Cutting the COX Cable cord.....

[mkjeeves]

Time to quit procrastinating, I suppose. I ordered a Chromecast yesterday to get content from my windows PCs to the TV. Have a TIVO premier with lifetime license I think I can still use without cable and with an antenna and it ports Amazon, Netflix, Youtube, Hulu and stuff. I unplugged my Roku when I got it because the TIVO did everything the ROKU did. Already have an Amazon Prime and a Netflix account. I watch Palladia sometimes and it looks like I'll have to give that up. Can't find any other way to stream it. No biggie. I have an antenna in the garage connected to a TV in the storm shelter and it works well. The garage is detached so I'll add one in the house. My wife is much more attached to the TV than I am. I'll have to get it set up, get her on board and migrate over.

[okatty]

Has anyone else been having issues with Cox freezing up or the box locking up? I have the 2 tuner DVR. I talked to a Cox tech last night who recommended i take the box in and switch out - related question, is it worth upgrading to the 6 channel DVR? See some negative reviews on those posted here and there. Thanks.

[SoonerDave]

Has anyone else been having issues with Cox freezing up or the box locking up? I have the 2 tuner DVR. I talked to a Cox tech last night who recommended i take the box in and switch out - related question, is it worth upgrading to the 6 channel DVR? See some negative reviews on those posted here and there. Thanks.

When your cable box is freezing up like that, the first thing they normally suggest do is set up a truck roll and measure signal strength to the box. Low signal can make those boxes act all kinds of crazy.

Second, less likely possibility is that the hard drive is going south. If they already told you to take it in and swap it, go for it - especially if you have one of the older Scientific Atlanta 8340 (I think that's the number). Those are getting really old and a bunch are on their umpteenth recycle. Also, when the FCC and the broadcasters get their stuff together either sometime this year or early next, the whole world of set top boxes is going to change. New specs and software coming out that will let things like XBOX One's and even PS3/PS4's serve as the "set top" to dish out digital content off the cablemodem.

If you want whole-home DVR, unfortunately, paying Cox the blood money right now is about your only hope *until* some of these new setups start to hit the mainstream. Right now, Cox slaps DRM on just about everything other than local channels, so third-party solutions like Kodi or Mythserver are of limited use.

If you want a tastes of what's coming in the world of set top boxes, google up "Vidipath". Going to be a really different media world in the next year or two.

[okatty]

Ok, thanks for the info. It started this a couple days ago and then last night trying to watch the Cubs game was driving me nuts! I think I will trade out the box - it's probably over a year old at least.

[Thomas Vu]

I'd rather pay Cox than ATT

[Urban Pioneer]

I thought I would follow up my posts from April of this year on the previous page.

Uverse has worked continuously at our house, without any type of interruption since it was installed. For those who do not want to read back, we live in a relatively new neighborhood that has fiber optic wiring installed parallel to the sidewalk back to a neighborhood "node". It is "true" Uverse. Not all Uverse is equal. AT&T came, trenched, and buried a fiber optic cable from the sidewalk run up to the side of our house.

The physical technology is vastly superior to Cox's typical boxes. The Uverse remote app works great. We can record four programs at once. Also, the cost is about $30.00 cheaper than what we had been paying for cable service through Cox.

DirecTV is very similar to AT&T in terms of some of the interior equipment, user interface, and app. With AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV, expect them to press forward using the dish in lieu of areas where fiber is not available. They will probably also call these packages "Uverse". DirecTV is a solid solution as well. We have had only problems with that service during heavy rainstorms and dense cloud cover. I would recommend having a digital antennae paired with your TV's for local weather information when these sorts in case blackouts occur.

With all that stated, I think Cox has caught on to the fact that they need to reinvest in their technology. They are starting to improve although they have not caught up yet imhop. The thing that I hated the most about Cox, was the fact that they would incrementally jack our bill whenever they felt like it. Also, service work is primarily done by subcontractors, not actual Cox technicians. This has often been a headache for our company doing jobs. If we are lucky in getting a subcontractor with competence, properly trained, and a full truck of spare equipment, not a problem. Actual Cox engineers have been great to work with.

Cox still typically has the highest internet speeds in most areas and their CISCO cable modems typical work fine. Our company typically uses Apple for our routers.

AT&T is rapidly consolidating itself into a more holistic company. It has taken forever though.

[MadMonk]

Sorry for the wall of text. I need advice and think it best if you understand my setup.

