Cutting the cord: How Modern Dad ditched cable TV

By Phil Nickinson
last updated

It's sort of a rite of passage for folks of a certain age — especially those of us who grew up in a time before cable TV. Our kids? They don't know the differences between networks and cable news. It all looks the same — who cares how it comes in, right? But for me, the time came when the $150 a month I was paying for cable TV just wasn't worth it.

It was time to unplug.

I'm hardly the first to cut the cord. And while it hasn't necessarily been painless, it's definitely been a bit easier than I expected. And the best part is that there's no single way to do it.

What works for me may work for you, or maybe it won't. But at the very least I think it'll get you moving in the right direction. Here's a breakdown of everything I'm using.

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Phil's living room

The hardware

Android TV

Le Eco sent me a Super4 X65 TV to check out. It's not the most high-end display out there, and there a number of nagging little software bugs. But it's pretty darn good for the price and looks great in my living room. (I'd wait for those bugs to be worked out before buying, though.)

Android TV built into the TV is glorious.

But the big difference for me is that it's got Android TV built in. I've been using Android TV since its inception, of course. (Hell, since before it was Android TV, really.) And while it's great in a box, it's even better when it's built in. You don't have to worry about switching inputs on a remote — you just scroll down through the UI to pick what you want. That's made things a good bit easier on the wife and kids.

A downside, though, is that if you want to use a separate Android TV box, you'll essentially be running Android TV on top of Android TV, which was a little crazy when I plugged in an NVIDIA Shield TV. (But that's also something most folks are unlikely to do.)

Why'd I even attempt that little bit of inception? The Shield TV is the only Android TV instance that has access to Amazon videos. (Damn exclusives strike again.) That's another thing to consider. If you just have to have Amazon Video, you'll need a separate piece of hardware to get it.

See at Amazon

Phil's bedroom

In the bedroom: Apple TV

In the bedroom I've got an aging dumb TV that I'm using with a latest-gen Apple TV. It's definitely got more of an app-launcher feel than an embedded OS. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, just different. And there are a ton of apps, and all the content you'd expect to find from Apple.

There's not a whole lot of fault to be found in Apple TV.

The screen savers are beautiful. Ridiculously so. I'm seriously considering upgrading the TV back there just so they look better. I could spend all day watching the aerials. For as good as the Chromecast backdrops are, these are even better. (And not clunked up by the optional on-screen chrome that Google goes for.) And Airplay is as easy as Chromecast when it comes to shooting things over from an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Maybe even easier. (And it's seamless when it comes to using one of those devices to input text.)

Apple TV has the added bonus of a proper ethernet port for better connectivity — again, that's a concern when it comes to streaming. (But even then you're still at the mercy of the stream itself.)

See at Apple

The only real down side to Apple TV is that the remote is awful. I'm not even talking about the weird touchpad — just the lack of ergonomics and ridiculous button scheme. Which leads me to ...

Logitech Harmony remotes

Investing in a couple good universal remotes has made a world of difference. This is especially true if you've got multiple boxes connected to a single TV. (I can't stand having to deal with more than one remote.)

Logitech Harmony

In the living room I've been using a Logitech Harmony Pro system. The gist is that the remote doesn't actually control the TV — it fires commands to a little Wifi-connected hub, and that shoots commands to the TV. The advantage here is that the remote doesn't actually have to have line-of-sight access to what it's controlling. (And there's a little IR extender you can use on the Harmony hub, so you can tuck these things in fun, out-of-the-way locations.

It's a little overkill. The remotes can control a lot of things. Sonos. Nest. Philips Hue lights. Plus everything in your entertainment system. The Elite has a touchscreen to help out, but I haven't ever really wanted to change the thermostat on this thing. It's easier to just yell at Alexa or Google Home to do that.

In the bedroom I've got a Harmony Companion. It's basically the same thing, with a scaled down remote. No touchscreen, but damned if this isn't the most beautifully designed device I own. The curves on the back of the remote are to die for. (I desperately want this thing to be made into a phone.) It's also a lot less expensive, but it still lets me control the Hue lights in the bedroom. This is probably the remote I'd recommend for most folks.

Harmony Companion

Harmony Elite

Yeah, but what about ...

I know, I know. There are a million different ways to cut the cord. And I've tried a lot of hardware in the past few months. Some other serious contenders include:

  • OTA HD antenna: Not every service covers everything yet. I'm using a couple indoor over-the-air antennas for networks. These things are directional, though, so check first to see what'll work best for you.
  • Roku 4 Ultra: This is the best solution for most people, I think. It has access to more services than either Google or Apple alone. (And it includes Amazon video.) It's also a relatively inexpensive $99.
  • NVIDIA Shield TV: This is the only standalone Android TV box you should consider. It's way powerful, and needs to be because it's also a pretty good gaming console. Plus it's got access to Amazon video.
  • Xbox One S: It's a gaming console first, and a streaming box second. But also having a Blu-Ray player built-in makes it pretty compelling. Problem is it doesn't have access to two of the streaming services I use.
  • Streaming sticks: They're small. They're cheap. And I don't use them. They're just not very powerful, and streaming is prone to lag and freezes even on good hardware. Spend a little extra and get good hardware.

