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Best alternatives to cable??

MoTappin

MoTappin

Well-Known Member
Which is best: Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu+? Parental controls are big and we don't want adult content coming in.

We are tired of paying for cable only to watch like 10 channels and often find nothing on that we want to watch. HOWEVER, we definitely want to see the Jazz games, Utah football, and hubby wants the NFL. What are the best no-cable options there?

Any insights you guys can offer would be helpful! Thanks!
 
Good luck. If you want live sports you are stuck with Cable or Dish. Hulu, Netflix and Redbox's new service are all just for rentals or already broadcast shows. The only reason I still have cable/dish is because of live sports. Otherwise I'd just cancel it.
 
I am curious if anybody else has a solution though.
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Also how do people watch movies? I've been with blockbuster online but ****ing Dish Network is shutting the service and all of the stores down.
 
MoTappin said:
Which is best: Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu+? Parental controls are big and we don't want adult content coming in.

We are tired of paying for cable only to watch like 10 channels and often find nothing on that we want to watch. HOWEVER, we definitely want to see the Jazz games, Utah football, and hubby wants the NFL. What are the best no-cable options there?

Any insights you guys can offer would be helpful! Thanks!
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Well i'm sorry to say that there's no "legal" way to see the Jazz without cable since you live in Utah and would be blacked out from using NBA League Pass Broadband. Also no luck with Utah football since to watch their games online you have to verify that you subscribe to cable or satellite (ESPN, Pac12 network, FS1, etc.). The NFL, well you'll get the same Sunday games as cable by purchasing a $20 antenna since those games are CBS/Fox/NBC, Thursday night football is on NFL Network and MNF is on ESPN, so you're out of luck there.

I have Netflix and love it, Hulu is great for cord cutters since you'll get much of the same content, I have never used Amazon Prime before. I would have cut the cord a while ago if it weren't for sports, that's where the cable/satelite companies really have their hooks in you since there's not really an online alternative.
 
gregbroncs said:
I am curious if anybody else has a solution though.
.
Also how do people watch movies? I've been with blockbuster online but ****ing Dish Network is shutting the service and all of the stores down.
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Netflix has plenty of movies. Directv has on demand now which I use occasionally, but if I can't find something on Netflix I usually download it via torrent.
 
I have Roku which includes Netflix (for a small monthly fee) and Amazon. Not including sporting events, I probably watch more Roku than cable at this point.
 
Big fan of amazon prime because it goes beyond just the content, which is solid if not great...better than netflix. We have subs for both amazon prime and netflix, and use them both for different things. Amazon prime also includes free 2 day shipping on the vast majority of their products, which is nice, and it gives you more premium movies than netflix does. I pay once a year for prime and then don't have to worry about it again. Netflix comes out of a checking account we use for our emergency fund, so to speak, so a few small bills come out of there so we don't have to worry about then in the regular checkbook. I have looked at hulu and might look closer as they tend to have more current television, whereas amazon prime and netflix are generally a season or more behind on current shows.

As far as Jazz games go you have the option of various online services that are gray market alternatives, let's say. Some of them provide a FIRST ROW view for SPORTS, if you get my drift. But, as bigwilly pointed out, thanks to NBA and other sports licensing agreements there are no good alternatives for live sports other than broadcast (in some cases), satellite, or cable TV. For me, when it comes to multiple sports being 90% a Jazz fan and maybe caring 10% for all other sports combined, including skeet shooting and badminton, it wasn't enough impetus to keep TV in my home and we have been more than happy with netflix and amazon prime for most things, and I catch what I can of Jazz games when I get a chance. I typically work during the hours the Jazz are on anyway so it isn't that big a deal really. But if you generally like all sports and just have to see the next ultimately meaningless BYU/Ute game, you are better off sticking with TV.
 
BigWilly087 said:
Netflix has plenty of movies. Directv has on demand now which I use occasionally, but if I can't find something on Netflix I usually download it via torrent.
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Netflix has movies that are really old. Have they gotten better about having newer releases to DVD/Blueray? Because I had a temp membership there and all of the movies streaming were way old and they were trying to do away with the mail in option. Do they have newer movies and are they streaming or DVD? It's been years since I've even looked into it because we really like blockbuster online.
 
gregbroncs said:
Netflix has movies that are really old. Have they gotten better about having newer releases to DVD/Blueray? Because I had a temp membership there and all of the movies streaming were way old and they were trying to do away with the mail in option. Do they have newer movies and are they streaming or DVD? It's been years since I've even looked into it because we really like blockbuster online.
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Netflix is still sadly mostly older movies. They do occasionally get fairly recent movies, like Thor and Capt America were on within 6-8 months of the release to DVD. They really need to find a way to improve in this area or they won't be able to compete long. Amazon prime and hulu are better for this I believe.
 
