Jump to content

Cord Cutters Thread


Recommended Posts


What device were you using? Some are only playing 1440p (even though the channel is still the 4K channel) since they can’t display the VP9 codec at 4k60.

The fox sports app had it in true HDR apparently, which makes an even bigger difference, but I missed that.

I guess the correct term is Google TV, built into my Sony oled. Maybe it’s also called android TV
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I discovered with a good router was that cell phones would consume at the 4K TV level of bandwidth even though it was a fucking 5” screen. Cap your cell phones at 1.5-3Mbs and consumption goes way down. I also cap my kids TVs at 3Mbps and you honestly can’t tell at all. On my living room big screen, I keep it at 8Mbps and may remove the cap occasionally for Super Bowl, Masters, etc, but that’s rare. Everything looks great at 8Mbps, but I know I can make it better if I want.

Our work PCs aren’t capped, but they hardly consume anything. Zoom calls are nothing.

At peak, with 4 TVs running and my kids also on their phones, we don’t sustain more than 25Mbps, with occasional blips to 40-50Mbps.

Before implementing my router caps, I crossed 1.2TB a few times over holiday months when kids weren’t in school. With caps, we’re comfortably in the .9-1TB range and I could “choke” us down to prob .5 without anyone in my family even noticing.

What router/modem are you using to do this?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m currently watching golf in 4K and after switching it to normal nbc…and the difference is quite noticeable.

Just gotta make sure when you’re going to 4K on YTTV that your channel is in 4K, it might be on auto or 1080.


I think you get the UK broadcasters with 4k, so not the american guys fwiw

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

So I currently have Directv and don’t watch it except for sports. With 6 receivers, I pay about $145 per month. Am thinking about switching to Fubo as I have to be able to watch the Astros, and I believe this is the only streaming service that has ATT Sportnet.  I am doing a week trial on Fubo and have noticed that the picture quality on live events, including sports, is nowhere near the quality of Directv. When watching sports, the picture quality is just a bit choppy/laggy if that makes any sense. My internet speed is good, and when I stream Netflix, YouTube, Peacock and other on demand services, the PQ is fantastic and on par with Directv.  So, is this lower PQ normal when streaming sports on these cord cutting services or should it be closer to Directv?  This lower PQ is a no go for me, and I’ll stick with Directv unless there is anyway to improve it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I had fubo for a month and dumped it. Any semi-popular show including all sports would pause and buffer all the time. It also went completely down for a few days strait during that month. I think they offered something stupid like $3 off next months bill. Youtube tv has been good, almost never slows down or has issues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone with Sling and the AirTV2?  If so, and you have a hard drive attached to the AirTV2, are your DVRed items in the same spot on the Sling menu?  I know physically the OTAs are on the hard drive and everything else is "in the cloud".  Does the wife have to remember if the show she recorded is from OTA or not?  That could make my life hell!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

With the offseason almost over, I need to make a decision about a streaming service. We've been doing free trials since May, with a few months of YTV mixed in. 

 

FuboTV is probably my favorite, but with no TNT/TBS, that price is ridiculous. Sling was our second favorite(price) but the equipment needed just to record local channels is a joke. Might as well buy a VCR. 

 

So it's probably going to come down  to YTV and HuluLive. Decent price and the ability to add on. Hulu probably has the lead because they have more options. 

 

Any recommendations? Or should I say fuck it, and beg DTV  to take me back?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am going to be out of the U.S. on Saturday and would still like to watch us kick the shit out of Louisiana. I have You Tube TV and typically you wouldn't be able to stream U.S. channels internationally. However, a google search leads me to believe that I can connect to VPN on my work laptop and may be able to stream U.S. channels on the laptop. Anyone had any success with this?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, millhouse said:

I have vidgo and get LHN here in AZ

 

4 minutes ago, tokamak said:

Vidgo needs to fire their marketing team. I used it last year for a game on LHN and then immediately forgot about it. I'm not sure I've ever seen it mentioned anywhere other than this thread.

Ive never heard of Vidgo but their channel line up looks perfect.  LHN, ESPN, Pac 12, Big10, SEC and NFL (+Red Zone).

