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Picture of Prefontaine
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I’ve been with Dish Network for almost 20 years. Multiple residences, multiple states. Dish has always let me choose a basic $19.99 a month package so I can load up all the movie channels. Past few years as the cord pulling has gone out, maybe like 3-5 years, Dish will give me a monthly $10 credit because I don’t even want that basic package. Just the big 4 locals for emergencies (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) is all I want and all the movie channels. I loathe commercials of any kind so don’t mind paying at home or in the car to rid myself of them. Marketing is powerful and it gets into your subconscious to skip out anywhere I can.

So November 3rd, HBO and Dish network get into a spat. ATT bought Time Warner Media, who owns HBO, months ago. So when the contract renewal came up between HBO/Max and Dish, ATT via Time Warner started acting like ass holes. Time Warner told Dish they need a guaranteed amount of subscribers or f u. Now this is a bs move. Many of Dish’s customers are rural. No cable (MSO) possible and many of those same rural residents don’t have access to high speed internet. So the way I see it, Dish is fighting on my, and its’ subscribers behalf by refusing to pay thug prices to Time Warner. I’m good with this. My provider is fighting for me. But I’m paying the price with no HBO and no Cinemax since November 3rd, so it’s been over a month now and I’m getting tired of it.

So over the last month I’m trying out the various streaming services. Like Dish, for almost 20 years I’ve been a Netflix subscriber via their mail you DVD’s and the past 10 years, mail you Blu-Ray program. I switch it from 2-3 discs at a time depending on the time of year. Busy portions of the year at work I cut it back. Holiday season I increase it because work slows. So anyway, over the past month I’ve tried Netflix streaming, and it sucks. Netflix compresses the shit out of video, but especially audio. It’s not comparable to getting a Blu Ray disc. And their streaming content is months behind Blu Ray discs, which are months behind theater release. So from theater release, typically you’ll wait a full year before it’s available to stream. I’m fine waiting months but not a year and not for compressed audio.

I also try out Amazon video. Pretty much same deal, compression, but I guess Amazon has deals with the studios and movies hit there quicker for streaming. But the price of a new release, say you streaming 3-4 movies and you’re at the price of what I pay monthly for Netflix’s mail Blu Ray program. Costly.

So the past week I’m missing some of my shows so I sign up for HBO NOW, and it’s alright. Picture quality is OK, but slightly less quality than via my 4K Dish receivers. I can tell the difference. And the price? It costs the same as a monthly subscription through Dish Network. No price break for streaming, and less picture quality.

Mike Judge has a series called Tales from the Tour Bus. Season 1 was Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Jerry Lee Lewis, and basically covers the outlaw Country from the 70’s. It was a fantastic show and season. Well since I’m Max dark via time warner spat I figure out that season 2 has hit. Except this season is Rick James, Parliament, and my favorite James Brown. Tales from the Tour Bus is actual interviews from tour members so the partying, drugs, drinking, women, fights, I mean it’s epic documentary stuff. So I look up how to get Cinemax until this spat is fixed. Max is available, but only through Amazon video as a monthly subscription. Mother fucker, another fee.

So in conclusion, I want HBO and Cinemax back on my damn Dish Network so I record what I want, and do what I want. I like have a big fat channel menu. This streaming stuff to me is absolute bullshit. Open this app to watch this one thing, and there is a fee. Then to watch this other thing, you need to launch another app via another service and pay another fee. I’m the Telco space at work so I read the trades and everyone is doing the same thing. You have this list just to name a few.

Netflix
Hulu
Amazon Video
PlayStation Vue
YouTube TV
Stand alone HBO, Max, Showtime, Starz, Epix
NFL (which I couldn’t care less)
Google Play Video
FoxNow
Fox Sports Go
CBS All Access
MLB
FX Now
Plex
Apple Video via iTunes

