Cutting the Cord and PS Vue
/TLTR (too long to read): Brief Synopsis
We had planned to cut the cord for a long time, but was very apprehensive. In the end, we are so glad we did. Took some getting used to as the DVR functions differently, apps on streaming devices load slower than a cable box and there may be some buffering issues at times (pretty rare), but we quickly adapted and still happy we made the move.
Biggest downsides would be the speed at which you get to a show/TV station (have to choose/open app first) and more importantly and probably the biggest downside is the DVR doesn’t function the same (you can’t record on demand such as hitting record when in the middle of a previously aired show).
We chose PS Vue over Sling for one main reason…the TLC channel. Many other reviewers have stated the lack of TLC on Sling was why they chose PS Vue as well. Probably the biggest benefit of PS Vue is the ability to use it like a cable provider login to watch channels online or on the apps on the streaming device requiring a login.
Would recommend a hardwired (Ethernet) streaming device in the room you watch TV the most if possible (living room/family room).
Detailed Post:
Cutting the cord and finally letting go of cable can be challenging. I have attempted to cut the cord several times over the past few years and something has always held me back. Whether it was the need of an external antenna, streaming options being limited or the lack of a DVR, there just always seemed to be something to prevent me from cutting the cord and ditching cable. When I realized I would only be saving $30-$50 a month, it just didn't seem worth the hassle. Well, times have changed and I finally cut the cord. I ditched cable and I can't be happier. Of course there are some compromises you have to make, which we will cover in this post along with my thoughts of PS Vue and why we chose it over Sling and Hulu. Roku and Amazon Fire streaming devices will briefly be mentioned in this post, but a more comparison and review of them will be in a separate post.
It may be helpful to understand what type of family we are when it comes to TV. It's easy for families that aren't really in to TV to ditch cable and sometimes when I would watch the "cord cutter" videos, I often wondered if they were casual TV watchers or a TV addict like myself. Well, my wife and I are definitely TV junkies. I have trimmed down the list of shows I "have" to watch over the years due to feeling like I often had a 2nd job to make sure I kept up with all the shows. Plus, I got tired of getting in to a show just to have it get canceled, so I have become picky with shows over time. Even with less shows on the must watch list, I still LOVE to watch TV and can always find something on. When I met my wife, she wasn't really in to TV. After living with me for a few years, that has all changed. She is actually addicted to TV more than I am and was very skeptical about cutting cable. Now that you know we are TV junkies, let's continue...
At least twice before I had planned to cut the cord and ditch cable, but there was always something that pulled me back. The first time, I was in an apartment and wasn't able to pick up local stations with an HD antenna. At the time, there were no streaming options with local stations, so that was a deal breaker. That was probably around 2011. Fast forward to 2016. Our cable company raised our rates an extra $80 a month, so I was thinking it was finally time to cut the cord. We did a trial of PS Vue and there were some definite issues. The DVR option wasn't very good and either PS Vue or our internet wasn't stable. We weren't happy with the signal constantly going out, so we were definitely skeptical. When I thought about the hassles involved and figured out the cost difference between a PS Vue subscription and cable would only be about $30-$40 a month, I was very hesitant to cut the cord. I was still on board with it, but I also knew when I called to cancel cable they would try to talk us into staying. I told myself if they reduced the price to what it was prior to the price hike, we would stay,. This is exactly what happened, so the cord cutting was on hold.
Fast forward a year later to 2017. When our cable provider lowered our bill back to the original cost, I asked if it was a limited time deal. I was told it wasn't a promotional offer. Either I wasn't told the truth or something changed, because several months later we received another letter in the mail. This time, the cable bill was going up at least $90 a month. Now the price difference between using a service like Sling TV or PS Vue was about $50 a month. I was pretty irritated about the price hike and now that the price difference was substantial, so I was dead set on cutting cable. The first thing I did was research streaming options to see what had changed from the last time I researched them. A lot had changed in a year. There were now more options, the quality and stability had improved and all of them had DVR options. After all my research, I ended up narrowing down all the options to just 2. Sling TV and PS Vue.
Although it takes some time, I do recommend doing a little planning/research. Each option has a free trial, but why waste time if you know it won't meet your family's needs. I made a list of the shows we couldn't live with out. This led me to listing the channels we couldn't live without. Although I was leaning towards Sling TV, there was one channel my wife really wanted (TLC). She liked a lot of shows on TLC and unfortunately, that channel wasn't offered on Sling TV. Actually, a lot of reviews I read online most people said the same thing. They didn't sign up for Sling TV due to them not carrying TLC. That led us to giving PS Vue another try to see if it had improved since the last time we used it. One of the major benefits of PS Vue is being able to use your log-in as a cable provider log-in. This means you can go to the website of your favorite network and log-in to watch shows. I haven't tried it yet, but assume it would also work on the various apps for networks as well as the apps within Roku that require a cable provider log-in. One thing doing this research/planning helped me realize is we only watch 15-20 stations. When you see cable has 200+ stations and streaming services have 30-40, it may scare you a bit. Don't get discouraged though. I think when you and your family discuss the shows they really want, you will probably find out they are on less than 50 stations. Why pay more for 150+ stations you don't ever watch?
