Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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stessier
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by stessier »

$59.99 for 60 mbps here in SC (actual speed is about 66 mbps whenever I test it), but we have Charter. Good enough for 4 streams at once. At&t just moved in and we can get 6 mbps for $30, 100 mbps for $70, or 1000 mbps for $90. The first 2 come with a 1 TB cap, while the last is currently unlimited. I'm interested to see what Charter does over the next year to compete.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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The Meal wrote:I pay $49.95 a month for 1 Gbps.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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I download about four Steam games per year.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Smoove_B »

All this is doing is motivating me to have an angry old-man phone call with Century Link. If they don't lower my internet bill to $5 a month, I guess I found my new project for 2017.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Isgrimnur »

You should form a co-op and lay your own cable.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by stessier »

I can only assume they will be routing around Smoove.
Verizon boosts top FiOS speeds to 750Mbps, has multi-gigabit in works
New FiOS speed tier coming to NYC, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Boston.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Jeff V »

stessier wrote:I can only assume they will be routing around Smoove.
Verizon boosts top FiOS speeds to 750Mbps, has multi-gigabit in works
New FiOS speed tier coming to NYC, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Boston.
Na, read between the lines. It doesn't say the new speed tier is 750Mbps, only that they are adding that, and a new speed tier is coming to New Jersey.

That tier will be 14,400 bps.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Smoove_B »

I think that's only going to be in the counties near NYC -- where I can only assume Verizon used the $15 billion they received from state residents to upgrade those areas to FiOS. Me in the sticks? Hilarious. I wonder which governor let them out of their obligation to provide all residents with a FiOS connection?
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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For Smoove...

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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Zenn7 »

AT&T Uverse has just informed of the "good news" of rate increase starting 1/22/2017.

The channel package I get is going up $3/mo, the unlimited home phone plain is going up $1/mo and there is a broadcast channel charge that's going up $1/mo, unless you live in a few select areas, including Detroit! Then, it goes up $1.15. (Lucky me).

I'm currently on a 1 year special rate, because I usually call and threaten to leave (a serious threat given I can just go back to Comcast for fairly comparable services and enjoy their new customer pricing for a year or two and switch back to AT&T and play their new customer games if that's what I have to do. Be a pita for the email changes and the DVR is from AT&T, but would be worth it if they won't cut me some slack). Their deal usually results in me getting some better internet than the 6mb I'd settle for and about $20-30 off what I would otherwise be paying for unlimited phone, U200 and 6mb. Currently I think I supposedly have 18mb. Last year I had 54mb, but didn't notice it in my steam downloads or any place else.

This seemed like an appropriate thread to whine about this subject.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by EvilHomer3k »

Our dish bill just went up again. It's gone from $70 to $95 with no additional programming. I'm going to sign up for a trial of Playstation TV which has ESPN and DVR. I'm going to have to disconnect Dish to get my wife to try it but honestly, she probably won't know for days. I'll have to connect local channels by Sunday for NFL but I already have an antenna so it should just be a matter of getting it set up and running the cable (which should be easy if I just use the cable for our satellite). Saturday, we'll watch Iowa State vs Oklahoma on ESPN2. I have watched ESPN via the ESPN channel on our Roku and the experience wasn't great. Stuttering, choppiness, grainy picture, lots of waiting for connection issues. We often watch sports on our projector in the basement so pixelation stands out. I can deal with that but stuttering and too much buffering won't do. Hopefully, PSTV is better than that.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Zaxxon »

ESPN on Roku has none of those issues for us. Maybe a connection issue or an old Roku?
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by EvilHomer3k »

Spent the entire weekend watching PSVue TV. I didn't get the antenna connected and had to watch Atlanta VS GB in spanish (on the Fox Sports Spanish Channel). Local CBS is on PSVue here so we watched the Patriots/Steelers game on Vue. A few short (less than 1 second issues with buffering but that was it. Overall, a good experience watching.

Unfortunately, the way the look at your "home network" is very restrictive. My PS3 is connected to my router. That router connects to a gigabit switch. My PC and a Sony BlueRay player are connected to that switch. Then, I have a Roku connected to wireless in the kitchen on a wireless network. I have a Fire TV stick in the exercise room connected to a wireless network (may or may not be the same wireless network as we have a 5 and 2.4 ghz wireless network). In our bedroom we have another TV connected to a wireless extender (haven't tried it, yet). Then we have various tablets and laptops connected to one of the two wireless networks. From what I can tell PSVue sees them as all different networks (it definetely sees the PC/Blueray player as different networks than the PS3). A lot of channels won't stream outside of your wireless network. So somehow I have to get all of these devices (or at least most of them) connected to the same home network.