I mean for fuk sakes Get Off My Lawn. Way too much hassle. So much easier to fire up your satellite or Cable box and open up your guide.
I’ve read cord pullers piss and moan about cable/satellite cost, but mine has never been that expensive. I have 4 satellite receivers, two are 4K, the other two are 1080p. Basic programming and every movie channel offered (sans porn) depending on promotions available, I’m always at $70-90 a month. It varies. One or more of my movie channels always has a promotion so it’s a 5-10 minute call to Dish network twice a year and I speak to an American. And I have a DVR that works from any room, and the whole thing is simple. I’ve tried Netflix streaming, HBO streaming, and Amazon streaming and I can’t wait to cancel them all. More hassle than it’s worth and honestly if I shut the Satellite service off, getting all the apps, would cost me more than I’m paying for satellite/cable. And I’d be switching apps and f’ing with too much stuff to watch what I want. Time is money and my time is limited so even just for time sake to turn on a receiver and have a guide is worth it. I know the cord pulling is the thing, but not for me. Sometimes the old way is simpler and easier. I’ve never whined about that cable bill but I’ve always known how to strip it down to what I use, get some promotions and have never paid the $100+ that others do. I think technology is great but not when it brings over complication. Then there is the simple fact that if my internet at home goes down, I can watch cable. And vice versa. Bringing in all video services over the wire means that if my home internet goes down I’m down hard and I like redundancy. My take on the whole thing. Oh and I’ve never paid more than $50 a month for home internet either. I pull 75-80 Mbps down currently through MSO. They offer up to 950Mbps (marketed as a gig service) down but I have literally no use for it as you’re always server limited by whatever service you use. And 75 Mbps is enough bandwidth to download multiple 4K streams at once so it’s just not a concern. If I did want to be impatient and download a movie from any of the f’ing 10 available services out there, I’d hit download and can wait 2-3 minutes or whatever for the buffering to take places for it to start. But I’d just rather wait for the disc in the mail to get full audio and video quality and mail the damn thing back.

Cliffs: I tried a bunch of the streaming services and it’s more of a pain in the ass than just having cable and streaming costs the same or more.

Oh, and one more thing(s). HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, Epix, the Movie Channel, none of them are broadcasting in 4K. And Netflix nor anyone else offers 4K Blu Ray disc mail program, nobody. Marketing and advertising of 4K TV’s out the ass everywhere and nobody even offers a program to rent 4K discs. Well there is one small outfit I found. You pay a monthly fee for subscription then pay per disc you rent which is ridiculous. TV mfr’s so far ahead of content, like years.



What am I doing? I'm talking to an empty telephone
 
Posts: 12569 | Location: Down South | Registered: January 16, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ammoholic
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Just kill your TV and forget all that stuff. You can read books or SIGforum, what do you need TV for anyway. It just supports those “wonderful folks” in Hollyweird.
 
Posts: 6872 | Location: Lost, but making time. | Registered: February 23, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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With charter/spectrum I'm over $100 a month (once you add the taxes and fees on) for 'basic +' cable - No movies channels at all (no science channel or other premiums) AND that's with a discount because I've 'bundled' it with their top tier high speed internet. Cable + internet is over $170 a month.

I work from home so Dish/Direct Tv version of 'high speed internet' (which is hardly better than dialup) is not acceptable. If you don't have a big pipe (including your in house hardware) the streaming services will compress everything MORE due to latency and packet loss.

If I could find a reliable and easy way to stream MN Wild hockey games and get the various other shows we watch without paying MORE for them we would ditch Cable to only stream in a heartbeat. Most of the stuff we currently watch is streamed except for the few new/current shows that we watch that are on your standard cable channels and I'm not paying $10 a month for single 30 min per week show.

We stream Netflix ($7.99), Hulu ($5.99) and Amazon prime (included in our prime membership so basically 'free' since we recoup our fees in shipping costs). I can't wait for actual ala-cart pricing for cable or streaming. I'd pay a $ per episode for any standard cable series (vs the $2 or $3 per episode that amazon charges) and with the few we need to watch we'd likely save ourselves significant cash each month.

Shawn




I reject your reality and substitute my own.
--Adam Savage, MythBusters
 
Posts: 1745 | Location: Red Wing, MN | Registered: January 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Thank you
Very little
Picture of HRK
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Directv now has streaming packages, from $45 and up with options for the HBO CMax etc.

These contract things come up now an then I've seen tv channels removed from cable over contract negotiations.

Nothing New.

You could always get a Matricom Q Box and with a vpn and some apps pretty much stream anything out there.... Hulu, Netflix, Prime, etc...



 
Posts: 23244 | Location: Florida | Registered: November 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Rev. A. J. Forsyth
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quote:
I mean for fuk sakes Get Off My Lawn. Way too much hassle. So much easier to fire up your satellite or Cable box and open up your guide.


I could not agree more. I'm so sick of it. I'm going back to cable/sat.
 
Posts: 1639 | Location: Winston-Salem  | Registered: April 01, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Nullus Anxietas
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I wish people were half as invested in the course and future of the country as they are in their televisions



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
 
Posts: 26009 | Location: S.E. Michigan | Registered: January 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Better Than I Deserve!
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I got rid of Dish Network three months ago and tried many of the streaming services. I ended up with DirecTV Now with HBO and Showtime. $68/month.