The streaming services

This is where you have to do a little homework if you want to save some money. First I looked at what we were spending on cable TV every month. Then I started comparing streaming plans. If we broke $150, then none of this would be worth it.

The really nice part here is that there aren't any contracts, and generally speaking there are free trials. So you can try things out, and come and go as you please.

Also, yes: You get live TV. And a good bit more.

We started out with Sling (opens in new tab). It's not bad at all, and certainly worth a look. But ultimately we've ended up on PlayStation Vue. We're on the most expensive plan at $65 a month, which is what we had to do to get all the channels we wanted. (Some things — like bundles — may never change, I guess.) We probably have about as many channels as we did with cable (I never actually counted), including some we didn't have before.

The bottom line

So let's do some math.

Our previous cable TV bills were $152 a month, including taxes and fees and box rentals and lord knows what else.

We're now paying $65 a month for PSVue. I haven't even been counting the $10 a month for Netflix, and $7.99 for Hulu, for which we already were paying. (And if you break Amazon Prime costs down monthly, that's another $8.35 a month.)

You need to do a little homework (and math) if you want to save money. But I'm now saving hundreds of dollars a year.

So that all totals out to $91 a month for more channels and content than any of us at home can (or should) watch. For the math-impaired, we're saving about $732 a year, and not watching any less.

Is it as easy as cable TV? Nope. Menus are a little slower and not as simple. Picture quality isn't always 100 percent as good — but generally it's good enough.

And this one's going to be a thing going forward — my ISP gives us 1 terabyte of data before it starts charging us extra. That'll be something we have to watch as we consume more 4K content. (And is maybe a reason to deal with Blu-Ray disks.)

Again, your mileage will vary. There's no one way to do this. You need to do your homework to see if the available services will actually save your any money in the first place, and then whether it'll save enough to make the switch worth it.

For my family, though? We haven't looked back.

Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson
175 Comments
  • After two months of ditching cable, had to run back. My opinion when adding up the channels we watch there really is no value of savings. Wound up costing a couple dollars more by cutting the cord. Actually just came today and re-installed a new satelitte dish.
  • Same issue here. Internet cost plus the cost of Netflix, sling, Amazon all add up. And the one service (sling) that provides channels sucks. They advertise all the big sporting events and when it comes to watching them. They are blacked out. We currently use Apple TV (big upgrade over the Xbox one haha) and sling is still trash. Comcast will be here tomorrow. Ended up saving money and getting fast Internet.
  • I mean, the benefit on cord cutting is assuming you already pay for internet.
  • yep. I tried to and it would have cost more because of internet. I have firestick and an Android TV so that fills my movie needs but for internet its more to not go with a triple play package not quite but close so i might have saved 20.00 if that and not had local channels or local news etc and the wife doesnt want to deal with all the boxes and its a movie person much wbile im a movie nut and pretty much the only thing I watch, shes the opposite so for us it didnt work. we woulndt have saved anything
  • When you ditch cable the cost of internet goes up by $10 or more (at least that's how it is with Comcast for me) It's best to get the 1 year or 2 year contract promos (as a new customer) with the cable company because it's like $50+ cheaper per month. Once the contract ends the price shoots up again.
  • Have you looked at Vue. Plenty of sports but depends where you live. And also fuboTv is very sports centric. It's still beta tho I think
  • Goto www.AngadTel.com and get their IPTV service. They have all the channels. When I say "all" I mean ALL.... Ask them for a 1 month trial.
  • Forgot to mention that you need to use the contact form to contact them and then ask for their service. They are pretty underground.
  • I ditched cable TV service a long time ago, the best thing I have ever done. Nothing but brainless garbage and corporate brainwashing going on. TV does nothing but destroy your brain cells.
  • I have a 100 billion brain cells. I'm sure I can spare a few. Think I will be okay, but than again if I factor in the drinking maybe I don.....
    What was I saying? Lost my train of thought.
  • If you still have the internet, you didn't ditch cable,
  • LOL True. Just the tv part of it, but your internet service price goes up without having the tv service.
  • Sticking with the cord. Better consistency, simpler , just turn TV on and go. Oh yeah, sports, sports, sports.
  • Same here . . . i hate having to dive through the interfaces of streaming devices. I love my Tivo box. With a couple of dozen OnePasses set up it takes far less time for me to find something I want to watch than it would to fire up the interface of a streaming unit, search and start a show of my choice. If I were to cable cut, I'd have to subscribe to multiple streaming services just to get all of the coverage of shows that i want and jumping in/out of the various service interfaces would be a frustrating experience. With every new streaming service announcement I always look to see if they'll cover all of my needs. Hopeful for YouTube TV announcement but not holding by breath. i've got YouTube Red and Amazon Prime, and have jumped around between Hulu, Netflix and DirectTV Go. Nothing has stuck for me yet.
  • As I was saying, brainless nonsense.
  • Just curious, what do you watch that is so intellectually uplifting?
  • Playstation Vue offers a number of sports networks, including BTN which is important for the wife (Nebraska Football) and I (Purdue Basketball). Once my current contract runs out I'm giving very serious consideration to cutting the cord. The only thing Phil didn't address is DVR, but I think some of the other commenters covered it.
  • Love VUE but I think PlayStation needs to change the name so people don't think it's exclusive to PlayStation. I've suggested it to many and a few have said" but I don't have a PlayStation."
    Another great thing about Vue compared to the others is the sign in for so many TV anywhere apps.
  • We cut the cable a month or so ago and went with a plex and ota solution using an old pc I got from work. Plex recently added DVR capability with HD Homerun OTA tuners. I believe you have to be a paying customer ($40 a year) to get that. So I have an OTA antenna picking up the local cable channels (fox, nbc, abc, cbs) running into a 2 tuner HD Homerun Extend. Plex can record the shows we watch from that tuner. We also have Netflix and Amazon Prime. Everything else we want I'm using a Sonarr/Usenet solution (I know shame on me)... All in all everything is working well. Just not sure how I'm going to watch ESPN. This time of year I don't watch it often but will really miss it during football season. I've heard that the networks don't care if you "borrow" someone's cable login but I haven't looked into that. My parents would gladly help me out in that respect. I'm sure they haven't even setup a login for their cable account. I also know sling is a good ESPN option. Just overkill for me.
  • Well, you really didn't cut the cord, since you are Still using the 'Cord' for the internet.
  • I hate that argument. Yes it's technically true but then the true only way would be to hook up an OTA antenna and be done. I think it more refers to the money you can save by going with no traditional cable. I know I save plenty. Yes there are some things I don't get that I would like but I'm surviving just fine. Plus I have an easy extra $100 in my pocket every month.
  • Argument?
    Cutting the cord/cable means NO connection at all with the cable company.
    How is that an argument?
    When people say they cut the cord when it comes to landlines, that's exactly the point!
  • That's what it means to you
  • So, you are making up your definition then?
    When some says they cut the cord, it can ONLY mean no connection at all to the cable company.
    This article should be saying that he has decided to not use the cable tv options, and is opting for internet alternatives.