I did, however, have enough success that I called Dish and cancelled. My bill will go from $95 to 30+tax. :dance: I told my wife that with the savings we can buy new living room furniture.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Max Peck »

YouTube TV
Here’s what YouTube TV offers:
  • Live TV streaming from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, regional sports networks and dozens of popular cable networks. YouTube TV gives you the best of live TV, from must-see broadcast shows like “Empire,” “The Voice,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “Scandal,” to the live sports you want. YouTube TV includes major sports networks like ESPN and regional sports networks like Fox Sports Networks and Comcast SportsNet, so you can watch your favorite NBA or MLB teams. We’ve also partnered with local TV stations, so you’ll also get sports and local news based on where you live. And YouTube TV offers dozens of additional cable channels, so you won’t miss out on the latest news from MSNBC or Fox News, popular shows and movies from USA or FX, kids programming from the Disney Channel or Sprout, or reality TV from E! or Bravo. You can also add Showtime, or Fox Soccer Plus to your networks for an additional charge. In total, YouTube TV gives you access to more than 40 networks, listed below.
  • A cloud DVR, with no storage limits. With YouTube TV, you’ll be able to record live TV and never run out of storage. Your cloud DVR can record as many shows as you want, simultaneously, without using precious data or space on your phone and we’ll store each of your recordings for nine months.
  • A service that works great on all your screens. You can watch YouTube TV on any screen—mobile, tablet or computer—and you can easily stream to your TV with a Google Chromecast or Chromecast built-in TV. YouTube TV works on both Android and iOS. And your cloud DVR goes with you, so you can stream your recordings on any device, whenever and wherever you want.
  • YouTube Red Originals. With a YouTube TV membership, you can watch all of our YouTube Red Original series and movies right on the new YouTube TV app.
  • Six accounts, one price. Every YouTube TV membership comes with six accounts, each with its own unique recommendations and personal DVR with no storage limits. You can watch up to three concurrent streams at a time.
  • Half the cost of cable with zero commitments. A YouTube TV membership is only $35 a month and there are no commitments—you can cancel anytime.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Isgrimnur »

I was interested until I got to pricing.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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Considering you can split it 3-6 ways depending on viewing habits, it's not bad.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by naednek »

I like it, it's a good start. I can get my sports back. Will there be commercials? That's one big question.

If they can add HGTV and TLC that would get the wife sold
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by tgb »

Isgrimnur wrote:I was interested until I got to pricing.
+1. If accounts can be split into multiple households I'd be up for going in with some others here. We'd have to work out a procedure for payment, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

I just noticed that apparently it's not Roku-friendly, so that tempers my enthusiasm a bit.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by stessier »

Yeah, the non-Roku thing is annoying. Also, having 6 accounts but only 3 concurrent streams is annoying too. I have four people in my house - it would be nice that we could all be watching our own program. Finally, I think a lot will depend no the cloud DVR functionality. It needs to have season pass options and it would be fantastic if it offered the ability to download and watch while offline.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by EvilHomer3k »

It's $5 more than PS Vue, which I have now. Youtube tv doesn't seem to have AMC which is a deal breaker in my house. TWD is the only show we watch live. Vue is $30 and has more channels.

If anyone is intrigued by Youtube tv you should really look at Playstation Vue. You can get 5 simultaneous streams, you get HGTV and TLC (and DIY) in the base package along with ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and FS2. Vue is missing Comedy Central but so is youtube. Vue works on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire (as well as PS3, PS4, Android, iOS, and web browsers). It has local channels (depending on your market - we get local CBS but not ABC, NBC, or Fox but do get national for those).

My biggest complaint about Vue is the 5 minute limit on pausing shows (and it seems to be shorter than 5 minutes). It's kind of limiting when you have a 4 year old that needs to poop. Supposedly, you can just hit start over and restart it from the beginning though I have yet to try this. I'm sure the 28 day limit on the DVR will come up sometime as we had lots of shows we didn't watch until summer that were on in the winter.

Overall, PS Vue has been wonderful.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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We've got the middle tier of Sling for $25/month and I've been pretty happy with that.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Carpet_pissr »

I recently tried out a bunch of non-cable options to see if I could cut the cord (Hulu, Vudu, Sling, Vue, etc), but nay, all of my options resulted in really poor quality signals, due to compression and/or really low and crappy 720P limited feeds. It was also not as much of a difference in price when I added everything up, as I expected.

At least in my area, ATT Uverse was a great alternative a few years ago, because it was so much cheaper than cable, but the compression compared to cable, and the resulting PQ, was abysmal. Now they are much higher than they used to be, but the crap signal quality remains.

That's one thing that cable has going for it, for anyone that cares about picture quality (maybe the only thing). You would think that people would care more about that, what with all the 4K TV's, HDR, etc. being sold.

I assume at some point, we will move towards cable-like or OTA like quality with these services, but for now, for my preferences, I will just pay the slight premium for the better video quality.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by stessier »

I've been kind of shocked in that my local stations only broadcast in 720p OTA as a rule. CBS is the only one that broadcasts everything in 1080p.

