Cutting the cable cord (2024)

Just Cutting the Cord Now

I know I am late to the party but when you have a wife who went to USC you need Pac 12 Network. Anyhow the Pac 12 is dead, Cox decided that some some promotions expired and my cost went up $20 per month. So time to cut the cord.

I am now trying YoutTubeTV. It seems to have what we need - major networks, ESPN, Golf Channel, ACC Network, Big 10 Network, news channels, etc. Evidently a competor is Hula TV with Live TV or something. Just wondered if anyone had tried either and what were there thoughts.

Thanks
SoCal

I will use this opportunity to vent about a related situation.

My 92-year-old father has for years been an Optimum subscriber on Long Island (NY). He decided to upgrade his 15-year-old TV to a smart TV and had Optimum over to the apartment to handle the wiring. They convinced him to move "up" to their new, state of the art streaming box, but failed to mention that the new equipment does not pause live TV. Apparently this is a well reported issue with their streaming service, and they "hope" to have it fixed over the summer, but I feel they took advantage of him.

How do you offer an upgrade and not tell the customer about the lack of a function that many consider to be the most important function of a DVR? I am very upset about the aggravation he's gone through over this. He's now considering switching to Verizon FIOS (which I have in NYC), but I'm sure that will be more agita.

mpj96 said:

Anyone else have Hulu buffering issues during the NCAA Tournament? Tends to happen in the last few minutes of competitive games. Blue screen pops up saying Hulu apologizes but is having issues with this channel. I either need a new roku stick or need to switch to YouTube tv.

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FWIW, I did not have this issue in any game this post-season.

We already were getting Disney+ and needed Hulu, so my wife got the 3-in-1 package that included ESPN+.

What I'm confused about is whether that gives you access to all the "normal" ESPN channels via streaming, or if it's *only* ESPN3/ESPN+ content.

If the latter, that seems like a pretty silly package...

I ask because I tried to watch something on flagship ESPN and was still prompted to sign in through my Verizon Fios account (which I'm considering dropping), despite being logged into the D+/H/E+ account.

snowdenscold said:

We already were getting Disney+ and needed Hulu, so my wife got the 3-in-1 package that included ESPN+.

What I'm confused about is whether that gives you access to all the "normal" ESPN channels via streaming, or if it's *only* ESPN3/ESPN+ content.

If the latter, that seems like a pretty silly package...

I ask because I tried to watch something on flagship ESPN and was still prompted to sign in through my Verizon Fios account (which I'm considering dropping), despite being logged into the D+/H/E+ account.

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You don't get anything from ESPN, ESPN+ or ESPNU. That would bump up the price significantly and anger the other content providers (Comcast, Spectrum, DirectTV, YouTube, FUBA, Verizon, etc.). Disney has to play a balancing game at least for the foreseeable future because it really wants the whole slice of the pie but needs the carriage fees from those other companies. Right now you still need a TV provider for mainline ESPN.

OZZIE4DUKE said:

We cut the cord (Spectrum) about 6 months ago and have Lumos fiber internet and YouTube TV. Got a great deal from Lumos - 1Gig for $50/month, discounted from their regular price of $70/month, and pay ~$75 for YouTube TV. Overall, YT TV is good and they have "unlimited" DVR capabilities, we struggle somewhat to get it to record the series or individual programs we want it to on network TV.

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Cut the cord last fall when my Comcast bill had risen to $300 per month. Now have Hulu live. The interface isn’t nearly as good as Comcast but with Verizon 5 G cube for internet and Hulu live saving over $150 a month. I use a firestick for my streaming. Have the same problem as you with recording network shows. Sometimes it records them and sometimes it doesn’t. As others mentioned you also have to login from time to time, whereas with Prime, Paramount and others I never have to re log in. Not sure what thats about but very annoying when you try to watch a live sports event and you have to type in a bunch of crap.

snowdenscold said:

We already were getting Disney+ and needed Hulu, so my wife got the 3-in-1 package that included ESPN+.

What I'm confused about is whether that gives you access to all the "normal" ESPN channels via streaming, or if it's *only* ESPN3/ESPN+ content.

If the latter, that seems like a pretty silly package...

I ask because I tried to watch something on flagship ESPN and was still prompted to sign in through my Verizon Fios account (which I'm considering dropping), despite being logged into the D+/H/E+ account.

Click to expand...

