Cable Cord Cutters Thread: Sling, Hulu, YouTube TV, Netflix, and more!

[Lily Adler]

ugh so many streaming services.

I miss the good ole days of the 2010's where all you needed was Hulu and Netflix and an antenna to watch stuff.

 

[ComicChick]

i dont think i've ever subscribed for hulu longer than a 2 month span, ever lol.
i did have netflix for a spell but other people used it more than i did. and since they were totally fine with me paying the whole bill and never volunteering to donate, i turned it off lol.

 

[Lily Adler]

i dont think i've ever subscribed for hulu longer than a 2 month span, ever lol.
i did have netflix for a spell but other people used it more than i did. and since they were totally fine with me paying the whole bill and never volunteering to donate, i turned it off lol.

I'm sorry that happened. I did the same with my dad's Sling, but he bummed off my sister's Netflix and my Hulu and my older brother's Prime Video. Well I now see how awesome Pluto TV (free) is getting. It added a bunch of CBS content as well so Star Trek and CSI. So going ondemand with Pluto TV for "live" content could be a thing.

 

[flickchick85]

So Peacock TV is interesting. Their library's not huge thus far and finding stuff can be a bit of a hassle (I thought they had NO "Movies A-Z" option to see everything, but it turns out its just at the very, very bottom of their Movies page) but I like how they have a lot of Pluto-esque live channels. That's a big plus for me. I wish Disney+ and HBO Max would do that, too.

 

[Lily Adler]

So Peacock TV is interesting. Their library's not huge thus far and finding stuff can be a bit of a hassle (I thought they had NO "Movies A-Z" option to see everything, but it turns out its just at the very, very bottom of their Movies page) but I like how they have a lot of Pluto-esque live channels. That's a big plus for me. I wish Disney+ and HBO Max would do that, too.

So how are the "live" channels compared to Pluto?

 

[Detective Conan]

 

[flickchick85]

So how are the "live" channels compared to Pluto?

They don’t have as many live channels compared to Pluto (seems to be about 30-ish), but it’s the same type of deal where they have curated channels for specific genres and shows. Of course specific to NBC/Universal properties. Like there’s an “Office Shorts” channel that I think may just be the cold opens to “The Office,” an Olympics channel and an “80’s Mixtape” channel that so far just seems to be playing “Greatest American Hero” non-stop, lol. Their Late Night shows, SNL and the Today Show all get their own channels, and of course a few news channels, including Sky News, which I found surprising.

 

[Lily Adler]

What's with this bashing of Roku for HBO max and Peacock not being on there I'm seeing on reddit?

Can't people not cast them from their phones? Personally, I'm waiting for HBO max to come to Roku before making the decision to abandon Live TV again.

 

[flickchick85]

What's with this bashing of Roku for HBO max and Peacock not being on there I'm seeing on reddit?

Can't people not cast them from their phones? Personally, I'm waiting for HBO max to come to Roku before making the decision to abandon Live TV again.

I think the bashing comes from Roku having entered the game as the open, “brand agnostic” device, and now they’ve “gotten greedy.” Roku and Firestick are both the biggest streamers in the arena, so they’re now asking for a bigger piece of the pie. And while that’s generally expected of Amazon, as they’ve had stupid beefs with various studios from the start, it’s a relatively recent development for Roku (which started with that Super Bowl squabble earlier in the year), and a portion of their customer base thought they were supposed to be above it, as that was the main selling point of Roku for a while.

As for casting from phones, I personally hate doing that because I sometimes like to use my phone while watching stuff, and also because it drains my phone pretty quickly. So while I’d been planning to do it for a while, I did finally ditch my Roku over this (for Nvidia), and I’m extremely happy with the change, not just for it being a better device, but also for being able to have all the apps I want in one place again.

 

[ComicChick]

how much is Peacock?
i doubt i'd subscribe, but the olympics channel interests me oddly enough lol

 

[flickchick85]

how much is Peacock?
i doubt i'd subscribe, but the olympics channel interests me oddly enough lol

There's a free ad-supported version, but you don't get all the content with that. There are 2-tiers of "premium" versions: The 1st tier Premium still has ads, but gives you access to all the content. That's $4.99/mo or $49.99/year. The top tier "ad-free" Premium is $9.99/mo or $99.99/year. That one seems like a rip-off to me though, because it's still not entirely ad-free. The fine print says that due to their licensing deals, some shows will still require limited ads.

You'll probably be able to get the live channels on the free version, but I'm not sure. I have the 1st tier thanks to that pre-order discount they had.

 

[Detective Conan]

Inside Cable TV's Decline Amid the Rise of Streming & Cord-Cutting - Variety

 

[Lily Adler]

So Roku Channel now has a free Live TV option like Pluto and Peacock.

 

[Lily Adler]

Ya know if Fubo had kept the Turner channels, I would say it was probably the best deal for a cable replacement, but right now I would say YouTube TV is still the best for that (no History is a deal breaker for some).

Hulu Live and its on demand library is still the best deal though for cordcutters and you can even bundle it with Disney+.

I'm getting a Clearstream outdoor antenna and AirTV when I move to my new place to integrate locals with Sling. I like Locast, but I'm getting tired of flipping between the apps just to watch locals. Still waiting on that price hike though.

 

[Lily Adler]

I see there's an app called FitzyTV that combines the guides of your Live streaming services...

 

[Lily Adler]

So no Roku app for Fitzy TV which you basically add your TV providers (Sling, Hulu, Comcast, Spectrum, YouTube TV, Locast, etc.) into it which aggregates all your channels into one guide. It's on Android TV and Fire TV, though.

I'm looking at Channels DVR, but I'm not sure how to set it up exactly. It appears I need a NAS to set it up.

