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Kyle

By Kyle
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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 32,071

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Posted (edited)

I still have premium cable because the various online tv services never quite fit the bill or created a value proposition for me, and with the recent price increases, that is doubly so.  This is primarily because Charter/Spectrum never raised the price on a 10-year old package.

Still, we use Netflix, Amazon Prime, and the various online cable channel counterparts (as sort of on-demand ultra) to supplement cable.  I'm pretty technologically adept, but for the most part, I prefer turning on the cable and selecting something from the onscreen guide to opening up an app or a website, scrolling/searching through the various awkward interfaces and trying to select a gem from among the dreck.  Most of the time, we are inspired to watch something by seeing it halfway through on the cable guide, or from recommendations right here on the surl and we go in search of one specific show.  And it's still kind of a pain in the ass.  

Edited by TwiceHorn
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Pablo

Pablo 500

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I still have premium cable because the various online tv services never quite fit the bill or created a value proposition for me, and with the recent price increases, that is doubly so.  This is primarily because Charter/Spectrum never raised the price on a 10-year old package.

Still, we use Netflix, Amazon Prime, and the various online cable channel counterparts (as sort of on-demand ultra) to supplement cable.  I'm pretty technologically adept, but for the most part, I prefer turning on the cable and selecting something from the onscreen guide to opening up an app or a website, scrolling/searching through the various awkward interfaces and trying to select a gem from among the dreck.  Most of the time, we are inspired to watch something by seeing it halfway through on the cable guide, or from recommendations right here on the surl and we go in search of one specific show.  And it's still kind of a pain in the ass.  

I agree with you there and if it weren't for Sportsurge, I'd probably be paying for AT&T streaming package again to get Astros games. 

I've tried:

YouTube TV

Hulu TV

AT&T NOW,

Sling

Philo

Paramount+

Peacock+

I hated Hulu and Sling's TV interfaces, Peacock+ is pretty terrible, too. 

YouTube TV and AT&T seemed to be the most easily usable.

As of now, i'm only subscribed to Peacock+ and HBO Max, and only Max because its included with my AT&T 1000 service.

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TrashMaster G

TrashMaster G 18,072

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I am so torn on this topic... I still have cable (Spectrum) and it's ridiculously expensive.  In addition I am paying for Netflix, Amazon Prime (which I would have anyway), Apple and Disney+.  

I cannot do without local tv/networks and the ESPN and Fox...we, uh Bally Sports channels.  I have a friend who has YouTube TV and the interface/menu setup on her tv is a fucking beating.  Fuck any setup where I cannot just punch in channel numbers and go right to where I want to go.

I need a cheaper solution, but it needs desperately to not suck.

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NoName

NoName 17,146

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46 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

I am so torn on this topic... I still have cable (Spectrum) and it's ridiculously expensive.  In addition I am paying for Netflix, Amazon Prime (which I would have anyway), Apple and Disney+.  

I cannot do without local tv/networks and the ESPN and Fox...we, uh Bally Sports channels.  I have a friend who has YouTube TV and the interface/menu setup on her tv is a fucking beating.  Fuck any setup where I cannot just punch in channel numbers and go right to where I want to go.

I need a cheaper solution, but it needs desperately to not suck.

that is literally any and all streaming setups since they are app based?

If you have Google TV you just say "play ESPN" and it jumps straight to it.

the setup for YTTV is great if you have a Google TV (exclusive to that i think) but it is fine if you have Roku. the ones that are native to TVs suck almost across the board.

idk how you can say you want something that doesn't suck but then you have Spectrum?

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seven

seven 1,368

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6 minutes ago, NoName said:

that is literally any and all streaming setups since they are app based?

If you have Google TV you just say "play ESPN" and it jumps straight to it.

the setup for YTTV is great if you have a Google TV (exclusive to that i think) but it is fine if you have Roku. the ones that are native to TVs suck almost across the board.

idk how you can say you want something that doesn't suck but then you have Spectrum?