Almost looks too good to be true.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ive never heard of Vidgo but their channel line up looks perfect.  LHN, ESPN, Pac 12, Big10, SEC and NFL (+Red Zone).
Almost looks too good to be true.  
Vidgo Folks...how's it work/look on streaming boxes/TV? Hard to deal with no DVR? I need a DVR for sports most of all! No NBCSN would be a speed bump for me, but it's going away here before long any way.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, DCLonghorn said:

Locast lost a court fight....

Those of you enjoying Locast...nothing is imminent, but it may not be too long before that gets shut down like its predecessor.

Email came through this morning - suspending operations. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, millhouse said:

I have vidgo and get LHN here in AZ

 

23 hours ago, tokamak said:

Vidgo needs to fire their marketing team. I used it last year for a game on LHN and then immediately forgot about it. I'm not sure I've ever seen it mentioned anywhere other than this thread.

 

23 hours ago, SDG said:

 

Ive never heard of Vidgo but their channel line up looks perfect.  LHN, ESPN, Pac 12, Big10, SEC and NFL (+Red Zone).

Almost looks too good to be true.  

 

12 hours ago, DCLonghorn said:
23 hours ago, SDG said:
Ive never heard of Vidgo but their channel line up looks perfect.  LHN, ESPN, Pac 12, Big10, SEC and NFL (+Red Zone).
Almost looks too good to be true.  

Vidgo Folks...how's it work/look on streaming boxes/TV? Hard to deal with no DVR? I need a DVR for sports most of all! No NBCSN would be a speed bump for me, but it's going away here before long any way.

Quoting the folks who have used Vidgo, as well as DCLonghorn because I have the same questions. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@DCLonghorn

@hornian

My experience with vidgo: it can be glitchy at times but you can log into the app of the specific channel you want (espn, fox sports, etc.) using the credentials, which is generally what I do. I also have lived without a dvr since I cut the cable so not having one is not a bother to me.

Basically I pick it up in September and drop it at the end of the season. Lather, rinse, repeate

Edited by millhouse
Forgot the @
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Update: just signed up for Vidgo and watching the OSU Minn game.  I'm also in AZ and can confirm that LHN is on the app outside of Texas.  

Low cost way to get college and NFL football for the season.  

 

Update on the streaming box:  I use an Apple TV and it works fine.  

Edited by SDG
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, millhouse said:

@DCLonghorn

@hornian

My experience with vidgo: it can be glitchy at times but you can log into the app of the specific channel you want (espn, fox sports, etc.) using the credentials, which is generally what I do. I also have lived without a dvr since I cut the cable so not having one is not a bother to me.

Basically I pick it up in September and drop it at the end of the season. Lather, rinse, repeate

 

13 minutes ago, SDG said:

Update: just signed up for Vidgo and watching the OSU Minn game.  I'm also in AZ and can confirm that LHN is on the app outside of Texas.  

Low cost way to get college and NFL football for the season.  

 

Update on the streaming box:  I use an Apple TV and it works fine.  

Thanks. I'm trying to decide between this or the Sling + Sports packages. The content and price is pretty comparable. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/4/2021 at 1:29 PM, Celery Man said:

Turned on 4K for YouTube tv last night because football season. Watching Penn State v Wisconsin right more and I’m kinda mad that this does look great

I turned it on to try it out as well.  Not sure there is any turning back.  I think I'm also going to need to upgrade my main interior 80+ inch TV (that is like 6 years old and not 4K).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure that this has been covered somewhere in the 48 pages of this thread, but humor me...

 

I currently subscribe to Hulu Live TV.  I just switched my Verizon mobile plan to 5g (to optimize my vaccine chip).  The plan "upgrade" includes ESPN+, Hulu (ad-supported, not live) and Disney+.

I am thoroughly confused as far as getting the free ESPN+ and Disney+ without messing with my current Hulu service.  Do I actually have to cancel my current Hulu service?  Basically, when I go to add the bundle, when I enter my email address to set it up, it won't let me because that address is already associated with one of the services.

