Tuesday, February 16, 2016
AirPlay
AirPlay is pretty awesome. It solves a lot of my "keyboard" issues. I can search on .com and AirPlay the content that I want instead of having to search within an app and use the clunky keyboard to find what I'm looking for (or not find what I'm looking for - which is even MORE frustrating).
No cable subscription
So... It is a bit frustrating to click into all of these apps and then remember - oops, I can't watch that, I don't have a cable subscription. Good thing I'm good at research, where there is a will - there is always a way. And there is a ton of non-subscription content available for cord cutters like myself.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
A day with my Apple TV
I was feeling pretty crappy today - so I stayed home from work. Normally I would just turn on the TV and pass out - but I decided to really see what options I had with my Apple TV content. First I went to Hulu and saw they had episodes of Beyond the Tank. So I binge watched that while I passed out. The auto play feature was great for this so I could doze in and out and the shows just kept playing. I completely forgot that Billions was on Sunday, so after I made some lunch, I watched the latest episode of that on Showtime. I noticed that I also missed the last 2 episodes of Suits. Unfortunately on USAnow, the most recent episode wasn't available to non-cable subscribers, so I'll have to wait until Wednesday to catch that.
I also took a peek at some QVC content for work. Bummed that it appears the product available for speed buy didn't always match up to what was on air. Also disappointing that the product info graphic was so large and seemed to cut off some of the screen real estate. Finally, unlike other live tv streams, QVC launches directly into the feed and doesn't give an option to see the program guide. This would be good to reiterate what "show" was on, and to show what was on tap for the next few hours.
I also did throw on the HD antenna and peek at the weather. But live TV didn't really seem to be important. Except when I stumbled on the Munsters and that really brought me back to my childhood days when I was home sick from school - that was one of the shows I would watch.
Streaming The Super Bowl
We really bet on the super bowl big time... Well bet on streaming it that is. We invited a few folks for a party and so we were counting on the CBS Sports app to come through for us (we did have our hd antenna as a back up).
The great news was that it worked... Like a charm. We had access to the pre-show, half time show, and all the commercials. I really hope this is a sign of things to come for streaming content and sports.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
I didn't even turn the television on last night...
Granted, I was pretty busy. After work I went to the gym, then headed off to return my Comcast equipment. We getting a new bed today so I also needed to pick up sheets and a comforter that would fit. Then I headed home to walk the dogs & make dinner. By the time Garri got home, we had a bit of time to chat and then we had to put the new bedframe together.
So in fairness, it was now 10pm and normally I would have tuned into my DVR to see what I could watch that was saved from earlier in the evening/scheduled to record/saved from the weekend that I didn't watch. But... I didn't have a DVR, so I turned on live TV for a minute, didn't see anything I liked, and then went to bed.
I don't have anything to do tonight after the gym and should be home by 6ish, so stay tuned to see how long this hiatus from TV lasts...
So in fairness, it was now 10pm and normally I would have tuned into my DVR to see what I could watch that was saved from earlier in the evening/scheduled to record/saved from the weekend that I didn't watch. But... I didn't have a DVR, so I turned on live TV for a minute, didn't see anything I liked, and then went to bed.
I don't have anything to do tonight after the gym and should be home by 6ish, so stay tuned to see how long this hiatus from TV lasts...
Monday, February 1, 2016
Cutting the Cord - By the Numbers
Ok - many other people have done an analysis on this so I thought I'd share our breakdown.
For the past 2 years we were paying Comcast for their Premiere Triple Play package which basically gave us EVERY channel except for The Movie Channel. That also included Blast Internet service and phone for $159.99. We rented the modem for $9.95/mos and a second DVD box for $10/mos. With taxes and fees we were paying about $190/mos.
Today we are paying 1/2 that.
First we called and paired our Comcast bill down to $59/mos for just Blast Internet.
We bought an Apple TV 4th gen and already had a 3rd gen one in our possession - I believe if you purchased both of these today you would be paying approximately $220.