  • Between sports and the fact that cable is the best internet provider to my house, it is hard to save money by cutting the cord, since there are breaks to having the tv service with their internet.
  • Thank you Phil! You made it simple man. I've been looking for some advise.
  • This is definitely a timely article as we are currently in the process of buying a new home and we have been debating on how we want to proceed since we have a clean slate to start from. Our options are Cable Tv and internet, Fios Internet and TV, or either of the afore mentioned as a stand alone internet provider and a combination of streamig services and OTA signals for content. At our last house we had Cable internet and TV, but we were already fairly unhappy with them and considering a change. Also going forward we already own a decent suite of streaming gear, a couple Rokus, a shield TV, Chromecast dongles, and our main TV is a smart TV with many streaming services built in. So on the hardware front we should already be covered for whatever we decide. We already have Netflix and Amazon prime which we will be keeping regardless but we are trying to figure out mainly what we want to do to round out the whole deal. Right now we are strongly leaning towards Sling Tv but I have heard many mixed things about it. I like what Google is doing too but I'm already sure their YouTube TV service won't be an option at least starting out, just because it's not going to be avaliable. But In any case thank you for the article it has given me more things to consider (and some new remotes to drool over).
  • Here's my cost breakdown before and after cutting the cord: Before: DirectTV $110, Internet $64.99, Netflix $8.99, HBO $10.(during Game of thrones season)
    After: PS Vue $29.99 ($34.99 during football season), Internet $64.99,Netflix $8.99,HBO $14.99., Tablo OTA DVR $2 (amortized)
  • +1 for the Tablo OTA DVR. been using mine for years now. Love it.
  • Again, you didn't cut the 'Cord' if you still have the internet.
    Your 'after' isn't really saving you money really, you just made different choices. If those that say they 'Cut the Cord' but still have the internet connection through the cable, is a lie.
  • Stop saying that. You are making up your own definition of cutting the cord. No one is giving up the internet in 2017 and everyone is referring to cutting cable TV. If I cut my internet and streamed over a Verizon hotspot would you finally be happy or would u still be an anal troll ?
  • My definition?
    If you indeed cut the cord(cable) you would have no connection to the cable company at all!
    No internet!!!
    How is that so hard to understand?
    No, the meme of 'cutting the cord' is very misleading, and ignorant.
    What should be said is that you are no longer paying for cable TV channels.
    It's anal, ignorant, jackasses like you that live in a dream world, where words DO NOT matter, and make up their own insane meanings.
  • Take a deep breath. Crack open a beer and sit down. Life's too short to be getting upset over a comment on the internet. Besides, he's right. It's not a literal "cutting of the cord". It's the act of ditching cable TV for streaming options. But your enthusiasm almost convinced me otherwise ;)
  • Dude. Shut up
  • Except I'm being upvoted and u are not
  • Using this thing called math I've determined that he is saving about $65-$85 a month. So his "after" is actually saving him money.
  • Alternative facts
  • Get over dipshit.
  • By the time we pay for more data (capped at 300 gb, and still going over if I download an Xbox One game), and add Sling, we're almost at what we were paying for DirecTV. It's way less convenient, and forget about trying to stream a live hockey game. Get a cheaper plan on DirecTV or Dish, and just add/remove sports channels as you need them. Don't be like me.... Don't let your wife convince you that you're better off, lol. On the plus side, the Xbox is always on, so I can fire up a game quicker, and use data cap as an excuse to play over watching TV! BTW, we use Roku devices, and are happy with them in general. Way cheaper than crApple TV, and has more than 3 buttons and a d-pad on a tiny slippy remote...
  • Cable cutting and data caps aren't meant to be together.
  • Tell that to Armstrong Cable. Kind of my only option. If you have their TV service, they up your cap, but then you really likely don't need it!
  • I love not having a data cap
  • I think it's super cheap if you don't care about live tv. I haven't had cable for about 8 years now and am used to not having live tv. So just paying for internet and Hulu and Netflix gets the job done. If I HAD to watch a certain thing, it might be another story. I do think once you get used to not having live tv for a bit, you don't care about it. There's rarely a time when I feel like I'm missing out on anything. Also the kid in my life has never had cable around so she doesn't know the difference. Just throws in Netflix if she wants to watch a show.
  • This is very true.
  • Agree. Once the addiction is gone, it is just easy going. I am out of cable for last 5 or 6 years and do not miss it now.
  • Same here. From reading many of these posts, it looks like people are seriously addicted to their TV, which has destroyed the human race, it has turned people into vegetables.
  • That's... A little extreme.
  • Lol
  • I agree. Its just an addiction. I havent had Dish from past few years. Cable been out more than a decade. I use a prepaid IPTV service. They have live TV and recorded shows and movies etc. I am so satisfied with it. I only watch Discovery and the family watch some of their shows and thats it. I dont miss Dish or Cable at all. Its just an addiction. Stay away from them for a month or so and you will get used to it.
  • Cut the cord years ago & don't miss it. Have an ota antenna, chromecast in the living room & a roku 3 in the bedroom (love being able to use headphones in the roku remote so as to not wake the better half). Netflix has gotten stale but I can ALWAYS find something to watch on YouTube. Looking forward to trying YouTube TV. Tried Playstation vue for a few months - what a God awful mess their apps were! Plus, the better half never used it. Probably the only thing that I miss is the ability to dvr ota shows & skip through commercials. The networks seem to play the same commercials over & over - ironically at&t u-verse are especially irritating!
