Comcast/XFINITY customers, could lose Big Ten football
August 10th, 2018 at 9:44 AM ^
This was originally NOT one big run-on sentence! Still not able to edit posts? (Damn it- there, not their)
PS: Regardless of whether this is just Comcast way of trying to extract lower rate compensation from the B1G or sincerely their intent... it would behoove us all to call and strengthen the B1G's hand in negotiations.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:44 AM ^
How do people like youtubeTV? I am on the trial right now and like it a lot but realize there are limitations, like no surround sound.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:47 AM ^
I just posted a thread earlier this week around cutting the cord and the unanimous feedback seemed to be in support of YoutTube TV or Playstation Vue.
August 10th, 2018 at 11:21 AM ^
I thought that thread was about cutting the chord.
August 10th, 2018 at 2:19 PM ^
Yes. I’ve had both and they are both very good. I have decided youtube tv is best for me because it offers streaming for all locals, and psvue did not. I did like PSvue and I would recommend it as a quality service. I don’t think you can go wrong with either one. Just try out both and figure out which one works best for you.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:48 AM ^
It is great - highly recommend
August 10th, 2018 at 9:49 AM ^
So far I have liked it. I had family over last night, and we had a preseason football game on in the background, and while we weren't really paying attention, I noticed that it streamed with perfect HD the entire two hours it was on. I had Playstation VUE when it first came out but realized that would not be an option for me because I could not watch the local channels live. I am not sure if this has changed since it has been about two years since then. A buddy of mine told me that Hulu Live does not offer live local channels either, but I can't confirm this.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^
I get the local channels with ps vue in Metro Detroit area currently.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^
I can also confirm that PSVue does carry local channels in Detroit and many other metropolitan areas.
Comcast sucks and I wish I had an alternative for Internet outside of Uverse.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:51 AM ^
I love it. Went from Direct TV and a $180/month bill to $40/month and Cant think of one program I've missed.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:51 AM ^
Very impressive. Totally worth it.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:59 AM ^
A+. Great channel lineup, picture quality and interface at a low cost, with a bunch of options for how to watch TV. I use an Xbox One and a Chromecast.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^
Another thumbs up for Youtube TV. It's worked great for me.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:09 AM ^
I love YouTube TV so far.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^
DirecTv has promotion going on now. You get 30 off of your bill for first three months. Probably worth giving it a try too.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:43 AM ^
Also just made switch to YouTube TV.
Very happy so far. Unlimited DVR, can stream up to 3 devices at one time.
You can share the account with others also (probably impractical to have more than 3 people due to simultaneous stream limit). They sign up through their own YouTube account though and each person maintains their own unlimited DVR/profile.
Of note, 'live' TV is about 30-40s behind.
August 10th, 2018 at 11:17 AM ^
I really like it. But as heads up, they did lose service during the World Cup semis. So if they can lose service during that, they could lose service during say, The Game.
August 10th, 2018 at 11:31 AM ^
My mother in law is super proud of her hulu live; lots of a la cart options and she's all excited. Anyone who is a little... More, uh... Knowledgeable have any experience with it?
August 10th, 2018 at 12:24 PM ^
Hulu Live is outstanding, though definitely not in the same price point as the other a la carte options. You gain access to Hulu's entire media library, have a much more functional DVR (compared to PS Vue, whose DVR is fucking useless), can watch on a number of different devices simultaneously (unlike PS Vue, which binds you to one network and blacks out games outside of your home network) and have a lot more female-friendly channels (unlike YouTubeTV).
I have tried every service and would never change from Hulu, barring substantial price increases (running around $65 a month for all the add ons right now) or other services gaining access to more channels.
August 10th, 2018 at 1:54 PM ^
Thanks for the review!
August 10th, 2018 at 11:44 AM ^
I had YouYubeTV for a time.
1, use an Ethernet cable for your primary TV if possible instead of WiFi.
2, if you have kids who stream in HD a lot you will go over Comcast's data limits and get hit with more fees or costs. YouTube TV might not save you money if Comcast charges you more for internet only and then adds on more costs for going over their data limits.
3, it seems liked something often went wrong for a few minutes at a time. Comcast internet goes out on their end or mine, the YouTube TV app malfunctions, during a key world cup game the entire YouTube TV platform went under and I think their HD service doesn't have the same quality as satellite or cable.
I did like it, but with my kids doing so much online stuff I didn't want to pay Comcast an additional 50 bucks for unlimited data so I switched to Satellite so I could reduce our streaming data and not give Comcast another penny.
