Electronics

[hckynut]

(thread title)

Netflix and Amazon Prime

hckynut(john)

[glb613]

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@Lilysmom wrote:

What do you think of it?  Have you given up cable?

Interested to see what is popular.  I use an android box called MYGICA.  I cut the cable cord today.  LM

I have Apple TV, Netflix, Acorn and Amazon Prime.  I also have apps for several cable stations that only work because I pay for the channel through Comcast cable TV.  If I cut the cable, started paying for access to each cable station I like, I'd probably end up with the same monthly cost.  I also watch sports which are not always broadcasted over the air.  So, cutting cable isn't a good option for me.  I have Netflix, Acorn and Prime to watch shows which are not available anywhere else. 

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[noodleann]

I plan on getting Acorn and possibly Hulu, but get nervous about doing a lot of streaming because that's the next fee frontier. As people ditch TV in favor of streaming services, the cable companies will increase fees and will start tightening up on usage, imposing surcharges if you hit a preset ceiling. I check my usage monthly with the online app the cable company provides, and am good, but don't trust them not to lower the ceiling to recapture lost $$.

[sunshine45]

i have absolutely no desire whatsoever to cut my cable services. i actually just upgraded to comcast X1 and they  dropped my rate. they upgraded the lines outside that come into the house and then they came in and installed all brand new boxes, a brand new phone modem,  and gave us the voice remotes. LOVE IT! it makes it so much easier to find things you want to watch.

we also have and use netflix, hulu, and amazon prime.

we pretty much have everything covered.

[Lilysmom]

@noodleann, I see that cable companies here are making new offering packages to allow people to stream content.  I think this will increase as more leave the traditional services.

We are without cable now.  We installed an over the air outdoor antenna which gives us local stations are stream the rest.  So far so good.  LM

[gardenman]

@noodleann 

Many cable companies are now ending data caps on everything but the satellite broadband. In fact, most cable companies are now promoting broadband over their cable service. The cable TV industry knows the future lies in streaming and they're all trying to position themselves as the broadband provider for those streaming services.Their own VOD/PPV and On Demand services are streaming services.

They also know the days of wires are nearly over with 5g tech on the horizon. Verizon and Comcast are both investing heavily in 5g. Spectrum is investing heavily in 5g. There are literally billions of dollars being invested in acquiring 5g spectrums and building systems to utilze the 5g tech when it becomes available.

Very few of the old companies are spending anything on copper or even fiber optics these days. They know such systems will be obsolete in the very near future. The world will be a lot different by 2025 and those companies that didn't prepare for the change now, will be gone by then. Verizon saw the future and sold their FIOS services in California, Texas and Florida. They invested the money they made from those sales into their 5g future. They lost revenue in the short haul, but they freed themselves from what will become an anchor in the near future.

Data caps are going away quickly, and it's a good thing. The new 4k HDR streaming needs as much as 11 gigabytes per hour to stream at it's highest quality and that's a pretty big hit on some of the old data caps. The cable TV industry sees the way the world is going and they're becoming less of a cable TV provider and more of a streaming/broadband provider. If all the talk of 5g becomes reality with the data speeds and range they're talking about, it will change everything. The new 5g tech is said to be rolling out in 2018-2020 so the future isn't far off.

[noodleann]

That's great news for some, @gardenman. Doesn't seem to have reached my cable company, and with the near monopolistic conditions where I live, if they lift the caps, they'll just do what they're doing now--increase the price for internet service in hefty increments.

At a certain point, arriving soon, we'll find ourselves looking at the same prices we used to pay for combined cable and TV for internet service alone. It just costs too much. I switched over to CFL bulbs, unplugged vampire devices and connections, and am about to switch to LED bulbs to keep my electric bill low. I keep the house at about 58 degrees in winter to keep my fuel bill low, and am careful with my water use. But if cable forces me to pay for streaming I don't do, I have no way to offset that.

Hopefully bare-bones ISPs may see a market and jump into the game with lower-priced offerings for people who don't stream much. Otherwise, they'll replicate the problem that bedevils cable TV: Forcing people to pay for services they don't want or need.

[noodleann]

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@Lilysmom wrote:

@noodleann, I see that cable companies here are making new offering packages to allow people to stream content.  I think this will increase as more leave the traditional services.

We are without cable now.  We installed an over the air outdoor antenna which gives us local stations are stream the rest.  So far so good.  LM

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That's interesting. They're not so forward-thinking here, and current customers do not get deals. They don't have to give them; they can pretty much dictate terms.

Because of our location, we can't get much if anything with an outdoor antenna, and the quality of whatever comes in is garbage. Sounds like your set-up is ideal for cord-cutting. Fortunately, I didn't like the local programming and don't miss any of the TV I used to see. I love the quiet, and eliminating the distraction was a good thing for me.

[Lilysmom]

@noodleann@gardenman, our cable company signed up less than half the number is did for the same period last year.  They know you are streaming on their internet connection.  There is a workaround for this called IPVanish. It encrypts your activity and does geoblocking as well.  That means you can stream from any country in the world as they are unable to define your location.

It's a whole new world out there.  I agree with @gardenman about where service is going.  I was so happy to get rid of all the cable boxes, remotes and telephones.  LM

PS @gardenman, are you a gamer?  I bought an android streaming/gaming box called nvidia shield.  It may be overkill for me as I haven't gamed so far. The streamer is supposed to be very good.   I haven't received it yet but am interested to learn more.  It arrives tomorrow.

Any comments on this streamer by readers would be welcome, especially if you have one.  I ordered the 2017 version.  LM

[willdob3]

@Lilysmom

I cut cable several years ago. Most of my TV shows and movies are streamed. I did upgrade to a faster internet to handle it. I stream through a Roku and through a Fire TV Stick. I'd never dream of going back to cable; Streaming is so much better! That is before one even mentions the huge financial savings!

The only streaming service I pay for is Amazon & I really don't need that since getting the Fire Stick but the other perks are nice and I'm spoiled. I've got time to decide before it is time to renew.