Fellow Cord-cutters...What is your setup?

[arrowheadnation]

I said I would never do it. I couldn't cut the cord. Live sports meant too much to me. I did the song and dance with my cable company for almost 3 years. They would raise my rates, I would call in and threaten to disconnect and they would lower them again. Then a few months ago, my bill went up $99 (to $237/mo. incl. internet) and they refused to lower it back to the original rate, so I parted ways with them. Today marked my second full month as a "cord cutter." Here is my current setup:

Playstation Vue Core Slim subscription - It was either this, DirecTV Now, or Sling, and for what I watch, it was a no-brainer. It has basically all of the channels I was watching when I had cable. I had some issues at first with buffering but after making some changes to the DNS addresses, it has worked pretty much flawlessly . It has cloud based DVR which is what set it apart from the competition for me (sling didn't offer dvr at the time but is in beta testing now). The HD pic is also very crisp as well. This is $35 per month for 60+ channels including all espn's and fox sports networks. Combined with my 50mbps internet, I'm paying roughly $115 per month (Was paying $237 with cable).

Android TV Box loaded with Kodi - I paid $125 for this box on eBay. It is an octo-core android box with a proprietary Kodi build on it. (Yes, I know I could have done it myself much cheaper but I always seem to have issues with these kinds of things when I get brave and do them on my own.) I use it for movies, PPV fights, and to watch the TV shows that I used to watch that are not included in the Vue programming (mainly HBO, SHOWTIME, network tv, History channel, and the Viacom networks - nickelodion, Comedy Central, etc.). If you don't already know about Kodi, just try a google search, it was sent from heaven for tight asses like myself.

Mohu Leaf Ultimate Amplified HD antenna - for local channels until ps vue adds them in my area (currently only in major markets like ny, la, Miami, etc.). It actually picks up about 35 channels, most in HD. I live about 30 miles away from the farthest TV tower. I was worried the pic would not be good, but it's just as good or better than the HD I had with cable. It cost me $55 on eBay.

Channel Master Over the Air DVR - this is what I really had taken for granted with cable. The DVR is one of the greatest inventions ever. I never watch my shows live anymore and figured I could go back to doing so, but I started to realize a couple days in that I either wouldnt remember to watch my favorites from network tv, the shows were live or local, or my schedule wouldnt allow for it. After some research, I came across the Channel Master DVR. It's an over the air HD DVR with up to 1TB of hard drive space and NO MONTHLY FEE!!! It's very similar to the one built into your cable box as it comes with an on-screen guide and dual tuner (yes, I. Wish there were more). It is quite pricy at around $200 on eBay but it's a one time charge where Tivo has a monthly fee (do some research on youtube to see if it's for you).

Like I stated earlier, I'm two months in. I'm still watching all of the same programming at $115/mo. that I was watching at $237/mo. so I'd say it's going well. The DVR on the PS Vue is awesome. The channel master DVR is very cool but not 100% necessary as I can still find almost all of the shows I miss on the kodi box. I mainly use the channel master for the pause ffwd and rewind features. The only real negative that I can take away so far is the inconvenience of having to change from one device to another. I didn't realize how much I took for granted being able to take a split second to change the channel rather than having to change the input from the PS4 to the antenna or he kodi box (and then having to find a good stream), but for the money I'm saving, it's worth the few minutes of annoyance. The buffering issue with the Playstation Vue was quite frustrating in the beginning, but a quick google search helped me find a quick solution. I found that you have to make some changes to the DNS servers and boom...problem solved.

If you have questions about my set-up,let me know. I'm curious to see the set-ups of other cord cutters on here mainly to find out if there are better options than what I currently have. Surely I'm not the only one.

[DaFace]

• Three Roku devices (Roku 3 for my main TV, Stick for my bedroom, and Roku 2 for a seldom-used basement TV) and an old laptop to serve as a media server and occasional direct-view screen for stuff that doesn't have a Roku app.
• Subscriptions for Netflix, Sling ($20 version) and Hulu (commercial-free version). I guess I also have Amazon Prime, but I don't really even think of that as a video subscription and use it pretty rarely.
• Lots of movies I've purchased on Vudu (or bought Ultraviolet codes through third-party sites)
• Tablo DVR to record OTA shows.
• Plex to watch a handful of torrented shows that I can't get legally through any sort of streaming service.
• VPN + NFL Gamepass to watch Chiefs games when they're not on locally.

I don't have the patience to deal wish finding a non-shitty stream on Kodi (and I TRY to stay as legal as I possibly can, though the networks still make it impossible from time to time).

