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Funkybutt
LIF Adult
Member since 4/15 3049 total posts
Name:
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alternatives to cable
What are all the alternatives if you dump your cable provider? I know of these:
Roku
Amazon Prime
Apple TV
Netflix
Hulu
I know that Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime are thru the internet, but how to you use the others? Which do you have in your home?
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Posted 11/13/17 12:33 PM  |
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Momma2015
Mommax2
Member since 12/12 6656 total posts
Name:
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Re: alternatives to cable
Roku and Apple TV along with the Amazon Fire Stick are not services, but rather act like cable boxes.
If you have a smart TV, you don't need them at all. Otherwise, you hook them into your TV and that's what you use to access your streaming services- Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc.
You can also use a gaming system like a Playstation or Xbox to access your streaming services.
I have Roku and a PS3 and we use all three- Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. They're each good for different things. We buy movies/TV shows on Amazon Prime that we want to keep. Netflix is great for older movies and seasons of TV shows. They also have a ton of Disney movies at the moment but I think that ends in 2018. Hulu is for TV shows airing right now.
ETA: We didn't have cable for 4 years. It was fine. I didn't really miss it. DH only missed it for sports which there's no real alternative for yet. If there was, we'd definitely get rid of cable again. We thought DD would want to watch cartoons on cable and maybe when she's older she will, but she just watches the same movies and shows over and over anyway and they're all available on Netflix/HBO, which we also have an account with.
Message edited 11/13/2017 12:45:07 PM.
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| Posted 11/13/17 12:43 PM |
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Salason
♥
Member since 6/05 9878 total posts
Name:
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Re: alternatives to cable
I have Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Now that there is a Hulu live option I may eliminate cable and just subscribe to HBO and Showtime. All of your TVs just have to be smart TVs (or the one I have that isn't has apple TV).
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| Posted 11/13/17 1:04 PM |
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Funkybutt
LIF Adult
Member since 4/15 3049 total posts
Name:
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alternatives to cable
For Amazon Prime - what shows are included in the yearly price (as opposed to paying extra)? Is it only movies you have to pay extra?
How do you see current shows? Is Hulu the only option?
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| Posted 11/13/17 1:26 PM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: alternatives to cable
I feel like by the time you are done paying for Netflix, hulu, prime, apple tv, plus the adds on like showtme, hbo, etc you could just have cable and not be missing ANY channels
Way too complicated and annoying for me to deal with.
I also find that Netflix sucks! They never have any movies I want to watch on streaming.
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| Posted 11/13/17 1:37 PM |
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15660 total posts
Name:
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Re: alternatives to cable
Posted by NervousNell
I feel like by the time you are done paying for Netflix, hulu, prime, apple tv, plus the adds on like showtme, hbo, etc you could just have cable and not be missing ANY channels
Way too complicated and annoying for me to deal with.
I also find that Netflix sucks! They never have any movies I want to watch on streaming.
I agree....we have Netflix and Amazon fire stick, and I still have cable because I like to watch my Bravo shows, the news, etc.
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| Posted 11/13/17 1:39 PM |
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blu6385
Member since 5/08 8351 total posts
Name:
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Re: alternatives to cable
Posted by NervousNell
I feel like by the time you are done paying for Netflix, hulu, prime, apple tv, plus the adds on like showtme, hbo, etc you could just have cable and not be missing ANY channels
Way too complicated and annoying for me to deal with.
I also find that Netflix sucks! They never have any movies I want to watch on streaming.
I feel the same exact way. Internet alone cost a good amount (granted I have to keep my phone so it does raise a little more) I switched to direct TV and that's not a lot a month its the internet that is so much
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| Posted 11/13/17 1:40 PM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: alternatives to cable
Posted by BargainMama
Posted by NervousNell
I feel like by the time you are done paying for Netflix, hulu, prime, apple tv, plus the adds on like showtme, hbo, etc you could just have cable and not be missing ANY channels
Way too complicated and annoying for me to deal with.
I also find that Netflix sucks! They never have any movies I want to watch on streaming.
I agree....we have Netflix and Amazon fire stick, and I still have cable because I like to watch my Bravo shows, the news, etc.
And I just like the convenience of live TV. Turn it on and it's there.
For the amount I'd save at the end of the day, it's not worth the inconvenience
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| Posted 11/13/17 1:41 PM |
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chilltocam
LIF Adult
Member since 11/11 9141 total posts
Name:
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Re: alternatives to cable
Posted by NervousNell
Posted by BargainMama
Posted by NervousNell
I feel like by the time you are done paying for Netflix, hulu, prime, apple tv, plus the adds on like showtme, hbo, etc you could just have cable and not be missing ANY channels
Way too complicated and annoying for me to deal with.
