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Left after 24+ years

Discussion in 'DIRECTV General Discussion' started by Ray3, Nov 18, 2020.

  1. Nov 18, 2020 #1 of 16
    Ray3

    Ray3 Cool Member

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    After 24+ years, I just left DTV and the $151/mo. bill 3 weeks ago. I expect the bill would increase next month on my anniversary as it has over the last several years. Cutting the cord has been on my mind for a couple of years, but a relatively simple and comprehensive solution hadn’t been available.

    My requirements were to have all of the channels we watch, a channel guide, DVR, on-demand capability, local channels, no need for an OTA antenna and no contract. And it HAD to be simple for my wife to deal with.

    With my DTV contract commitment ending in October, I did my annual research and was surprised to find that everything I needed was finally available, but in 2 places. The short version is that YouTube TV gave me almost everything I needed, including locals, for $65/mo. However, there were a handful of channels, including Hallmark (a must-have for the wife), that were missing. A friend suggested that I look at Philo TV. Bingo! For $20/mo., I got all of the channels missing from YTTV AND THREE Hallmark channels.

    I did Trials for both YTTV and Philo and stressed tested them over a weekend on my AppleTVs and Roku Ultras (I have separate setups in the great room and basement). Both worked great. I have URC MX-950 programmable remotes and use them instead of the Apple remotes. The Roku remotes were simple and easier, so that’s what we decided to use. The wife is very pleased with the changeover and the transition has gone smoothly.

    A promotion for signing up for YTTV included a Chromecast with Google TV and it should be here in a couple of days. After reading reviews, I am anxious to test out the ability to add all of our streaming services to the Chromecast and use voice commands to control it all.

    There are plusses and minuses between this new setup and DTV, but after 3 weeks, I like the new setup better. Just a matter of getting used to the differences. The only DTV feature I really miss is a previous channel button. I was also surprised to see that the PQ has noticeably improved on my 4K TVs. At a total of $85, I am saving $66/mo. I am glad I made the switch and hope the information is useful to somebody.
     
    jimmie57 likes this.
  2. Nov 18, 2020 #2 of 16
    Davenlr

    Davenlr Geek til I die

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    That $151 didn't include internet?
     
  3. Nov 19, 2020 #3 of 16
    Brian Hanasky

    Brian Hanasky Godfather

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    Include internet? It's 2020. I am fully aware that some people live in areas with poor internet and some have money issues and those are a subset of people. However factoring in the cost of internet in the "cost" of cutting the cord is a silly argument. I had internet before I cut the cord and still have internet. Dumped DTV 3 years ago. Did Sling for awhile and loved it but it did not have locals. Switched to YouTube TV a bit over a year ago and it's perfect for me. We did add in Philo for the wife as the OP noted for some channels she deemed "must have." I was tired of the call in to get discounts game, the HD fee, box fee, RSN fees, Whole Home fee, and archaic package structure.
     
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  4. Nov 19, 2020 #4 of 16
    mjwagner

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    It’s not a “1 button” solution but when watching something live on YTTV, if you click on the down direction on your d-pad 3 times you will get to a row of tiles across the bottom of the screen. The first 4 tiles are the last 4 channels you tuned followed by the rest of your live channels in your custom guide order. I find it very handy when flipping between multiple live channels...
     
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  5. Nov 19, 2020 #5 of 16
    Ray3

    Ray3 Cool Member

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    Unfortunately, it did not include internet. I also didn't have any premium movie packages or NFL. What I DID have was a whole bunch of extra charges that I no longer have - DVR, Whole House, extra receiver, etc.
     
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  6. Nov 19, 2020 #6 of 16
    Ray3

    Ray3 Cool Member

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    I also found that being able to arrange (and hide) channels is pretty useful. I put the two channels we watch the most at the top of the list and it is easy enough to switch them.
     
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  7. Nov 19, 2020 #7 of 16
    mjwagner

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    The ability to customize the YTTV guide is huge from a usability perspective IMHO.
     
  8. Nov 19, 2020 #8 of 16
    mitchflorida

    mitchflorida Godfather

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    Did they give a killer deal to try to keep your business or did they just say goodbye?
     