We already have a shared Netflix account with my husband's sister, but that normally goes for $7.99 - $11.99/mos. Hulu Plus is also $11.99/mos. Add Showtime for $8.99/mos. or without HuluPlus it is $10.99/mos Add HBO for $14.99/mos.
Using TV Fool I was able to figure out how far away the main broadcast antennas were and what channels I could possibly get. I decided to pick up the 1byone Amplified HGTV Antenna for $30 from amazon HERE. I consistently get NBC and CBS along with various other OTT channels. The only 2 majors that are spoty based on my location are ABC and FOX, but I can use their apps on my phone and airplay local streamed content through the AppleTV if I want.
And our own ARRIS SURFboard Cable Modem - for $99.48 from ARRIS on Amazon HERE.
So to compare:
Out of pocket set up for Streaming System: $355
Monthly Charges: $108/mos:
vs.
Comcast Full Package : $190/mos
2016: $2280 = Comcast
2016: $1651 = Streaming FULL PACKAGE
SAVINGS = $629 for the year.
I also don't see us keeping all of the SVOD accounts, but wanted to throw them in there to be fair.
Realistically this is probably what we will pay for the year: $864 for HuluPlus with a month or 2 of HBO and Showtime peppered in there if a great show is on. OUR SAVINGS - $1061 !!!!!!!
** UPDATE ** As of March we don't use Hulu and are getting rid of that - so here is our current bill:
For the past 2 years we were paying Comcast for their Premiere Triple Play package which basically gave us EVERY channel except for The Movie Channel. That also included Blast Internet service and phone for $159.99. We rented the modem for $9.95/mos and a second DVD box for $10/mos. With taxes and fees we were paying about $190/mos.
Today we are paying 1/2 that.
First we called and paired our Comcast bill down to $59/mos for just Blast Internet.
We bought an Apple TV 4th gen and already had a 3rd gen one in our possession - I believe if you purchased both of these today you would be paying approximately $220.
We already have a shared Netflix account with my husband's sister, but that normally goes for $7.99 - $11.99/mos. Hulu Plus is also $11.99/mos. Add Showtime for $8.99/mos. or without HuluPlus it is $10.99/mos Add HBO for $14.99/mos.
Using TV Fool I was able to figure out how far away the main broadcast antennas were and what channels I could possibly get. I decided to pick up the 1byone Amplified HGTV Antenna for $30 from amazon HERE. I consistently get NBC and CBS along with various other OTT channels. The only 2 majors that are spoty based on my location are ABC and FOX, but I can use their apps on my phone and airplay local streamed content through the AppleTV if I want.
And our own ARRIS SURFboard Cable Modem - for $99.48 from ARRIS on Amazon HERE.
So to compare:
Out of pocket set up for Streaming System: $355
Monthly Charges: $108/mos:
- Netflix = $11.99/mos
- Hulu Plus = $11.99 /mos
- Showtime $8.99 / mos
- HBO = $14.99 / mos
- Comcast = $59.99 / mos
vs.
Comcast Full Package : $190/mos
2016: $2280 = Comcast
2016: $1651 = Streaming FULL PACKAGE
SAVINGS = $629 for the year.
I also don't see us keeping all of the SVOD accounts, but wanted to throw them in there to be fair.
Realistically this is probably what we will pay for the year: $864 for HuluPlus with a month or 2 of HBO and Showtime peppered in there if a great show is on. OUR SAVINGS - $1061 !!!!!!!
** UPDATE ** As of March we don't use Hulu and are getting rid of that - so here is our current bill:
- Showtime $8.99 / mos
- HBO = $14.99 / mos
- Comcast = $59.99 / mos
Total Monthy Charges $84 / mos
Total Yearly Bill = $1008
TOTAL SAVINGS = $1272!!!!
Finally... we did it... we cut the cord!
After over a year of my husband begging me to get rid of cable, we
finally cut the cord and reduced our offerings from Comcast to internet
only!
Tune in here for a weekly update on how we "survive without
cable" and consume content through alternative outlets... and what it is like to watch the Superbowl with NO CABLE SUBSCRIPTION :)
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