Okay, so I'm on the verge of, but not yet committed to, cutting the cord. Here's my current setup:

Internet - AT&T Uverse - I get around 20-22Mbps download speeds. It has been very reliable in the 18 months or so I've had it and meets my needs well. Besides, Cox service is not available where I live and the only alternative is a horrible AtLink service.

Home phone - Bundled with Uverse. I plan on dropping this. The only reason I have it is because it was basically free for the first year after moving in and I've been too lazy to call them and cut it off. The only people who call me on it are sales/charity calls and my mother-in-law.

The Internet and home phone bundle now runs me around $100/month

TV - DirecTV with HD-DVR in living room, Genie master DVR unit in the master bedroom and two mini-Genies in kid's rooms that are hardly used. I also have a bonus/game room TV that I've only hooked up an antenna and an Xbox360 and PS3 to.

Satellite runs me around $130/month with all the DVRs, additional boxes, and HD services

I plan on cutting out home phone and satellite, but keeping my U-verse Internet

I have a smart tv in the living room that has apps for Netflix and Amazon Prime that work fine, but I need a way to DVR the OTA broadcasts coming from the antenna. I'm looking at a Channel Master setup for this, but it's pricey. I've also considered Roamio.

The bonus/game room TV will be fine with OTA and streaming Netflix/Amazon - no change needed here.
Master bedroom - I have an Amazon Fire Stick that I use to stream Netflix & Amazon, but I'd like to be able to DVR an OTA signal here as well.
Kid's TVs - Couldn't care less - they can live with OTA and attached DVD players.

My issues - sports. This is the best time of year for sports (for me), with baseball playoff, World Series, college football, NFL football and soon the NBA. I would REALLY miss ESPN, Fox Sports 1, and the Fox Sports Southwest channels this time of year.

I haven't spoken with AT&T or DirecTV yet, so I'm not sure what sort of deal they'll offer me to keep my service or to adjust to something like an Internet and TV bundle. I am currently under no contract commitment for anything other than my cellphone accounts (with AT&T).

With all of that said, how do my prospects look? I'm thinking that if I can get the Internet and TV bundled somehow, with a decent price, (especially since AT&T now owns DirecTV), I'll stick with my current or similar setup (but definitely drop home phone and probably reduce the number of sat boxes). Otherwise, I'm considering cutting off everything except Internet and testing the cable-cutting waters. No big deal as I could always call them back and re-establish service.

[okatty]

I thought I would follow up my posts from April of this year on the previous page.

Uverse has worked continuously at our house, without any type of interruption since it was installed. For those who do not want to read back, we live in a relatively new neighborhood that has fiber optic wiring installed parallel to the sidewalk back to a neighborhood "node". It is "true" Uverse. Not all Uverse is equal. AT&T came, trenched, and buried a fiber optic cable from the sidewalk run up to the side of our house.

The physical technology is vastly superior to Cox's typical boxes. The Uverse remote app works great. We can record four programs at once. Also, the cost is about $30.00 cheaper than what we had been paying for cable service through Cox.

DirecTV is very similar to AT&T in terms of some of the interior equipment, user interface, and app. With AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV, expect them to press forward using the dish in lieu of areas where fiber is not available. They will probably also call these packages "Uverse". DirecTV is a solid solution as well. We have had only problems with that service during heavy rainstorms and dense cloud cover. I would recommend having a digital antennae paired with your TV's for local weather information when these sorts in case blackouts occur.

With all that stated, I think Cox has caught on to the fact that they need to reinvest in their technology. They are starting to improve although they have not caught up yet imhop. The thing that I hated the most about Cox, was the fact that they would incrementally jack our bill whenever they felt like it. Also, service work is primarily done by subcontractors, not actual Cox technicians. This has often been a headache for our company doing jobs. If we are lucky in getting a subcontractor with competence, properly trained, and a full truck of spare equipment, not a problem. Actual Cox engineers have been great to work with.

Cox still typically has the highest internet speeds in most areas and their CISCO cable modems typical work fine. Our company typically uses Apple for our routers.

AT&T is rapidly consolidating itself into a more holistic company. It has taken forever though.

I held off on Uverse because of the prior posts and fact that it was noted not all Uverse is the same. I did what you had suggested and went out and talked to a Uverse installer I saw on the street and he confirmed that it fiber optic to the street box (or whatever it is called). But I understood him to say it would not be taken to the house. Does that sound right to you?

