Kevin Tofel just cut the cord. While he’s a good pal (having live-Tweeted each other’s weddings), what makes his “cable” television exodus a bit more fascinating is his technological background — including years of contributions to the TV-centric HDBeat and PVRWire (RIP) blogs. Heck, we even collaborated on a piece for PC Magazine (back in 2006, when it was paper) documenting how to cut the cord… possibly before that term even existed.
So what’s different in 2016? The content Kevin and his family appreciate, including premium channels and futbol, is now available “over-the-top” … on the hardware of his choosing … and without waiting around for the FCC to unlock the box.
I’m convinced we’ve reached a bit of a turning point in the industry that makes “cord cutting” more feasible for a wider range of people. […] We’re not completely “cutting the cord” but are instead using a different “cord” for television content. […] Frankly, I don’t see why I need to pay Verizon — or any other company — $600 a year to rent set-top boxes or have the ability to DVR content.
Kevin went with PS Vue ($40/mo), over Sling TV ($20/mo), for a variety of reasons including channel lineup and DVR functionality. I generally agree that PS Vue is the superior service. However, limited platform availability (Amazon Fire TV or Playstations) and what I’d call more of a catch-up service than a true “DVR” (given only 28 days of recording availability) might not meet everyone’s needs. In fact, if I weren’t invested in TiVo hardware, I’d likely cut the cord with Tablo for OTA DVR functionality and out-of-home streaming plus Sling TV and commercial-free Hulu with Roku endpoints. And therein lies the beauty of the current landscape. Yeah, things are still in flux (including content licensing). But we have several solid options to customize our own entertainment packages. Even the cable providers are getting in on the action.
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Disclosure: I've got an advertising relationship with Tablo, which consists of the banner you see in the sidebar. Sadly, that doesn't get me advanced access to their incoming Apple TV app. ;)
Just checked out PS Vue - much more impressive channel lineup than Sling TV (which I thought had the worst interface imaginable)! Now, if only Tivo would add a PS Vue app to my Roamio. May have to buy a Fire TV Stick and try this.
Stay away from the Fire TV Stick until it's refreshed (or get the full Fire TV when it's on sale for $85). It's really under powered.
Just saw a commercial for Vue watching the Thunder/Warriors game 7. Pulled it up on my iPad but it looks like CBS and ABC networks are not available under Vue? I only saw FOX and NBC. Not having the two top Networks makes this look more like an experiment and a deal breaker. And you still need to pay cable for the Internet connection. :(