Cutting the cord is in its 12th year in our household and really we don't feel we've missed much of anything -- despite the sometimes-excellent offerings of non-cable channels. I don't know the cost of "basic cable" these days but it can't be much more than these fees from YouTube, with more variety and content. Also, who in their right mind demanded YouTube add this incredible range of mediocre crap channels?? Oh wait, nobody -- they chose this for you and are raising rates because it's your job to pay for the channels they chose.
As near as I can tell, the best content seems to be coming from HBO, Amazon, and Netflix anyway. I had Prime for a year and I sampled a few shows (I do actually like TV, I just can't stand interruptions, pop-unders, squeezed credits and other advertising), and I liked what I saw ... but when one cuts the cord, one gets really productive in other ways -- so I don't think I completed even a single season of any of their fine shows (I plan to buy a box set of The Tick when that becomes available).
I've toyed with getting Netflix for a few months to binge the shows there I think I'd like, and I'm very seriously planning on getting the Criterion Channel, but the only "TV" I currently pay for is Acorn TV -- that's $5/month and it's more quality content than I know what to do with (did I mention that once you divorce regular TV watching you have amazing amounts of time for more productive/lucrative pursuits?).
And just to be fair, there were exactly two shows from Apple's event I would be interested in watching -- See (intriguing premise) and Amazing Stories. But it's a question of finding the time to throw away on this stuff again ...
Amazing that the simple and inexpensive antenna plus TiVo option isn't mentioned though possibly implied no more than once or twice. For $13 per month and one time cost of TiVo unit and antenna you get huge local DVR capacity, the option of skipping commercials and no service price increase if you add 'satellite' TiVo units up to something like 6 remote TiVo's in your residence. If access to local traditional channels is a main benefit of these so-called cable cutter products, then they are all remarkably overpriced.
To be clear you need at least two HDMI inputs to your screen, one for TiVo and one for AppleTV (or similar for access to HBO, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, etc for a la carte) . Of course for many the deal breaker is installing a good old 1950's era antenna.
Comments
As near as I can tell, the best content seems to be coming from HBO, Amazon, and Netflix anyway. I had Prime for a year and I sampled a few shows (I do actually like TV, I just can't stand interruptions, pop-unders, squeezed credits and other advertising), and I liked what I saw ... but when one cuts the cord, one gets really productive in other ways -- so I don't think I completed even a single season of any of their fine shows (I plan to buy a box set of The Tick when that becomes available).
I've toyed with getting Netflix for a few months to binge the shows there I think I'd like, and I'm very seriously planning on getting the Criterion Channel, but the only "TV" I currently pay for is Acorn TV -- that's $5/month and it's more quality content than I know what to do with (did I mention that once you divorce regular TV watching you have amazing amounts of time for more productive/lucrative pursuits?).
And just to be fair, there were exactly two shows from Apple's event I would be interested in watching -- See (intriguing premise) and Amazing Stories. But it's a question of finding the time to throw away on this stuff again ...
To be clear you need at least two HDMI inputs to your screen, one for TiVo and one for AppleTV (or similar for access to HBO, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, etc for a la carte) . Of course for many the deal breaker is installing a good old 1950's era antenna.