I've cut the cord for so long, do you people still watch 530p news and 8 & 9pm primetime TVs?

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rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
I don't know how we were able to live without DVR for so long. We have YT TV now and we consume at least 50% live (including national news channels) and 50% recorded shows (unlimited). Plus it has a ton of shows with old seasons we can catch up on. I wasn't willing to pay the additional for multi-room DVR with FIOS because the costs added up quick and wasn't worthwhile since I could just torrent an episode here and there. Now we can watch anything from any device anywhere. Internet + YTTV = $40+65/mo. and no BS taxes/fees.

Yeah, after the barrage of ads for YouTube TV I figured I'd at least have a look to see if I was interested... then I saw the price. GTFO!
Considering it was $155/mo. for a more limited FIOS, it's still a good deal. Plus we split one connection (out of 3) with family so instead of $65 it's $45. It started at like $35 if you can believe that.

T-Mobile is coming out with TV of their own soon. Competition is good.
 
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nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
59,239
13,840
136
I don't know how we were able to live without DVR for so long. We have YT TV now and we consume at least 50% live (including national news channels) and 50% recorded shows (unlimited). Plus it has a ton of shows with old seasons we can catch up on. I wasn't willing to pay the additional for multi-room DVR with FIOS because the costs added up quick and wasn't worthwhile since I could just torrent an episode here and there. Now we can watch anything from any device anywhere. Internet + YTTV = $40+65/mo. and no BS taxes/fees.


Considering it was $155/mo. for a more limited FIOS, it's still a good deal. Plus we split one connection (out of 3) with family so instead of $65 it's $45. It started at like $35 if you can believe that.

T-Mobile is coming out with TV of their own soon. Competition is good.
I watch about an hour of video content a day, and sometimes movies on the weekend, so it's a terrible value for me.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
64,208
12,528
136
See if you can get Locast. If you have only internet and a Roku you can watch what would be OTA TV, for free.
You can watch it on any device, I think.


I have Locast on my fire stick. It's OK, but keeps demanding I pay and subscribe. (Show stops, goes back to the home screen) I might actually do that...if there was a way my Dish Hopper could record shows there for me. :p
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,458
12,611
126
www.anyf.ca
Jesus, think of all those starving car sales people and lawyers that count on you seeing their ads twenty times a minute.

In the arrrrms of an angel "Every 30 seconds a commercial plays, and people just like you don't see it. These are sales that are lost, cars that are not sold, and even lawyers who do not get a client. All because of people like you who refuse to have cable. Call the number on your screen now to subscribe to our premium cable package. "

I joke, but I could see cable companies try to spin cord cutters as being evil lol. "Millennials are killing TV broadcasting!"
 

brianmanahan

Lifer
Sep 2, 2006
24,419
5,852
136
The local news is not news. It is basically just a report of any shootings, car crashes, or traffic jams that happened in the last 24 hours mixed in with 10 minutes of weather. I don't know why anyone would want to watch it.

my grandpa is almost 90 and he cannot miss the news for anything

6 to 7 pm is a sacred time in which he must be undisturbed

i don't really get it, since he reads the news on the web throughout the day

but maybe he just likes the throwback
 

BarkingGhostar

Diamond Member
Nov 20, 2009
8,409
1,617
136
Sounds like a ripe opportunity for a prank. You know, a la radio War of the Worlds kind of prank.
 

ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,134
2,446
126
Old people still watch the local news, anyway. You can tell that they're the target demographic from all the drug ads and senior living/care facility ads during the broadcast.
 

jmagg

Platinum Member
Nov 21, 2001
2,099
403
126
Public service announcements and sports are the best reason to have live network tv. OTA should be available for everyone.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,458
12,611
126
www.anyf.ca
I kinda miss local news, I get excited if my city even gets mentioned on the news lol. Everything is Toronto based it seems when it does talk about Canada but most of the time it's US news. We used to have a local news channel way back in the day, back when perms were in. My dad still has footage of it as he likes to record stuff, and it's always a blast from the past to see the local news, while we also laugh at some of the ridiculous haircuts of those days. The 90's were a good time lol.
 