We tried PS Vue for a week and we didn't have any issues. My wife was still leery and wasn't sure if we could go through with cutting cable, so figured it would be best to pay for a month and give it a couple more weeks before calling to cancel cable. It just so happened the winter Olympics were on during this time, so it was a great test for live TV. We ended up using PS Vue for about 3 weeks before I finally made the call to our cable provider. Of course they attempted to keep us, but in the end I said I was tired of doing the dance every few months. I said I just didn't have the time or energy to call back once the "deal" expired to go through all of this once again. They had a streaming option, but it was very limited compared to all the other options available.
We have now been free of cable for a while and we aren't missing it at all. There are some compromises of course, but in the end it's worth it. For reference purposes, our set-up consists of a hardwired (ethernet connected) Roku in our living room, a wireless Roku streaming stick in a different room and an Amazon 4k Fire stick (bought mid 2018). We use PS Vue and Amazon Prime on both devices. Here are a few of the compromises or things you should keep in mind:
Switching channels on a streaming service, like PS Vue, is not as fast as it was on cable. This could be due to PS Vue or using PS Vue on a Roku, but believe it’s more about the device saving some content for replay/rewind purposes. Either way, it takes about 15-30 seconds before the show starts.
There are times where buffering occurs when watching live TV (such as PS Vue). My biggest suggestion would be get a hardwired streaming device for the room you watch TV the most (living room/family room). On a hardwired (Ethernet) streaming device, we have only experienced buffering maybe 1 or 2 times over the past 6+ months. On our wireless streaming devices (Roku and Amazon Fire), we have experienced it more often. It's not a big deal, but it is worth noting since you don't experience buffering on cable. I can only speak about PS Vue, but would assume other live TV services may have similar issues. Have never had the issue when watching On-Demand shows such as Amazon Prime or on-demand shows on PS Vue.
DVR functions differently on a streaming service than it does on cable. You can record new shows on PS Vue for example if they are in your favorites list, but you cannot record shows on demand. For example, if you are in the middle of a show or one not on your favorites list already set to record, you can’t just hit record to DVR the remainder of the show. Likewise, if you look at the guide and there is a show coming on in the future that is older, you can’t click the show and click record for it to be recorded to watch later. Even if it is on your favorites list, it won’t be recorded as it is older (at the time of this writing). The only way to watch older shows or ones not recorded due to not being on your favorites list at the time they aired with PS Vue is if the show is On Demand later or you could use your PS Vue to log into the station’s website and see if it is available to watch. Not being able to record shows on demand is probably the biggest compromise as there are many times we have wanted to just hit record in the middle of a show when need to leave and have become interested/invested in the outcome.
There have been times with PS Vue where some of our “DVR’d” (or saved shows) have not played. At times (probably 4-5 times over 6-8 months) a show had saved, but when attempting to re-watch it we have received an error. A couple times we were able to search for the show and watch the “On Demand” version instead of the “DVR” option. A couple other times we had to use our PS Vue login and watch the show on the station’s website. It is definitely an issue that has happened a few times to us.
Streaming options usually don't include music stations like you have on cable. I think some streaming options may have music stations, but that wasn't something I paid attention to in my research. Roku has some music apps, but we have Sonos so again wasn't something I focused on. If you often use the music stations/channels on cable, remember to check the various streaming options or apps available on streaming devices (i.e. Roku) to find alternatives.
If your internet goes out, so does your TV service. When you have normal cable service, there are times when your internet may go out, but your cable service (TV) still works (or vice versa). When cutting cable, no internet means no TV. If you install an over-the-air antenna, you can avoid losing all TV if your internet goes down though.
There are less stations. Although we usually find something to watch on the 15-20 stations we receive (we don't mind watching re-runs on HGTV, Food Network, or ID), less stations does mean less options. We avoid this by adding shows to "My Shows" on PS Vue. This will "DVR" shows for 29 days, so if there isn't anything on live TV, we look in our shows and can run something on demand. If that fails, we switch over to Amazon Prime and find something there. Getting an additional cheap service, like Netflix, can be another way to get by with less stations. Another option is the various apps you can find on Roku or other streaming devices. Again, not a big deal, but something to make note of since we are talking about compromises.
One thing to keep in mind is there will be a learning curve. You will have to learn a new user interface, guide system, etc. Not a big deal, but for some people learning a new user interface can be a challenge. It isn’t as easy as just turning on the TV and flipping through the guide as you will need to choose what app you want to use on the streaming device you chose first. If you have a live streaming service, you will often have a guide. But if using Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. you will have to search for something to watch, which again isn’t simply switching on your TV and searching the guide for something to watch.
Cutting the cord and ditching cable can be scary for a lot of people. I have wanted to do it for years, but always found a "reason" (more like excuses) not to follow through. Now that we cut cable, I wish we would have done it years ago and this is coming from a couple of TV addicts.
Streaming device tips:
If you are worried about buffering interruptions, as stated earlier, would definitely suggest looking for a streaming device with a wired ethernet connection for the room you watch TV the most. If you are looking at buying multiple devices, possibly buy a wireless option to test first and if it doesn’t meet your needs in the main family room, you can shift it to one of the lesser used rooms.
Due to the cost of the streaming devices, we have a wired ethernet one for our main living room, then less, expensive wireless devices in the other rooms where we don’t watch TV in as much.