I'm happy with it but not nearly as convenient as Dish Network with the guide and DVR. I'll deal with it for the money I'm saving.


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Posts: 4986 | Location: Phoenix, AZ | Registered: September 23, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
The Unmanned Writer
Picture of LS1 GTO
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Likely you're receiving the crappy compression on the audio and video due to satellite steaming vs cable (or other high speed link).







Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.



Only in an insane world are the sane considered insane.


The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime


 
Posts: 14020 | Location: It was Lat: 33.xxxx Lon: 44.xxxx now it's CA :( | Registered: March 22, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Prefontaine
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quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
I wish people were half as invested in the course and future of the country as they are in their televisions


Let’s dont make assumptions here, please. I vote, I donate money to our causes, I volunteer in my community (Union Gospel mission homeless shelter) and I support our military and police. I love film, period. I read hundreds of pages at work every day, very technical profession. I work out 5-6 days a week so at night I like to watch a film, a series on HBO or Showtime and relax. I don’t go out to eat, cook all my own meals, and I quit going to the movie theaters because of millennials and their smartphone addictions. I’m at work, the gym, working my k9, riding bikes, shooting, or I’m at the house. I’m so sick of driving here with all the traffic and Kalifornia and Indian invasions of my metro that I’m at home a lot which saves money, time and a lot of aggravation. Doesn’t mean I’m not invested in my country, our M&P, our 2A rights etc. That’s a fucking shitty assumption man.

quote:
Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Likely you're receiving the crappy compression on the audio and video due to satellite steaming vs cable (or other high speed link).


PQ is better on my satellite receivers than any streaming services sans Netflix 4K but Netflix still compresses the shit out of audio. And if you want 4K Netflix, Netflix charges you out the ass for 4K + 4 TV streams, same exact cost. They don’t even offer a 4K, one tv at a time service. If you want 4K you are bumped to their top tier and most expensive streaming service. I’ll take a disc every time. The first service who offers a mail you a 4K disc program will get my money and I will cancel Netflix permanently. 4K PQ is so good (especially with HDR) that I’m happy to never give a theater chain another dime of my money. They use 4K projectors and Atmos, you can now do both of those at home cheaply. And skip the assholes at the theaters on their phones, munching junk food loudly during the films, and talking the entire time like the assholes that they are. Common courtesy for your fellow Americans is done for outside of your Church, or family functions so as I age I’m more at the house and can’t be bothered for “society” any longer because too many have NPD.



What am I doing? I'm talking to an empty telephone
 
Posts: 12569 | Location: Down South | Registered: January 16, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Better Than I Deserve!
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When you say "Netflix charges you out the sass for 4K + 4 TV streams" are you referring to the $13.99 charge?

I always thought Netfilx was a bargain for what you get for $14. I hardly consider $14 as being "charged out the ass".

My $190/month Dish Network bill was being "charged out the ass" if you ask me.


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Posts: 4986 | Location: Phoenix, AZ | Registered: September 23, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I do miss the ease of my old Dish Network service. It worked over 99% of the time, and I could watch my main channels - Outdoor and Sportsman Channels.

I'm used to my Sony PS Vue on my Apple 4k, but I wouldn't recommend it to those wanting ease and less hands-on.

Every now and then, I will open an app on my Apple 4k like ABC, CPS, Discovery, Science, etc, and it way say that I need to go to this or that web site to re-log in with my credentials. It happens just enough that I can see it as a problem for those who don't want the hassle.


Retired Texas Lawman, now active reserve
 
Posts: 1160 | Location: Texas | Registered: March 03, 2016Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Well timed thread...

Several years ago I told Cox to F-off because they were treating existing customers like garbage and I switched to Direct...After dealing with years of Direct jacking my rates up down and sideways then refusing to install new boxes unless I sign a contract I looked back and Cox and it appears they have seen the light....much better pricing with more flexible options and for 10.00/month additional I can go contract free for 2 years
 
Posts: 3987 | Location: Peoria, AZ | Registered: November 07, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Oh stewardess,
I speak jive.
Picture of 46and2
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Streaming of any content has always sucked, quality wise, as compared to Cable. And until there is some ~6G or better broadband with unlimited usage everywhere in this fine country it will continue to suck, quality wise. Few files of any sort take up more disk and pipe space than uncompressed video and audio. We aren't even streaming at FLAC quality yet, and it's ~1/10th to 1/5th the size of uncompressed WAV or CD quality.

