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I currently have a 3rd gen Apple TV and I have DirecTV. I've been contemplating cutting my $150/month satellite bill in favor of streaming. Can anyone who has done this chime in with your experience? I'd also be interested in impressions of Roku 3 and Fire TV vs AppleTV. I find the AppleTV do be an OK experience but I find the unit to be very slow with a sluggish UI.

 

I watch a lot of premium shows like Silicon Valley, Game of Thrones, The Affair as well as basic cable shows like Walking Dead and Big Bang Theory. What I don't understand is how people can "cut the cord" when you can't even stream any of those channels without a cable/satellite subscription. If you cut the cord, do you have to resort to purchasing episodes of your favorite shows from Amazon/iTunes?

 

On a side note, I've been eyeing the Roku 3 but a review stated that the picture quality was noticeably inferior to the Apple TV. I read up on Fire TV and while it is fast, people tend to trounce the text search function as well as some other minor gripes. It seems like the Roku 3 might be better than Apple TV for cord cutter just because of the sheer number of channels it offers.

 

Any input is welcome!

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For the basic cable shows, you can watch them OTA. I get CBS, FOX, NBC all HD for free. You can use this tool to determine what channels you'll pick up. For other TV content, you can use Hulu, Netflix, etc. Some channels even let you watch shows on their website free (w/ ads). Comedy Central does this with South Park, Daily Show, etc. For premium content like Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, etc., you'll need to either buy the shows through Amazon, iTunes or buy DVD's. You can also use Redbox to rent the latest movies, as well as just going to theaters. 

While I have essentially cut my cord, I still pay for internet.  I do too much on the internet to not have it, so while I am not paying the 120-150 premium, I am paying roughly 80bux (soon to be 90 because the cable company says so).  If there were other providers in the area I would jump quickly. 

 

I have a roku 3 and a samsung smart bluray player.  These two devices coupled with my sub to netflix (which brings the cost up to 100 bux a month) allow me to not pay the 120-150 premium.  You need to find out what is best for you...I don't need to watch the latest programming available the day it becomes available.  I also have plex for downloaded movies and such (need to pay for the app on roku). 

For the basic cable shows, you can watch them OTA. I get CBS, FOX, NBC all HD for free. You can use this tool to determine what channels you'll pick up. For other TV content, you can use Hulu, Netflix, etc. Some channels even let you watch shows on their website free (w/ ads). Comedy Central does this with South Park, Daily Show, etc. For premium content like Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, etc., you'll need to either buy the shows through Amazon, iTunes or buy DVD's. You can also use Redbox to rent the latest movies, as well as just going to theaters. 

HBO will have a cord cutter subscription option for HBO GO sometime next year.  No idea how much it'll cost yet though.

If you are paying $150 a month for a few shows on satellite / cable tv, then the best legal alternative is probably paying $3 per episode on iTunes. That would probably work out a lot cheaper depending on how many shows you watch. You could buy 50 HD episodes on iTunes a month before you have paid the same amount as you would have for a satellite / cable tv subscription.

 

These episodes will have no network logos, random adverts appearing on the screen or adverts every 5 minutes, plus you then own that episode out right indefinitely.. so its a long term investment too.

  • 3 weeks later...

OTA for CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, CW, ION, MY, PBS, WADL (indie) and their numerous (2-5 each) subchannels. Streaming wise, we have Sony BR decks with wired and WiFi connectivity and apps for Amazon Prime, Crackle, YouTube, Netflix, HULU+ (lots of network shows the day after airing), and many other sources both free and PPV. The Sony's can even play music and video from thumb drives.

Add Chromecast on each TV, so what isn't above can be wirelessly streamed from tablets, phones or computers on our network.

HBO will have a cord cutter subscription option for HBO GO sometime next year.  No idea how much it'll cost yet though.

 

I'm looking forward to more of the content producers telling the cable companies to go take a hike and sell directly to customers instead. For me, fibre is coming to my area in January/February 2015 and even now with VDSL there is very little holding me to pay television other than habit hence I've 'cut the cord' (to the satellite dish) and open to online services like Netflix once they arrive in New Zealand.

I'm 31 years old, have lived on my own since I was 17 and have never paid for cable or satellite TV.

 

I pay for every available online service and allow fate to fill in the gaps (if you know what I mean). I also use an HDTV antenna on my HTPC for OTA sports, but I barely ever use it.  Cable is too inconvenient and ad-centric to pay for. 

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