Help with Cord Cutting

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

The Mrs. and I are moving out of employer provided housing, which means that for the first time, we will have to pay for our own cable and internet. After talking it over, the only thing either of us need cable for is live sports. In our area, cable is going to run us about $50 bucks a month with all the various fees. Seems a little steep, especially given that the sports we care about are only in season from September to April (I would watch the Brewers but alas we don't get them down here in Texas).

I've been looking at the options and it seems like Sling TV is going to be the best option for us. Has anyone else used it? Good or bad? Any issues? Anyone have any better services that they use?

Thanks in advance!

[reinko]

The Mrs. and I are moving out of employer provided housing, which means that for the first time, we will have to pay for our own cable and internet. After talking it over, the only thing either of us need cable for is live sports. In our area, cable is going to run us about $50 bucks a month with all the various fees. Seems a little steep, especially given that the sports we care about are only in season from September to April (I would watch the Brewers but alas we don't get them down here in Texas).

I've been looking at the options and it seems like Sling TV is going to be the best option for us. Has anyone else used it? Good or bad? Any issues? Anyone have any better services that they use?

Thanks in advance!

Any chance you have Tmobile cell service?  For the past three years they give their customers free MLB.TV that I watch the Brewers on thru my Amazon Fire TV, and on my cell phone when I'm traveling (I live in Boston, so no blackouts).

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Any chance you have Tmobile cell service?  For the past three years they give their customers free MLB.TV that I watch the Brewers on thru my Amazon Fire TV, and on my cell phone when I'm traveling (I live in Boston, so no blackouts).

Nope, Verizon for me

[reinko]

Nope, Verizon for me

Save a bunch of money and switch to Tmobile 

Never used Sling, but used Playstation Vue for a bit, and found it to be user friendly, and lots of options and packages.

[mu_hilltopper]

Did you check PSVue?  There's a thread on Scoop about it .. I've had it the past 18 months or so .. like it for various reasons.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Did you check PSVue?  There's a thread on Scoop about it .. I've had it the past 18 months or so .. like it for various reasons.

Was raised as an Xbox kid

[reinko]

Was raised as an Xbox kid

You don't need a Playstation to use PSVue, I ran it thru an app on my Fire TV, worked great.

[MU82]

TAMU, we are just now looking at options ourselves. Do you know if YouTube TV (from Google) is an option where you are? They aren't everywhere, but where they are a presence, it's only $35/month. Their channels include FS1 and FS2, as well as ESPN. And it includes a DVR in the cloud with unlimited storage.

I'm not sure we're gonna go there, but it's a viable option here and I'm checking all my others.

[GB Warrior]

Thought this would be an article about pushing kids outta the nest. Speaking as a scorned millennial - don't drop cable without warning your offspring that rely on it for FS1!

But seriously, I've seen people have pretty decent success with Vue. From my experience, the interface kinda sucks, but it gets the job done at a fraction of the price, assuming you don't need the other 80 channels that BIG CABLE provides.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I'm looking at the prices for Vue, it seems like the cheapest package is $40 a month. I can get all the channels I need for $25 on Sling. Is there an advantage to Vue over Sling?

I'm trying a free trial of sling, so far I'm impressed. Good quality picture and no lag time.

I'll look into Youtube TV. Hadn't heard of that one yet.

[Jockey]

I'm looking at the prices for Vue, it seems like the cheapest package is $40 a month. I can get all the channels I need for $25 on Sling. Is there an advantage to Vue over Sling?

I'm trying a free trial of sling, so far I'm impressed. Good quality picture and no lag time.

I'll look into Youtube TV. Hadn't heard of that one yet.

With me, the choice was driven by the availability of sports channels. That is the only reason I went with DirectTV over Vue. A little more pricey when you add these channels, but at $70, it isn't too bad.

[buckchuckler]

(I would watch the Brewers but alas we don't get them down here in Texas).

Mlb.tv is spectacular.

[Benny B]

Mlb.tv is spectacular.

This.

[mu_hilltopper]

I'll bet a box of donuts that all of these streaming services will settle around a $40 price point within 18 months.   By 2020, it'll be $50.   