Not really a contribution to the conversation - just an observation. :)
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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Carpet_pissr wrote:I recently tried out a bunch of non-cable options to see if I could cut the cord (Hulu, Vudu, Sling, Vue, etc), but nay, all of my options resulted in really poor quality signals, due to compression and/or really low and crappy 720P limited feeds. It was also not as much of a difference in price when I added everything up, as I expected.

At least in my area, ATT Uverse was a great alternative a few years ago, because it was so much cheaper than cable, but the compression compared to cable, and the resulting PQ, was abysmal. Now they are much higher than they used to be, but the crap signal quality remains.

That's one thing that cable has going for it, for anyone that cares about picture quality (maybe the only thing). You would think that people would care more about that, what with all the 4K TV's, HDR, etc. being sold.

I assume at some point, we will move towards cable-like or OTA like quality with these services, but for now, for my preferences, I will just pay the slight premium for the better video quality.
We had Uverse several years ago and really liked it, at least until they jumped the rates on us. Recently we looked into returning to AT&T (Comcast bumped up the rates) and now Uverse isn't offered. Very weird.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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Scuzz wrote:We had Uverse several years ago and really liked it, at least until they jumped the rates on us. Recently we looked into returning to AT&T (Comcast bumped up the rates) and now Uverse isn't offered. Very weird.
We focus more on DirecTV these days.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Max Peck »

You know what the world needs? A paid streaming service for a basic cable channel, that is tied to a cable TV subscription.

AMC Plans Ad-Free Streaming Service
AMC Networks, whose shows include The Walking Dead, is planning to launch a commercial-free online video streaming service aimed at millennial TV subscribers, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters this week.

Unlike standalone streaming options from Time Warner’s HBO and from CBS, AMC's would be exclusively available to consumers who subscribe to a cable TV package. AMC is doing this, the sources said, as a way to support the traditional cable television industry at a time when many younger consumers are increasingly cutting the cord.

AMC is discussing featuring digital-only spinoff shows of its existing programs like The Walking Dead and is considering pricing between $4.99 to $6.99 a month, according to the sources, who cautioned final details are still being worked out.

The sources wished to remain anonymous because they are not permitted to speak to the media. An AMC spokesman declined to comment.

Packaging the service as an add-on to existing cable bills allows AMC to curry favor with cable and satellite companies.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by stessier »

Wow - they've really figured out what millenials are looking for!
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by rshetts2 »

Hmmm the classic you can pay to stream but only if you pay to watch first ploy.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Lorini »

Thanks thread! Just started my 30 day PS Vue trial. Everything looks great so far, gotta try the DVR.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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Looks like DirecTV is getting in on the game, offering a streaming-only service called DirecTV Now, which comes with live local channels and starts at just $35 per month with no contract and no hardware. Doesn't come with CBS, and one of the other local networks (ABC or NBC) is only on-demand. And of course, no Sunday Ticket, which remains the sole reason that I still have satellite/cable.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

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All of this just in time for the internet companies to hold content providers hostage once net neutrality goes away.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by RunningMn9 »

Zarathud wrote:All of this just in time for the internet companies to hold content providers hostage once net neutrality goes away.
Yeah. And I can't even embrace this cord-cutting, because despite an excellent internet connection through Comcast (up to about 200 Mbps now), they also have a 250GB limit in my area. And while they aren't currently enforcing it, as soon as they do, I will hit that in like 5 days. :)

It's forced me to setup a Plex server with every movie and TV show that I have on DVD and blu-ray so that I can at least simulate what the internet used to be when they enforce that and turn me into a technological hermit.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Lorini »

Lorini wrote:Thanks thread! Just started my 30 day PS Vue trial. Everything looks great so far, gotta try the DVR.
Spoke too soon, the Chromecast connection stopped working after three hours (even after rebooting it several times) so I guess it's back to cable.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by tgb »

Having cut the cable at the end of the year, I'm pretty much comfortable with the systems, except for one thing I still can't figure out - why episodes of shows apparently appear and disappear randomly.

This seems to happen particularly with Sling, although I'm pretty sure I've seen it elsewhere. Let me cite specific examples to clarify my point - again, this is all via Sling on my Roku:

1 History of Comedy (CNN) - The first three episodes were up within a couple of days of airing. After the third - nothing. Now the third is missing (there are probably 4 more after that one that were never put up at all) and only the first two are available.

2 Colony (USA) - Again, the current season was put up within a day or two of airing - all except last week's, which I think was the finale. As I write this, it still isn't available.

3 Talking Dead - This is the oddest of all, since episodes that were listed as available for viewing in the morning are no longer up when tlr gets home from work that evening, and then pop up again a day or two later, only to be taken down once more.

Can someone explain in simple terms what the hell is going on?

