Fellow Cord-cutters...What is your setup?

[arrowheadnation]

I said I would never do it. I couldn't cut the cord. Live sports meant too much to me. I did the song and dance with my cable company for almost 3 years. They would raise my rates, I would call in and threaten to disconnect and they would lower them again. Then a few months ago, my bill went up $99 (to $237/mo. incl. internet) and they refused to lower it back to the original rate, so I parted ways with them. Today marked my second full month as a "cord cutter." Here is my current setup:

Playstation Vue Core Slim subscription - It was either this, DirecTV Now, or Sling, and for what I watch, it was a no-brainer. It has basically all of the channels I was watching when I had cable. I had some issues at first with buffering but after making some changes to the DNS addresses, it has worked pretty much flawlessly . It has cloud based DVR which is what set it apart from the competition for me (sling didn't offer dvr at the time but is in beta testing now). The HD pic is also very crisp as well. This is $35 per month for 60+ channels including all espn's and fox sports networks. Combined with my 50mbps internet, I'm paying roughly $115 per month (Was paying $237 with cable).

Android TV Box loaded with Kodi - I paid $125 for this box on eBay. It is an octo-core android box with a proprietary Kodi build on it. (Yes, I know I could have done it myself much cheaper but I always seem to have issues with these kinds of things when I get brave and do them on my own.) I use it for movies, PPV fights, and to watch the TV shows that I used to watch that are not included in the Vue programming (mainly HBO, SHOWTIME, network tv, History channel, and the Viacom networks - nickelodion, Comedy Central, etc.). If you don't already know about Kodi, just try a google search, it was sent from heaven for tight asses like myself.

Mohu Leaf Ultimate Amplified HD antenna - for local channels until ps vue adds them in my area (currently only in major markets like ny, la, Miami, etc.). It actually picks up about 35 channels, most in HD. I live about 30 miles away from the farthest TV tower. I was worried the pic would not be good, but it's just as good or better than the HD I had with cable. It cost me $55 on eBay.

Channel Master Over the Air DVR - this is what I really had taken for granted with cable. The DVR is one of the greatest inventions ever. I never watch my shows live anymore and figured I could go back to doing so, but I started to realize a couple days in that I either wouldnt remember to watch my favorites from network tv, the shows were live or local, or my schedule wouldnt allow for it. After some research, I came across the Channel Master DVR. It's an over the air HD DVR with up to 1TB of hard drive space and NO MONTHLY FEE!!! It's very similar to the one built into your cable box as it comes with an on-screen guide and dual tuner (yes, I. Wish there were more). It is quite pricy at around $200 on eBay but it's a one time charge where Tivo has a monthly fee (do some research on youtube to see if it's for you).

Like I stated earlier, I'm two months in. I'm still watching all of the same programming at $115/mo. that I was watching at $237/mo. so I'd say it's going well. The DVR on the PS Vue is awesome. The channel master DVR is very cool but not 100% necessary as I can still find almost all of the shows I miss on the kodi box. I mainly use the channel master for the pause ffwd and rewind features. The only real negative that I can take away so far is the inconvenience of having to change from one device to another. I didn't realize how much I took for granted being able to take a split second to change the channel rather than having to change the input from the PS4 to the antenna or he kodi box (and then having to find a good stream), but for the money I'm saving, it's worth the few minutes of annoyance. The buffering issue with the Playstation Vue was quite frustrating in the beginning, but a quick google search helped me find a quick solution. I found that you have to make some changes to the DNS servers and boom...problem solved.

If you have questions about my set-up,let me know. I'm curious to see the set-ups of other cord cutters on here mainly to find out if there are better options than what I currently have. Surely I'm not the only one.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

So I'm really out of touch about how all these different systems are set up. For the playstation streaming through a desktop, is there a way to use a remote to fast forward through commercials? Is there anyway to do something like a 30 second advance with one button or one mouse click?

It's a weird naming thing that is confusing. Playstation Vue is run by Sony, but you don't need to have a Playstation to use it. The interface just depends on what device you're viewing it through (e.g., Roku, desktop computer, Fire TV, etc.).

[The Franchise]

Can you fast forward? Is it like regular cable in that it's on at a static time or is it more on demand? Any way to DVR anything?

[Stewie]

OTA antenna with a Tablo, so I record a shitload of stuff from broadcast TV. Tablo is the best investment I've made.

I have free Google Fiber until 2023. $300 to install and free for seven years. They say it takes 5 Mbps for HDTV and I say bullshit. I stream HDTV all the time and it MAY max out at 2.5Mbps. Of course, Google Fiber is a pure signal so there is no data packet loss which is a problem with other providers.

Roku 3 on my primary TV and I just bought a Roku TV to replace my old TV in the bedroom.

What I like about Roku is the simple casting option from my phone. It's amazing that it can stream a great picture from Google fiber, to my phone, back through my router and to Roku. I'm sure I can find Royals games using this technique.