  • Hulu with no ads = $12 OTA shows, minus CBS. Gotta pay for CBS All Access to get those
  • For now.........this should be changing once Hulu premiers it's live tv product.
  • But you didn't actually cut the 'Cord' though, you still have cable internet.
  • Please...just stop.
  • Give it up dipshit
  • Crazy amounts of money. Here in the UK we get by on £150 per year for a licence, 80 odd free channels on Freeview topped up by £5.99 a month for Netflix which satisfies our 3 children. Just cannot justify spending any more or the temptation would be there to sit and watch a load of rubbish and turn into a couch potato...
  • The licence fee is just a legally enforced subscription, then again everyone loves Dr Who. Freeview + netflix + NowTV = £13/mnth Cable TV = £54/mnth No brainer!
  • What's cable?
  • Am I the only person who doesn't really like harmony remotes? They are overcomplicated and get out of sync often which confuses the rest of my family. I just use the streaming device remote with a sideclick attachment for the TV. I think they are great. I also love the Xbox one media remote and IR blaster which also works great to control the TV.
  • I asked around. Yes. Yes you are.
  • I think the URC remotes are better than the Harmony remotes. I have installed many URC and Harmony remotes over the years and with normal use the Harmony buttons start to go bad after about a year or so but with URC it takes about 3 years before you notice any problems. But neither one is worth the money they charge for them. Like you I am fine with the manufacturers remotes and use them all the time but the wife has to have one that has macros or she simply can't operate our entertainment system so I have 1 URC MX-850 for her.
  • I agree. Why have a separate, complicated, controller when you're already holding a phone or tablet (and I know you are)? I should be able to tell my phone "watch neil degrasse tyson" and have the most recent episode of Star Talk fire up, or say "watch last week's agents of shield" and have that start, but until that works I'll use the various apps that come with my a/v components. It's better than trying to use Harmony to watch a show and have it turn on the receiver and turn off the TV that my wife had left on.
  • Out of sync? What you mean.
  • Love my harmony hub setup since my theater room has a AV room so the RF is fantastic and works flawlessly. They also have a fairly good app for iOS and android.
  • We went for PS Vue as well but we get everything we need from the $30 Package.
  • I'd add the cost of Internet (or some of it, at least) since you don't really need that for cable. I really hope ISP caps aren't here to stay :(
  • You think he didn't already have high speed internet? Lol
  • I'm sure he did, but it IS something most people don't take into account when 'cutting the cord'. Cable doesn't need this, even if you probably already have it. But like Phil mentions, with carriers (because of cord cutting, mostly) have started to cap their services even on home internet and having a bigger family can mean overages or extra fees for unlimited data downloads.
  • I don't have a cap. It's nice
  • setvnow, $20/mth, IPTV, all the live channels and movies you could want
  • How does IPTV work. Is it a service what devices?
  • We cut the cord in 2008 with a HD Homerun, htpc, Netflix and brand new hulu. We've since moved to hulu+ and changed from wmp to vlc to xbmc to plex. I bought the lifetime subscription to Plex pass immediately for $75 I think.
    Our monthly cost is $66 internet, $9 hulu+, $9? Netflix for a total of $84/month including Internet costs. Comcast is trying to shut us down with data caps, but we just moved to more local content and dropped Netflix to sd. Everything is working fine. To be fair, I care nothing for the ever popular HBO shows or sports. Well, I do watch LCS, but that's free.
  • I don't think I'd like cutting the cord. I've cancelled Sling and similar services after trials. Plus, when I need to live stream, it's usually a frustrating experience I'd rather avoid. I like my Chromecast, Fire TV Stick, Netflix, and Prime in addition to my favorite cable network shows. Besides, I'm getting a good deal on my TV and Internet bundle.
  • Cut the cord a few years ago and now with 4k streaming I find myself over 1TB every month. This coupled with YouTube on 2 iPads and DirectTV Now I consume about 2TB each month. Had to switch to Xfinity Unlimited plan and pay additional $50 a month.
  • Sounds like you need to get out more
  • Exactly
  • I'm a sports junkie. So cutting the cord isn't an option, unfortunately.
  • Why, do you play sports, what does watching sports do for you. I also like sports but it did not stop me from cutting the cord, I survived and am better for it.
  • Good for you. I'm happy for you that you were able to, but I can't.
  • That's cool, the more that cut the cord like you the cheaper the cable will become for those of us that don't want to have to fuss when it comes to watching the tube. I'll stick with cable for the time being.
  • I'm a huge college football fan and haven't missed a game I wanted to see after getting rid of cable.
  • Depends where you are and what teams and sports you need. Vue is pretty good with sports expecially in bigger markets
  • I'm not in a big market, but I'll give it a look. Thanks.
  • I'm not in a big market either and I still get the local Philly CSN channel. Its worth looking at. DvR and up to 5 devices at one time. Cancel anytime I pay 35 a month but if you are in and area that get live locals(CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox) I think it's 45 but that's just bigger markets at the moment
  • I currently pay $150 for Directv so I'd be saving quite a bit if I could cut the cord. ( I don't factors in the cost of Amazon, Netflix or my Internet service because I'd have those either way). Other than sports I don't watch much live TV so I'd need a service that offers DVR for most of my shows. And for sports I would need all local channels and regional sports networks along with ESPN and FSN. MLB and NFL Networks are a must. I don't think any of the streaming services currently offer all that.