I also find that Netflix sucks! They never have any movies I want to watch on streaming.
I agree....we have Netflix and Amazon fire stick, and I still have cable because I like to watch my Bravo shows, the news, etc.
And I just like the convenience of live TV. Turn it on and it's there.
For the amount I'd save at the end of the day, it's not worth the inconvenience
That's good to hear. I was thinking of not having cable, but it does sound so complicated having all of these other services.
And. . . a question - if you do not have cable and use streaming services, do you have to know what you are looking for? Is there a way to scroll through for shows, movies etc? I've used Netflix a couple of times, but it seems like unless you know what you want to watch, it's hard to just browse.
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| Posted 11/13/17 1:52 PM |
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Momma2015
Mommax2
Member since 12/12 6656 total posts
Name:
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Re: alternatives to cable
Posted by chilltocam
Posted by NervousNell
Posted by BargainMama
Posted by NervousNell
I feel like by the time you are done paying for Netflix, hulu, prime, apple tv, plus the adds on like showtme, hbo, etc you could just have cable and not be missing ANY channels
Way too complicated and annoying for me to deal with.
I also find that Netflix sucks! They never have any movies I want to watch on streaming.
I agree....we have Netflix and Amazon fire stick, and I still have cable because I like to watch my Bravo shows, the news, etc.
And I just like the convenience of live TV. Turn it on and it's there.
For the amount I'd save at the end of the day, it's not worth the inconvenience
That's good to hear. I was thinking of not having cable, but it does sound so complicated having all of these other services.
And. . . a question - if you do not have cable and use streaming services, do you have to know what you are looking for? Is there a way to scroll through for shows, movies etc? I've used Netflix a couple of times, but it seems like unless you know what you want to watch, it's hard to just browse.
It can be harder to browse, but since I moved from Queens to LI, I find it hard to browse cable anyway. All the channels are different!
Sometimes I know what I'm looking for and search, but sometimes I just scroll through the categories- Funny TV, Action movies, whatever I'm in the mood for. Hulu is a bit more like browsing cable. I don't watch many TV shows though so I'm okay without cable. The few I watch- Supernatural, Modern Family, Impractical Jokers, etc. I can catch on Hulu or Netflix if I fall behind by a season. And it is DEFINITELY cheaper to get these streaming services than cable. My cable boxes alone (for 3, non DVR) is like $40 which drives me crazy. I pay $208 a month for cable where I could pay $60 for internet only and then about another $50 for all my streaming services. Plus, Amazon isn't even monthly. I pay Prime once a year.
ETA: I have Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and Starz (Gotta have my Outlander). I also erm "borrow" HBO from my parents. 
Message edited 11/13/2017 2:09:32 PM.
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| Posted 11/13/17 2:08 PM |
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Pomegranate5
LIF Adult
Member since 2/11 4798 total posts
Name:
Pomegranate5
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Re: alternatives to cable
It's ABSOLUTELY cheaper to do it with the streaming services. We have Netflix and Hulu, and we already had Prime so I don't count that because I'd pay for it anyway. If I want I can pay for a month of HBO and binge some show. In total I spend less than $25/mo in streaming.
We never made use of much of the cable channels when we had them. We save SO much money and so much time too because we aren't mindlessly sitting there watching commercials and garbage tv shows.
I honestly believe most people think they *need* cable, but really they'd be fine without it. Don't get me wrong, it was an adjustment for us at first, but it's been 4 years and I'll never go back.
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| Posted 11/13/17 3:02 PM |
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15660 total posts
Name:
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Re: alternatives to cable
Posted by Momma2015
Roku and Apple TV along with the Amazon Fire Stick are not services, but rather act like cable boxes.
If you have a smart TV, you don't need them at all. Otherwise, you hook them into your TV and that's what you use to access your streaming services- Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc.
.
How are you getting Amazon Prime on your TV without a Firestick? All of our TV's are smart TV's, and Amazon is not on them
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| Posted 11/13/17 6:58 PM |
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Lucky09
2017!
Member since 1/06 7539 total posts
Name:
DW
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alternatives to cable
I have heard really great things about sling TV. I think it's a service that you stream using another device like a roku. Sling is the only thing I would get because you can choose your channel packages and still have DVR. I would be totally on board but DH is literally obsessed with TV News (local and cable news) and special sports channels that aren't available via streaming.
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| Posted 11/13/17 8:32 PM |
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