Quote:
Originally Posted by amgraham
Going through the same thing and commented in the other cord-cutting thread. PS Vue seemed to be the best "cable replacement" for our needs. I'm in the same "evaluation" phase. In fact, we were still unsure after the 5-day free trial so I paid for a month to use side-by-side with cable so we could be sure about whatever decision we end up making.
As I mentioned in that thread, the savings isn't huge, $30, maybe $40/month. But... the savings could increase because I could add cheap "sticks" or boxes to additional TVs without incurring the $10/month fee from Comcast.
Also, as I indicated in the other thread, the Amazon Fire box does a better job streaming Plex than the app built-in to at least one of the Smart TVs. I have noticed that the frame rate over Vue seems to momentarily drop every now and again. The picture doesn't completely freeze and buffer but... the frame-rate just seems to drop for a few seconds then it returns to normal. Not a huge deal and over the next month, we'll see how much of a problem it is.
Lastly, in the same boat as some of you... Getting my wife to like/use it. The kids, no problem. They pick that stuff up quickly. Because of the way you find, surf, use the guide, etc. is different than Xfinity X1... she's not "adapting" so well.
We'll see... For us... it's not just the money. After paying more for "unbundled" internet, it's only $30 or $40 savings but... that's pizza on movie night or something, right? It's also the "single-source", one box, simplicity and the addition of some features, like being able to use Alexa, better Plex performance and a few other things.
|
Exactly my thoughts. For those of us who live in areas where companies have a broadband monopoly, we're screwed. Comcast is my only choice > DSL and as a standalone product it's $79 for 55mb (supposedly getting to 100mb soon). Vue recently upped the cost to $59 so it's $139 and I have to provide all the hardware. The $79 is with my modem and either an Apple TV, Firestick, Roku, etc. on each TV. No local channels are available and Vue has a crazy combination of what can be viewed on demand or "saved" for the major networks. There have been times you can get more recent episodes free on the network's website that aren't on Vue. I setup a Plex server on a Linux box, put an antennae on the roof, and added a cable card for local channels. Works great, I can record, save and even watch but as you mentioned, the family hates the complexity of figuring out what's network and what's not and for the most part refuses to use it unless I am home.
Everyone of the streaming providers suck in one way or another. Youtube is missing half the channels the family watches, DTV Now has no DVR, or you have to opt in to the biggest packages to get the 5-6 must have channels for the family.
There really isn't alot of savings to be had yet that don't involve compromises on quality, convenience or the channels you want to watch. Plus, I with "deals" I can probably replicate or exceed my setup with a Xfinity X1 bundle for about the same price for 2 years commitment. I just hate Comcast so much I refuse to pay them anymore than I have to.
Also - I'm surprised no one else mentioned the ultimate kiss of death for cable cutters. We don't even watch all that much and we hit 700gb in data a couple months ago. Comcast and most others have quietly implemented data caps over the past couple of years and ours is 1tb. If we watched alot we could easily go over that.