"Cutting the Cord" Input Sought
Discussion
I want to "cut the cord" as our american cousins say on my £75 pcm Virgin set up.
My lifestyle has changed - for the better I think - and with the advent of netflix etc I simply don't use the channels. I am also old enough to really prefer the physical phone handset but I can get over not having one probably, or have an old style shape plugged into my mobile!
So I think all I need is a half decent broadband connection, say 50mb, talking to my TV / firestick, and to the extent I want other channels I'll look at specific subscriptions e.g. Eurosport.
Anyone got any success stories of doing this in London area or elsewhere?....either paring back the service Virgin offer or perhaps going for home broadband with a SIM based router from a mobile provider (thus negating the need for a phone line).
Thanks in advance
lllnorrislll said:
Yep - just use a Roku box, it still gives the flexibility of then using Nowtv for Sky, Amazon Prime, Netflix catch-up channels when I need or want them.
Do Roku do any kind of "app" where I can connect to the box from a computer?Considering similar to the OP but I still watch a lot of TV on my computer via Sky Player.
I gave up paid for TV 8 years ago, not missed it at all. Only really watched car shows on paid channels now just wait a year or 2 on watch them on quest or such like. Mind you i never look at TV listings for paid channels so have no idea what I might be missing. I have a roku stick for youtube and catchup stuff. Pay £27 a month for 75 meg broadband and phone line rental.
I've been doing this for a few years now, having previously had Sky.
In the living room I use a Fire TV Box, and an older Apple TV (ie. not the current one with appstore). The FireTV has Netflix, Spotify and various channels players, eg. IPlayer installed, and of course get's Amazon own Prime TV stuff. We use the Apple TV for occasionally watching films we've bought in the past or other itunes rentals/purchases.
On top of this I've a Silicondust HDHomeRun dual tuner, which is plugged into the TV aerial and using the app installed on the FireTV (and mobiles etc) can get the FTA channels.
Out in the garden shed (not quite, but it'll do), there's a Roku and TV. the only issue I have there is if not used for a while the remote doesn't sync with the box, and it's a right pain to resync.
I also have Plex Installed on a server, with access to my NAS and that allows viewing of various media stored on the NAS, and will record the Silicondust tuner also.
Where possible I network stuff to help with guaranteeing connectivity. And to control it in the living room I use a Logitech Harmony remote to make it easier to control the various bits.
If there's something like the F1 I want to watch, then I'll use NowTV and a suitable pass.
I used to use the FireSticks but didn't like the reliability/speed of them, though that may have improved.
In the living room I use a Fire TV Box, and an older Apple TV (ie. not the current one with appstore). The FireTV has Netflix, Spotify and various channels players, eg. IPlayer installed, and of course get's Amazon own Prime TV stuff. We use the Apple TV for occasionally watching films we've bought in the past or other itunes rentals/purchases.
On top of this I've a Silicondust HDHomeRun dual tuner, which is plugged into the TV aerial and using the app installed on the FireTV (and mobiles etc) can get the FTA channels.
Out in the garden shed (not quite, but it'll do), there's a Roku and TV. the only issue I have there is if not used for a while the remote doesn't sync with the box, and it's a right pain to resync.
I also have Plex Installed on a server, with access to my NAS and that allows viewing of various media stored on the NAS, and will record the Silicondust tuner also.
Where possible I network stuff to help with guaranteeing connectivity. And to control it in the living room I use a Logitech Harmony remote to make it easier to control the various bits.
If there's something like the F1 I want to watch, then I'll use NowTV and a suitable pass.
I used to use the FireSticks but didn't like the reliability/speed of them, though that may have improved.
Never paid for extra channels but sacked off Virgin and moved to basic broadband (with Vodafone but they're all much of a muchness). Giving it a few months to see if we miss recording - vast majority of recordings we did were from the main 4 channels and they're well served with catch-up services.
Moved from a Roku to a current Apple TV for all the streaming stuff and I like how well all the different apps integrate - you can search and get an "up next" view across Netflix, Amazon, iPlayer, All4, etc - you don't need to remember what you were watching on each.