  • You don't NEED to watch any of those shows, or those spots channels, it's nothing but nonsense, let me ask you, have you gotten smarter and more educated by watching that garbage, do yourself a favor and pick up a good book.
  • And yet, here you are, spending that highly valuable time of yours posting blog comments all day. At least you're not rotting your brain with TV! You showed The Man.
  • LOL!!
  • Do you enjoy being a total CUNextTuesday?
  • Can get 3 ESPN channels and NFL network with SlingTV, at least. FSN too I guess.
  • I would have to have internet services if I cut the cord or not since I sometimes work from home. So I don't count the cost of it as part of what I spend monthly now that I have cut the cord.
  • Vue has all ESPN channels plus app sign in. nbcsn, being sports, BTN, nba TV, NFL Network, sec network, FS1, FS1,TNT. Most with app sign in. I get CSN Philly as well and I'm closer to Pittsburgh. Would rather have Root sports. FSN is available depending on where you are located. Might be worth checking out free trial
  • I am a football Giants fan, I still am able to watch them on my local channels with the HD antenna, also get the NFL Network on my Verizon wireless service "which I hardly watch", and with the Internet I get to see any highlights of games that I might have watched, this is not like the old days where you needed to have cable service. I also save $1500 claims a year which I put into my mutual fund, which earns me money back.
  • Wait I thought you don't need sports . . nothing but nonsense right?
  • No sports is bad you can't watch sports it will rot your brain. Go read your book....,
  • +1
  • Oh get this I watch sports and I have Comcast with get this showtime, HBO, and stars... don't care too much for Cinemax so don't have that. And I have a roth IRA, 401k and IRA and it's close to 7 figures them all.., and I am only 51 and I am retired from my first job, my husband retires next year... I view it like this it's their money let them spend it how they see fit.. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.-- Thomas Jefferson
  • Yes, yes we should believe everything you say on the internet.
  • But don't you know that all mutual funds will go to zero when the stock market collapses because the worldwide economy is built on an unsustainable pile of debt and in the end only gold will hold its value? You obviously aren't reading the right books.
  • Wow...how superior you are to all of us! Self esteem issues much?
  • I think cybertec69 is one of those people who gets paid to do post these kinds of comments...like a mega troll or something.
  • .
  • Vaders ITPV, $15/mo, 180+ channel HDTV service, with 3 day DVR or "TV Catchup". Includes a special section called "MatchCenter that shows all of the Sports programming happening for the next 24 hours. https://twitter.com/JumpStreams1 or YouTube Vaders Streams.
  • I would actually cut cable if it saved money. But if I cut the TV part just internet is going to cost $100 for my current speeds and adding internet TV service is going to cost more than cable + internet combined plus I need live sports.
  • You don't NEED live sports, you NEED shelter food and water.
  • You don't need live sports. He does. Leave him alone.
  • How does someone NEED to watch sports on TV.
  • You don't know what others need. Get over it.
  • They need a brain cleansing, for their own well being.
  • Is this your job? Is this what you need? You seem pretty intent here.
  • I seem to have stricken on chord here, why are you getting upset. Removing your face from the mind control tube is a good thing. https://youtu.be/5G0-JBOW2d4 https://youtu.be/4ZU6RnRWyus
  • TV is "brainwashing" us. Our governments are against us. The food we eat is killing us. Etc., Etc, etc....... I get it dude. I agree with all of that, but if we want to watch TV, then let us. You've done an admirable job. It's just not working. Oh, and I do read. Lots. I have a library in my home full of books. Thanks for looking out for my mental well being.
  • ...as you post here on social media cybertec69
  • ^👍
  • If someone needs, wants, can afford, or does get cable tv. Who are you to order others what to think or do? Also, you do not HAVE to be here on the internet.... look at what it's lead you to here in this thread alone. totally sayin!
  • ^👍
  • You would be shocked at what you could live without if you gave it a try.
  • Exactly, the tube drug addicts are losing their minds, the tube has been imbedded into your brain since childhood, that was their "the globalist corporate and government elite" plan, mass mind control, as your are witnessing here with the angry responses, like a drug addict scared someone will take their drug from them.
  • I really need the drugs that you are on. Or you got trolling down to a science. Or maybe both.
  • No drugs here my friend, a mind that is as clear as can be.
    Time for yourself to go look in the mirror.
  • Ok so trolling down to a science gotcha
  • How am I trolling exactly, by speaking about the truth, many of you are acting like drug addicts, triggered by someone suggesting that the tube is not a good thing, I can just imagine if your smartphone just vanishes what would happen, LMAO.
  • Nothing go about my business as normal I remember when there was only the big 3 nbc, cbs, abc but most of the time all we could get was NBC.... I grew up in Alaska closet neighbor was 4 miles away. We had one tv in the living room that was it and it was black and white. So what's next thing doctor phil. Are you going to go over the evil of cellphones and google
  • Just like you would do if somebody took the internet or your phone from you. Shut up already.
  • Not the same thing, apparently you don't get it, and never will, the brainwashing they have done on you is epic, time for some desensitization.
  • You're a piece of work. Lol.
  • $100/month for internet? I'd reassess that first before looking at cable prices.