I would SEEM like the most logical approach would be for customers in this scenario to simply choose which of the bundle they actually want added, but I can not see any way to do that, from what I'm seeing.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep... No easy way to do it.

I pay for D+, and E+, and get H free from T-Mo. I bought 3 years of D+ in advance (good deal offered pre launch), and E+ annually. I never found a way to combine them. But the way I have it now ends up cheaper than the bundle for now.

It get even more convoluted bc I also "activate" E+ with another legacy account so I can get LHN and E3. Plus I have YTTV credentials as well. I have no idea which gets which at this point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/5/2021 at 4:21 PM, Horn_Spanker said:

So far, I do not like Sling!  Navigation sucks cock by choice.  Yesterday's game looked horrible on Sling, switched to the TV tuner with OTA antenna, and oh man, what a difference.

  

I went with Sling, but I also have a Tivo Edge (got it on sale when they did the All-In lifetime service for $99 promotion) that replaced my 7+ year old Roamio; and I didn't even try Sling for the game since it was on Fox. 

I know I've recommended the Tivo for people who cut the cord, but I'll do it again here - it's very good, and going from he Roamio to the Edge was a big jump (not that the Roamio was bad, the Edge is just up to current standards). And you get the ability to record the games OTA, pause, rewind etc. if your'e watching live. The biggest drawback is the monthly fee, but they run lifetime service promotions at least once a year. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Turned on 4K for YouTube tv last night because football season. Watching Penn State v Wisconsin right more and I’m kinda mad that this does look great

I turned it on to try it out as well.  Not sure there is any turning back.  I think I'm also going to need to upgrade my main interior 80+ inch TV (that is like 6 years old and not 4K).


I did the same. The 4K sports look great but there’s just not enough games to justify an extra $10 and eventually $20 per month.

So I’ll probably end up keeping it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/6/2021 at 3:48 PM, scottsins said:

I'm sure that this has been covered somewhere in the 48 pages of this thread, but humor me...

 

I currently subscribe to Hulu Live TV.  I just switched my Verizon mobile plan to 5g (to optimize my vaccine chip).  The plan "upgrade" includes ESPN+, Hulu (ad-supported, not live) and Disney+.

I am thoroughly confused as far as getting the free ESPN+ and Disney+ without messing with my current Hulu service.  Do I actually have to cancel my current Hulu service?  Basically, when I go to add the bundle, when I enter my email address to set it up, it won't let me because that address is already associated with one of the services.

I would SEEM like the most logical approach would be for customers in this scenario to simply choose which of the bundle they actually want added, but I can not see any way to do that, from what I'm seeing.

 

It is incredible how fucking difficult it is to do this shit with Hulu. Unbelievable given how much they must pay in phone support for a problem they must encounter on the phone thousands of times a month that doesn’t need to be difficult at all. And their app sucks too. I have a friend who went to Hulu as a product manager and I still sometimes just text him pictures of shit and ask him what the fuck are they doing.

 

 I’ll be curious to see if the 4K sports content starts showing up on yttv. I imagine I’ll turn it off as soon as college football is over but that I’ll also turn it back on every year. It’s crazy the bill creep with yttv, but also if you offered me the same price for conventional cable I’d keep the streaming tv. Too convenient that every laptop, phone, and iPad in the house can be a tv.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use YouTube tv and Amazon firesticks throughout my house (6 TVs I think) the main problem I have is the remotes aren’t interoperable because they are Bluetooth. How convenient it would be if Bluetooth could have multiple simultaneous pairings!

My wife complains bc my kids lose the remotes and then she can’t find which remote ties to which firestick. We’ve tried color coded cases but the problem still persists. When we used to have cable, because the remotes used IR, any remote could work in any box.

This is what I want. A way to continue using YouTube tv but a solution to my remote problem with the streaming devices.

Any options out there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More out of curiosity than anything - what was the nature of the failure to solve with color coded cases? My first instinct would be labeling the remotes in some way that tells you which one goes where.

5/6 year old boys and my bulldog all conspired to make sure it didn’t work


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...