  9. Nov 20, 2020 at 4:37 PM #9 of 16
    Ray3

    Ray3 Cool Member

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    It was a short discussion. I called and asked the rep if I was under any contract commitment. He said "One Minute please" and transferred me directly to what turned out to be Customer retention and after some small talk about the Steelers, the young man asked why I was canceling (I had not used the word cancel to that point).

    I asked if I was now in the Retention group and he said yes. I told him that after years of incredibly escalating pricing, that I had made the decision to cancel. He then started through his script to run down the streaming and would have, I assume, followed with the benefits of D* and some short term band-aid/killer deal credit to my sizeable monthly hit. Probably with a new contract commitment. Since I had researched the subject to death and had already made my decision, I gently stopped him, said I understood his job was to convince me to stay and explained we weren't going to do any of that. I then asked him to process the cancellation of my account and what equipment I needed to return This was followed by a couple of "Yeah, but" s but then we finished it off.

    The only disappointment was that he told me that the service would be turned off on 11/12, but it was turned off the next day, 10/27. Thankfully I had everything set up to go for the streaming, so it was no big deal AND I ended up with a credit that will yield a check for the remaining part of the canceled month.
     
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  10. Nov 20, 2020 at 5:12 PM #10 of 16
    DanoP

    DanoP Legend

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    I'll listen to them. But I've been trialing FuboTV for the past week and am 90% sure I'll make the switch. It has all my priority channels though I would like the Turner Channels returned to the line-up. The biggest liability I see so far is sound....which surprises me. I have a 5.1 system and FuboTV can't use that. With Roku Ultra everything is upconverted to 4k and it does a surprisingly excellent job of that. I think I may go one month with both Fubo and DTV to be sure. YTTV may have been a contender with the NHL Network.
     
  11. Nov 20, 2020 at 6:08 PM #11 of 16
    lparsons21

    lparsons21 Hall Of Fame

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    The only live streaming service with DD5.1 audio is ATT TV & ATT TV Now. All the rest are stereo only. It is a fairly constant complaint in many forums.
     
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  12. Nov 21, 2020 at 5:35 PM #12 of 16
    Davenlr

    Davenlr Geek til I die

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    And that is the reason I didnt switch to YouTubeTV when quit comcast. Between finding streaming services that send 1080i/p and Dolby, it just isnt worth it me. For $65 to $85 per month for a streaming service, the least they could do is give you the whole signal. Ill stay with DirecTv.
     
  13. Nov 21, 2020 at 7:39 PM #13 of 16
    DanoP

    DanoP Legend

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    I found the picture better than DTV on Fubo/Roku. I can't figure out why the native resolution is going to 1080i on DTV but the 720p signal (Fubo) is at least as good. And then Roku upcoverts everything to 4k. Picture is excellent to me. If I want my 4k/HDR fix I tune into Netflix. Of course audio remains the problematic part of these streaming services. Depending on how important it is to you, it can be a deal breaker.
     
  14. Nov 21, 2020 at 7:46 PM #14 of 16
    lparsons21

    lparsons21 Hall Of Fame

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    I’m currently with ATT TV and like the service but will cancel most likely in April when my 1st year is up and the price more than doubles.

    Really thinking to not replace it with any live streaming service since I can get nearly all I want to watch with a combo of Hulu, Prime, CBS All Access, Peacock and AMC+. And since I’ve got good OTA and an AirTV OTA DVR I should be good to go and fairly cheap.
     
  15. Nov 21, 2020 at 7:58 PM #15 of 16
    Davenlr

    Davenlr Geek til I die

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    That kind of made me laugh. I have free Hulu from one relatives phone service, free Prime from my Amazon sub, get Peacock, and have free HBOMax, and subscribe to Disney+ for the kiddos. I rarely watch any of them. I either watch the news (which I could get free, I know), and sports. To be honest, if it wasnt for Nascar, which due to their licensing requires a service that carries all these: Fox Sports 1 and 2 and NBC Sports Network, and MAV-TV. Now, if there was a sports only streaming service, I might be able to ditch linear TV.
     
  16. Nov 22, 2020 at 6:51 AM #16 of 16
    Brian Hanasky

    Brian Hanasky Godfather

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    They offered nothing special. I did get the come back offers promising x, y, and z a month or so later but was comfortable in my decision and had no interest in returning.
     
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