Who has cut the Cable TV cord...what are you using now?

[2kwik4u]

So, after many years of being "cord cutters"......I think we're in year 7 or 8 not.....We're considering going back to cable.

Looking to get HGTV, Discovery, and a few other channels, as well as Disney for the boys. I'm also tired of being the admin for our DVR server. It's honestly more work than it's worth and we stop using it pretty quickly every time I "fix" it.

I need a better solution.......Anyone have a good reccomendation on a streaming service that does DVR as well?

 

[adrianp89]

Direct tv now

 

[Julian]

@2kwik4u Youtube TV has unlimited DVR but doesn't have HGTV or Discovery, but does have Disney. We've been happy with them thus far.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

So, after many years of being "cord cutters"......I think we're in year 7 or 8 not.....We're considering going back to cable.

Looking to get HGTV, Discovery, and a few other channels, as well as Disney for the boys. I'm also tired of being the admin for our DVR server. It's honestly more work than it's worth and we stop using it pretty quickly every time I "fix" it.

I need a better solution.......Anyone have a good reccomendation on a streaming service that does DVR as well?

I would try Sling tv. You can pick and choose the networks you want. They have a free trail too so not much to lose.

 

[J-RAD]

So, after many years of being "cord cutters"......I think we're in year 7 or 8 not.....We're considering going back to cable.

Looking to get HGTV, Discovery, and a few other channels, as well as Disney for the boys. I'm also tired of being the admin for our DVR server. It's honestly more work than it's worth and we stop using it pretty quickly every time I "fix" it.

I need a better solution.......Anyone have a good reccomendation on a streaming service that does DVR as well?

Sling is great and in my opinion has the best layout and for navigating and channel hoping compared with the few I've tried. BUT doesn't have Discovery or TLC. Direct TV Now does, but by brother just quit it saying it was glitchy for him. He went to Philo instead, which is one of the few online cable providers that does have Discovery. I did a free trial of Philo. The channels were there, but compared to Sling the navigation and other features were was lame. Cheap, but lame...

I would love to have Discovery, but I've yet to find the right provider & package relationship. I downloaded the Discovery Go app but the content is limited if you don't have a service provider to go with it.

 

[Peelz]

Sling is great and in my opinion has the best layout and for navigating and channel hoping compared with the few I've tried. BUT doesn't have Discovery or TLC. Direct TV Now does, but by brother just quit it saying it was glitchy for him. He went to Philo instead, which is one of the few online cable providers that does have Discovery. I did a free trial of Philo. The channels were there, but compared to Sling the navigation and other features were was lame. Cheap, but lame...

I would love to have Discovery, but I've yet to find the right provider & package relationship. I downloaded the Discovery Go app but the content is limited if you don't have a service provider to go with it.

we did the trial of Philo too, because wife still likes a couple MTV shows for guilty pleasure lol but did not keep it. too much repetition.

 

[djetok]

So, after many years of being "cord cutters"......I think we're in year 7 or 8 not.....We're considering going back to cable.

Looking to get HGTV, Discovery, and a few other channels, as well as Disney for the boys. I'm also tired of being the admin for our DVR server. It's honestly more work than it's worth and we stop using it pretty quickly every time I "fix" it.

I need a better solution.......Anyone have a good reccomendation on a streaming service that does DVR as well?

https://cordcutting.com/how-to-watch-discovery-channel-without-cable/

 

[J-RAD]

So I will say this. Philo isn't as good as others for live tv but there is the option to record and view on their cloud DVR feature which works alright.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

we did the trial of Philo too, because wife still likes a couple MTV shows for guilty pleasure lol but did not keep it. too much repetition.

I am just excited that someone else wife still likes a couple MTv shoes for guilty pleasure. I thought we grew up! They have like 4 challenges going on at one time, can't keep up.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

From what I understand the new fire tv cube can record live tv.

 

[UpNorth]

Direct tv now

I agree.

Direct Tv Now has everything we had on regular Direct TV for a fraction of the cost.

Local channels and DVR

HGTV, Discovery, Disney ..... you name it

 

[Snofire]

I don't think there is any easy way to do DVR like how cable or satellite do it. For local channels I actually 2 ways of doing it, 1 is a tuner card on my desktop PC that can do DVR or 2 I use Plex about 4-5 afterwards to watch the main shows on local. Otherwise on the firestick with the IPTV setup I can go to the channel, set how long to record and it just does it even with changing the channel. It's not the greatest but it will work instead of paying the high prices. All the channels you are looking for are on almost all IPTV services.

