Cutting the cord and the bills

Update:

So far, I like controlling my entertainment choices. At the moment, we aren't watching anything on HBO or Sling so we dropped those subscriptions saving $35/month. I'll resubscribe to HBO when Game of Thrones returns. Roku has lots of choices, too many to consider, including 4K video.

I love binge watching The Good Wife, having missed it on CBS. The Hulu subscription is $12 and removes all the commercials. Network TV is watchable again. I may wait until Game of Thrones is nearly finished with its season to resubscribe HBO so I can binge watch. I forget who is who and what is happening while waiting for a week between episodes. But it's a great spectacle although I need a diagram to follow the story. Another great thing is subtitles for those shows where the characters mumble in an unknown accent. A la carte content is the way news and entertainment should be structured, IMHO. Competition for user subscriptions will improve the quality of programming.

My unlocked Nexus 5X phone arrived and so far it works as advertised with good reception choosing automatically among Sprint, T-Mobile, and WiFi hotspots depending on location. Voice and data for $30/month. This is how cell service should be, IMHO, rather than tying you to a particular carrier. I expect Verizon and AT&T will eventually feel the pressure and become part of a roaming service along with hotspot providers.
 
Mine are on the FedEx truck today!

The new Apple TV could solve the biggest frustration of watching television at home




By Hayley Tsukayama October 29 at 4:47 PM
The cord cutters guide to when you should ditch cable
Play Video1:45



With more streaming TV options like the Apple TV arriving, it may be time to cancel your cable service. But which streaming services offer which channels, and how do you know if you'll save money in the long run? (Jhaan Elker/The Washington Post)

Consumers for years have had to wrestle with a bewildering array of set-up boxes, cords and television ports to get all of the online shows that they want to watch on the biggest screens in their homes. No single TV device, for instance, easily plays content from Amazon Online Video and iTunes -- the video offerings from Amazon and Apple which happen to be vying with each other for dominance in the living room.
That's been inconvenient for folks who subscribe to Amazon Prime and own an Apple device -- a population that is likely in the tens of millions. If you've bought a video through either company, you generally have had to switch between two television set-up boxes to watch those shows in a reliable way on the big screen in the living room. And we only have so many HDMI ports on our TVs after all -- it hasn't been fun to have to crawl behind the screen just because the show you want to watch isn't available through whatever you have plugged into a port at the moment.
But the new Apple TV, which launched this week, offers a tantalizing breakthrough: It has the potential to be the only set-top box you will need.
The hockey puck-sized box offers some cool new features that can be used now -- you can search for shows through the voice assistant Siri and a new remote lets you navigate by touch and play games. But more importantly, it reveals the company's vision for the future of television -- Apple hopes TV watching won't be shaped by static channel guides of hundreds of shows that can be viewed only in certain time slots, but apps, largely developed by third-party companies, that offer your favorite shows on command, anytime you want. Anyone can submit an app, from big companies such as CBS or Netflix to smaller players such as Snapchat or Airbnb.
Apple TV's watch-by-apps approach has another benefit -- it can be the device that finally pulls together all of those subscriptions, watchlists and movies you've randomly downloaded all across the Web.
But the ecosystem will work best only if Apple's fierce competitors decide to join in. Apple is one of the few device makers that can, in fact, command enough respect and customers to make video services such as Netflix and Hulu as well as hardware and content competitors such as Google (by way of YouTube, at least) play ball.

The sticking point, however, is Amazon. The retail titan has bet heavily on video, and even won Emmys for it, and doesn't seem on board with letting Apple TV be the one to rule them all. In fact, it's already played some hardball in this area -- the retailer has said it won't sell either the Apple TV or Google's Chromecast, because neither device has official support for its video offerings. Instead it wants shoppers of its online store to opt for Amazon's own Fire TV box.
Both Apple and Google have pretty clear policies stating that any developer who submits an app that passes store standards can be made available for their devices. Netflix, Hulu and YouTube were part of the Apple TV launch lineup. Amazon Prime Video is a glaring exception — and a letdown for anyone who's an Apple fan and an Amazon Prime subscriber.
It's not clear whether Amazon has any plans to submit an app. Amazon spokeswoman said she doesn't have "anything to share" about a potential Apple TV app or past partnership attempts. (Amazon chief executive Jeffrey Bezos is the owner of The Washington Post.)
In the past, Amazon has been willing to leap into walled gardens, for the sake of the convenience of its customers. Its Kindle app, for example, is on practically every device on the market today. But it certainly makes some business sense to keep exclusive Amazon content on Amazon devices such as the Fire TV.
It should be noted that Apple has never created an app that can play content purchased in its iTunes store on devices that are created by other companies. But truth be told, iTunes’ selling point has never really been about exclusive content but rather convenience for customers who own its phones, tablets and other devices.
Ultimately, if the two companies do not get along, there will be a lot of customers who will be forced to split their libraries or pick one content hub over the other. As entertainment becomes a bigger part of all of these companies’ businesses, it’s possible that consumers will just have to keep dealing with the consequences of corporate clashes in their own living rooms.

It's almost enough to make you nostalgic for the old days of cable.
Almost.


 
Enjoy your new STB! Good choice for people who are into the Apple ecosystem.

Amazon is doing a dumb thing, IMHO, which will come back to bite them. They are trying to use their market position for lock-in which is why I don't have Fire TV (or Apple TV) but I do have Chromecast (not bought from Amazon) and Roku (from Amazon). I think those are the best choices for me with the widest selection of apps, most open ecosystem, highest performance, and most convenience features.
 
Josh, I still think you are missing that the ATV does nothing to lock you into their ecosystem. Most of the apps are for other content providers - Youtube, Netfix, Flickr, Hulu, MLB, CNN, Fox. CBS and on and on. Of course if you are on iTunes you get that content too.
 
JEK, I just think Roku is better for me. Apple TV doesn't offer anything extra and is missing some features and has fewer apps.
 
Pew research indicates cord cutters are even cutting home broadband in favor of cell phone access. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...utters-dont-even-subscribe-to-home-broadband/ for example.

We didn't take that fully unwired step. We have broadband which is very effective with our Project Fi subscriptions allowing our cell phones to be high-quality WiFi phones when at home or near hotspots at no additional cost. Cell service is prone to poor reception in many places. Our bills are about a third of what they once were and our entertainment choices are mostly ad free and high quality with the freedom of choice we have. We do not miss Verizon Wireless or FiOS.
 
Soon as football season ends we are right behind you.....

going the Digital Antenna ,and the Roku and Apple TV route through our internet provider

bye bye DirctTV
 
It is annoying that I can't play my Amazon video thru my iPad and chromecast. I have to use my Android phone.
 
There is hope -- a thaw in the cold war between Amazon and Apple/Google

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Maybe Chromecast is next?
 
Yes, but they didn't create the Amazon Video app on the Apple TV and they banned selling the Chromecast and Apple TV on Amazon.com That is starting to change, thus the thaw in the cold war.
 
The real problem is Apple. Failed the 'works and plays well with others' portion of the kindergarten report card.
 
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