Maybe in 10yrs, if we're lucky, will they reach parity - quality wise.
 
Posts: 25613 | Registered: March 12, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Truth Seeker
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I was just given today a free Amazon Fire Stick that I plan to use to test out a 30 day DirectTv Now trial period. I have had a lot of problems with DirecTv and had to finish a satellite upgrade myself. If the streaming stick works out, I will cancel my satellite service and should save $100 a month. We will see how it goes.




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Posts: 8657 | Location: The Lone Star State | Registered: July 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ammoholic
Picture of Skins2881
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Who is your ISP and what is your up/down provisions?



Jesse

Sic Semper Tyrannis
 
Posts: 20756 | Location: Loudoun County, Virginia | Registered: December 27, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Prefontaine
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quote:
Originally posted by LBTRS:
When you say "Netflix charges you out the sass for 4K + 4 TV streams" are you referring to the $13.99 charge?

I always thought Netfilx was a bargain for what you get for $14. I hardly consider $14 as being "charged out the ass".

My $190/month Dish Network bill was being "charged out the ass" if you ask me.


To get 4K with them, I explained it already. It’s their highest tier. I remember looking for the 4K option and it was 4K + 4 TV’s or whatever. You mean I can’t just get a plan to stream one device at once with it? Nope. That’s what I think is a joke.

You and I differ in what we think of it. I see little 4K content (movies) and what 4K content they have is mostly their own. It’s a joke in the industry about their own content. It’s terrible. Like I said, Blu Ray is released, then count on +6 months or longer before they offer it via their streaming service. And the Blu Ray, well it isn’t compressed at all. So yeah, I think it’s a jip for what you get. Old movies and a bunch of OEM series. My monthly dish bill is $61 currently. That’s all the movie channels sans hbo/max due to their current spat. When those are available I’m in for about $75-85 a month. $190 a month I’d be firing them as well. That’s crazy. But I know MSO’s quite well and they get you on their basic programming. For example, if I wanted espn, my basic tv package jumps up like $30-40 just to get the “package” that channel is in. Fuck that. My basic programming is almost nil. A la carte comes my bill will go down another $10-15 a month. It would be something like $70 a month with every movie channel they offer.

quote:
Originally posted by Skins2881:
Who is your ISP and what is your up/down provisions?


It’s not a bandwidth limitation. Not layer 1, not 802.11. I do comms for a living. I deal with bandwidth all day every work day. At home 70/6. I could up it to 100, 200, 300, or 950 but what for? I don’t do large file downloads and I’m not aware of a streaming service that would allow you to take advantage of anything faster than what I have currently. I have little at home sucking bandwidth sans streaming services. It has nothing to do with bandwidth whatsoever.



What am I doing? I'm talking to an empty telephone
 
Posts: 12569 | Location: Down South | Registered: January 16, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Nullus Anxietas
Picture of ensigmatic
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quote:
Originally posted by Prefontaine:
Let’s dont make assumptions here, please. ... That’s a fucking shitty assumption man.

I apologize. That wasn't necessarily aimed directly at you. (Had it been, I'd have quoted at least part of your post.) It was more a general observation.

I participate in a number of tech-related forums, some related to audio-visual hardware and services, that cover streaming devices and services, that discuss over-the-air TV, etc. These forums are riddled with people who want to "cut the cord," but don't want to deal with the resulting complexities and sometimes otherwise less-than-satisfactory experiences. There's a steady stream of those who, like you, end up at "Streaming sucks!" or "My wife is raising holy hell about losing Lifetime/Hallmark/<whatever>!" and "We're going back to cable/satellite/<whatever>."

Sometimes I get to the point of "My God! It's just freaking television. Get a grip." Then I need to be reminded everybody needs a hobby and I'm certainly nobody to be pointing fingers.

So, again: My apologies.



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
 
Posts: 26009 | Location: S.E. Michigan | Registered: January 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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You can pay and stream HBO and Cinemax or Showtime directly from their streaming app. You have to search for the channel on roku (hbo to go, showtime etc.) I pay Showtime the $10 a month when both Homeland and Billions are airing then cancel it when they're over.

I agree with you that the movies on Netflix are generally old or suck, BUT the TV series Netflix has are awesome.....House of Cards, Narcos, Breaking Bad, etc. etc.

You can also try the Sony PlayStation Vue streaming tv as they have different packages.
 
Posts: 21335 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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