Hulu is good if you like watching current season TV shows. Netflix is good if you like to watch past season TV shows. There is nothing good for sports that is legal.
 
Netflix is a crazy good deal. It's $8 a month and they have a huge selection to watch they are still top dog in streaming. They don't have New movies because they would have to charge a lot more to get them. They will not be the only source of tv and movies if you decide to cut the cable but I don't know too many cable subscribers that cable is their only source.(most have netflix or rent from red box regularly) I can't believe people are willing to pay so much for cable and still sit through commercials.

I don't watch NFL like I used to so cutting out cable wasn't too bad for me. The money I save I spend on going to games in person and I can always catch a game at a local bar. Sports programming is really what is keeping the cable providers afloat and for now cable is the best and often only legal source. I really would like to see major sports either come back to broadcast TV(not very likely) or become a stand alone streaming service(probably only a matter of time).
 
Thanks for the advice. We use Amazon all the time anyway. I know Hulu is great but the parental controls aren't very good . The only "current" show we are into is Revolution but we can get that with an antenna or watch later on NBC online if we miss it. Most of the stuff we watch are reruns anyway, like frasier, mash, Raymond, etc. We also like the hgtv, history, discovery, and food network stuff, but again, a lot of reruns. It seems like most channels are offering the current, but already run episodes online, which we could get right on our TV. The big thing is the sports. I have heard of sitting on the first row, but how is the quality and reliability of that?
 
How much are cable bills for people? Mine is about $80 a month. I get the PAC 12 Network, NFL Redzone, NBA TV, most sports available. Then pretty much every cable channel there is besides premium movie channels.

Really if you break it down its a good deal if TV is part of your entertainment. Which for us with young kids its really a must. When the kids go to bed at 8 we have 3 hours to kill before bed. So really its about 2 hours and 55 minunets after our other activity is completed :).

My point being that 80 bucks a month for daily in home entertainment isn't that bad. No to mention all the sports I get to watch.
 
Sports is what keeps cable and dish companies afloat.

If you want to watch sports (and watch em in full HD on your television and on your DVR and all that ish) then I don't think there is an alternative.
 
MoTappin said:
Thanks for the advice. We use Amazon all the time anyway. I know Hulu is great but the parental controls aren't very good . The only "current" show we are into is Revolution but we can get that with an antenna or watch later on NBC online if we miss it. Most of the stuff we watch are reruns anyway, like frasier, mash, Raymond, etc. We also like the hgtv, history, discovery, and food network stuff, but again, a lot of reruns. It seems like most channels are offering the current, but already run episodes online, which we could get right on our TV. The big thing is the sports. I have heard of sitting on the first row, but how is the quality and reliability of that?
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Reliability - 75% to 95%; Quality - On my 27" Overlord Tempest (2560x1440 120hz IPS) the quality ranges from passable to decent, and occasionally pretty good up to pretty darn good. Mine is part of a multi-monitor setup that I use to watch the game while doing other things, as I am really the only one in my house that watches anyway.
 
Beantown said:
How much are cable bills for people? Mine is about $80 a month. I get the PAC 12 Network, NFL Redzone, NBA TV, most sports available. Then pretty much every cable channel there is besides premium movie channels.

Really if you break it down its a good deal if TV is part of your entertainment. Which for us with young kids its really a must. When the kids go to bed at 8 we have 3 hours to kill before bed. So really its about 2 hours and 55 minunets after our other activity is completed :).

My point being that 80 bucks a month for daily in home entertainment isn't that bad. No to mention all the sports I get to watch.
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I really have to say that I disagree with this. At least %80 of the programming that you are talking about is available legally online(%100 if illegal doesn't bother you or you are willing to wait). Essentially you are paying nearly $1,000 a year for live sports imo. That is up to every individual to decide if it's worth it.
 
heyhey said:
I really have to say that I disagree with this. At least %80 of the programming that you are talking about is available legally online(%100 if illegal doesn't bother you or you are willing to wait). Essentially you are paying nearly $1,000 a year for live sports imo. That is up to every individual to decide if it's worth it.
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Yea I am. But there is nothing else I would rather spend that $1000 dollars on. Sports is my #1 interest. The only other thing I spend my money on is golfing and vacations which I still have plenty of money for.

So until there are cheaper options to get live sports I am stuck paying that. And watching sports on firstrow is the most frustrating experience Ive ever had.
 
Beantown said:
Yea I am. But there is nothing else I would rather spend that $1000 dollars on. Sports is my #1 interest. The only other thing I spend my money on is golfing and vacations which I still have plenty of money for.

So until there are cheaper options to get live sports I am stuck paying that. And watching sports on firstrow is the most frustrating experience Ive ever had.
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And if you buy the sports package we'll include the babysitter absolutely free of charge. But that's not all, it's a personal chef coach, a $12,000 dollar value, a personal trainer ($1400 value), and so much more!
 
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