So I wanted to start this little thread to capture some of the stuff my wife and I are going through with trying to cut the cord. Of course I say "my wife and I" but it is really "me, trying my best to get the wife to come aboard".
Current Setup:
Cox Communications
140+ Channels - $134.59
150mbps internet - $77.99
Bundle Discount - $45.99
Total after Taxes: $182.24
My Requirements
NBC Sports Boston (for my celtics games)
TBS
USA
TV Land
Spike (would be nice)
Velocity (would be nicer)
My Wife's Requirements
Food Network
Cooking Channel
HGTV
Bravo
E
Oxygen
What I Am Testing (Chromecast + Roku Premier+)
Sling TV (current)
DirecTV Now
PS Vue
Youtube TV
===== Trial 1 - Sling TV
Setup was very easy with this guy. It was my first streaming service, so- so far so good. I dont watch much TV, so immediately I was content with the quality and the selection. Here is the package that we got:
Trial period for 7 Days Free $0.00
Trial period for Sling Blue $0.00
Trial period for Comedy Extra $0.00
Trial period for Lifestyle Extra $0.00
Trial period for 1 Stream $0.00
Trial period for FOX RSN-YES 1 $0.00
Trial period for Cloud DVR
Total once the trial is over is $40 plus whatever taxes.
I initially started with streaming over the chromecast, and while it connected and streamed without issue at first, it was very intermittent. It seems that the chromecast just doesn't have the backbone to really live stream 1080p continuous over a long period of time. Also, it would be nice only if you had a dedicated android device just to stream vs a phone.
I ended up getting the Roku, and today the streaming has been flawless! The quality is damn good, .... my wife didn't even realize we were watching Sling lol.
As this trial goes on, I will keep updating. The key for me is to see what the wife thinks.
PROs
Great quality
DVR
- Really neat feature where you can see a preview of the jump forward. And you can adjust how far to go
- No more wife clicking jump forward on the remote and FFing 5 mins into the show after commercial
Has most of the channels my wife watches
CONs
Random channel freezing
- Sometimes during streaming the channel freezes up. I need to change the channel and then change back.
No local channels
- this is a huge bummer. My wife watches NBC/ABC/CBS. And so far Sling only carries NBC Connecticut.
No NBC Sports Boston - BOOOOOO, i cant watch my celtics
===== Trial 2 - Hulu
Easy peasy setup here as well. Takes paypal which is great. Already had a hulu account from free streaming, so I just added the TV package which came with the limited commercial subscription. Cost is going to be
Live TV $38.99/mo
TRIAL ENDS 01/15/18
Limited Commercials $7.99/mo
TRIAL ENDS 01/15/18
Bundle Discount -$6.99/mo
PROs
Bundle deal with the limited commerial pack
Some local channels!
DVR
NBC Sports Boston (WOO WOO)
CONs
Lots of buffering
14.99 each for enhanced dvr (200hours, FF commercials), and unlimited device streaming
===== Trial 3 - Youtube TV
Already a google member, so it used my payment preferences (paypal) to sign up.
Live TV $35.35 /mo ($35.00 + 0.35 tax)
PROs
Google backed (im a fanboy)
Unlimited DVR
Hovering over a channel gives you a live preview of what is playing
CONs
Missing a lot of our channels
No roku app
===== Trial 4 - PS Vue
Giving this one a shot at a recommendation from this thread. So far it has all of the channels we are looking for which is a good sign, although a bit on the expensive side because of the channel selection we "need" (read: the wife)
Live TV $54.99/mo
PROs
Channel lineups rival that of Hulu trial
Buffering is non-existant! (so far..)
CONs
Expensive compared to Hulu
Guide loading is a bit long sometimes
Cord cutters, let me know your experiences! Would love to hear some tips/tricks, setups, etc.