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Bleacher Creature

(11,434 posts)
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:13 AM Aug 2020

Cord cutters - what streaming alternative to cable do you use?

I just got rid of my cable (hallelujah!) and am eyeing YouTube TV, but it annoys me that you can't go to specific channels and instead need to scroll up and down. Has anyone tried it? How about Sling or any of the others?

23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Cord cutters - what streaming alternative to cable do you use? (Original Post) Bleacher Creature Aug 2020 OP
... GeorgeGist Aug 2020 #1
I like Hulu (paid ver) lpbk2713 Aug 2020 #2
There are some websites out that, avebury Aug 2020 #3
We had Sling and Hulu first. luvs2sing Aug 2020 #4
You tube TV... Freedomofspeech Aug 2020 #5
YTTV for two years. No complaints and very affordable. stopbush Aug 2020 #9
We had YouTube TV for a while but just dropped it recently. Cuthbert Allgood Aug 2020 #12
I am so far back in the woods that cable is not available Chainfire Aug 2020 #6
Free ones... Pluto TV, Roku, Tubi, Kanopy, etc. Buckeye_Democrat Aug 2020 #7
This is me too. I have Roku and watch Rachel and Nicole on the free NBC News station, though Squinch Aug 2020 #10
I don't miss it either! Buckeye_Democrat Aug 2020 #19
I went back to cable after Hulu Plus JenniferJuniper Aug 2020 #8
Been cable free since Nov. 2018! CountAllVotes Aug 2020 #11
Netflix, Amazon PRime, Britbox, HBO Max lapfog_1 Aug 2020 #13
My preference for live TV is YouTube ... Auggie Aug 2020 #14
I'm lucky in that my company provides a lot of streaming channels for free sweetloukillbot Aug 2020 #15
Youtube Tv, Amazon Prime & Netflix ace3csusm Aug 2020 #16
HULU Live, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and lots of procon Aug 2020 #17
Amazon Prime. One of my sisters has Netflix and loves it. Mike 03 Aug 2020 #18
Get a ROKU. Over 10,000 streaming channels available. Many are free. Midnight Writer Aug 2020 #20
Unless you want to subscribe to HBOMAX through Roku. Pesky problem. Stardust Oct 2020 #23
Hulu w/Live TV SoCalNative Aug 2020 #21
Pluto, CBS All-Access and Amazon Prime eShirl Sep 2020 #22

avebury

(11,073 posts)
3. There are some websites out that,
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:24 AM
Aug 2020

with a VPN on your devises provide hyperlinks to all the major channels that are subscription based through a streaming sites, cable or satellite. You can watch basic channels and news channels without the VPN but the VPN gives you free access to the other sites. I stumbled across a couple of sites when I giggled "watch MSNBC live free".

Although I tend to watch the Roku and Pluto streaming sites the most.

luvs2sing

(2,234 posts)
4. We had Sling and Hulu first.
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:25 AM
Aug 2020

I’ll preface this by saying our primary TV watching is baseball, news, and documentaries. We liked Sling but didn’t care for Hulu, so cancelled it after a few months. Then the station that carries our favorite team got dropped by Sling, so we switched to YouTube TV so we could watch. We loved YouTube TV. It had everything we wanted, however, about a year later, they dropped the station, and now we’re back with Hulu. We don’t like the interface, but it carries all the channels we want..for now. We have Amazon Prime and love it for documentaries and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. We also have Netflix, but we rarely watch and will probably get rid of it soon.

It’s nowhere as convenient as cable, but we’re saving a ton of money and still seeing everything we want to see.

Freedomofspeech

(4,378 posts)
5. You tube TV...
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:27 AM
Aug 2020

We also have Prime...we watch a lot of BritBox and Acorn TV. Very happy that we made the change...on You Tube TV we get all the local stations plus the ACC network, ESPNs, etc.

Cuthbert Allgood

(5,170 posts)
12. We had YouTube TV for a while but just dropped it recently.
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:41 AM
Aug 2020

For some reason the sound synch was getting off ALL the time. Didn't matter the device we used. And I changed internet providers (not because of this--cheaper and faster through another company) and that didn't help.

Also, when they upped their price, they were about the same as Hulu, so we went back to that.

If not for the sound synching, I'd probably still be with YouTube.

 

Chainfire

(17,757 posts)
6. I am so far back in the woods that cable is not available
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:27 AM
Aug 2020

For years I have been living with antenna TV. Recently, I broke down and bought a flat screen TV and started to stream over a DSL phone line. This is in an area that hasn't upgraded the phone lines since Reagan was in office, so therefore, my connection is sketchy. When it rains, I am in a communications desert. In July, the phone was off-line for two periods totaling seven days, (4 + 3 days) not to mention spotty outages on other days. The phone company has no explanation for the outages. The poor connectivity is good for developing patience.