 

[flickchick85]

Ya know if Fubo had kept the Turner channels, I would say it was probably the best deal for a cable replacement, but right now I would say YouTube TV is still the best for that (no History is a deal breaker for some).

Hulu Live and its on demand library is still the best deal though for cordcutters and you can even bundle it with Disney+.

I'm getting a Clearstream outdoor antenna and AirTV when I move to my new place to integrate locals with Sling. I like Locast, but I'm getting tired of flipping between the apps just to watch locals. Still waiting on that price hike though.

Beware, that AirTV is a piece of crap. Unless they significantly upgraded the latest model. I got one last year to use with my Sling, and it basically became a paperweight. It "diluted" the signal from my antenna or something because all the channels that I never had problem getting perfect reception with previously suddenly had weak reception to the point of becoming virtually unwatchable. That was why I downloaded Locast in the first place. I pretty much gave up on antenna TV after that, lol. My antenna's still hooked up, but only as back-up TV for when my internet goes out.

Will have to try out that Fitzy TV thing though, since my Nvidia uses Android. I've never minded switching between apps, but it does sound convenient.

 

[flickchick85]

So Roku Channel now has a free Live TV option like Pluto and Peacock.

It's had that for a couple months, as I tried it out before I switched. Unless it's changed much in the last month, their selections of live channels weren't as good as Pluto or Peacock's, imo.

 

[Lily Adler]

Beware, that AirTV is a piece of crap. Unless they significantly upgraded the latest model. I got one last year to use with my Sling, and it basically became a paperweight. It "diluted" the signal from my antenna or something because all the channels that I never had problem getting perfect reception with previously suddenly had weak reception to the point of becoming virtually unwatchable. That was why I downloaded Locast in the first place. I pretty much gave up on antenna TV after that, lol. My antenna's still hooked up, but only as back-up TV for when my internet goes out.

Will have to try out that Fitzy TV thing though, since my Nvidia uses Android. I've never minded switching between apps, but it does sound convenient.

Bummer. I was going to try AirTV 2 to see if it was worth it. Part of the reason why I found YouTube TV and Hulu Live so attractive is locals are included. Thanks.

Fitzy is very basic. Think Philo when it comes to the guide. It has a cloud DVR service which you can get for $5 a month. I would try it if my TV wasn't a Roku.

Channels requires extra hardware to work. They recommend an HD Homerun Tuner. I might as well get a Fire Recast or AirTV then.

 

[flickchick85]

Bummer. I was going to try AirTV 2 to see if it was worth it. Part of the reason why I found YouTube TV and Hulu Live are so attractive to me locals included. Thanks.

Fitzy is very basic. Think Philo when it comes to the guide. It has a cloud DVR service which you can get for $5 a month. I would try it if my TV wasn't a Roku.

No problem. Now the AirTV 2 might be better, as I had the model before it. So I'd just recommend doing some heavy research before taking that plunge. But yeah, my YTTV now has all (my dad's Alabama) locals except The CW, so that's pretty much the only channel I have to use Locast for, unless I want MY specific locals for the local news (which I usually don't watch, tbh).

Does Fitzy's cloud DVR record from Locast? Because that could be worth $5 for me. Especially considering how overpriced OTA DVR's generally are (that was another reason I tried the Air TV - it was the cheapest OTA DVR option I'd found).

 

[Lily Adler]

No problem. Now the AirTV 2 might be better, as I had the model before it. So I'd just recommend doing some heavy research before taking that plunge. But yeah, my YTTV now has all (my dad's Alabama) locals except The CW, so that's pretty much the only channel I have to use Locast for, unless I want MY specific locals for the local news (which I usually don't watch, tbh).

Does Fitzy's cloud DVR record from Locast? Because that could be worth $5 for me. Especially considering how overpriced OTA DVR's generally are (that was another reason I tried the Air TV - it was the cheapest OTA DVR option I'd found).

I'm not sure. I'll check and see.

 

[flickchick85]

I'm not sure. I'll check and see.

Looks like you can. So, I'm trying it out now - the interface could definitely use some work, as when you're signing up, you can only select one TV provider, and I can't figure out how to add others. Also, YTTV was not listed as one of their options. Sling was, though. I chose Locast first, so without adding any others, right now it's just exactly the same as Locast, but with the added "record" option if I want to pay for a DVR. Which I probably will once the TV seasons come back. If you buy it annually, it's actually less than $5/month (for only 25 hours, though).

 

[Lily Adler]

Looks like you can. So, I'm trying it out now - the interface could definitely use some work, as when you're signing up, you can only select one TV provider, and I can't figure out how to add others. Also, YTTV was not listed as one of their options. Sling was, though. I chose Locast first, so without adding any others, right now it's just exactly the same as Locast, but with the added "record" option if I want to pay for a DVR. Which I probably will once the TV seasons come back. If you buy it annually, it's actually less than $5/month (for only 25 hours, though).

FitzyTV review: A neat but shaky workaround for streaming TV annoyances

I was gonna post this article for you.

Strange YTTV was mentioned to be accessible in its reddit.



It appears there was an older version of the app that had it, but it got taken down. So sorry. It seems to work with Philo.

 

[flickchick85]

Ah. Yeah I did find the settings menu (which was not easy, btw) and found where you could add more providers, but right now it doesn't support any of the ones I have besides Locast (they have CBS All Access though, which means I think they'll probably add Peacock before too long). So it doesn't have much value for me yet until I want to DVR from Locast. But it is definitely a good option for when that time comes, so thanks for the heads-up.

 

[flickchick85]

Looks like they are beta testing a Roku app if you want to try that out: