Cord Cutters

[Channel98]

I love that movie – but the ending made no sense. George Valentin and Peppy Miller (played by Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo) perform an elaborate dance number for a "talkie" film. (The actors filmed it in a single take, by the way.) The director tells them it was perfect.......and then asks if they want to do another take. "With pleasure," Valentin says. Why would they need to do another take if the first one was perfect?

Four years ago I was saddened by the news that Uggie, the cute little Jack Russell terrier in the movie, had to be euthanized because he had a prostate tumor. Uggie was every bit as good an actor as Dujardin and Bejo.

Uggie, the dog star of 'The Artist,' dies

Uggie dies: 'The Artist' dog had that intangible star quality

 

[memebag]

The Artist, 2012 Oscar Winner, is now available on The Roku Channel

To this day I hate that film with a fiery passion.

 

[MadisonRadio1]

I don't think they had very much money to make the movie.
I myself was rooting for The Descandants that year

 

[Channel98]

AT&T and DirecTV Now have been raising prices. AT&T and DirecTV Now have been losing subscribers. Wouldn't you think AT&T and DirecTV Now could see the connection?

AT&T Killing Off ‘DirecTV Now’ Name as It Launches AT&T TV Streaming Service

AT&T will retire the name of the "DirecTV Now" over-the-top TV service, which will be rebranded "AT&T TV Now."

variety.com

 

[memebag]

I'm thinking about switching from Comcast to AT&T. Comcast is now charging me $260/month for cable, internet and phone and their customer service is a joke.

 

[Wolf]

AT&T and DirecTV Now have been raising prices. AT&T and DirecTV Now have been losing subscribers. Wouldn't you think AT&T and DirecTV Now could see the connection?

AT&T Killing Off ‘DirecTV Now’ Name as It Launches AT&T TV Streaming Service

AT&T will retire the name of the "DirecTV Now" over-the-top TV service, which will be rebranded "AT&T TV Now."

variety.com

That has affected me and I'm getting tired of DirecTV Now. I received an email yesterday saying DirecTV Now being renamed to AT&T TV Now. But it still won't last long, they plan on getting rid of it down the road or merge it into another package like WarnerMedia, HBO Max launching sometime next year.

AT&T is also launching another TV package AT&T TV which is coming out by end of the year. AT&T TV: Live TV, DVR, On Demand, Apps & Voice Control

Either way, AT&T is destroying themselves and I might look at another cord-cutting provider soon. I'm hardly watching TV as much as I use to. I eliminated a lot of TV shows and doing a lot more stuff.

 

[scotchandcigar]

When I setup my home office, I moved my router up to our loft, which generally improved our wifi coverage throughout the house. However, my (now vintage) Panasonic plasma "smart" TV needed the router to be inches from the pathetic usb antenna provided. So when we recently tried to dial-up Netflix or Prime, it was a no-go. The usb wifi antenna is Panasonic specific, I can't just get a generic computer wifi adapter.

So I decided to get a wifi extender for our router, and place it right in back of the TV. But when I went to Best Buy, the cheapest one was $50, and the salesman recommended I just get a Roku or Fire TV stick for $30. I got the Fire TV stick, since we have Amazon Prime, and it couldn't be easier to setup. It's got a nice, simple smart remote too. So I'm back up and running with the streaming services.

 

[Channel98]

Combined, AT&T and DirecTV have lost 1,322,000 subscribers in the past six months. "Cord cutters" are switching to streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video. More competition is on the way: Disney+ launches in November and NBCUniversal Peacock launches in April. Maybe if AT&T and DirecTV didn't keep raising their prices and adding extra fees........nah, never mind. What was I thinking?

AT&T is reportedly considering selling DirecTV, but no deal is imminent

AT&T is considering selling DirecTV, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

www.cnbc.com

 

[Channel98]

Let this be a lesson to us all: Whenever you're going to die, notify DirecTV two years in advance.

DirecTV Charges Woman Early Termination Fee After She Dies at 102

 

[HecticArt]

What, do they think they are Verizon?

 

[scotchandcigar]

I don't think they're going to get their fee.

 

[Channel98]

DirecTV requires subscribers to pay for hundreds of channels they'll never watch. DirecTV charges a monthly $7 "regional sports fee." DirecTV charges a monthly $10 fee for HD channels. (Dish does not.) Every month, DirecTV charges sales tax on their receivers, even though customers do not own them. DirecTV offers low "introductory rates" that more than double after 12 months. Does anyone wonder why DirecTV is losing subscribers?

Will AT&T keep DirecTV? Pay-TV unit lost
1.2 million customers in third quarter.

Will AT&T keep DirecTV? Pay-TV unit lost 1.2 million customers in third quarter

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said DirecTV would be part of AT&T's strategy "for the next three years" but said he would "approach [DirecTV] with a fresh set of eyes."

www.latimes.com

 

[MadisonRadio1]

I received a memo several days ago, that PlayStation Vue is going out of business at the end of January 2020.
That leaves me two months to decide on an alternative.

1) Go without. I do this the most unless i'm interested in some game. My Sweetie prefers live tv though
2) Hulu Tv (looks like the best plus I'd get the regular Hulu for free)
3) Sling (looks like the cheapest but no BTN)
4) TDS (My city ISP) (this would kind've be like having cable again, I have to rent a box for each TV and that's when it gets costly)

I use gift cards but technically this would be my monthly costs: CBS access $6, Netflix$15, Roku Channel Free, YouTube Free, Amazon Prime: Free
ESPN Plus $5 (regular pay, I have to find out if I need an ISP. I think I would get the ESPN Plus programming but without an ISP would not be able to use the rest of the ESPN app. Hulu $12 (with Live TV $55) I am dropping HBO Now and Starz once the gift cards expire.

 

[Aaron]

So many choices Madison..

The setup here is we still have regular basic cable, plus Netflix and ESPN+.
Pretty sure my wife will want Disney Plus.

 

[Jon]

Since I bought the new iPhone, that made me eligible for the 1 year free of AppleTV plus. I have yet to see any full previews of any of the shows but 'Morning Show' and 'For All Mankind' look interesting. I already have Amazon Video through my Prime subscription which I really haven't watched since The Grand Tour went off the air. I can't see myself subscribing to any of the live tv streamers since they're turning into cable without the cord. Only thing I had live TV for was sports, and my interest has declined greatly.

 

[Wolf]

I dump AT&T TV Now a couple of weeks ago, due to that AT&T wants to kill it and constantly raising prices.

I tried Hulu TV and I thought it was going to work out. But after a while, I didn't like the interactive guide and I have to pay extra for certain stuff after the free trial. I like to watch the Science Channel and have to pay for the DVR. Basically letting me to FF and pause recorded shows. They do offer a free DVR service, but I can't FF, rewind recorded shows which are messed up. By the time I subscribe to that, I would be paying more for AT&T TV Now.

Now I only have YouTube TV and Sling to check out. I have heard some good stuff about Philo. But for now, I subscribe to Prime, ESPN+, Netflix, Disney + and possibly Apple TV+.

 

[HecticArt]

That's why I haven't cut the cord. i'm too lazy to use all of the different services and whatnot. It's too much work for me.

 

[scotchandcigar]

That's why I haven't cut the cord. i'm too lazy to use all of the different services and whatnot. It's too much work for me.

Especially when other family members are considered, having it work without fuss is essential.

 

[HecticArt]

Especially when other family members are considered,

Subtle.
True.

 

[MadisonRadio1]

Has anyone tried the Disney Plus