Backed by the power of big data yttv already knows what you want to watch anyway. I've never turned it on to watch something specific and it wasn't already in one of the 3 suggested channels. 

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TrashMaster G

TrashMaster G 18,072

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6 minutes ago, NoName said:

that is literally any and all streaming setups since they are app based?

If you have Google TV you just say "play ESPN" and it jumps straight to it.

the setup for YTTV is great if you have a Google TV (exclusive to that i think) but it is fine if you have Roku. the ones that are native to TVs suck almost across the board.

idk how you can say you want something that doesn't suck but then you have Spectrum?

I have a Roku tv.  It's fine for streaming.

I want to have an on-screen guide that shows channel/program/episode info, going out several days minimum.  I want to be able to search for shows and set series to record to my DVR.  Those points are all non-negotiable for me.

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NoName

NoName 17,146

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17 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

I have a Roku tv.  It's fine for streaming.

I want to have an on-screen guide that shows channel/program/episode info, going out several days minimum.  I want to be able to search for shows and set series to record to my DVR.  Those points are all non-negotiable for me.

Youtube TV has this exact option. I think you can go up to like a week out?

Their search is about a million times better than any cable/dish search. their "similar shows" is also excellent.

If you want to be able to turn on a TV to channel 12 then good luck, you will never get that with a cord cutting experience. If you want to turn on your device and say "play Top Chef" or "play ESPN2" and have it work, then you can have that experience.

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TrashMaster G

TrashMaster G 18,072

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7 minutes ago, NoName said:

Youtube TV has this exact option. I think you can go up to like a week out?

Their search is about a million times better than any cable/dish search. their "similar shows" is also excellent.

If you want to be able to turn on a TV to channel 12 then good luck, you will never get that with a cord cutting experience. If you want to turn on your device and say "play Top Chef" or "play ESPN2" and have it work, then you can have that experience.

Hmm.  The YouTube tv interface that I have seen was not like this at all.  It's maddening.  Every time I turn on the guide, it's displaying the beginning of the channel list (local stations).  I page down 17 times to get to TNT, TBS, etc and click on a live show to watch - there are no channel numbers for me to punch in a number and quickly advance down the 17 pages in the guide to see that same section of channels, because when I am on TNT and bring the guide back up, I am at the top of the list again, looking at current listings for the networks.

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Dilligas

Dilligas 687

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I’ve had YoutubeTV since I told AT&T and Direct TV to suck it. I know you can go online and rearrange where channels are located but like someone else said my regular watching choices are shown on the Home Screen. I’ve also just recently noticed the channel lineup shows up on my Home Screen for Fire.

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 90,636

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Kyle said:

Who is exhausted of managing myriad streaming services and longing for a single place to access everything on TV? 

On the one hand, I am.

On the other hand, I'm paying on a monthly basis:

  • Netflix - $14 a month 
  • Hulu - $2 a month (Paid for by the year)
  • Peacock - Free
  • Paramount+ - $4 (Paid for by the year)
  • HBOMax - $12? (Paid for by 6-month chunks)
  • Disney+ - $5? (Paid for by the year)
  • Amazon Prime (consider it free, as it is not why we subscribe to Prime)
  • YouTube - Free (not premium or anything, but there's always something I will watch on there)

So around $40 a month for a shitload more content, where we used to pay almost $200 for cable TV.

Yeah, not much sports, and no LHN, but when we get closer to CFB season, I'll look at options.

It's not what I wanted 10 or so years ago when we started streaming a lot, when I hoped that there'd be one place for everything, but oh well.

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Colonel Sanders

Colonel Sanders 1,392

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3 hours ago, TrashMaster G said:

Hmm.  The YouTube tv interface that I have seen was not like this at all.  It's maddening.  Every time I turn on the guide, it's displaying the beginning of the channel list (local stations).  I page down 17 times to get to TNT, TBS, etc and click on a live show to watch - there are no channel numbers for me to punch in a number and quickly advance down the 17 pages in the guide to see that same section of channels, because when I am on TNT and bring the guide back up, I am at the top of the list again, looking at current listings for the networks.