 

[dnicholas47]

I agree.

Direct Tv Now has everything we had on regular Direct TV for a fraction of the cost.

Local channels and DVR

HGTV, Discovery, Disney ..... you name it

X3. Plus it has a DVR. We’ve been with them since the beginning. No complaints here.

 

[2kwik4u]

So I've been running a network attached tuner and a windows media center PC attached to the main TV for about 6 years. The guide stops working on a regular basis, and without the guide, the DVR doesn't work great. On top of that we've never really found a good remote setup that really works for us. Currently using a wireless logitech keyboard with touchpad on the side. Works OK, but is super cumbersome, and requires more training for guests than I like......So that needs to go away and be replaced with something else. I'm considering HDHomeruns DVR service, but can't find a ton of reviews about online. It essentially uses your hardware with a web interface to watch anywhere. Seems pretty slick, but again, no great reviews.

One thing the wife and I both agree on is that watching Netflix requires a lot more thought and work than we like. Typically when we "watch" TV, we've got 101 other things going on, and the TV is just background noise. So "flipping" through the channels and finding something suitable is a quick easy way to get it going. Netflix, Hulu, and Prime all require to know what you want to watch before you select it. It's more of a "pull" service, than a "push" service. We don't want to lose the "channel surfing" capability that is very familiar with traditional cable services. Get a show on for some noise, then pull up the guide and find something else, or just click through the channels until you find something not-offensive, and mildly interesting, leave it and move on. The current OTA setup we have allows that, but it's only the local channels, we'de love to add back in some of the premium channels. My suspicion is that this doesn't exist with streaming services, do to the nature of how the product is delivered (it's a dedicated "stream" from origination to user, where traditional is a "broadcast" one to many setup)........SO......Can anyone comment on how the "feel" of these streaming services are as compared to "traditional" channel surfing?

Here's the SiliconDust DVR Solution -- https://www.silicondust.com/dvr-service/

 

[BigAbe75]

Btw, Plex Pass (paid vs free) users have access to the Plex dvr when you link the server to a hdhomerun ota tuner. Buddy of mine is using it successfully. It’s a relatively new feature in the last year or so. I believe channel guide is included, at least I don’t recall him paying extra for a guide service anywhere.

I love my FireTV / Plex combo. I do agree with your pull vs push comment though. I have my handful of shows/movies that I gravitate to for background noise. Otherwise, it does take some sorting to figure out what fits in the allotted time frame for watching (usually more than 30 minutes but less than an hour after the kids go to bed).

 

[UpNorth]

So I've been running a network attached tuner and a windows media center PC attached to the main TV for about 6 years. The guide stops working on a regular basis, and without the guide, the DVR doesn't work great. On top of that we've never really found a good remote setup that really works for us. Currently using a wireless logitech keyboard with touchpad on the side. Works OK, but is super cumbersome, and requires more training for guests than I like......So that needs to go away and be replaced with something else. I'm considering HDHomeruns DVR service, but can't find a ton of reviews about online. It essentially uses your hardware with a web interface to watch anywhere. Seems pretty slick, but again, no great reviews.

One thing the wife and I both agree on is that watching Netflix requires a lot more thought and work than we like. Typically when we "watch" TV, we've got 101 other things going on, and the TV is just background noise. So "flipping" through the channels and finding something suitable is a quick easy way to get it going. Netflix, Hulu, and Prime all require to know what you want to watch before you select it. It's more of a "pull" service, than a "push" service. We don't want to lose the "channel surfing" capability that is very familiar with traditional cable services. Get a show on for some noise, then pull up the guide and find something else, or just click through the channels until you find something not-offensive, and mildly interesting, leave it and move on. The current OTA setup we have allows that, but it's only the local channels, we'de love to add back in some of the premium channels. My suspicion is that this doesn't exist with streaming services, do to the nature of how the product is delivered (it's a dedicated "stream" from origination to user, where traditional is a "broadcast" one to many setup)........SO......Can anyone comment on how the "feel" of these streaming services are as compared to "traditional" channel surfing?

Here's the SiliconDust DVR Solution -- https://www.silicondust.com/dvr-service/

I think Direct TV Now fits the bill for what you want.
They offer a free 7 day trial and they don’t do contracts. So I guess you have nothing to lose to see if it works out for your family.
If you’re an AT&T customer you will get $15 off a month for whatever package you choose plus free HBO for however long you are a Direct TV Now customer.
I have to say I was skeptical at first but am glad we made the switch.