BarkingGhostar

Diamond Member
Nov 20, 2009
8,409
1,617
136
Maybe your local news provides you with 'local' news. In my market they are all about the hype of negative stories and best get that from national and international avenues. Nothing local exciting enough.
 

olds

Elite Member
Mar 3, 2000
50,071
744
126
Right now, I use a combo:
OTA on a Tablo Quad.
Philo
Netflix
Amazon Prime with Showtime and HBO (and now HBO Max).
NFL Game Pass.
Fire Stick on main TV and in bedroom.

I have my gaming computer hooked to my 60" Plasma so I usually view all through a browser, no Smart TV Apps.
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,960
8,191
136
People are *adding* streaming to their existing cable service instead of "cutting the cord".
I cut the cord, but I have cable for internet.

3 smart TV's, use Fire Sticks on 2 as the VIZIO apps ain't that great, and Android TV on the new 65" 4K.

We stopped watching the news probably in April, both local feeds and network. That is 100% due to Trump, if they weren't covering his lies as if it was news, with nothing but political ads between the stories. Our local tabloid TV that pretends to be local coverage is a Sinclair station, almost as bad as Faux. We did watch a few series we follow until summer re-runs started.

I can get the local ABC, PBS, and FOX on a cheap antenna, mostly as some kind of backup if needed if there were a major event and the internet went out.

Stream, Netflix, Prime, Hulu, Disney, CBS All Access (which also provides live feed from nearby CBS affiliate). We don't miss "regular TV" at all, wish I had cut the cord a long time ago.

I also get the local paper delivered every day. Actually pretty good on local issues and coverage with some in depth stuff that has ended up with the county manager in prison, the police chief resignation, several bad cops fired and charged. Can always quickly selectively scan stories on from local stations on my phone.
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,960
8,191
136
Maybe your local news provides you with 'local' news. In my market they are all about the hype of negative stories and best get that from national and international avenues. Nothing local exciting enough.
The local in my city is that same. A cross between Tabloid TV and armature hour with rookie reporters. In addition to a very bias position, as it is a Sinclair station. The NBC and CBS affiliates in nearby cities are 100% better in both quality and some actual coverage of local events.
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
Jesus, think of all those starving car sales people and lawyers that count on you seeing their ads twenty times a minute.

DVR = skipped commercials. Just start it 30 minutes after it airs. My wife is a pro by now. Even for the news.
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,960
8,191
136
DVR = skipped commercials. Just start it 30 minutes after it airs. My wife is a pro by now. Even for the news.
When we had Dish, their DVR would record prime time stuff, and automatically skip commercials on playback. It was great, except for the simple fact that there wasn't a damn thing worth watching with or without commercials. It was well worth the $15 fee for prepaid shipping boxes to send their crap back to them, and save $100+ every month.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
59,239
13,840
136
When we had Dish, their DVR would record prime time stuff, and automatically skip commercials on playback. It was great, except for the simple fact that there wasn't a damn thing worth watching with or without commercials. It was well worth the $15 fee for prepaid shipping boxes to send their crap back to them, and save $100+ every month.
I think I had to spend over an hour on the phone with them when I was cancelling, they kept trying to come up with a lower offer to convince me to stay, and I kept saying "I'm just no longer interested in spending any money on TV".
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,458
12,611
126
www.anyf.ca
I did that all the time too when I had cable, I would pause what I'm about to watch, go to the bathroom or whatever, do a bit of stuff around the house then play, and then just skip commercials. I like the fact that the remote that came with my cable box even had a "30 second skip" button on it and a back 3 second button. Spam the button until it gets back to my show then hit the 3sec back button so I hit the end of the last commercial and don't miss anything. You would think that the cable company would not be making it easier for you to skip commercials lol. In my case it was not really cable, but fibre to the home and ethernet for the box, but just calling cable as it's same idea. TBH it was a good service, but in cable TV tradition, you have to pay extra for the good stuff. I could no longer justify the cost so I cancelled it along with the landline and only have internet so I dropped my bill by like $100 and only pay around $60 now. I even downgraded to the lowest tier for internet which is 20/15 megs. Fast enough for my needs, even when the eye patch goes on and the parrot comes to play.
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,960
8,191
136
I think I had to spend over an hour on the phone with them when I was cancelling, they kept trying to come up with a lower offer to convince me to stay, and I kept saying "I'm just no longer interested in spending any money on TV".
I was expecting some of the same from everything I've read about people trying to cancel.