Since I just bought my Roku TV I have 2 months free of every option for streaming video. So far, I like Hulu with Netflix in a close 2nd. We'll see how things change by the end of March.

[KChiefs1]

OTA - ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX,PBS,MeTV,etc...

Amazon Fire TV - everything else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ILChief]

OK, Our Directv bill is $120/month before Sunday ticket. I've been with them for 15 years. we originally payed like 60 per month for an equivalent package. Their HD/DVR/per receiver fees are ridiculous.

I just signed up for the PS Vue trial. So far so good. I have a FireStick loaded w/ Kodi etc. My question for the OP or anyone else, how are you getting sporting event streams to play on Kodi? I tried MLB games last night and every stream I tried gave a generic error or did nothing. I tried all kinds of different add-ons (SportsDevil, WiseGuys, ProSports, etc). What add ons work for sports (mainly MLB, NFL, Boxing/WWE PPVs)?

I can't seem to get any of them to play.

[TinyEvel]

Where's Guru? I was sure he'd have this thread on alerts.

[ILChief]

Originally Posted by dmahurin

Fire tv and fire stick with kodi and netflix. Can watch everything I want. Nothing else needed. Been cable free for over a year and will never go back.

What Kodi add one are you using for sports? Everything I try gets a web request error or steam not available

[kepp]

So I've been using Rokus for a while now, but now that my Roku stick just died, I want to see if there is a better option. Amazon Firestick? Chromecast? How do they compare to the Roku stick?

[kepp]

So it looks like the only one that can be powered by the TV's own USB port is the Roku stick. That may be the deciding factor for me.

[aturnis]

Don't want another thing plugged in/another cord or?

[The Franchise]

Looks like my contract is up in September with DirectTV. Not sure I’ll be renewing with them.

I know I asked earlier in this thread but anyone still have Playstation Vue?

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Looks like my contract is up in September with DirectTV. Not sure I’ll be renewing with them.

I know I asked earlier in this thread but anyone still have Playstation Vue?

No comment about Vue, but here's what I did this past fall with DTV. For the first time ever, I wasn't bluffing them. I told them what it would take to keep me - I wanted my $150+/month bill down to $75 or lower without sacrificing any of my lineup, and I wanted Sunday Ticket at no cost. When I called, I told the CSR I wanted to cancel service, so they sent me to retention. I went back and forth with them for 15-20 minutes; every time they'd put me on hold and come back with a better offer, more discounts, etc. but they couldn't get where I wanted to be - I was up front with them about what I wanted to stay. When they didn't meet it, I set up a cancellation date about 1 month out (my renewal was only 2 days away, which wasn't enough time for me to set up something else). The next day, I got a call from DTV wanting to get me back, and straight out of the gate they gave me enough discounts to get my monthly bill down to about $60/month for the entire year, Sunday Ticket at no cost, and offered a $200 Visa gift card.

tl;dr: I'm still a DTV customer, but it took me actually trying to quit to get it.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

No comment about Vue, but here's what I did this past fall with DTV. For the first time ever, I wasn't bluffing them. I told them what it would take to keep me - I wanted my $150+/month bill down to $75 or lower without sacrificing any of my lineup, and I wanted Sunday Ticket at no cost. When I called, I told the CSR I wanted to cancel service, so they sent me to retention. I went back and forth with them for 15-20 minutes; every time they'd put me on hold and come back with a better offer, more discounts, etc. but they couldn't get where I wanted to be - I was up front with them about what I wanted to stay. When they didn't meet it, I set up a cancellation date about 1 month out (my renewal was only 2 days away, which wasn't enough time for me to set up something else). The next day, I got a call from DTV wanting to get me back, and straight out of the gate they gave me enough discounts to get my monthly bill down to about $60/month for the entire year, Sunday Ticket at no cost, and offered a $200 Visa gift card.

tl;dr: I'm still a DTV customer, but it took me actually trying to quit to get it.

Yeah, I’m sure that I could probably get them down to a lower price. I’m just kind of fed up with cable/satellite TV as a whole. Our bill is only $115 a month and I usually get Sunday ticket for super cheap each year.

My kids and wife just usually end up watching Netflix instead of regular TV and I can get Vue for like $39.99 a month and it covers most of the channels they want to watch anyways.

The only thing I’ll have to figure out is Sunday ticket but I’m pretty sure I can get that at full price if I really want it. Either that or I can stream it and see if that works.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by kepp

So I've been using Rokus for a while now, but now that my Roku stick just died, I want to see if there is a better option. Amazon Firestick? Chromecast? How do they compare to the Roku stick?

It's all somewhat subjective, but I think the Roku's are the most versatile out there, especially since they aren't linked to any particular ecosystem.

That said, I personally use both a Roku and Chromecast. The latter works better for YouTube for me and is good for random screen mirroring here and there, but otherwise I like the Roku best.

[TambaBerry]

I have playstation vue and have had no issues with it. They even have all local channels on it now.