  • That doesn't surprise me... I'm a cord cutter and that's where they get you. I don't have other options. I'm currently paying $60 for15/2. To go to 50/5 it's $110. And there's no negotiating with them. They know they have the only game in town in this area. At least there is no CAP.
  • Wow. I can get 60/10 for around $65
  • I haven't had cable or satellite since I lived with my parents nearly a decade ago. Never paid for television beyond a Netflix and Amazon Prime subscription.
  • Does that mean you have NO internet with cable?
  • Get over it dipshit
  • Cutting the cord/cable means NO connection at all with the cable company.
  • Not true.
  • WoW! If the cord/cable is cut, how the hell can you get anything at all over the cable?
    So, yes it is true, unless you believe in magic.
  • Not a cord cutter but like the idea. I still pay for live tv and just ordered my third amazon fire tv for my theater room. All my TV's are hard wired as are my Fire TV boxes. Finally got a new AV receiver in my theater room with like 6 HDMI inputs so I have a Fire TV to go with the apple TV in there. Also installed Kodi on all my fire TVs. ;)
  • Yeah I like the idea too. Saving a lot of money like that would be very nice.
  • Why is it that the meme 'cutting the cord' is used but in reality you still need the 'Cord' to get the internet.
    Cutting the cord/cable means NO connection at all with the cable company.
    Sure you can still get some TV stations over the air, using an antenna, but to get the other options you still need cable.
    I guess these type of articles are needed for those with NO technical background, or even common sense.
  • Yep, someone who posts the same thing over and over, and expecting a different outcome, has no common sense. Actually that's the definition of insanity.
  • Maybe it's hard for you to understand with that pea-size brain of yours.
    Making a point, that this whole article is a joke.
  • I save $140/mth by "Cord Cutting" which does buy me a lot of peas. Most won't consider that kind of savings a joke. I can't help you feel otherwise.
  • Cutting the cord doesn't make sense a lot of the time. Companies like Comcast aren't stupid. When people do this, the people need net only from Comcast and Comcast makes the price of internet alone very high. So, all the hassle of cutting the cord and much slower internet saves you a few bucks a month. Not worth it. Might as well keep cable coupled with faster internet.
  • My Verizon FiOS internet of 50/50 speed, which I get closer to 60/60 speeds, costs me $60, the entire cable package used to cost me $180.
  • I guess it depends where you live. Comcast isn't the only provider
  • If your saving a few bucks a month, you're saving so it is worth it and you don't have to get slower internet. In fact some companies, LIKE COMCAST, will actually cut you a better deal than lose you all together.
  • Hey uncle Phil lol :)
  • Rokus apps are terrible and are not really apps and are more like video templates. Not really good for the future of apps on TV. Android TV, Fire TV and Apple TV are better options given that.
  • So I have to buy several over the air antennas for EACH tv I have. Which means I have wires going from each tv to a window. Yep, that'll make my house look really attractive. I'll pass on cord cutting until one company comes up with a definitive way to avoid the hanging wires from my window option.
  • One HD Homerun OTA tuner will let you stream live TV to any TV in your house with DNLA. So one antenna hooked into one device that then plugs into my router.. Hook up a PC and you can record shows.
  • Look at Tablo.
  • Yep. But OTOH, exactly zero people have complained about how it looks at my house. Guess doing what I could to hide the wires helped. :p What I was going to do (before forgetting how my house is actually wired) was to use the existing coax (from the cable TV days) for a good outdoor antenna. But I forgot (duh) that one of those runs is needed for the internet. So I'd have to get another line run.
  • Firestick and a Sideclick remote. Done
  • Here is the answer to over the air antennas and those horrible wires. It connects directly to the tv with a simple setup and doesn't need to be hung on a wall or a window. It simply sits next to the tv and looks like a picture frame. And the best part, it's only $40! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WP7S32J/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=...
  • tl:dr all these comments, but did Phil mention how much his internet cost?
  • Mine's about $78 a month. Same as when I was also paying the same company for cable TV.
  • I was wondering the same thing.
  • Does it matter. He was gonna have internet either way.
  • Exactly.
  • NVIDIA shield TV is not the only android TV box that you should consider. I use Xiaomi Mi Box 4K 6.0 I bought from Walmart and Ebay. They are cheaper and fast. I have 4 of them since Oct. 2016 when I cut my cord and using PlayStation Vue. I am very satisfied with them for $69 and will not spend over $100 just for streaming. It is dual band so I connect it to my 5mHz wifi network. Video is smooth. I tried the roku Express then but had to return it since video was very choppy.
  • I used to work for an ISP provider and what people forget is that if you are signed up for internet chances are you are also signed up for TV everywhere so there is a good factor there to ditching cable TV. I know for years I had cable TV for free but when I left the company I only kept the internet as my new TV is 4K and honestly the picture quality with cable TV was not what you get when you are watching Netflix in 4K plus you don't have to deal with none stop commercials or the annoying ISP provider commercials that have the high volume on their adds. On a side note Live You Tube TV will be available soon and that's $35 dollars a month for up to 6 device's and unlimited cloud DVR storage you can't get that on cable tv ...just saying
  • I've been really happy with VUE. DVR up to 5 devices. Multi channel on ps4. The nice thing with all of these services is there is no contract and most have a free trial.
  • Just ditched Dish a month ago. Using OTA with a Tivo Romario and loving it. Saving over $100 a month. Definitely can't complain.
  • Looking Svelte Phil!!!
  • Thanks! Down 30 pounds so far.
