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Cutting the cord isn't necessarily about slashing the costs. It's about reducing the control providers have over your services.
Reducing your service to suitable broadband opens two doors: you can go with a different provider who doesn't offer the full slate of "cable" and other services but has better internet service and rates, or you can reduce your current provider down to a cheap tier of broadband only. That means (net neutrality etc. aside) that they can't yank your chain on channels, programs, bundles, service packages etc. My experience in over a decade of Comcast net-only service is that they just forget you're there and the hassle and annoyance level goes way, way down.
Since broadband is an almost essential utility for households, it's not fair to compare it to cable-only service. So you pay $50-75 for internet; that fuels all of your entertainment and comm needs, not just TV channels. It's not necessarily the same cost if you dissociate it from "cable."
And then you can pick and choose entertainment providers with rarely more than a one-month commitment, instead of taking whatever "cable" service and add-on tiers and extra-cost everything on an annual contract basis. And if you want a house/landline phone, get one cheap from a variety of providers.
So in the end, you may not save a whole lot, but you can often go to better internet for everything and hand-picked entertainment options... if the free choices aren't good enough, and they're not bad these days. For me, having the flexibility to choose the best internet service/value, independently of everything else, and not have a programming/service leash get yanked three or four times a year is worth it all.
Wife and I live full time in our RV and travel. No sticks and bricks home. Verizon unlimited data hotspot.
Currently have:
DirecTV
Hulu
Netflix
My DTV package is $100/month and while I am happy with the service I find myself using Hulu/Netflix more often than DTV.
Here is the problem: I like watching current network shows on their apps (not live) when I cannot get local channels on DTV which is most of the time. Every app requires a TV provider login so if I get rid of DTV I'll lose that. Not all the networks I watch are on Hulu.
Ideas?
A "jailbroke" Firestick and antenna is all you need. A correctly jailbroken firestick (approx $40) has everything that's on Hulu, Netflix, cable stations, and local TV. Also commercial free. Popular network shows (ie This is Us, 911,SNL) are typically available right after they air on the network. It also has all the seasons of the shows unlike Hulu that sometimes only has the latest season. I can watch shows from HBO, Showtime, Starz, FX, etc...Also newly released movies in the theater are available too. Granted they may not look that great early on but as the movie ages, better versions become avail. TV shows always have a great picture from my experience, no fuzziness or lagging. It's a one time purchase and only requires your Amazon membership which is roughly $13/mo or you can pay Amazon yearly, not sure of the cost but comes out cheaper than 13/mo. The antenna is great for NFL season and college basketball if you're into that. I have a digital antenna, purchased at the dollar general, that picked up a bunch of channels I never knew existed.
I did purchase the NFL Sunday ticket last year through DTV (just the Sunday ticket, not DTV service) but me and some friends split the cost 4 ways and everyone was able to use it simultaneously from their home or tablet.
Also want to add that I used to have Verizon unlmtd hotspot was paying for the $70/mo plan, learned from a tech website about AT&T unlmtd, that requires a SIM card purchased through eBay($29.99 I believe), the seller sets it up with your info and $35/mo, it works so much better and no lagging. I run 4 TVs (usually not all at the same time) and two laptops, and my guests were able to run a PS4 as well. I'm not mobile like you though, just in an apt complex that privatizes internet through their own ****ty company. So we're not able to use Cox or any of the major internet providers. Both the Verizon hotspot and AT&T are much better than what they were offering. But the AT&T has really been a gem. I plan on keeping it even when I move from this place. Just another suggestion for saving a buck or two.
Jailbroken firestick and private torrent trackers are two avenues... but I don't talk about how to do them.. research them yourself. Since city-data shows post editing history you can look at my edits to get a bit more information. Information about firesticks is easily googled. If you can change the oil on your car or install a piece of software on your computer, you can jailbreak a firestick and install some third party applications on it. Not difficult.
Last edited by sholomar; 05-25-2020 at 03:44 AM..
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