Kdogg said:

You don't get anything from ESPN, ESPN+ or ESPNU. That would bump up the price significantly and anger the other content providers (Comcast, Spectrum, DirectTV, YouTube, FUBA, Verizon, etc.). Disney has to play a balancing game at least for the foreseeable future because it really wants the whole slice of the pie but needs the carriage fees from those other companies. Right now you still need a TV provider for mainline ESPN.

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We too use the Firestick for streaming and have the Disney+ subscription including ESPN+ and HULU . When we first signed in for it we signed in to ESPN+ with Spectrum. Problem is, the ESPN+ thinks we still have Spectrum and we don't so I can't sign in to it. As previously mentioned we have YouTube TV, which does give us the ESPN regular networks. How do I change my sign in for ESPN+ from the Spectrum service, which we no longer have and switch the sign in to YouTube TV sign in?

OZZIE4DUKE said:

We too use the Firestick for streaming and have the Disney+ subscription including ESPN+ and HULU . When we first signed in for it we signed in to ESPN+ with Spectrum. Problem is, the ESPN+ thinks we still have Spectrum and we don't so I can't sign in to it. As previously mentioned we have YouTube TV, which does give us the ESPN regular networks. How do I change my sign in for ESPN+ from the Spectrum service, which we no longer have and switch the sign in to YouTube TV sign in?

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You try logging out of all services and logging back in with the new credentials? Worst case delete and reinstall the apps.

OZZIE4DUKE said:

Overall, YT TV is good and they have "unlimited" DVR capabilities, we struggle somewhat to get it to record the series or individual programs we want it to on network TV.

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We have had YouTube tv for several years (after years of frustration with Comcast). I have been very pleased with the recording process…once I set it to record a show (which is easy, once you figure it out), it records every single one automatically. So, for example, all Duke games are recorded after I set it to record the first game. And entire series, even reruns, are recorded after the first one is set.
My only complaint is that YTTV has been steadily increasing their price so it now is pretty comparable to what I was paying with cable. I think it started at $49 and now it is $75.

As opposed to some of the streaming services, I can have multiple TVs running at a time. You do need good internet speed.

OZZIE4DUKE said:

We too use the Firestick for streaming and have the Disney+ subscription including ESPN+ and HULU . When we first signed in for it we signed in to ESPN+ with Spectrum. Problem is, the ESPN+ thinks we still have Spectrum and we don't so I can't sign in to it. As previously mentioned we have YouTube TV, which does give us the ESPN regular networks. How do I change my sign in for ESPN+ from the Spectrum service, which we no longer have and switch the sign in to YouTube TV sign in?

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I have been stymied by the exact same thing! Except my erstwhile provider was DirectTv before I switched to YTTV. Yesterday I was trying to get into ESPN+ to watch the HS game with Cooper Flagg and other recruits and Players couldn’t get in. It kept asking for my DirectTv credentials despite me not using them for a year. Sooooo frustrating! I logged out repeatedly but it stubbornly insisted I was a DTv customer. Grrrr….

OZZIE4DUKE said:

We too use the Firestick for streaming and have the Disney+ subscription including ESPN+ and HULU . When we first signed in for it we signed in to ESPN+ with Spectrum. Problem is, the ESPN+ thinks we still have Spectrum and we don't so I can't sign in to it. As previously mentioned we have YouTube TV, which does give us the ESPN regular networks. How do I change my sign in for ESPN+ from the Spectrum service, which we no longer have and switch the sign in to YouTube TV sign in?

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Skydog said:

I have been stymied by the exact same thing! Except my erstwhile provider was DirectTv before I switched to YTTV. Yesterday I was trying to get into ESPN+ to watch the HS game with Cooper Flagg and other recruits and Players couldn’t get in. It kept asking for my DirectTv credentials despite me not using them for a year. Sooooo frustrating! I logged out repeatedly but it stubbornly insisted I was a DTv customer. Grrrr….