You can put the channels in any order you want.  You just have to log into your account on a computer.  That it goes back up to the top instead of the channel you're on while surfing is frustrating though.

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Macklemore

Macklemore 2,945

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4 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I still have premium cable because the various online tv services never quite fit the bill or created a value proposition for me, and with the recent price increases, that is doubly so.  This is primarily because Charter/Spectrum never raised the price on a 10-year old package.

Still, we use Netflix, Amazon Prime, and the various online cable channel counterparts (as sort of on-demand ultra) to supplement cable.  I'm pretty technologically adept, but for the most part, I prefer turning on the cable and selecting something from the onscreen guide to opening up an app or a website, scrolling/searching through the various awkward interfaces and trying to select a gem from among the dreck.  Most of the time, we are inspired to watch something by seeing it halfway through on the cable guide, or from recommendations right here on the surl and we go in search of one specific show.  And it's still kind of a pain in the ass.  

Completely agree. I still have DirecTV with STARZ, HBO, SHO, TMC and Cinemax for $170 a month with 3 receivers. We do the same about starting a movie or show from the beginning that we happen up on the program guide. Get ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu package for free as part of my Verizon mobile unlimited plan. I wouldn’t pay for Hulu separately. Have Netflix and Prime. Use my mom’s Xfinity password to get Peacock without ads. Despite the extra cost, I’m glad I never ditched traditional pay TV. Not having the wife bitch about a patchwork system is worth the extra cost.

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Beantown Express 2.0

Beantown Express 2.0 6,594

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2 hours ago, Macklemore said:

Completely agree. I still have DirecTV with STARZ, HBO, SHO, TMC and Cinemax for $170 a month with 3 receivers. We do the same about starting a movie or show from the beginning that we happen up on the program guide. Get ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu package for free as part of my Verizon mobile unlimited plan. I wouldn’t pay for Hulu separately. Have Netflix and Prime. Use my mom’s Xfinity password to get Peacock without ads. Despite the extra cost, I’m glad I never ditched traditional pay TV. Not having the wife bitch about a patchwork system is worth the extra cost.

So I am going on DirecTV for over 20 plus years now.  I have HBO (which gets me HBO Max) and Stars like you plus I pay for Prime, Netflix, Disney, AppleTV, and I get HULU through my Spotify account (although I never use HULU).  Needed a Firestick on one TV and Roku on the other to get Apple/HBO Max because my OLED LG/ cheap Samsung TVs suck and don’t have those apps built in.  I don’t want to give the ease of all of that up plus I know the channels by heart but would love to give up the wife bitching about the cost every month and telling me we should do like this neighbor or that friend that pays like nothing for YouTube TV or streaming stuff.  The simple solution would be get a divorce and that solves almost all my TV watching problems.

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 90,636

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20 minutes ago, Beantown Express 2.0 said:

The simple solution would be get a divorce and that solves almost all my TV watching problems.

Masturbating to Game of Thrones would be a lot easier with a divorce.

I will say this - going to 100% streaming several years ago (I want to say around 7 years ago) was tough, but the last year or so, with Disney+ and HBOMax, has been a bit of a game changer.  Live sports is the only thing I really miss, and I can usually find an alternative way of viewing those games, and I'm down mainly to Longhorns and some NASCAR and rally stuff.

And when I look at my watchlists on Netflix, Hulu, Prime, HBOMax, etc., there's no way I could knock them out in a year or two if I spent 3-4 hours every night watching stuff just on my watchlists, never mind shit that I'm adding every week.

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  • 3 years later...
mr. sunshine

mr. sunshine 2,859

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Alright most of what I had was through Verizon - mostly Hulu and Max. Also had AppleTV but I guess I've gotta pay more for that now.

So now I'm cut back to Sling and Amazon. Not complaining. I've got a regular 8-5 job now so my days of laying around watching TV are over but I'm not complaining.

