This has unexpectedly turned into a weekend of very little reading...but this time, I'm OK with that. It's taken several hours of web research and set-up time, but we have finally cut the cord with traditional "cable TV." In the process, we've cut our cost by around $80 per month while gaining a video menu much more suited to what we enjoy watching - and the picture is finally coming in at the quality AT&T uVerse has been promising us but never delivering.
Oh, we also upgraded our AT&T-provided internet speed to the maximum offered for the same price we were paying for less speed because promotional offers were available that AT&T keeps secret from longtime customers already paying the same cost for less speed. That, and our so-called "landline," is what AT&T is now providing us.
So what do we have now? Well, for $80 less (plus the around $20 worth of Federal taxes associated with it), we now subscribe to Hulu plus Live TV, Discovery Plus, and Hallmark movies. In addition, we get a bundled price through the Hulu subscription for Disney+ and ESPN+. You can probably see that some of the choices were my wife's and the others were mine. She loves the old Disney classic cartoons; I love all the extra live sports events on ESPN+. She loves the Hallmark movies and all the programming that comes with the Discovery Plus connection. I love the fact that the SEC network is part of the live programming offered so that I can keep up with the Texas A&M Aggies and the rest of the conference.
We both love that all of our local channels are available through Hulu Live (with the exception of our local PBS station). We love the cloud DVR that gives us 200 hours of recordings we make off of live TV broadcasts (I've already saved A&Ms 20-3 win over Auburn yesterday). And we love all the on-demand programming that comes with the various services. Because the local channels are streamed via Hulu, there's no $50 antenna to buy for the local stations, which used to be the only way to cut the cable cord and still have access to local stations.
But most of all, I love the picture quality that streaming delivers as compared to what AT&T was delivering via its fiber optic network. The difference, in some cases, is astounding. My televisions have never looked so good.
In addition we were already subscribed to Prime, Acorn, and BritBox. So, yes, we are still spending too much money on entertainment...but now it's first rate, and more importantly, we are not overpaying for things that just cluttered up the menu. And there are no contracts on any of this stuff; we can cancel or "pause" the services whenever we want to without being tied to the calendar. I suppose it's all still an expensive extravagance, but hey, it's a whole lot cheaper - and better - than it was on Friday.
Now I need to tear myself away from the screen and get back to my reading.
I absolutely LOVE having the TV I want to watch with nothing that I don't want. For years we had a dish with 1000 channels. Now we have (drum roll) Acorn, Britbox, Disney+, Netflix, PBS, Prime, and YouTube. I am going to get MLB this spring to see the Red Sox. We used to, but didn't watch enough to make it worth the price, and it may happen again, but I do miss my Red Sox so I want to try again. And the cost of a season on TV is like just the snacks at one ball game. haha. I am really happy for you!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's the best part, Nan. No annual contracts gives you a lot of freedom to change your subscription as the mood strikes you or with the change of sports seasons, etc.
DeleteI'm most struck though by how much better the picture is when streaming as compared to what AT&T was delivery at a much higher price. I knew it was better when streaming on Prime, etc., but we'd gotten so used to the regular network quality that seeing those shows through fresh eyes has been amazing. And I'm really surprised that the streaming quality on the older shows show on Prime is so inferior to the very same episodes on Hulu. I just don't understand how it all works...
I think tweaking your TV, internet provider etc. to more suit your needs is very satisfying. We did our internet provider this year after more than 20 years with the same people. We called them first to see if they could offer a better deal, no interest. So we left, next thing a letter, 'Sorry to lose you, please call to see if we can arrange a better deal for you'. So tempting to send a snarky letter in reply, but we resisted the temptation. Enjoy your new set-up.
ReplyDeleteAT&T uVerse is being gradually phased out and replaced by Direct TV, also owned by AT&T, Cath. They didn't fight me at all on leaving uVerse but did try to get me to go with the Direct TV streaming choice...but couldn't touch the price of Hulu. It's all kind of like buying a new car...they'll sell it to you at the highest price they can make you believe is acceptable...and the next guy gets it cheaper.
DeleteIt sounds very good. Not sure we get that here. But I like the idea of paying only for what you watch right? It's great you're saving and have much better quality!
ReplyDeleteI imagine you have something similar available to you. The picture quality difference is absolutely remarkable. Seeing true HD video is a real eye-opener...pun intended.
DeleteGood for you! Sometimes we have to make adjustments (and comparisons) to get what we want. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right. We waited a long time to do it and had gotten complacent about what we had...exactly what the providers hope you will do.
DeleteIt feels good to be able to adjust your entertainment options to better meet your needs and at the same time save money. Win, win!
ReplyDeleteSo true, Dorothy. They've been talking about cable TV a la carte for a long time. Finally, technology has not only made that possible, it's even made it cheaper.
DeleteI think it's great you now have what you both want and nothing extra. I watch almost no tv except for 30 min of news in the morning, occasional Law & Order reruns and a couple movies a month. If I was along I'd be fine without television or cable - just leave my internet and I'll read the news and download a movie on my laptop when the spirit moved me. My husband is the tv junkie - sports and news mostly yet, he pays for so many things we don't even watch it seems --just in case.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit like your husband, it's been mostly sports and news in the past few years, but then I discovered the pleasure of international TV via some of the new apps, and I've really enjoyed some of that programming. So now, I watch a good bit of British and European stuff that ties in well with my reading. My wife loves the cooking shows and classic movies particularly, so in addition to the news that's her thing. It odes feel good not to be paying for dozens and dozens of channels we never turned on.
DeleteIt sounds like you made some good choices for you and your wife. If we decide to make that change, we will look into Hulu plus Live TV.
ReplyDeleteThat particular Hulu service and others like it are the way to go if you make the switch. Even AT&T is now pushing Direct TV streaming rather than the old style delivery via their uVerse service. From what I understand, uVerse is being fazed out in favor of Direct TV (they own it) because the picture quality just can't compete anymore.
DeleteI stopped regularly watching t.v. a long time ago (now I really only watch while I'm folding laundry) and we stopped cable over a decade ago. We prefer just having Netflix and whatever other channels we feel like subscribing to. We sign up with various ones when they're having promotions and cancel them if we end up not using them much. We've saved a lot of money that way. Honestly, I could probably do without t.v. altogether, but my husband...not so much!
ReplyDeleteNeither of us here watch regular TV anymore and haven't for years, but we both have our "specialty watching." Using apps, the way you describe it in your comment, is the best way for us to enjoy what we watch without overpaying for all the stuff we never bother with.
DeleteMy wife loves the cooking, gardening kind of stuff, and I really enjoy the British dramas and crime series, along with the occasional movie...so we are both happier with this new arrangement.