[MerrittsMustache]

I'm looking at the prices for Vue, it seems like the cheapest package is $40 a month. I can get all the channels I need for $25 on Sling. Is there an advantage to Vue over Sling?

I'm trying a free trial of sling, so far I'm impressed. Good quality picture and no lag time.

I'll look into Youtube TV. Hadn't heard of that one yet.

If you're looking for sports, you might want to double-check that pricing. We've also been looking into Sling but apparently there are 2 different packages for ~$25/month. One of them has the ESPNs and the other has Fox Sports. To get them both, it's $40/month.

It's also possible that I'm wrong and I need to double-check that pricing 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

If you're looking for sports, you might want to double-check that pricing. We've also been looking into Sling but apparently there are 2 different packages for ~$25/month. One of them has the ESPNs and the other has Fox Sports. To get them both, it's $40/month.

It's also possible that I'm wrong and I need to double-check that pricing 

No, you're correct. I don't watch ESPN and the few times there is a game I want to see I am more than fine with going to a bar.

[#UnleashSean]

No, you're correct. I don't watch ESPN and the few times there is a game I want to see I am more than fine with going to a bar.

I used to think that way to. But found I would blow more money at the bar then the streaming service cost.

[MU82]

I used to think that way to. But found I would blow more money at the bar then the streaming service cost.

That happened to me, too, many years ago. So I forked over the $$ for cable.

Nowadays, though, I like the shared experience of watching games with my peeps - it's worth the money to me. Unfortunately, while we have a fairly active MU club here in Charlotte, that's all it is. We have a few events that are decently attended, but as far as meeting up to watch just any game - even a good game like Butler or something - it ain't happening.

[Chili]

I went with Vue over Sling based upon DVR. Once DirecTV Now has their DVR up and running I will be switching to that as I have work mandated AT&T cell service and if you have that you get a $25 mo. credit. Also, having AT&T fiber is solid. I really wish YouTubeTV would move beyond casting and into native aps. Just not a fan of that at all.

For Vue though, it's fantastic for my needs. Wish it had CBS Sports Channel though. It's a main reason for even looking at DirecTV Now.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I've had sling for about 6 months.  Like it.  Pay $40 for the orange and blue package.  Other than cable news channels, I'm not missing anything from when we had dish.  (I would argue that we aren't missing much with no cable news channels either)

[Benny B]

I've had sling for about 6 months.  Like it.  Pay $40 for the orange and blue package.  Other than cable news channels, I'm not missing anything from when we had dish. (I would argue that we aren't missing much with no cable news channels either)

Especially when you can just go to their websites and watch the live stream.


Which - by the way - an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY for anyone cutting the cord: hook up a PC to at least one TV, preferably your main TV (or at least have the correct HDMI cable for your laptop on moment's notice).  Inevitably, there will come a time where something important needs to be streamed that won't be available on Roku, ATV, PS, etc. and you're going to be glad you had a backup plan.

[mu_hilltopper]

Pro Tip .. Before you hook up your PC .. try using Chrome and hitting the "cast" button, see if your Roku (etc) can wirelessly show the PC's screen.

[1990Warrior]

The only reason I have cable now is MU basketball.  I have been strongly wanting to cut the cord after Spectrum cable took over TWC.

One service available through Roku is College Sports Live, and they list us as one of the teams that they provide coverage for:

http://www.collegesportslive.com/start/?

I think they charge 20 a month, but wonder if they really provide 100% coverage.  Does anyone have experience with this streamimg service?

PS Vue looks good except for the lack of the CBS Sports channel, which FS1 tranfers some of our games to.  Hulu has this channel, and I think would give comparable coverage to cable.

[Chili]

The only reason I have cable now is MU basketball.  I have been strongly wanting to cut the cord after Spectrum cable took over TWC.

One service available through Roku is College Sports Live, and they list us as one of the teams that they provide coverage for:

http://www.collegesportslive.com/start/?

I think they charge 20 a month, but wonder if they really provide 100% coverage.  Does anyone have experience with this streamimg service?

PS Vue looks good except for the lack of the CBS Sports channel, which FS1 tranfers some of our games to.  Hulu has this channel, and I think would give comparable coverage to cable.

DirecTV Now has all the sports channels MU is on.

[MU82]

So, TAMU, what did you decide?