[zookeeper]

Sorry for the wall of text. I need advice and think it best if you understand my setup.

Okay, so I'm on the verge of, but not yet committed to, cutting the cord. Here's my current setup:

Internet - AT&T Uverse - I get around 20-22Mbps download speeds. It has been very reliable in the 18 months or so I've had it and meets my needs well. Besides, Cox service is not available where I live and the only alternative is a horrible AtLink service.

Home phone - Bundled with Uverse. I plan on dropping this. The only reason I have it is because it was basically free for the first year after moving in and I've been too lazy to call them and cut it off. The only people who call me on it are sales/charity calls and my mother-in-law.

The Internet and home phone bundle now runs me around $100/month

TV - DirecTV with HD-DVR in living room, Genie master DVR unit in the master bedroom and two mini-Genies in kid's rooms that are hardly used. I also have a bonus/game room TV that I've only hooked up an antenna and an Xbox360 and PS3 to.

Satellite runs me around $130/month with all the DVRs, additional boxes, and HD services

I plan on cutting out home phone and satellite, but keeping my U-verse Internet

I have a smart tv in the living room that has apps for Netflix and Amazon Prime that work fine, but I need a way to DVR the OTA broadcasts coming from the antenna. I'm looking at a Channel Master setup for this, but it's pricey. I've also considered Roamio.

The bonus/game room TV will be fine with OTA and streaming Netflix/Amazon - no change needed here.
Master bedroom - I have an Amazon Fire Stick that I use to stream Netflix & Amazon, but I'd like to be able to DVR an OTA signal here as well.
Kid's TVs - Couldn't care less - they can live with OTA and attached DVD players.

My issues - sports. This is the best time of year for sports (for me), with baseball playoff, World Series, college football, NFL football and soon the NBA. I would REALLY miss ESPN, Fox Sports 1, and the Fox Sports Southwest channels this time of year.

I haven't spoken with AT&T or DirecTV yet, so I'm not sure what sort of deal they'll offer me to keep my service or to adjust to something like an Internet and TV bundle. I am currently under no contract commitment for anything other than my cellphone accounts (with AT&T).

With all of that said, how do my prospects look? I'm thinking that if I can get the Internet and TV bundled somehow, with a decent price, (especially since AT&T now owns DirecTV), I'll stick with my current or similar setup (but definitely drop home phone and probably reduce the number of sat boxes). Otherwise, I'm considering cutting off everything except Internet and testing the cable-cutting waters. No big deal as I could always call them back and re-establish service.

You're paying a lot for the speeds you mentioned. Keep in mind, the phone is practically a freebie these days. Lots of ways to get free (or very minimal charges) telephone service. So, essentially you're paying $100 for 20-22 Mbps download speeds. I understand Cox isn't an option, but to give you an idea, the 150 Mbps service is $90. I pay $65 for 100 Mbps (but usually get around 70-75) for that price.

Netflix - $9
Amazon Prime Videos - free because I use Prime anyway
Hulu - $8
Sling - $20

I love Sling. It's the only way to get ESPN without cable or satellite. Here's what I get for $20 with Sling.



Pay an extra $5 and you get all of the above plus the EPIX movie channels and Turner Classic Movies.
There are a few other little mini packages for $5 extra if you want them and then an extra $15 for HBO.

But the basic package gives you ESPN and ESPN2, CNN and Bloomberg for news, and everything in the basic package above.

So, Netflix, Hulu, and Sling cost me $36 a month.
A lot of PBS is online free after broadcast.

Oh, and Roku gives you access to tons of channels and entertainment. (Sling is available as a paid Roku channel as well ).

I think you're going in the right direction!

[MadMonk]

Yeah, unfortunately, I don't have any higher internet speeds available to me at this time. I spoke with AT&T and if I remove phone service, and just go with internet, my bill is $57/month. Bundled with phone and another 1yr contract makes it $67/month. Bundle phone, internet and U-verse TV and the price is around $140/month (with 4 HD TVs connected - I really only need 3). I couldn't care less about the phone, but we've had this number for 20 years now and my wife is hesitant to let it go. I've almost convinced her.

I still need to call DirecTV and see what they can offer me to renew with them. I'm already paying for Netflix and Amazon Prime, so if I go with Internet only, I'll still be looking pretty good, especially with adding Sling. Maybe even Hulu. What do you get with Hulu that you don't get with either Amazon or Netflix?

