Larry Browning
01-25-2016, 2:32 PM
I have been intrigued for several years now about dropping cable/satellite TV but I continue to run into stumbling block that prevent me form doing it.
I currently have DirecTV with 2 "satellite" receivers in the bedrooms. We also have 2 Rokus with a Netflix and Amazon Prime memberships. We have the basic plan with one of the sports packages added on. I don't remember the exact amount we are paying each month, but I think it approaches $100 a month. We also have Cox for internet and land line phone I think that is also approaching $100 a month. I am rapidly approaching retirement and my income is going to drop significantly, so I am looking to find ways to cut expenses.
Here is my list of stumbling blocks. (That I can think of off the top of my head)
1) Live Sports (this is probably my biggest issue)
I Know I can get "some" events via OTA and others through ESPN if I sign up for Sling TV. Through satellite we receive Fox Sports Southwest which carry my beloved Texas Rangers that I watch most every game on through baseball season, I have not found any way of replacing this. MLB.com is not an option here due to the Rangers are always blacked out. Also, I know I would miss quite a bit of college football, basketball and even baseball.
2) Real time TV guide showing what is on TV right now and in the future. Currently this is pretty hassle free and the wife says she just can't live without it. There is no such thing for OTA and from what I have seen Sling TV's version of the guide is almost unusable. I realize that the guide will become less needed if we go to mostly streaming TV, but this is still an issue.
3) Hassle factor. With Cable or Satellite we can just turn on the TV and stuff starts playing. So if you just want some background noise it is one button push away. Not so with streaming services. Also, with multiple services like OTA, Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, there is the process of switching between these services, and each one have a different interface and then trying to figure out which service carries that one particular show. etc... I could expand on this a bit more, but I think you get the idea.
4) SWMBO is now retired and likes to have the TV on different afternoon stuff geared for women, like the judge shows and Real housewives, pretty much stuff that I have the leave the room for, cause I can't stand them, but she sort of feels the same way about live sports, so it evens out.
5) I think Sling TV is not all what it is cracked up to be either. My understanding is that you can only watch it on one TV at a time, so if we wanted to watch TV in 2 different rooms, we would have to have 2 accounts. Might as well keep Satellite.
6) It just seems that even with cutting the cable, you have to watch out for things adding up. Ten dollars for this service, 20 for that, oh, gotta buy a new gizmo to get that feature. Pretty soon you are back where you started with paying too much for TV.
Does anyone have a way to get by some of these roadblocks?
I know that on some of this stuff I am just going have to get over it, and decide I have to change my attitude in order to switch over. I have to decide if being able to watch every Rangers game is really worth what I have to pay to do it.
I currently have DirecTV with 2 "satellite" receivers in the bedrooms. We also have 2 Rokus with a Netflix and Amazon Prime memberships. We have the basic plan with one of the sports packages added on. I don't remember the exact amount we are paying each month, but I think it approaches $100 a month. We also have Cox for internet and land line phone I think that is also approaching $100 a month. I am rapidly approaching retirement and my income is going to drop significantly, so I am looking to find ways to cut expenses.
Here is my list of stumbling blocks. (That I can think of off the top of my head)
1) Live Sports (this is probably my biggest issue)
I Know I can get "some" events via OTA and others through ESPN if I sign up for Sling TV. Through satellite we receive Fox Sports Southwest which carry my beloved Texas Rangers that I watch most every game on through baseball season, I have not found any way of replacing this. MLB.com is not an option here due to the Rangers are always blacked out. Also, I know I would miss quite a bit of college football, basketball and even baseball.
2) Real time TV guide showing what is on TV right now and in the future. Currently this is pretty hassle free and the wife says she just can't live without it. There is no such thing for OTA and from what I have seen Sling TV's version of the guide is almost unusable. I realize that the guide will become less needed if we go to mostly streaming TV, but this is still an issue.
3) Hassle factor. With Cable or Satellite we can just turn on the TV and stuff starts playing. So if you just want some background noise it is one button push away. Not so with streaming services. Also, with multiple services like OTA, Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, there is the process of switching between these services, and each one have a different interface and then trying to figure out which service carries that one particular show. etc... I could expand on this a bit more, but I think you get the idea.
4) SWMBO is now retired and likes to have the TV on different afternoon stuff geared for women, like the judge shows and Real housewives, pretty much stuff that I have the leave the room for, cause I can't stand them, but she sort of feels the same way about live sports, so it evens out.
5) I think Sling TV is not all what it is cracked up to be either. My understanding is that you can only watch it on one TV at a time, so if we wanted to watch TV in 2 different rooms, we would have to have 2 accounts. Might as well keep Satellite.
6) It just seems that even with cutting the cable, you have to watch out for things adding up. Ten dollars for this service, 20 for that, oh, gotta buy a new gizmo to get that feature. Pretty soon you are back where you started with paying too much for TV.
Does anyone have a way to get by some of these roadblocks?
I know that on some of this stuff I am just going have to get over it, and decide I have to change my attitude in order to switch over. I have to decide if being able to watch every Rangers game is really worth what I have to pay to do it.