broken Man 1999
“If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven then I shall not go." - Mark Twain
hoops777
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by hoops777 »

Broken Man 1999 wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 9:03 am
bayview wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:18 pm I could live happily without a landline, except that there are times when it would be handy to have a “family” phone number.

In addition to our individual gmail accounts, DH and I created a joint account for mundane things like utility bills and emails from contractors, etc.

A landline is useful for similar chores. But I’m not paying $30/month, so if BrokenMan and others could provide specifics of how their cheapo accounts works, I’d be deeply appreciative.
The VoIP works over your internet. The various providers have small boxes that connect to your router, then you plug a phone into the provider's box, (I plug in my base station so I have several handsets scattered around the house), and thru magic you have phone service. OK, that is the short story, but that is all you really need to know!

Providers are plentiful, I have used MagicJack, Vonage, and ooma. I have used ooma for ten years now.

ooma provides 911, some providers use a third-party to provide 911 service.

Broken Man 1999
Ooma has gone up in price to over 5 bucks a month in California.
K.I.S.S........so easy to say so difficult to do.
Broken Man 1999
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

hoops777 wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 11:59 am
Broken Man 1999 wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 9:03 am
bayview wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:18 pm I could live happily without a landline, except that there are times when it would be handy to have a “family” phone number.

In addition to our individual gmail accounts, DH and I created a joint account for mundane things like utility bills and emails from contractors, etc.

A landline is useful for similar chores. But I’m not paying $30/month, so if BrokenMan and others could provide specifics of how their cheapo accounts works, I’d be deeply appreciative.
The VoIP works over your internet. The various providers have small boxes that connect to your router, then you plug a phone into the provider's box, (I plug in my base station so I have several handsets scattered around the house), and thru magic you have phone service. OK, that is the short story, but that is all you really need to know!

Providers are plentiful, I have used MagicJack, Vonage, and ooma. I have used ooma for ten years now.

ooma provides 911, some providers use a third-party to provide 911 service.

Broken Man 1999
Ooma has gone up in price to over 5 bucks a month in California.
My bill is $5.50/month.

Description Amount
Regulatory Compliance Fee $1.60
911 Service Fee $1.00
Local Interconnect Recovery Fee $2.07
State and local taxes, fees and surcharge $0.83
Total: $5.50

Lots of fees and taxes.

Broken Man 1999
“If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven then I shall not go." - Mark Twain
sweetyrelax
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by sweetyrelax »

How about tennis channel? Where to watch it? I believe Youtube Tv dropped it
chuckb84
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Location: New Mexico

Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by chuckb84 »

gearbanger wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:41 am If it weren't for sports, I'd cancel YTTV today. Just not a good option out there that I can find. Open to suggestions if anyone has one.
I got sick YTTV when I realized that they had almost doubled their prices and that it wasn't really that good. I tried SlingTV for $30/month, but it's worse than YTTV.

The solution is this, and I recommend it if you have Comcast.I was getting internet only for $55/month. I managed to install the Xfinity app on my smart tv (Samsung q80t, 2020 model) and then upgraded to the 2nd cheapest internet+TV Comcast package. The install and activation process for the Xfinity streaming app is annoying, but only needs to be done once.

I get:

More channels, better picture quality, nicer interface, cloud DVR recording, and my internet speed was doubled from 100 to 200 mbps, AND it's all done on the TV, no AppleTV box, no Roku, Chromecast, etc. And that means JUST ONE remote, and that is so nice. And, thank you Jesus, no Comcast cable box from the 1980's. DW loves the setup because the TV needs exactly one wired connection, for power. Everything else is wifi.

Anyway, if you have compatible Smart TV and Comcast this is worth a look.
Broken Man 1999
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

Well, all the credits from our old cable service for partial billing cycle have settled down, so I'm circling back with the final figures, final being today. I've no doubt it will change some time.

My last full month's bill from Frontier was $217.30/month. The bill included $27.30, a laundry list of TAXES AND OTHER CHARGES .

Four of the six TVs had cable service. The other two could only stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, and free streaming services.

New service total cost $127.98/month. All six TVs now have the same setup.

Breakdown is $53.99 including $3.99 TAXES AND OTHER CHARGES for 100/100 internet.

YouTubeTV is $73.33/month including $8.34 TAXES AND OTHER CHARGES.

Total monthly savings : $89.32. Savings funding most of the $25/month increase in monthly contributions to the 529 plans for the grandchildren. Much better use than paying for inferior, and pricier cable TV.

Other benefits:
1. DVR now accessible on each TV, before we didn't have whole-house DVR.
2. Picture quality better. Not just a little better, a lot better.
3. All programming on all TVs.
4. Ease of changing services. Don't like YouTubeTV, change to Hulu. Don't like Hulu, change to Sling. No boxes to get or return. Easy, no fuss, no muss. You can add another streaming service trial to try even when you already are streaming. Cable TV/internet changes not so easy. One reason I was glad Frontier matched an intro internet price from Spectrum.