Done in less than 5 minutes. Guy was nice actually. Tried to sell me their "local only" for $12, and I said 'yea... but' with all the other fees, what will that be 60 - 70 a month. He said that was probably the case, then went on to explain about sending me the box to return the hopper and the joey's in. I hope they don't listen to his call, they will probably fire him.

Wife had gone to put stuff in the washer, and when she came back I wasn't on the phone and she said "I thought you were calling Dish to cancel" and was surprised when I said 'done and done'.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
38,407
8,698
136
Local news here is a little better than that. They even have the occasional investigative report.
I've been watching local and then national news religiously since covid-19 hit Wuhan. I'm getting more and more upset with it, though (SF Bay Area, NBC weekdays, CBS weekends). Mostly they dumb down the coverage for people with room temperature IQs who consort with similar people. I was super irritated tonight. My TV is a TCL Roku 43" 4K TV/Monitor, and it supports 90 minute timeshifting, as long as you don't change the channel. So, I FF/Pause/Rew at will. I never watch in real time. I'm more and more FFing through the crap that doesn't interest me. I have no interest in what hair and nail salons are open, how and why. Also, there's no way I'm going to a restaurant while this pandemic is happening. Kids in school or remote learning, I pay attention but my patience is running thin. Stuff upsets me. The politics shouldn't be happening at all with regards to the pandemic. Scientists, people with expertise, integrity and intelligence should be making all those decisions.

I'm strictly rooftop antennas, haven't streamed or gotten any subscription TV for 25 years here (when several of us shared cable). I'm considering doing some streaming, Netflix HD, maybe a 1 week trial of HBO Max to catch the Chernobyl series. Actually, about 3 days ago I got what is my 3rd 30 day free trial of Prime. Guess I could do something with that, but I'm not exactly panting over it. Don't even know how to plunder it, might not bother. I know their offerings are limited. Seems that all streaming services are limited, but Prime is more than most. I tried Sling TV a couple times. It was terrible. The video quality sucked but what was worse, every damn channel I tried didn't support REW/Pause/FF. Fuck that. No way will I be forced to watch commercials.
 
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rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
I did that all the time too when I had cable, I would pause what I'm about to watch, go to the bathroom or whatever, do a bit of stuff around the house then play, and then just skip commercials. I like the fact that the remote that came with my cable box even had a "30 second skip" button on it and a back 3 second button. Spam the button until it gets back to my show then hit the 3sec back button so I hit the end of the last commercial and don't miss anything. You would think that the cable company would not be making it easier for you to skip commercials lol. In my case it was not really cable, but fibre to the home and ethernet for the box, but just calling cable as it's same idea. TBH it was a good service, but in cable TV tradition, you have to pay extra for the good stuff. I could no longer justify the cost so I cancelled it along with the landline and only have internet so I dropped my bill by like $100 and only pay around $60 now. I even downgraded to the lowest tier for internet which is 20/15 megs. Fast enough for my needs, even when the eye patch goes on and the parrot comes to play.

I had a Sony tv that let you put a timer on for commercials. You could change channels and it would come back after the timer is done. This was right around the time when cable boxes made tv-channel changing obsolete. :(
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,960
8,191
136
The local news is not news. It is basically just a report of any shootings, car crashes, or traffic jams that happened in the last 24 hours mixed in with 10 minutes of weather. I don't know why anyone would want to watch it.
Sounds like it might at least be local stuff. Our local (Sinclair owned) armature hour will give as much coverage to a garbage truck overturning and blocking a highway in Seattle as anything local. OBTW, we are 3000 miles from Seattle. But it is easier, just download it and fill a minute of airtime with it. Otherwise you have to send a photojournalist, reporter, then do all the editing of footage, etc...