I just canceled my land-line telephone and satelite TV

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by SurfDoctor, Aug 18, 2012.

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  1. BlueMason

    BlueMason Audaces fortuna juvat

    You can also check out the WD Live box which allows you to stream Huluplus, Netflix, youtube.. and stream media from your pc/desktop over the network to view on your tv.

    It's unfortunate that in Canada, we are still paying outrageous prices (mostly due to an entirely useless CRTC (Canada's equivalent of the FCC)) for TV, Phone and Cell Services. I pay $80/month for phone (all calling features) and internet (15MB cable connection.. not exactly blazing fast, but it'll do) and that is a good price (sad, isn't it). No sense in switching to a separate VoIP provider as I wouldn't save any money (Internet is $69.95.. might as well pay the extra $10 for the phone). I'd get rid of Sat TV if it weren't for my kids, that would save me an additional $80/month.

    You can also check out FTA if you haven't already...(Free To Air Satellite) where you get free programming - regardless whether you're in an urban or rural environment...
     
  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I haven't had cable or a land line phone in years and don't miss either. Netflix is enough for me. I find my proportion of TV watching that consists of British shows has gone up a lot since I got it, but that strikes me as a pro, not a con.
     
  3. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    You think that 15Mbps is not that great? I'm getting 6 and I'm grateful for it. My $150 ATT bundle I just canceled only gave me 1.2 Mbps.
     
  4. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Matt, I'm bummed. I just bought one for the main purpose of watching Hulu Plus. Roku has a 30 day return policy, so it may be going back as soon as it gets here.

    What's with the "channel store"? Do you have to buy channels? If so, it's going back before I open the box and I'm heading to the Apple Store to buy the Apple TV for $99.
     
  5. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    Some channels are free, like Netflix and Hulu, but then you can subscribe to others as well. I can't speak for any of the other boxes, as Roku is the only one we have. We mostly use the Wii, PS3 or iPad to view Netflix and Hulu.

    -Matt
     
  6. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Matt, I checked some feedback on the HULU issue and Roku states that there is an update that will fix that. Have you tried that and it still doesn't work, or were you unaware that there was a fix available? I appreciate getting the heads up from you.
     
  7. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Ooma. One-time cost of $170, then free service forever in US, about a penny a minute overseas. I was watching it with mild skepticism for several years, but when Costco took it on as a regular product, that was convincing. Costco - Ooma Telo Air VoIP Telephone with WiFi
     
  8. Petedude

    Petedude New Member

    I'm on Vonage for now. My wife tends to prefer "safe" brands for which she sees lots of advertising on TV, and Vonage fits that. We spend $40 a month with them, and my wife calls family in Latin America all the time. They also have a nifty "Extensions" feature that lets you use the account with a designated Android or iOS smartphone app.
     
  9. Does anyone have the Apple TV? Once this thread started I glanced at that. Doesn't seem to bad. I think you may get a couple of "live" channels.
     
  10. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Welcome to the 21st century!

    I also suggest Crackle.com for your episodic viewing pleasure and Google Voice for your home phone needs. Google Voice syncs to my cell phone, so I can use the same number on both my cell phone (which has limited minutes) or on my computer using GV's VOIP interface (which has unlimited minutes for free).

    I use Virgin Mobile for my cellular phone service. Just $25 + tax per month. It uses Sprint's network, so the signal is nearly always sharp (for me, anyway). Plus, I can use my phone to create a wireless hotspot for my ipod, my laptop or even my home internet. It's fast enough to do just about anything, although to stream a video would require some patience through the buffering time. I can watch low quality videos on youtube without buffering, but there is no way I can get through an episode of anything on hulu. Still, it is a fantastic deal.
     
  11. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Are you using a smart phone? If so, is data included in the $25 a month?
     
  12. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

  13. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

  14. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Just checked with my contract status and to break the contracts on three phones will cost me around $800. So I'm torn. I can save around $100 a month with Virgin so it would pay for the contract breaking in 8 months. Hmmm, got me some thinkin tdo.
     
  15. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I was once in the same spot. For me, the fee was totally worth it. I saved money, plus I was able to kick my old brat of a carrier to the curb.

    Would Virgin Mobile really be so much less expensive that $800 is worth paying? Have you crunched the numbers? You might want to factor in that you need to buy new phones with VM, so sticking with your current provider includes (in theory) 8 months more of use out of your current phones. Given the short lifespan of most phones, and the price of which ones you want to buy (tip: the inexpensive virgin mobile phones are so horrible that they might make you hate having a phone at all), it might be a tipping point in your calculations.
     
  16. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    I wasn't aware of any update. Usually the Roku would say "there's an update available," but I've never seen it say anything for Hulu. I'll have to double check.

    -Matt
     
  17. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Funny you should say that. I just got off the phone with Virgin and there is one big bugaboo; they will not transfer your current phone to their system, you have to buy a phone from them to make everything work. So that changes everything and now it does not make economic sense to switch before the contracts expire. One contract expires in Feb 2013 and I will consider switching again at that time.
     
  18. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Hmm, don't know about that. I just got my Roku today and the first thing I will try is Hulu. The OS on my Roku should be up to date, so I will let you know how Hulu plays.
     
  19. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Shawn, were you aware that they make you buy a phone from them? I just got off the phone with Virgin and found that they will not transfer your existing phone to their system. They only accept new phones that you buy from them. Like I told MC, that's a deal breaker for me right now.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 23, 2012
  20. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    The good news here is that there may be other providers making competition with Virgin Mobile by that time. You might have more choices. More good news for you is that iphones are still incredibly useful even without connection to a mobile network. They are basically ipods with huge batteries.
     

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