August 10th, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
Comcast has data limits? I just git Xfinity and I saw nothing about data limits.
August 10th, 2018 at 1:31 PM ^
They don't mention them when you sign up, but yes. 1024gb per month. It's not low like 250gb or anything.
August 10th, 2018 at 1:57 PM ^
Yes, part of the problem is my kids and wife not only constantly stream things from Netflix and YouTube, but they walk away and leave their devices streaming when nobody is watching. Throw in me watching the World Cup on YouTube TV and we went over that data limit.
For most people the limit won't be a problem, but if you have streaming kids you might go over.
August 10th, 2018 at 3:58 PM ^
Xfinity has what they call a "terabyte plan" as the default for their customers. You have 2 grace periods per calendar year where you can over the limit at no charge. It resets every year after that.
If you go over a 3rd time, you lose the grace period privilege and every time you go over, they charge you $10 per 50GB over, capped at $200. That means every time you go over, you get charged, even if it's 2 years later.
they do also have an unlimited plan which costs an extra $50 per month if you're a particularly heavy user.
This is my biggest concern with cutting the cord.
August 10th, 2018 at 5:04 PM ^
Streaming HD content eats up a lot of data when you have many users in the same house. If you have 2-3 users in the house you will probably be under their limit.
August 11th, 2018 at 8:23 AM ^
Is there a way to monitor how much data you are using with Xfinity? I have know idea how much my family is using and am wondering if we are close to that limit.
August 10th, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^
Worked well for me last year. Only gripe was recording past the end of games was a huge pain (no option to extend and no proper channel guide to see what was on next)
August 10th, 2018 at 1:58 PM ^
I have using youtube tv from the first day it became available in the Detroit area and it really is a great service. It sucks for the live game threads tho because the delay, but otherwise its the only service I have not had any issues with buffering during live games.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:46 AM ^
This is old news and there really hasn't been any updates to this story. As a result, I preemptively switched to Youtube TV and dropped the cable package. Unfortunately, I have to keep them as the internet provider because I live in Indiana in a place with no good internet options outside of Xfinity.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:52 AM ^
How does your monthly cost differ switching from Xfinity cable + hs internet to now using YouTube TV + Xfinity hs internet?
August 10th, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^
Right now - it's hard to say. Comcast has a deal going (in the SouthEast at least) of 150 Mbps, 140+ channels, plus HBO®, SHOWTIME®, and CINEMAX® included for 12 months for $69.99/month. You'd have to add the sports package which is +$10 (but I've always been able to argue for +$5). That's pretty hard to beat.
I'm holding out on what happens with BTN, but the other option would be just Comcast internet of 150 Mbps for $44.99/mo (or 250 Mbps for $59.99/mo) + YoutubeTV for $40/mo.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:47 AM ^
If your area has WOW, your good. I have it, its cheaper and customer service is actually pretty good. That's a shitty thing to do to customers this close to football season....They are about to lose a lot of customers for sure.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:51 AM ^
I actually already bitched Comcast out in May when this story first appear, telling them that there are only a few reasons I still even deal with them, that this was one of them, and dropping BTN would probably put me over the edge. I did get Showtime for six months after I was finished swearing and a nice two-year discount on my service, but I guess I could be persuaded to relive this same rant again.
August 10th, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^
PlayStation Vue.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:00 AM ^
I moved to DirecTV Now a few months back and love it! They just added NFL Network a couple weeks ago and now they have all sports channels. Cable companies can no longer hold their customers hostage with so many alternatives out there now.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:00 AM ^
My Comcast bill increased again this month so I called and told them I wanted to drop the TV service. They did not put up a fight or offer me a better deal, so I dropped it. Of course they jacked up my internet price and told me I was not eligible for their "new customer" offer. So now I'm paying about $90 per month for internet only. Comcast knows they're in a tough position with all the cord cutting and is making a play to be dominant as an ISP (my opinion). In the meantime they are putting the screws to their most loyal customers. Pricks!
I'm now in the process of searching for streaming services and will likely try out youtube TV. Then I will start looking for a new ISP. Comcast needs to pay a price for that little monopoly they've exploited at our expense. Bastards!
August 10th, 2018 at 11:31 AM ^
Yep Comcast raised prices for internet only services and then caps your data unless you pay another $50 a month in case you stream too much in their eyes.
August 10th, 2018 at 12:16 PM ^
Look into wireless internet. 90 bucks a month just for internet is highway robbery.