 

[2kwik4u]

Thanks guys. Looks like I have some research to do.

 

[BigN8]

So, after many years of being "cord cutters"......I think we're in year 7 or 8 not.....We're considering going back to cable.

Looking to get HGTV, Discovery, and a few other channels, as well as Disney for the boys. I'm also tired of being the admin for our DVR server. It's honestly more work than it's worth and we stop using it pretty quickly every time I "fix" it.

I need a better solution.......Anyone have a good reccomendation on a streaming service that does DVR as well?

This is very interesting to hear. I've always toyed with the idea of trying cutting the cord, but I fear the added headaches would drive me nuts, plus the lack of user interface would drive the kids and wife away to where they wouldn't even use it most likely. You just can't beat the user interface of Directv.

Think about how much you use this and then weigh that against what you pay. It's like other things we hate to spend money on but are a huge part of our lives, i.e. a mattress. How many change their mattress every 7 years like is suggested? Or buy a cheap mattress? We spend a lot of time in our cars, on our beds, and watching TV.....why skimp on the cost of these items?

 

[Julian]

Can anyone comment on how the "feel" of these streaming services are as compared to "traditional" channel surfing?

Youtube TV is really no different than a normal cable guide. You have a channel line up listing and can flip up or down through the channels and "surf". If the program you land on is one that you've added to your "Library" (effectively your DVR), then it gives you the option of "Watch from start". I will add that some channels force some commercials on you no matter what...which was annoying when they began doing it (IE, you can't skip the commercials).

@UpNorth how much is DirectTV Now? I may have to try a trial to see how it compares to YoutubeTV. That is the great part about these services, you can try them out, start/stop whenever you want.... (YoutubeTV gives you 2 weeks free)

 

[J-RAD]

So I've been running a network attached tuner and a windows media center PC attached to the main TV for about 6 years. The guide stops working on a regular basis, and without the guide, the DVR doesn't work great. On top of that we've never really found a good remote setup that really works for us. Currently using a wireless logitech keyboard with touchpad on the side. Works OK, but is super cumbersome, and requires more training for guests than I like......So that needs to go away and be replaced with something else. I'm considering HDHomeruns DVR service, but can't find a ton of reviews about online. It essentially uses your hardware with a web interface to watch anywhere. Seems pretty slick, but again, no great reviews.

One thing the wife and I both agree on is that watching Netflix requires a lot more thought and work than we like. Typically when we "watch" TV, we've got 101 other things going on, and the TV is just background noise. So "flipping" through the channels and finding something suitable is a quick easy way to get it going. Netflix, Hulu, and Prime all require to know what you want to watch before you select it. It's more of a "pull" service, than a "push" service. We don't want to lose the "channel surfing" capability that is very familiar with traditional cable services. Get a show on for some noise, then pull up the guide and find something else, or just click through the channels until you find something not-offensive, and mildly interesting, leave it and move on. The current OTA setup we have allows that, but it's only the local channels, we'de love to add back in some of the premium channels. My suspicion is that this doesn't exist with streaming services, do to the nature of how the product is delivered (it's a dedicated "stream" from origination to user, where traditional is a "broadcast" one to many setup)........SO......Can anyone comment on how the "feel" of these streaming services are as compared to "traditional" channel surfing?

Here's the SiliconDust DVR Solution -- https://www.silicondust.com/dvr-service/

Sounds like a complicated setup... if discovery channel is a must then give Direct TV Now a shot. I'm not familiar with their interface and channel surfing.

Sling has a great interface. With the Roku (free with pre-paying 3 months) bringing up the guide while remaining on the your current channel is easy. Hoping to previous 5 channels is easy. Recording shows/movies is super easy with their cloud DVR (space is limited to 50 hours). Although many channels let you pause, resume, or start a show already in progress from the beginning. It will allow you to go back and resume the show later without taking up space on the cloud dvr. Recorded shows are organized into seasons and episode numbers. You can pick to record only new episodes of a series. All pretty simple and intuitive.

Premium channels are available as add-ons to most any of the streaming services. My advice is to give Direct TV Now, Sling, and possibly Philo a shot thru their free trials and see if any of them work better for you.

Report back and let us know what you think.