  • I've ditched cable over two years ago thanks to a digital antenna, Roku and a Chromebox.
  • I cut the cord about 6 months ago. AT&T actually gave me a deal on my internet when I called to cancel my cable. My 1st year deal was about to run out and I couldn't justify paying over $100 just for cable. Now with Directv Now, Netflix, and internet I spend around $120. Kodi on my Fire Stick helps too.
  • My Cable TV bill dropped from about $160/mth to $22/mth. We save enough for a nice family vacation. I pay for Hulu, and Netflix. We also use The CW, NBC, and Crunchyroll apps, which are free w/commercials. And I usually will pay for the Doctor Who series, since I don't have BBC America, and I'll pay for HBO NOW after GoT is released. Only changes I keep debating is ditching Hulu for an OTA DVR. Mainly because of CBS, and I refuse to pay CBS $6 for a single station, when Hulu is $8, and have to still watch commercials.
  • PlayStation 4 is a great options too. Vue is a Great service(and a discount with a plus membership on some things). Plus it has Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, crackle, youtube, and many more. Also has the Blu-ray player. New update adds support for external drives as well.
  • How much do you pay for internet though? I went from 155 for cable TV to 88 dollars for just internet and bought an antenna. Best thing I ever did. Now if only the cable companies can stop buying each other out so there is actually competition for internet service, I might be able to save even more.
  • Wow.. can't believe no mention of DirectTv Now....
    I have DorectTv Now for 35 a month for 100+ channels plus on demand (ABC, NBC, Fox, espn, fsw, history, discovery, spike, Nickelodeon, disney, Disney jr, A&E, DIY, HGTV, and HBO free for a year, and so on)
    That paired with Netflix (share cost with family) and my frontier internet 50/50 for 55 a month I'm at 90 a month and everyone in the house is happy
  • I got in on DirecTV Now plus I have Netflix so my tv monthly is $47.00 per month. If I didn't have DirecTV Now, I would still have Netflix and I would have gone with Hulu & HBO and I think that would have been around $35.00
  • I used DirectTVnow for a bit. I was very happy with it. Due to extenuating circumstances I won't bore everyone with, I had to cut that to. Here is what I did. I installed Kodi. It is the best program ever. You can literally watch anything and it's free. I now have my own builds for it to. The next thing I did was install Phoenix OS on my desktop and connected it to my TV. Android has some fantastic live tv apps. I have several live TV apps but the main ones I use are USTV Pro and Mobdro. Between all my apps I get about 60 live channels, all free. With Kodi I can watch any movie or TV show there is. I watch anything I want and don't pay a dime.
  • This is some good info Phil. I'm getting ready to test out PS Vue soon. My current bill on Verizon FIOS (which is now owned by Frontier since Verizon bailed on every state but New York) is $232/month. The cost of my internet, which is 50/50, is only $38.00. The rest is all DVR equipment for two TV's (I own my modem so no cost there), cable, and $33 in taxes and fees. So if I switch to PS Vue on the top plan in my area, the cost for that is $74.99 and includes all regular channels PS Vue offers, plus HBO, Showtime, & EPIX Hits. So that plus my $38/month internet (and probably a few bucks in taxes and fees for it), should only be around $120/month, which would save me $112/month, or $1344/year. That is some substantial savings. I already have Netflix and Amazon Prime that I have already been paying as well, so that doesn't need to be taken into account. My question is what resolution does PS Vue broadcast in? I know that some channels broadcast at 720P no matter what and the cable companies up convert it. I'm just wondering if a channel broadcasts in 1080i (no channel currently broadcasts in 1080P in case some of you don't already know that), does the PS Vue broadcast it in the original 1080i, or do they just broadcast all channels in 720P/60fps?
  • Hi. Loooong-time reader, first-time poster (somehow!). First - Thanks for this article! Great work as always, Phil. I have an important question for you though - I tried to cut the cord last month, but couldn't because none of the services offered one feature i "needed" (a feature which i got used to and really enjoy with cable)... Have you found a *live* TV service (i.e. not Netflix) that offers most streams in true surround sound (i.e. Dolby Digital 5.1)??
    I couldn't find one, though Hulu support told me "they've heard this request before and are working on it." I have a nice home theater setup that i put a lot of work into - think big bookshelf speakers mounted on the walls to either side of the couch and tall towers on either side of the TV - and i really love that when watching my favorite shows via FiOS cable today, i feel totally immersed in the scene because there's sounds coming from all around me in true 5.1 audio (not just 2-channel stereo split into 5). it's like i'm in the show/movie i'm watching! :-) So i really don't want to give that up...but i also really want to cut the cord. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm surprised there's no live TV service that really offers surround sound yet.
  • "It's easier to just yell at Alexa or Google Home to do that." Only if... For me, I don't really speak well and I can't hear so I don't know what Alexa or Google Home would be asking/saying to me. If I tried, it probably would provoke a Poltergeist-like environment -- where everything will turn on and off at random and the T.V. will display snow and all that. Using either product would not work well for me due to my deafness, so I'd be doing the long way of using the touchscreen if I had to use the Logitech Harmony Elite system. Thankfully, I don't need to use an universal remote as I have a Samsung T.V. with a remote that is almost as universal as it can be (can't control my PS4...yet?) Also you mentioned that using the XBox One S as a streaming product, can't you do the same with a PS4? That was what I was using before I got a Chromecast (second generation) and I don't know anyone who play on a XBox. I have friends who play on a PS3/4 or Wii/Wii U.