Thanks.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by EvilHomer3k »

Sling doesn't have a DVR so you are at viewing everything with OnDemand. Each channel sets their own rules for each show. So AMC may let you watch any episode of Walking Dead but not Talking Dead. CNN may let you watch one show on demand but not another. Some shows won't let you watch on mobile or outside of your home network. In short, if you thought Android was fragmented, they have nothing on tv streaming. Each channel has it's own rules and those rules differ by provider, show, device, and location.

PS Vue and Youtube both have a true DVR so you can 'record' shows and don't have to deal with on demand right changing quite so much.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by tgb »

EvilHomer3k wrote:Sling doesn't have a DVR so you are at viewing everything with OnDemand. Each channel sets their own rules for each show. So AMC may let you watch any episode of Walking Dead but not Talking Dead. CNN may let you watch one show on demand but not another. Some shows won't let you watch on mobile or outside of your home network. In short, if you thought Android was fragmented, they have nothing on tv streaming. Each channel has it's own rules and those rules differ by provider, show, device, and location.

PS Vue and Youtube both have a true DVR so you can 'record' shows and don't have to deal with on demand right changing quite so much.
So you're saying a network may allow some episodes 1, 4, and 7 of the current season "on demand" but not 2,3,5, and 6? That's just crazy talk.
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by EvilHomer3k »

Lorini wrote:
Lorini wrote:Thanks thread! Just started my 30 day PS Vue trial. Everything looks great so far, gotta try the DVR.
Spoke too soon, the Chromecast connection stopped working after three hours (even after rebooting it several times) so I guess it's back to cable.
That is something you have to be willing to accept. No internet, no TV. I have our TV attached to an antenna so we can watch something. We also have an extensive collection of dvds and blu-rays if we need them. I will say that satellite is more reliable than our internet cable connection.

RM9, doesn't your cap go up with your speed? Mediacom has a cap, too, but it goes up the faster your speeds. We are currently ad 100mbps and will often run 4 simultaneous streams. Two youtube, netflix, and PSVue. The other day we were running 2 youtube and 3 netflix at the same time. We have a 1,000 gig limit with 100mbps but we may have to up it now. We hit our cap last month. I told the kids to stop streaming youtube at 1080P 60 and do it at 480. Mediacomm just introduced 1 gig internet but they also have 200 and 500. I may up ours to 200 as we sometimes have stuttering on PS Vue.
That sound of the spoon scraping over the can ribbing as you corral the last ravioli or two is the signal that a great treat is coming. It's the washboard solo in God's own
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EvilHomer3k
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by EvilHomer3k »

tgb wrote:
EvilHomer3k wrote:Sling doesn't have a DVR so you are at viewing everything with OnDemand. Each channel sets their own rules for each show. So AMC may let you watch any episode of Walking Dead but not Talking Dead. CNN may let you watch one show on demand but not another. Some shows won't let you watch on mobile or outside of your home network. In short, if you thought Android was fragmented, they have nothing on tv streaming. Each channel has it's own rules and those rules differ by provider, show, device, and location.

PS Vue and Youtube both have a true DVR so you can 'record' shows and don't have to deal with on demand right changing quite so much.
So you're saying a network may allow some episodes 1, 4, and 7 of the current season "on demand" but not 2,3,5, and 6? That's just crazy talk.
Yes it absolutely is. I would suggest downloading the app for the specific station. The rules for their own app are different than the rules for what you can watch on Sling (or PSVue). For instance, I can't watch episode 1-3 of Taboo on FX with On Demand on PSVUE. I CAN watch it on FXNow and signing in with my PSVue Account. It's fucked up. It's stupid. But that's how it is. Most stations, however, the rules are much more straight forward than what you describe. I'd get the app for your Roku as I think that will be the most consistent and least limited.
That sound of the spoon scraping over the can ribbing as you corral the last ravioli or two is the signal that a great treat is coming. It's the washboard solo in God's own
bluegrass band of comfort food. - LawBeefaroni
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Zaxxon
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by Zaxxon »

Any TiVo Bolt users here? I got a promo offer to transfer our current lifetime service to a new Bolt for $99. Given the age of our current unit, I'm considering proactive replacement...
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Re: Thinking of ditching cable tv, thoughts

Post by RunningMn9 »

EvilHomer3k wrote:RM9, doesn't your cap go up with your speed?
I checked today, based on your comment and it looks like Comcast is preparing people to have a 1 TB per month data cap. They aren't imposing it today, but they've let me know that they can do so at their discretion. That's significantly more reasonable than 250GB. :)
And in banks across the world
Christians, Moslems, Hindus, Jews
And every other race, creed, colour, tint or hue
Get down on their knees and pray
The raccoon and the groundhog neatly
Make up bags of change
But the monkey in the corner
Well he's slowly drifting out of range
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