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All right this was bugging me. I checked on a Fire Tablet but I would guess the TV is the same app. In the ESPN app there are two places to log off from. The fist is ESPN itself and the second is TV Provider. The TV Provider is under the ESPN logging. Amazon has a Single Sign-On so theoretically signing of any TV app should sign you out of all TV apps.

mkirsh said:

Has anyone heard of SuperBox? My 82 year old dad just got one and I didn’t believe what he was telling me - $200 box from Amazon, no service fees, and EVERYTHING is available to stream: all regional main networks, all regional sports carriers, premium streaming, first run movies. You could basically recreate Sunday ticket or MLB or NBA package for free. Of course I didn’t believe him until I went over there and saw it for myself. I watched a few minutes of Dune 2, saw a show on Disney +, west coast CBS, even MASN which is only available with Xfinity. It is hard to believe. I don’t understand what the catch is so I’m trying to research. Would need a box for each tv and no phone streaming but otherwise seems too good to be true (or legal). Reddit seems to think it’s basically piracy that is impossible to stop. Anyone have any experience with this?

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Oh it’s 100% piracy. They is no if, and or but about that. This type of thing has been around since the first cable box. First descramblers, they modified access cards for Sat TV and now the evolution has brought the all-you-can-eat streaming boxes. These are pretty big in certain ethnic communities (like Indians and Chinese). Usually there is a month fee so a bit surprised at that with this one. Usually it’s based out of Canada. Every once in awhile you will see the operators or sellers get busted. Little chance they would come after him. Not impossible but I’ve never seen a regular user get busted. There is a chance that the whole thing does get shut down at any thing. They he’d have to find a new box/service.
With a little know how and googling you can make one with a Fire Stick and Kodi. The immediate risk is that he’s just hooked up an android box to his home network with no knowledge of what’s in the box. The risk is small but not anywhere close to zero. At minimum I would try to isolate that device within the network. The easiest way would be to set it up on the guest network but can be done through router settings.

Kdogg said:

Oh it’s 100% piracy. They is no if, and or but about that. This type of thing has been around since the first cable box. First descramblers, they modified access cards for Sat TV and now the evolution has brought the all-you-can-eat streaming boxes. These are pretty big in certain ethnic communities (like Indians and Chinese). Usually there is a month fee so a bit surprised at that with this one. Usually it’s based out of Canada. Every once in awhile you will see the operators or sellers get busted. Little chance they would come after him. Not impossible but I’ve never seen a regular user get busted. There is a chance that the whole thing does get shut down at any thing. They he’d have to find a new box/service.
With a little know how and googling you can make one with a Fire Stick and Kodi. The immediate risk is that he’s just hooked up an android box to his home network with no knowledge of what’s in the box. The risk is small but not anywhere close to zero. At minimum I would try to isolate that device within the network. The easiest way would be to set it up on the guest network but can be done through router settings.

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I remember having my first satellite TV guy putting an illegal card in my box.....he did a lot of that until one day the FBI busted him for copying and renting out videos (I guess that FBI warning we used to read at the beginning of VCR movies had some teeth in it)...

Kdogg said:

Oh it’s 100% piracy. They is no if, and or but about that. This type of thing has been around since the first cable box. First descramblers, they modified access cards for Sat TV and now the evolution has brought the all-you-can-eat streaming boxes. These are pretty big in certain ethnic communities (like Indians and Chinese). Usually there is a month fee so a bit surprised at that with this one. Usually it’s based out of Canada. Every once in awhile you will see the operators or sellers get busted. Little chance they would come after him. Not impossible but I’ve never seen a regular user get busted. There is a chance that the whole thing does get shut down at any thing. They he’d have to find a new box/service.
With a little know how and googling you can make one with a Fire Stick and Kodi. The immediate risk is that he’s just hooked up an android box to his home network with no knowledge of what’s in the box. The risk is small but not anywhere close to zero. At minimum I would try to isolate that device within the network. The easiest way would be to set it up on the guest network but can be done through router settings.

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A VPN might make you rest easier.

plimnko said:

A VPN might make you rest easier.

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That would only make tracking his IP harder. If your VPN keeps logs and gets a subpoena then it's mote. You can look for a VPN that uses RAM only servers or claims not to log but then you're trusting them to keep their word. That's really not the concern though. Again I would be more worried about a potential rogue device on your network. Here's a consumer friendly take on it.

Also directly from the manufacture of SuperBox.

However, the company has declared that no one will have to face any legal issues for using the Superbox S3 Pro. But yes, if you are accessing digital channels without paying for the same, you will have to confront the legal department since streaming anything without having a subscription is a crime.

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The device is legal but what you do with it might not be. My guess is the Amazon version has been modified by the seller/distributor to allow the illegal streams.