Broken Man 1999
“If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven then I shall not go." - Mark Twain
bloom2708
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by bloom2708 »

Broken Man 1999 wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:02 pm Well, all the credits from our old cable service for partial billing cycle have settled down, so I'm circling back with the final figures, final being today. I've no doubt it will change some time.

My last full month's bill from Frontier was $217.30/month. The bill included $27.30, a laundry list of TAXES AND OTHER CHARGES .

Four of the six TVs had cable service. The other two could only stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, and free streaming services.

New service total cost $127.98/month. All six TVs now have the same setup.

Breakdown is $53.99 including $3.99 TAXES AND OTHER CHARGES for 100/100 internet.

YouTubeTV is $73.33/month including $8.34 TAXES AND OTHER CHARGES.

Total monthly savings : $89.32. Savings funding most of the $25/month increase in monthly contributions to the 529 plans for the grandchildren. Much better use than paying for inferior, and pricier cable TV.

Other benefits:
1. DVR now accessible on each TV, before we didn't have whole-house DVR.
2. Picture quality better. Not just a little better, a lot better.
3. All programming on all TVs.
4. Ease of changing services. Don't like YouTubeTV, change to Hulu. Don't like Hulu, change to Sling. No boxes to get or return. Easy, no fuss, no muss. You can add another streaming service trial to try even when you already are streaming. Cable TV/internet changes not so easy. One reason I was glad Frontier matched an intro internet price from Spectrum.

Broken Man 1999
Nice setup. What type of box do you have on each TV (Fire stick, Fire Cube, Roku, Apple TV)?

We have Fire TV boxes or cubes on each TV. I added Apple TV 4k to the 2 primary TVs so we could watch Apple TV+ content (free year from buying a device).

At the moment we have Philo instead of YTTV. I had YTTV in the summers to watch Minnesota Twins baseball, but they don't have the Fox Regional Sports networks anymore. So that means I likely won't re-up with YTTV for baseball. I'll have to watch it all on my AM radio. :D

Netflix
Disney + bundle (Hulu and ESPN+)
HBO Max
Philo
Apple TV+
Prime Video (Not going to drop Amazon Prime as we use it a lot)

This gives everyone in the house what they want.
Broken Man 1999
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

bloom2708 wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:23 pm
Broken Man 1999 wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:02 pm Well, all the credits from our old cable service for partial billing cycle have settled down, so I'm circling back with the final figures, final being today. I've no doubt it will change some time.

My last full month's bill from Frontier was $217.30/month. The bill included $27.30, a laundry list of TAXES AND OTHER CHARGES .

Four of the six TVs had cable service. The other two could only stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, and free streaming services.

New service total cost $127.98/month. All six TVs now have the same setup.

Breakdown is $53.99 including $3.99 TAXES AND OTHER CHARGES for 100/100 internet.

YouTubeTV is $73.33/month including $8.34 TAXES AND OTHER CHARGES.

Total monthly savings : $89.32. Savings funding most of the $25/month increase in monthly contributions to the 529 plans for the grandchildren. Much better use than paying for inferior, and pricier cable TV.

Other benefits:
1. DVR now accessible on each TV, before we didn't have whole-house DVR.
2. Picture quality better. Not just a little better, a lot better.
3. All programming on all TVs.
4. Ease of changing services. Don't like YouTubeTV, change to Hulu. Don't like Hulu, change to Sling. No boxes to get or return. Easy, no fuss, no muss. You can add another streaming service trial to try even when you already are streaming. Cable TV/internet changes not so easy. One reason I was glad Frontier matched an intro internet price from Spectrum.

Broken Man 1999
Nice setup. What type of box do you have on each TV (Fire stick, Fire Cube, Roku, Apple TV)?

We have Fire TV boxes or cubes on each TV. I added Apple TV 4k to the 2 primary TVs so we could watch Apple TV+ content (free year from buying a device).

At the moment we have Philo instead of YTTV. I had YTTV in the summers to watch Minnesota Twins baseball, but they don't have the Fox Regional Sports networks anymore. So that means I likely won't re-up with YTTV for baseball. I'll have to watch it all on my AM radio. :D

Netflix
Disney + bundle (Hulu and ESPN+)
HBO Max
Philo
Apple TV+
Prime Video (Not going to drop Amazon Prime as we use it a lot)

This gives everyone in the house what they want.
I have four TVs with Firesticks, one smart TV, and my garage TV has Roku built in.

We share Netflix, but don't pay for it.
DW has some deal from Verizon for Disney+, runs out in April, I think. She asked the grandkids today if they watched it much. If she lets it expire I'll have to sign up and binge watch The Mandalorian, I really enjoyed that show. It is a long journey from my watching Star Trek when a kid.

We have Amazon Prime for Amazon Video and Music, a DD upgraded my Amazon Music to family HD unlimited for Christmas.

Another DD gave me HBOMax for a year for Christmas.

I dropped Hulu for $1.99/month when the deal expired, besides, I had watched all the Archer episodes.

I read somewhere that a new streaming company is trying to put together a true cafeteria plan for picking only the offerings you want to stream.