It is one of the many sacrifices that are made to live in privacy out in a rural area, but it is worth it to me.

Buckeye_Democrat

(15,042 posts)
7. Free ones... Pluto TV, Roku, Tubi, Kanopy, etc.
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:33 AM
Aug 2020

I like Kanopy a lot! (Online rentals from my local library.)

Pluto TV has some news channels like CNN, but they're time-delayed and missing some earlier segments. Their CBSN channel is live, though.

I also appear to be getting some free streaming channels through my local cable company despite only paying for internet now! I don't even want to mention the company from fear of jinxing it! Lol. But that might be something to double-check too, if you recently switched to internet-only from a company that also offers TV.

Squinch

(52,735 posts)
10. This is me too. I have Roku and watch Rachel and Nicole on the free NBC News station, though
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:39 AM
Aug 2020

it is generally excerpts, but they do tend to put in the important excerpts. Live news I get online at Livestream when the slightly delayed stuff won't suffice.

CNN and CBSN on Pluto, like you said.

For non-news, I have Netflix, AmazonPrime and the free stations. And once in a while I'll subscribe to BritBox or Acorn or HBO for a month to watch whatever of their shows I haven't seen.

So happy I cut the cord!

Buckeye_Democrat

(15,042 posts)
19. I don't miss it either!
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 12:09 PM
Aug 2020

So much of it is junk anyway.

Although I was pretty pleased to try the streaming app from my cable company and see that I'm getting C-SPAN, MSNBC and a few other channels for free! Absolutely nothing is showing online for my account about a streaming TV fee or whatever.

If it goes away eventually, oh well! It's not like I NEED any of it.

JenniferJuniper

(4,547 posts)
8. I went back to cable after Hulu Plus
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:35 AM
Aug 2020

Didn't care for the content. I also was streaming over a fire stick and even with Fios, the fits and starts were crazy.

I have basic cable and use my bluray player to steam Prime and Netflix. Going to drop Netflix any mintue now, because I don't have time to binge and it take too much time to find one-off stuff to watch. So I'll be left with basic cable and Prime, which should be enough.

CountAllVotes

(21,067 posts)
11. Been cable free since Nov. 2018!
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:40 AM
Aug 2020

Using a Mohu Leaf (30-40 mile range) for a digital television in one room and using rabbit ears and a converter box on an old analog television in another room that plays VCRs.

I bring in about 15 channels with this method and if I want to watch CNN or MSNBC I can stream them online with a DSL connection.

I have saved thousands of $ in the almost two years now that I have cut the cord!

Located in a rural area btw so yes, it is possible!

Congratulations!!!



lapfog_1

(30,147 posts)
13. Netflix, Amazon PRime, Britbox, HBO Max
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:50 AM
Aug 2020

and for MSNBC I try a number of different "free" re-streaming sites. The only problem with those is that they general kick me off after 30 min or an hour... or they lose the sound... or the quality is sucky.

I would sign up with MSNBC but they want you to have a "cable based or satellite based internet/TV" provider...and I have a little known unlimited wifi provider that I pay $$$ for.

Auggie

(31,798 posts)
14. My preference for live TV is YouTube ...
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:52 AM
Aug 2020

though we haven't subscribed since March since so much network and cable programming is not to our taste. But when I had it I liked the DVR function, TCM, MSNBC, and live sports, which streamed pretty reliably.

Currently we bing watch. One or two months on Netflix, cancel, then one or two months on HBO Max, cancel, then one or two months on basic Hulu, cancel, then Amazon Prime, cancel, then CBS All Access, cancel, etc.

Only monthly subscription I keep going is PBS.

sweetloukillbot

(12,598 posts)
15. I'm lucky in that my company provides a lot of streaming channels for free
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 11:53 AM
Aug 2020

I still pay for Prime, Netflix and Disney+. If I didn't get Max for free, I'd pay for that as well. I get Hulu free with Spotify. Comes to about $40 a month, but that's still a lot less than basic cable nowadays.
My Smart TV has about 100 streaming channels built in as well, of varying quality - I got a $30 antenna and I get about 50 over the air channels as well.

ace3csusm

(969 posts)
16. Youtube Tv, Amazon Prime & Netflix
Fri Aug 28, 2020, 12:01 PM
Aug 2020

I get Free Disney+Hulu+ESPN thru Verizon cell service they have a promotion going and also get free Apple Tv for a year for buy an Ipad...

eShirl

(18,792 posts)
22. Pluto, CBS All-Access and Amazon Prime
Fri Sep 11, 2020, 08:41 PM
Sep 2020

plus, PBS just started letting us stream our local PBS station for free

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