If you're happy with Virgin broadband and basic TV then just give your 30 days notice to cancel - you'll have them calling you every day to offer a new deal. You could more than halve your bill and not have to faff about changing routers etc over.
Moved from a Roku to a current Apple TV for all the streaming stuff and I like how well all the different apps integrate - you can search and get an "up next" view across Netflix, Amazon, iPlayer, All4, etc - you don't need to remember what you were watching on each.
If you're happy with Virgin broadband and basic TV then just give your 30 days notice to cancel - you'll have them calling you every day to offer a new deal. You could more than halve your bill and not have to faff about changing routers etc over.
sjg said:
Never paid for extra channels but sacked off Virgin and moved to basic broadband (with Vodafone but they're all much of a muchness). Giving it a few months to see if we miss recording - vast majority of recordings we did were from the main 4 channels and they're well served with catch-up services.
Moved from a Roku to a current Apple TV for all the streaming stuff and I like how well all the different apps integrate - you can search and get an "up next" view across Netflix, Amazon, iPlayer, All4, etc - you don't need to remember what you were watching on each.
If you're happy with Virgin broadband and basic TV then just give your 30 days notice to cancel - you'll have them calling you every day to offer a new deal. You could more than halve your bill and not have to faff about changing routers etc over.
Thx - yes think next stepMoved from a Roku to a current Apple TV for all the streaming stuff and I like how well all the different apps integrate - you can search and get an "up next" view across Netflix, Amazon, iPlayer, All4, etc - you don't need to remember what you were watching on each.
If you're happy with Virgin broadband and basic TV then just give your 30 days notice to cancel - you'll have them calling you every day to offer a new deal. You could more than halve your bill and not have to faff about changing routers etc over.
I also just tweaked my parents set up with BT so the story there is c. £35 pcm gets you 50MB download plus phone w free unlimited calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles, so that's my benchmark at the moment.
Did similar a while ago - cancelled Sky (only a basic package mind) as was literally only using it to watch the news from time to time, and to record Match of the Day for viewing on a Sunday morning.
The only thing I missed initially was being able to record MOTD. Then I got a smart TV with BBC iPlayer app that allows you to watch a programme from the start at any point during it's broadcast, so as long as I get on there before the MOTD Sunday morning repeat finishes I can then watch it in full.
I now just pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime Student and a cloud downloading service for anything missed by the first two, and it costs me under £15 a month for a better range of programmes.
Look out for cashback deals on Broadband, btw. I signed up to BT Fibre and got a £125 prepaid mastercard and £100 in Quidco cashback, so despite it being £30 a month vs. £24 for Vodafone at the time, it worked out no more expensive over the term.
The only thing I missed initially was being able to record MOTD. Then I got a smart TV with BBC iPlayer app that allows you to watch a programme from the start at any point during it's broadcast, so as long as I get on there before the MOTD Sunday morning repeat finishes I can then watch it in full.
I now just pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime Student and a cloud downloading service for anything missed by the first two, and it costs me under £15 a month for a better range of programmes.
Look out for cashback deals on Broadband, btw. I signed up to BT Fibre and got a £125 prepaid mastercard and £100 in Quidco cashback, so despite it being £30 a month vs. £24 for Vodafone at the time, it worked out no more expensive over the term.
Thanks for replies again - appreciated
Circling around BT / EE as may dovetail shift w change in mobile
Just looking at whether there is any difference between EE and BT home hub
.....
As an aside I imagine we are all looking for done upsides to [that thing]. just anecdotally but I went into three mobile phone shops yesterday in the centre of London and they were all completely devoid of customers and staff were not shy in offering deals and get me to commit in the shop. I think this might be a good time to drive a hard bargain!
Circling around BT / EE as may dovetail shift w change in mobile
Just looking at whether there is any difference between EE and BT home hub
.....
As an aside I imagine we are all looking for done upsides to [that thing]. just anecdotally but I went into three mobile phone shops yesterday in the centre of London and they were all completely devoid of customers and staff were not shy in offering deals and get me to commit in the shop. I think this might be a good time to drive a hard bargain!
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