Is there a website that compares all of the different options?
YouTube also is launching a competitor to that in a few months. This is probably a better link than the first one I posted as it compares all the services vs. YouTube: https://arstechnica.com/business/2017/0 … h-variety/
We cut the cord in the past week. So far I haven’t missed anything about cable, other than the immediate convenience of DVR. I’ve been able to watch everything I normally would watch either live or through an on-demand app.
Matt, specifically how are you watching ESPN content without paying for their service through a cable/sat provider?
I watch on the app all the time, and a lot on my phone, but of course I have ESPN through DIRECTV. My wife would like to get rid of cable, as we watch Netflix and Amazon a lot. My big concern is being able to get ESPN, SECN, and SEC+. I guess I could always get CBS over the air, but would miss the DVR option
I still have Cox as my Internet provider. My WatchESPN info works right now. Perhaps it won’t once the cable I’ve already paid for this month expires; not sure how that works.
If it does expire then I’ll probably subscribe to Sling or Vue and access it through one of those. Right now I’m saving about $85/month over what I have been paying, so I would still be saving $50/month or so with a subscription to one of those.
I have a question if you don’t mind, when I watch games on the computer on espn, it is still pretty herky-jerky. I guess that could be due to my internet speed or my computer speed, but it seems to be pretty fast when downloading other content. When you watch on sling, it that an issue, or is the video as good as watching HDTV?
So far I still pay for Uverse because it is easy, but it is a lot of money.
I haven’t had any trouble streaming. I pay for the second highest tier of internet through my provider and have a high-quality Roku, so that probably helps avoid buffering.
Hmm. I have Cox for internet but not TV. Before DirecTV came on board, the ESPN thing would NOT take the Cox logon because it did not include TV. I don’t know if they have changed the rule, but I doubt it.
Also, for a lot of the iPad apps, they still require either cable or DTV account.
I cut the chord just before football season this last year out of frustration at Dish. I have learned a lot. There’s a synopsis:
Mid way through the year I would’ve told you that cutting the chord is not ready for prime time. But I think it is getting there and is the trend of the future.
I got sling, but I just reviewed YouTube and it looks to be better: (1) better channel lineup at a lower cost (2) comes with DVR and unlimited storage (Sling announced a DVR, but not available yet) (3) they will carry the networks (Sling doesn’t). This is a big deal if you don’t get over the air network channels. (It was fun realizing we couldn’t watch the super bowl on Fox)
Second: make sure you have a good, reliable internet connection AND --here’s the kicker-- most internet providers are quietly slipping data limits into their plans. Keep in mind one hour of HD video is about a gig… that adds up over the course of a month.
There’s nothing more frustrating if you don’t have a good internet connection and are trying to watch a football game or a movie on saturday night and the internet keeps dropping.
Be sure to add up the cost of all this. We get netflix, hulu, hbo, sling, etc plus the cost of the premium internet connection can easily add up to more than what you are already spending for your current cable connection.
Cable industry realizes their goose is cooked when it comes to charging high prices for content. I predict your internet bills will skyrocket as the companies simply become broadband providers. Think that is when they’ll finally give you the ability to a la carte just the stations you want.