[MagicHef]

Originally Posted by DaFace

• Three Roku devices (Roku 3 for my main TV, Stick for my bedroom, and Roku 2 for a seldom-used basement TV) and an old laptop to serve as a media server and occasional direct-view screen for stuff that doesn't have a Roku app.
• Subscriptions for Netflix, Sling ($20 version) and Hulu (commercial-free version). I guess I also have Amazon Prime, but I don't really even think of that as a video subscription and use it pretty rarely.
• Lots of movies I've purchased on Vudu (or bought Ultraviolet codes through third-party sites)
• Tablo DVR to record OTA shows.
• Plex to watch a handful of torrented shows that I can't get legally through any sort of streaming service.
• VPN + NFL Gamepass to watch Chiefs games when they're not on locally.

I don't have the patience to deal wish finding a non-shitty stream on Kodi (and I TRY to stay as legal as I possibly can, though the networks still make it impossible from time to time).

How is your VPN + NFL Gamepass working? I had it for one season but it ended up being a hassle and I dropped it. I'm wondering if my VPN wasn't very good. How much do you spend on the two together?

[unlurking]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

How is your VPN + NFL Gamepass working? I had it for one season but it ended up being a hassle and I dropped it. I'm wondering if my VPN wasn't very good. How much do you spend on the two together?

The key to VPN and Gamepass is to disconnect from VPN after you get a game started. It only checks location when initiating stream. Basically, VPN performance should be a non-factor.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by unlurking

The key to VPN and Gamepass is to disconnect from VPN after you get a game started. It only checks location when initiating stream. Basically, VPN performance should be a non-factor.

Eh, while true, PIA at least regularly gets me a 15Mbps connection, so that's not necessary these days. Plus, it's a pain in the ass to get it all reconnected again if it drops.

[unlurking]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Eh, while true, PIA at least regularly gets me a 15Mbps connection, so that's not necessary these days. Plus, it's a pain in the ass to get it all reconnected again if it drops.

Depends on your setup. Reconnecting to VPN is an absolute breeze for me, and dropping the latency of sending my data through other countries made mine so stable that the only time I ever needed to reconnect was after when switching games, which I don't do regularly. But, I use a PC and browser.

Either way, any VPN + Game Pass should be a pretty solid experience.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

How is your VPN + NFL Gamepass working? I had it for one season but it ended up being a hassle and I dropped it. I'm wondering if my VPN wasn't very good. How much do you spend on the two together?

I run it off of my media center laptop using PIA VPN though Mexico, and it works great. $40/year for PIA I think (I'd probably pay for it anyway) and $130/year for NFL Gamepass (though I think they're bumping it to $200/year next season).

For whatever reason, the Windows NFL app is way better quality than what you can get through the web browser. I get full 1080p 60fps feeds pretty steadily, though it does bump down from that here and there.

[Squalor2]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I run it off of my media center laptop using PIA VPN though Mexico, and it works great. $40/year for PIA I think (I'd probably pay for it anyway) and $130/year for NFL Gamepass (though I think they're bumping it to $200/year next season).

For whatever reason, the Windows NFL app is way better quality than what you can get through the web browser. I get full 1080p 60fps feeds pretty steadily, though it does bump down from that here and there.

nothing personal, Oprah wants what you do.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Squalor2

nothing personal, Oprah wants what you do.

I have no idea what this means.

[DJJasonp]

Ive got PS Vue as well. Works pretty well, but I've had a few buffering issues with ESPN during college bb games or fb games. Not sure why, maybe just a coincidence.

I like the "DVR in the cloud" feature, for sure....super easy, and no fear of running out of space. I have the max plan (without pay movie add-ons) and pay 45 a month for it.

I have a pretty good internet speed, so picture quality is typically pretty good.

Use Netflix and Hulu for all the other stuff. Also have Amazon (as I have a fire tv box, and wanted free prime shipping all year).


During MLB season, I subscribe to MLBtv - and it's well worth it for someone who doesn't live in the royals broadcasting area.

Even with all that, I'm paying about 60 bucks less a month than I was with Directv.

[hometeam]

PC, chromecast, 123movies.is, reddit, and a friends dish network password~

[Discuss Thrower]

Time Warner for internet, Sling TV Blue ( I think) paying for Netflix, Prime and Hulu (even though I can't access it).

Sling TV is... suboptimal.

[Fish]

OTA rabbit ears for local broadcasting.
Google Fiber internet.
Mac Mini running KODI. Mele F10 Deluxe remote to control it and the TV.
Furk subscription for media.
Netflix.

Have considered canceling Netflix, because it's unnecessary with KODI and Furk. But just never got around to it. 99% of what I watch all comes from KODI/Furk.

[The Franchise]

Anyone have any recommendations for an HD antenna?

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Anyone have any recommendations for an HD antenna?

I started with a $10 pair of rabbit ears. I got all the local KC stations except a few that would give a really weak unreliable signal. Thinking I needed a better antenna, I bought a $40 powered one. It was actually worse all around, and after a few weeks I went back to the rabbit ears. I've now figured out the perfect position of the rabbit ears and get all available KC OTA stations. And I'll cut a bitch that touches my antenna placement.