[kelroy55]

You're paying a lot for the speeds you mentioned. Keep in mind, the phone is practically a freebie these days. Lots of ways to get free (or very minimal charges) telephone service. So, essentially you're paying $100 for 20-22 Mbps download speeds. I understand Cox isn't an option, but to give you an idea, the 150 Mbps service is $90. I pay $65 for 100 Mbps (but usually get around 70-75) for that price.

Netflix - $9
Amazon Prime Videos - free because I use Prime anyway
Hulu - $8
Sling - $20

I love Sling. It's the only way to get ESPN without cable or satellite. Here's what I get for $20 with Sling.



Pay an extra $5 and you get all of the above plus the EPIX movie channels and Turner Classic Movies.
There are a few other little mini packages for $5 extra if you want them and then an extra $15 for HBO.

But the basic package gives you ESPN and ESPN2, CNN and Bloomberg for news, and everything in the basic package above.

So, Netflix, Hulu, and Sling cost me $36 a month.
A lot of PBS is online free after broadcast.

Oh, and Roku gives you access to tons of channels and entertainment. (Sling is available as a paid Roku channel as well ).

I think you're going in the right direction!

I cut the cord several months ago and don't miss it a bit. Between my Roku with Netflix, Amazon Prime and Sling I don't miss a thing. I'm a little perterbed with Sling on the Roku because it doesn't like the ESPN, won't load it but it loads fine on my laptop just using Sling.

[Thomas Vu]

Maybe worth nothing, DirectTV=AT&T

[zookeeper]

Yeah, unfortunately, I don't have any higher internet speeds available to me at this time. I spoke with AT&T and if I remove phone service, and just go with internet, my bill is $57/month. Bundled with phone and another 1yr contract makes it $67/month. Bundle phone, internet and U-verse TV and the price is around $140/month (with 4 HD TVs connected - I really only need 3). I couldn't care less about the phone, but we've had this number for 20 years now and my wife is hesitant to let it go. I've almost convinced her.

I still need to call DirecTV and see what they can offer me to renew with them. I'm already paying for Netflix and Amazon Prime, so if I go with Internet only, I'll still be looking pretty good, especially with adding Sling. Maybe even Hulu. What do you get with Hulu that you don't get with either Amazon or Netflix?

Hulu is basically network television programming from ABC and NBC and a smattering of classics, etc. If you like any of that network programming, Hulu is a must, unless you can watch it live over the air. It's the one I could take it or leave it, frankly.

[trousers]

If you dig deep Hulu has some good finds. Check out their list of Criterion movies.
https://www.criterion.com/hulu

[zookeeper]

If you dig deep Hulu has some good finds. Check out their list of Criterion movies.
https://www.criterion.com/hulu

Yes! Completely forgot about that.

Along the same line, another service that is fun is the Warner Brothers Archive streaming service called "WB Archive Instant." Lots of stuff you can't find anywhere else. $10 a month and there are worse ways to spend $2.50 a week. It's now also one of the available paid services on the Roku.
Watch Rare and Hard-to-Find Movies and TV Online | Warner Archive Instant

[MadMonk]

After speaking with DirecTV, I'm leaning toward just going with a U-verse bundle of internet and TV with 3 TV hookups. I've been wanting to try out U-verse TV and DirecTV really didn't have much to offer in terms of incentives to stay - not anywhere close to what I can get with U-verse. I'll still be saving over $100/month over my current expense and not disrupting things too much; and it's just a 1-yr commitment so if I end up hating it, I'm not stuck for too long, and the early-term fees are prorated. At the end of this commitment, I can always re-evaluate and see how things look for cutting the cord completely.

[SoonerDave]

How technically adept are you? If you don't mind experimenting a bit, I've got suggestions for both TV and phone for ya...


OTA recordable digital TV

If you don't mind the technical investment, an OTA solution for DVR is MythTV paired with a Silicon Dust OTA networked digital tuner. You set up a "Myth Server" back end to record material off the tuner, then use either Kodi or MythTV as a front end to watch (stream) the recorded material anywhere you have a networked device, eg phone, computer or DLNA client, such as most latter-day networked BluRay players. SiliconDust even provides their own tuner/viewing software for Android devices, but *right now*, there's no DVR ability. But they're working on it

I have precisely this setup, except with the SiliconDust tuner paired with a Cable Card. In my specific setup, even with a proper subscription, It's mostly useless, however, because even with the CableCard, Cox slaps DRM crap on every non-local channel, meaning I can't record or watch anything except on a Windows Media Player box that has the corresponding DRM management software integrated - and that's few and far between, aside from PS3's and some Android clients. But for the OTA channels, it works superbly. That's why I think it would work for you.