My question is if you had to start all over again what's the best bang for the buck? Thanks players

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  • 3 months later...
MonkeyDoughnut

MonkeyDoughnut 10,803

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Posted (edited)

YoutubeTV just announced another price increase 14%.... fuck this.... I'm going back to rabbit ears (I'm not... but still... fuck this)

To keep up with the rising cost of content and the investments we make in the quality of our service, we’re updating our monthly price from $72.99/month to $82.99/month starting January 13, 2025.

Edited by MonkeyDoughnut
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AUS-97HORN

AUS-97HORN 12,050

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9 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

Yeah a 14 percent increase with no additional features sucks. I may try to go without after college football is over.

march madness....  

although last year Max had the games on TBS & TNT and of course you could do CBS on-air.    problem was the 4th channel,  TrueTv wasnt  on.  they  were about 15 seconds delayed from the normal cable broadcasts.  although maybe Hulu might help avoid that.

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MonkeyDoughnut

MonkeyDoughnut 10,803

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5 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

might be time to consider Fubo for me

but then i get a $10/mo discount through T-Mobile

with discount maybe, but Fubo's prices already high, I can understand why these services subscriber numbers are dropping. They are very likely to start adding the one thing everyone moved to streaming for initially... contracts.  I can see them doing 3/6/9/12 month subscriptions at discount so they don't get huge dropoffs from sports fan between seasons.

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DaysOff

DaysOff 8,198

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Yeah a 14 percent increase with no additional features sucks. I may try to go without after college football is over.

Just told my wife this is the plan. "But I watch Yellowstone. I watch Grey's anatomy". Watch better shit bitch. Canceled.
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Deej

Deej 77,805

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23 hours ago, Rimbo said:

might be time to consider Fubo for me

but then i get a $10/mo discount through T-Mobile

Fubo with the sports package is over $100 a month. I cancelled, went back to Sling, where they gave me a month for half price, then went back to Fubo, where they offered me a month for half price. I'll see how long I can play that game. 

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Scary Stranger

Scary Stranger 1,724

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I've used it this fall so I could watch some international rugby games.  Downside, at least with the service I used, is the lack of DVR capabilities.  I also put no effort into researching which services to use and did the one associated with the torrent site I use.  But you can watch live sports and TV from all over the world for $10/mo. 

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Vic Mackey

Vic Mackey 47,950

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3 minutes ago, Ted Lange said:


password sharing will be over within 18 months for pretty much everything.

All of this will eventually backfire on all these greedy companies. Not right away but in the next 2-4 years. You can't keep raising prices whole doing zero to update quality. In fact, it's usually the opposite. So many shows get booted and moved around to other streaming services. It's nothing but a never-ending roulette with shows and movies that keep bouncing around. Piracy is gaining a lot more traction than it used to.

The best way to go about streaming is to just subscribe to only what you want to watch at the moment. Knock out the shows/movies and then cancel. Move onto the next and do the same. No reason to subscribe to tons of them at once. Many will sit there collecting dust and they keep raking in your money each month.

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Ted Lange

Ted Lange 16,406

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Not allowing people steal your content via sharing passwords doesn’t seem greedy, seems like common sense.  I don’t have an issue with that.  
 

I agree with pretty much everything you replied with about cost/quality.   Looked it up, avg cable bill in 2018 was $107.  The cord cutting options will be there soon, then tack on peacock/amazon/ESPN+/Paramount+/Netflix, etc… that as a sports fan you need now to watch games.    Cord cutting was the absolute worst thing ever for sports fans, all that shit was included and we had the non-sports fans subsidizing it.  
 

 

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Deej

Deej 77,805

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14 hours ago, Dilligas said:

Think I’m gonna switch from YTTV to Fubo, looks like Fubo is $20 a month less. Of course that shit will change. It’s right back to $150 month like with Dish or DirectTV, especially when you add Prime, Peacock, Paramount+, these fucks will always get yo money

Fubo is something like $107 a month if you get the sports package. 

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