Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Chat about non-baseball topics. No political discussions!
User avatar
Jocephus
99% conan clips
Posts: 63640
Joined: April 18 06, 5:14 pm

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by Jocephus »

anyone have experience/thoughts on HBO max? im tempted to open account...im curious about conan's new show there and that water park docu looks good hah. of course, im sure it has a good library of stuff and might be fun to see some of the new movies be premiered there instead of in theaters, etc.

i have disney+ (which i barely use) 'cause a family member shares, i pay for netflix (which i barely use). figure if i'm only paying for 2 and i have 3 of the big ones that would be plenty of content. if was more attentive i suppose i'd cancel netflix, pick up hbo max and switch back and forth between subscriptions based on what content is available.

User avatar
thrill
bronoun enthusiast
Posts: 30368
Joined: April 14 06, 10:45 pm
Location: barely online

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by thrill »

I have a relationship with HBO max where I have it for a couple of months, cancel for a stretch, and then renew for a couple of months when more stuff I want to watch has accumulated.

User avatar
Transmogrified Tiger
Puppy Murderer
Posts: 9334
Joined: April 25 06, 6:07 pm
Location: Across the River

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by Transmogrified Tiger »

thrill wrote:
March 3 21, 3:26 pm
I have a relationship with HBO max where I have it for a couple of months, cancel for a stretch, and then renew for a couple of months when more stuff I want to watch has accumulated.
Same, I got it in January to help with the post-holiday doldrums and catch up on shows we had watched(Westworld) and watch some others I hadn't gotten to yet(Leftovers, Watchmen) plus an odd movie or two. I'm planning on canceling before the next renewal with the return of MLB & MLS, plus accumulated stuff on other streaming services from making HBO my first entertainment stop for 2 months.

User avatar
G. Keenan
Sucking on the Rally Nipple
Posts: 23459
Joined: April 16 06, 6:03 pm
Location: Chicago

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by G. Keenan »

Transmogrified Tiger wrote:
March 3 21, 4:00 pm
thrill wrote:
March 3 21, 3:26 pm
I have a relationship with HBO max where I have it for a couple of months, cancel for a stretch, and then renew for a couple of months when more stuff I want to watch has accumulated.
Same, I got it in January to help with the post-holiday doldrums and catch up on shows we had watched(Westworld) and watch some others I hadn't gotten to yet(Leftovers, Watchmen) plus an odd movie or two. I'm planning on canceling before the next renewal with the return of MLB & MLS, plus accumulated stuff on other streaming services from making HBO my first entertainment stop for 2 months.
A couple months ago my brother hooked me up with his various streaming logins, so right now I've got Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and Discovery+.

But not long before that I'd cut down to just one at a time. I was feeling like there was so much to watch it was overwhelming. On one service alone there was more than I could watch. So I was like, why don't I just use one for a month, binge on whatever is best there, cancel it, and try another one the next month. Why pay for like 4-5 at a time when you can only watch a fraction of what each has on its own?

User avatar
Fat_Bulldog
likes to grate his own cheese
Posts: 12553
Joined: May 9 06, 12:41 pm
Location: Drunk

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by Fat_Bulldog »

G. Keenan wrote:
March 3 21, 8:04 pm
Transmogrified Tiger wrote:
March 3 21, 4:00 pm
thrill wrote:
March 3 21, 3:26 pm
I have a relationship with HBO max where I have it for a couple of months, cancel for a stretch, and then renew for a couple of months when more stuff I want to watch has accumulated.
Same, I got it in January to help with the post-holiday doldrums and catch up on shows we had watched(Westworld) and watch some others I hadn't gotten to yet(Leftovers, Watchmen) plus an odd movie or two. I'm planning on canceling before the next renewal with the return of MLB & MLS, plus accumulated stuff on other streaming services from making HBO my first entertainment stop for 2 months.
A couple months ago my brother hooked me up with his various streaming logins, so right now I've got Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and Discovery+.

But not long before that I'd cut down to just one at a time. I was feeling like there was so much to watch it was overwhelming. On one service alone there was more than I could watch. So I was like, why don't I just use one for a month, binge on whatever is best there, cancel it, and try another one the next month. Why pay for like 4-5 at a time when you can only watch a fraction of what each has on its own?
This is a good strategy. We have Netflix, Disney + for the kids and get Amazon due to our prime account but I'd like to try one or another at a time.

User avatar
CardsofSTL
All Hail the GDT Master
Posts: 47810
Joined: April 26 11, 6:06 am
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by CardsofSTL »

My Disney+ annual renewal went through last month; I was planning to cancel it and sign up again later but too late. I mostly watch things I have bought or scanned disc to digital on Vudu; so I was going to try and tone down some of the subscriptions but apparently I am supporting my family's viewing habits so that is harder to do. I hardly ever watch Netflix and was going to cancel it and was threatened with divorce; which I still considered; but decided against. I keep CBS All Access soon to be Paramount+ because I am a Trek addict and I think Paramount+ will have other good programming (I like watching some of the original stuff on All Access already; like Coyote. And I can keep up on Blue Bloods which I got hooked on a while ago.) Hulu+ I could do without but I have a special needs sister that watches it; so it stays. I use Amazon Prime shipping all the time; so it stays. I got HBO Max last Christmas; I could probably drop that one without any fallout.