It does take a modest amount of tech background to get it set up, and I won't bore with all the details here unless others are interested, but for people needing an OTA solution it's worth looking at.

Phone

Anyone with a decent internet connection should be running, not walking, away from paying for a service to support a long-term landline phone number. I bought a VOIP (voice over IP) interface box from Obi corporation for about $30, then ported my landline number (eventually) to Google and get free phone service through Google Voice. I've had this setup for about three years now, if memory serves. I'd be happy to post the steps here if anyone's interested. I've had a landline number for nearly 25 years that I didn't want to give up, and with this configuration, I didn't have to, and Google Voice gives me all kinds of tools to control spammers, block callers, do call forwarding, screening, the whole schmear. The only thing you need to set up and pay for is e911 service, which can be had for dirt cheap through several providers - and cheap means *maybe* $1/month all averaged out.

Anyway, that's the 10,000-ft tour. If anyone wants more details, I'll be happy to post more.

[Urban Pioneer]

I held off on Uverse because of the prior posts and fact that it was noted not all Uverse is the same. I did what you had suggested and went out and talked to a Uverse installer I saw on the street and he confirmed that it fiber optic to the street box (or whatever it is called). But I understood him to say it would not be taken to the house. Does that sound right to you?

Well, it is hard to say. There is fiber to the neighborhood node in our case. It sounds like he is saying the same for you. However, our neighborhood also had fiber running from that node parallel to the sidewalk underground to a cylindrical junction box. There is one of these for two houses. Once we made contract, they then came in with a trencher and buried fiber optic cable up to the house and mounted a converter. The preexisting Cat5E wire was used to provide the remaining leg.

It is possible in your case that it is fiber to the neighborhood node and then a copper pair to your house. If that is the case, then you are getting DSL. But if they are committing to putting your TV signal through this line as part of your Uverse package, then they must be using fiber for the majority of the distance.

I posted pictures of all of this on the previous page. Hope that helps. You might ask the dude again if you will be getting TV over the line. If yes, then your probably getting fiber.

We are very happy with the performance of this system compared to all previous cable and satellite experiences. And the price too.

[MadMonk]

How technically adept are you? If you don't mind experimenting a bit, I've got suggestions for both TV and phone for ya...
...

Phone

Anyone with a decent internet connection should be running, not walking, away from paying for a service to support a long-term landline phone number. I bought a VOIP (voice over IP) interface box from Obi corporation for about $30, then ported my landline number (eventually) to Google and get free phone service through Google Voice. I've had this setup for about three years now, if memory serves. I'd be happy to post the steps here if anyone's interested. I've had a landline number for nearly 25 years that I didn't want to give up, and with this configuration, I didn't have to, and Google Voice gives me all kinds of tools to control spammers, block callers, do call forwarding, screening, the whole schmear. The only thing you need to set up and pay for is e911 service, which can be had for dirt cheap through several providers - and cheap means *maybe* $1/month all averaged out.

Anyway, that's the 10,000-ft tour. If anyone wants more details, I'll be happy to post more.

I'm definitely interested in the details of the Obi solution for your home #. I have a Google Voice number as well and use it mostly for giving out for account setups, etc. My friends have my direct cell #. I love the call screening features!

*Edit* Did a little research and found a tutorial on how to do this. Pretty clever.
http://www.obihai.com/porttutorial

[okatty]

Well, it is hard to say. There is fiber to the neighborhood node in our case. It sounds like he is saying the same for you. However, our neighborhood also had fiber running from that node parallel to the sidewalk underground to a cylindrical junction box. There is one of these for two houses. Once we made contract, they then came in with a trencher and buried fiber optic cable up to the house and mounted a converter. The preexisting Cat5E wire was used to provide the remaining leg.

It is possible in your case that it is fiber to the neighborhood node and then a copper pair to your house. If that is the case, then you are getting DSL. But if they are committing to putting your TV signal through this line as part of your Uverse package, then they must be using fiber for the majority of the distance.