August 10th, 2018 at 1:19 PM ^
The key to negotiating with them is to have to other offers from competitors handy. Yesterday Comcast's best deal for me was 25 mbps+ HBO for $80 until I brought up an ATT offer and now I have 60mbps (its just me and I dont game) + HBO+ Cinemax for $50 after taxes.
My parents are paying $100 for some slow ass internet that can't stream HD plus there wall phone. I looked and Spectrum would give them TV+100 mbps + phone for $90 plus taxes. Loyalty doesn't matter here, you need to go to war for a reasonable choice. These guys are the used car salesmen of utilities.
August 10th, 2018 at 7:17 PM ^
Grab your routers and take them into the Comcast store and disconnect. The same rep who disconnects you will be more than happy to sign you up as a new customer at a much lower price (they get spiffed for signing up new customers).
August 10th, 2018 at 10:07 AM ^
It’s awesome. I would highly recommend it for sports too, as you get all the major networks you need.
This was in response to the YouTube TV inquiry above, didn’t reply in the correct place.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^
I got conned into signing a contract with Comcast. Didn't realize the shady reseller guy who called me to give me a "better" deal was actually locking me in for two years at $10 more a month. Anybody ever have luck talking them into a different deal if you've got 24 months hanging over you? Can I stay with them for internet only and not have to pay the huge fine for breaking a contract?
August 10th, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^
Comcast/Xfinity did something similar but more shady to me after I locked in 2 years at a supposed reduced rate. Actually have the email that shows the lower rate and how it was calculated. Then when my bill came it was much higher...Surprise! After bitching for weeks they finally just told me the discount I was quoted was a mistake and I was pretty well screwed. I ended up dropping HBO to keep the bill down and they gave me a credit to account for the one month. I ended up with 3 months of Showtime for my troubles. If I had another viable ISP in Grand Rapids I would've dropped them years ago.
As to your situation/question, if you want to use them for net only they charge a premium to do so. I use them for a basic package + net for around $92/mo. It would probably cost me ~$75-80 for net only.
You can try and negotiate a different deal but I'm getting the sense that they aren't doing as much of that anymore given the amount of people dropping TV service. Never know.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:29 AM ^
If you have the actual email then I would've reported this to the cable charters that manage this shit for the government. That would've almost certainly been fixed.
August 10th, 2018 at 11:10 AM ^
I have Xfinity/Comcast HSD Performance Plus/Blast Internet. I only pay for internet (no phone or tv services bundled in) and I pay $39.99/month. I have PS Vue and live in Ann Arbor. Currently paying $45/mo for PS Vue and they upgraded me for free to their Elite package since I was an existing customer when they increased their rate in July.
I had to finagle the Comcast sales rep to get this rate and threaten to leave for AT&T's internet service but I got the sweet promo rate that way and I'll do the same thing when it expires.
I use a Roku 4 box to stream everything and couldn't be happier. I like the built-in free DVR with PS Vue - makes things really convenient to use.
I also bought my own cable modem and router. If you're going the streaming route, that's a smart way to go. You can get a far superior router (faster speed than the POS modem/router combo that Comcast will rent to you for $10/mo and this will lower your monthly bill as well.) It was well worth the investment and research I put into this two years ago when we cut the cord.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^
I have Comcast's 25Mbps internet for $19.99/month, and DirecTVNow (with 3 month promotional pricing) for $10/month. I have rarely had any trouble with my internet, but DirecTVNow dropped local channels a few months ago, and they are still not back. They have horrible customer service (only option is chat), and keep telling me that they will fix it "very soon". It's a bunch of bullshit, but for $10/month, I guess I can't complain too much, and I have my parent's AT&T UVerse login for the football season.
I've used PSVue and YouTubeTV, and if I had to pay for full price streaming TV, I would go with PSVue. Both options are good, but YouTubeTV does not have an app for the Amazon Firestick, so that would tip me towards PSVue.
August 10th, 2018 at 10:16 AM ^
I chatted with them via messaging on their website after media days, the person basically said that they are negotiating and it wouldn’t be dropped. I can’t imagine this low level employee had an inside scoop. But that’s what she said. Comcast is included in my townhouse association and I don’t want to pay for tv twice, I hope they get their heads out of their asses
August 10th, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^
Anyone have experience with fios? Was already on the fence cuz my internet has been terrible with comcast
August 10th, 2018 at 11:13 AM ^
Fios was a decent experience when we had it in NJ. Fast and reliable but it was expensive to install (see if you can get a deal on that part) and they had weird extras that they would charge you a lot for, like a battery backup that cost (IIRC) $150 or something crazy like that. If you're looking to get them, bid them against your comcast pricing or against comcast's best promo and you should get a good deal.