AWvsCBsteeeerike3
"I could totally eat a pig butt, if smoked correctly!"
Posts: 27270
Joined: August 5 08, 11:24 am
Location: Thinking of the Children

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by AWvsCBsteeeerike3 »

I dropped hbo max after watchmen or thereabouts and no one even noticed. Every now and then i'll see an ad and be like ohhh that looks good. But the thing with hbo max is they seem to be very thin on new programming and I found myself keeping it for one show at a time (eg, Game of Thrones --> Chernobyl --> Watchmen, iirc). That chain of programming kept me hooked for like a year. So $180 to watch 20 some odd episodes? That's too expensive. Letting the shows build up so you can watch them all in a month or two seems like a much better approach.

Plus since the end of GOT, they haven't had anything that was all that pressing to watch outside of Watchmen

User avatar
G. Keenan
Sucking on the Rally Nipple
Posts: 23459
Joined: April 16 06, 6:03 pm
Location: Chicago

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by G. Keenan »

Fat_Bulldog wrote:
March 4 21, 8:19 am
G. Keenan wrote:
March 3 21, 8:04 pm
Transmogrified Tiger wrote:
March 3 21, 4:00 pm
thrill wrote:
March 3 21, 3:26 pm
I have a relationship with HBO max where I have it for a couple of months, cancel for a stretch, and then renew for a couple of months when more stuff I want to watch has accumulated.
Same, I got it in January to help with the post-holiday doldrums and catch up on shows we had watched(Westworld) and watch some others I hadn't gotten to yet(Leftovers, Watchmen) plus an odd movie or two. I'm planning on canceling before the next renewal with the return of MLB & MLS, plus accumulated stuff on other streaming services from making HBO my first entertainment stop for 2 months.
A couple months ago my brother hooked me up with his various streaming logins, so right now I've got Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and Discovery+.

But not long before that I'd cut down to just one at a time. I was feeling like there was so much to watch it was overwhelming. On one service alone there was more than I could watch. So I was like, why don't I just use one for a month, binge on whatever is best there, cancel it, and try another one the next month. Why pay for like 4-5 at a time when you can only watch a fraction of what each has on its own?
This is a good strategy. We have Netflix, Disney + for the kids and get Amazon due to our prime account but I'd like to try one or another at a time.
It was starting to feel like having cable tv all over again -- 200 channels and nothing to watch. The sheer volume of options had me just mindlessly scrolling, unable to really get interested in anything. Cutting down to 1 service at a time forced me to choose within that content library, and of course there was plenty to like because each service has like 10 million movies/shows. And by the time you are paying for a half dozen streaming services at once you are getting back to the reason you cut the cord in the first place, the cost of cable.

If you have kids, I can see how you need to keep Disney+ and/or Netflix to have enough content for them. Disney+ is probably my favorite one right now because everything on there is pretty upbeat and positive and fun, which for obvious reasons is welcome right now.

I'm starting an experiment this month to cut the Amazon cord, too. I've had Prime forever but my annual renewal was this March, so I cancelled it. These days there are plenty of online retailers where I can get the same stuff, and they all offer more or less "free" shipping. Of course, there is no such thing as free shipping, they just build the shipping costs into the cost of the item and tell you it's free. Plus, I am really hard pressed to think of any item I've ordered on Amazon that I just have to receive 2 days later. I can wait 3-5 days to receive pretty much anything. Amazon accounted for probably 80% of my online shopping so it'll be interesting to see if dropping Prime is as painless as I think.

User avatar
CardsofSTL
All Hail the GDT Master
Posts: 47810
Joined: April 26 11, 6:06 am
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by CardsofSTL »

I would be very interested in hearing about your post-Amazon Prime shopping experience. Sometimes I think Amazon makes it too easy to buy quickly; cutting that cord might be good for a lot of people.

User avatar
G. Keenan
Sucking on the Rally Nipple
Posts: 23459
Joined: April 16 06, 6:03 pm
Location: Chicago

Re: Cutting the Cable/Satellite Cord

Post by G. Keenan »

CardsofSTL wrote:
March 4 21, 12:04 pm
I would be very interested in hearing about your post-Amazon Prime shopping experience. Sometimes I think Amazon makes it too easy to buy quickly; cutting that cord might be good for a lot of people.
I'll let you guys know how it goes. I anticipate the biggest downside I'll face is how easy it is to return stuff with Amazon. I have several Amazon brick and mortar stores near me where I can make returns, a Whole Foods, etc., so returning stuff is super easy.

Another thing that started to give me misgivings about Amazon are its use now of what it calls "megacycle" shifts, 10.5 hour shifts from 1:20am to 11:50am. Yes, they pay a $15 minimum wage which is good, but who the hell can work those hours? What kind of life is that? My Prime membership is what's driving that shift schedule. I can wait an extra couple of days to get my deliveries if it means people can work decent hours.

Post Reply