I posted pictures of all of this on the previous page. Hope that helps. You might ask the dude again if you will be getting TV over the line. If yes, then your probably getting fiber.

We are very happy with the performance of this system compared to all previous cable and satellite experiences. And the price too.

OK, thanks for the clarification. Will do more investigation. Cox is pretty dang expensive in my view for the Contour DVR, internet bundle!

[cxl144]

We bought a TV that had Roku built in. Relatively inexpensive one made by TCL for ~$350 for a 40". The unit can stream Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, PBS, YouTube and Spotify. Have an antenna for all the local channels that come in no problem just south of the Truck Stop District in WOKC. Have an Apple TV as well but it never gets turned on anymore. Between ipads, laptops and the tv we have no problem watching anything we want except for sporting events. Luckily we've saved so much money its actually cheaper to just attend the Thunder games in person. Total cost with everything including Cox Premier tier internet access is around $110 a month. Before the bill was over $250 a month and that was pure insanity.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Just for anyone passing by. Do not buy a "smart" TV. The apps will generally be abandoned in a year, slow and not fully featured. Get a Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV.

[SoonerDave]

Just for anyone passing by. Do not buy a "smart" TV. The apps will generally be abandoned in a year, slow and not fully featured. Get a Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV.

In general, yeah, I see where you're coming from, and to an extent agree, but not for the same reasons.

As the "Smart TV" firmware becomes more pervasive I think it will be come a greater attention of focus/support in the coming months/years. I've got a Panasonic BluRay player that's *at least* three years old, maybe even four, so I long-since passed any notion of support, but lo and behold about two weeks ago I get a notice for a firmware update.

That said, though, rather than individual manufacturers supporting more and more individual streaming apps, I think you're starting to see more manufacturers go to a "stable" suite of firmware that runs across a fairly broad swath of their devices, simplifying development and updates.

More broadly, however, as I noted earlier in this thread, I think a *lot* of changes are percolating with content providers and set-top devices such that things in the market are going to look significantly different over the next year. You're going to see third-party devices and gaming consoles start to have an increasingly important focus as a media hub that will consolidate all the content sources - including cable content. Wouldn't surprise me if in the next year or two that what we are used to as a "regular" set-top boxes/conventional DVR's, and cable cards will start to be phased out. Devices like XBox One's, PS3's, and PS4's will be the entertainment hub, even if you're not a "gamer." Devices that can support DLNA and DTCP-IP reflect at least a flashlight down the path where things are headed. Just a couple of months ago, Sony released a DLNA player for the PS4, although it does not support DTCP-IP for protected content. The PS3 version already does. A big update release for both of these consoles is expected just about anytime with even more support in this direction.

[okatty]

We bought a TV that had Roku built in. Relatively inexpensive one made by TCL for ~$350 for a 40". The unit can stream Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, PBS, YouTube and Spotify. Have an antenna for all the local channels that come in no problem just south of the Truck Stop District in WOKC. Have an Apple TV as well but it never gets turned on anymore. Between ipads, laptops and the tv we have no problem watching anything we want except for sporting events. Luckily we've saved so much money its actually cheaper to just attend the Thunder games in person. Total cost with everything including Cox Premier tier internet access is around $110 a month. Before the bill was over $250 a month and that was pure insanity.

We got a TCL as sort of a second TV and it's fantastic so far. Bought the 48 inch at Sam's and very impressed!

[Mike_M]

Just for anyone passing by. Do not buy a "smart" TV. The apps will generally be abandoned in a year, slow and not fully featured. Get a Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV.

Fully agreed. I got a Smart TV as a gift a few years ago and the apps are basically unusable now. I've tried updating and even did a factory reset and it's not any better. I've got a nice dumb TV and Chromecast in the bedroom and it's a 10x more enjoyable experience.

Finally pretty much solved the sports dilemma and decided to completely cut DirecTV. NFL and college basketball is mostly on regular TV, and if OU is playing a big game, it'll probably be on regular TV or at least ESPN, which I now get with SlingTV. And every game is in full HD and no commercials on Youtube less than 24 hours after the original game. I don't watch baseball so I just turn off Sling after the NBA finals and turn it back on in September or October depending on schedules. Slightly less access (probably 80% vs 100%), but I calculate savings of about $4-500 a year compared to DirecTV. Oh and I have Cox's cheapest internet package and almost never have streaming issues.