Broken Man 1999
“If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven then I shall not go." - Mark Twain
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illumination
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by illumination »

I tried YouTube's service, absolutely hated it. I was hoping it would be a good middle ground between the absurd rate my cable bill had gotten and a streaming service. Just a very glitchy experience that I didn't have with the mainstream streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

I cut off all cable and just have a patchwork of streaming services and an antenna with a DVR. I have plenty of entertainment options, don't miss the cable bill one bit.
WolfgangPauli
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by WolfgangPauli »

I love YTTV for all the reasons cited PLUS we have multiple homes and travel a lot. I can watch it from anywhere and when we are in our vacation spot I just hook up the ROKU and watch as if I am home.
Twitter: @JAXbogleheads | EM: JAXbogleheads@gmail.com
CrossOverGuy
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Re: Cord cutting 2021 - Youtube TV

Post by CrossOverGuy »

Finally cut the cord. I dropped Spectrum for cable and internet, and instead got internet through T-Mobile ($50/month after $10 autopay and/or special discount), plus YouTube TV, which has a promotion for $10 off for T-Mobile users bringing it to $55/month (check out the website -- the promotion is for a limited time to sign up). It has lots of channels, including my fave TCM. It also has lots of past movies you can add to the unlimited DVR, which it retains for 9 months, plus it'll just keep on recording all episodes of a series you mark as "added to my library". Plus it has the main networks, plus it's one of the few services that has PBS. I had bought an antenna for about $30, so if I want to watch some stuff like Buzzr, MeTV, etc., I can easily go to that. Plus I pay the yearly Amazon Prime since I order a decent amount of stuff, plus their streaming has lots of good stuff as well.

I made a list of the channels I watched the most, and this seems like a reasonable way to save some money. I believe this will save me approx. $50/month from what I've been paying overall, plus Spectrum looked like my promotion was going away and was going to be raised another $20. I'll see what they offer me in a month or so, but thus far really enjoying YTTV.
CrossOverGuy
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by CrossOverGuy »

Update 8/2/21: it now has the Watch TCM app available. Great for fans of classic movies, previously only available if you subscribed to more expensive cable tv.
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SmallCityDave
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by SmallCityDave »

Willmunny wrote: Sat Aug 22, 2020 8:50 am I am moving soon and I would like this to be the last cable box I own. The problem is I am a live sports fan and I want to keep ESPN and other sports networks. It looks like Youtube TV has what I want in terms of channels. I could use that along with an Amazon Fire Stick. The $65 per month is less than I am paying now for Cable. If you have tried it, I would be interested in your thoughts on the service. Thanks
I tried YouTube Tv and it was fine for $10 more I have Dish Top 120 plus a few extra channels a huge real dvr setup for 2 tvs and if you have a firestick a few more. It's less buggy and picture quality is better.
Last edited by SmallCityDave on Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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rterickson
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by rterickson »

CrossOverGuy wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 6:39 pm Update 8/2/21: it now has the Watch TCM app available. Great for fans of classic movies, previously only available if you subscribed to more expensive cable tv.
Thanks for this info!

I've been waiting three years for TCM to add YTTV to their provider list.

The app works great on Roku.
MDfan
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by MDfan »

illumination wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 6:26 pm I tried YouTube's service, absolutely hated it. I was hoping it would be a good middle ground between the absurd rate my cable bill had gotten and a streaming service. Just a very glitchy experience that I didn't have with the mainstream streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

I cut off all cable and just have a patchwork of streaming services and an antenna with a DVR. I have plenty of entertainment options, don't miss the cable bill one bit.
Must be where you live or your WiFi because we've had YTTV for two years with barely any issues. Picture quality is fantastic. We do have Eero wifi system throughout the house.

I'm a big sports fan and it pretty much has everything I want (BTN, ACCN, MLB, Golf, all the ESPNs, Fox Sports, etc.). There is not one channel from cable that I miss with YTTV. It's been a fantastic service for us and I love the unlimited DVR feature.
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lthenderson
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by lthenderson »

SmallCityDave wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:45 am I tried Toutube tv and it was fine for $10 more I have Dish Top 120 plus a few extra channels
Dish, like most cable companies, start jacking up their bill after the trial period is finished and then it is back to threats of cutting or switching to a new provider to reduce it. At least with YouTube, their rates are the same across the board for all customers and thus far, have been slow to rise.
Californiastate
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Re: Cord cutting 2020 - Youtube TV

Post by Californiastate »

F150HD wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:34 am 'cord cutting' used to have meaning and was a great money saver from the jaws of Comcast and the like, but, $70+ with tax for YTTV (or Hulu) is way over the top. Wondering what the cost increase will be in 2021.
Exactly

It seems like there's a new streaming service coming out every week. My Hulu Live is sketchy at best. My HBO app is clunky to say the least on my Firestick. I've said it before on here that I would seriously consider going back to Comcast or ATT if I could get a total package at a reasonable price. I'm betting this streaming service epoch will fizzle out when some major consolidates platforms.
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