So, what is hulu and how will it save me money on Cable TV ?

[KayAnn246]

Originally Posted by Marv1985

The bounty of info on this thread is wonderful for those of us on the verge of cutting the cord as I am; any other tidbits to share?

There are a few good free streaming services. A few that I've tried are Roku Channels(you don't need a Roku), FreeDive(with an Amazon account), Tubi TV, Pluto TV, and Crackle

For cable channels, I have DirectTV Now. It's the one streaming service that has all the channels we watch at home. I also have added on HBO for $5 and Showtime for $8. I like DirectTV Now because you can use most of the TV anywhere apps to log in and watch the channel network library.

[Rocko20]

Honestly you don't need Hulu, or Netflix, or any of that stuff. Youtube has so much content now that it has replaced cable for me, including live events.

[Rocko20]

Originally Posted by KittenSparkles

This has a good overview and reviews of various streaming services - one of the most thorough lists I've seen.

https://cordcutting.com/services/

All that content can be found for free. The problem with signing up for these services is that they all will eventually raise their prices (see netflix), eventually leading to no real cost savings for you.

Truth is, all you need as an internet service provider and google to find all the TV/media related content you need.

[CaptainNJ]

Originally Posted by Rocko20

All that content can be found for free. The problem with signing up for these services is that they all will eventually raise their prices (see netflix), eventually leading to no real cost savings for you.

Truth is, all you need as an internet service provider and google to find all the TV/media related content you need.

it all depends on the person. i need to cut enough to save money but not enough that my wife isnt happy.

[TigerLily24]

Originally Posted by CaptainNJ

it all depends on the person. i need to cut enough to save money but not enough that my wife isnt happy.

Agreed.

A lot depends on how comfortable people are watching on their computers or any other device that is not their TV.

I don't want to watch TV on anything other than my TVs so, I have a couple of Roku devices that allow me to watch whatever content, and yes, that does include Hulu, on my televisions.

To recap:
To watch Hulu or other similar service, one needs to have internet service, either via WiFi or direct from the modem/router to whatever device is going to be used to capture the streaming content.
Some devices for that purpose that can be connected to your television are listed here:

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2421457,00.asp


There are many services that charge you to access their content. Some provide very specific content like AcornTV, BritBox or EPSN+, some provide more general content like netflix and Prime Video and some provide an experience similar to cable - Philo, Youtube TV, Hulu Live, DirectTV Now...

Some of those that provide a cable-like experience include local channels and some don't (ie. Philo). I have an OTA (over the air) antenna for locals. There is also a streaming service called "locast" that serves the same purpose if an OTA is not an option.

https://www.locast.org/

Yes, there is a LOT of free content available and as has been noted, for some that may be enough.

For those of us who, like me, want that specific content, like the Hallmark channels, paying $16.00 a month for Philo is much more cost effective than paying for cable.
And if I were to add up the cost of all of the additional subscriptions that I pay for, it's still way less than cable and I can choose whether to subscribe or not on a monthly basis.

There is a downside, however, and that is that replacing cable with 100% streaming increases data usage so if you have a data cap on the lower side, that can be an issue.
You also need to have decent internet speed to prevent constant buffering.

Bottom line: you can save money by cutting cable but everyone should do lots of research before doing so in order to find what works best for them.

[CaptainNJ]

so i went through my DVR and took note of all the shows and what channels they were on. i then went to each of the streaming services and made a spreadsheet of what channels they have that were represented in my DVR.

it seems like DirectvNow is the best move. Its base seems to have the channels we watch and it also has a much greater ability to upgrade for additional channels.

i had a friend over last night to help me set up the wired internet throughout my house. my wife doesnt think its necessary but we have 4 internet users, i think 9 or so wifi cameras and now we are moving to all streaming tv. so i think its a good idea to get some stuff on the wired vs wireless.

[mathjak107]

Originally Posted by FiveLoaves

Would "sling" be something along the same lines ??

Spectrum has a price structure that is designed to get you to sign up for additional "tiers" that offer 57 channels but only 3 or 4 that are worth watching. And their tiers are rigged so that if you like the History type channels, there's 2 on Tier 1 and 2 others on Tier 2. The DIY type channels are split up the same way.

I don't even have Premium HBO or Showtime, and the bill is over $200 !!

After our contract just ended with fios they wanted to raise us to over 200 ... we got the same thing from spectrum for 150.00

[CaptainNJ]

i got some "great" $89/month triple play deal with comcast and my monthly bill is about $190.