“In the face of rising prices, poor customer service and ever more frequent blackouts over fee disputes, many consumers yearn for a way out of the grips of their cable TV subscription. Companies like Google, Intel, Sony and Apple are all working on Internet-delivery TV platforms, though none have yet to secure the content deals needed to launch a credible service,” Amadou Diallo writes for Forbes. “And while industry analysts point out that the number of cord cutters has yet to reach the critical mass needed to force changes to the cable TV business model, the fact is that today there are viable TV options to the triple digit cable bill.”
“They do require additional hardware, running extra cables from your TV and waiting at least a day to watch the newest episodes of cable network shows. And if you’re hoping to sever all ties with your cable provider, that’s not going to be an option in many regional markets, as you’ll still need them for the high speed Internet service that makes this all work,” Diallo writes. “But the cost savings of dropping the TV package can be very substantial and there have never been as many good choices available as there are today in both hardware and content.”
Diallo writes, “The major network channels are all broadcast in HD. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that the quality of uncompressed HD video in an antenna feed is actually superior to what you’ve been getting with your cable box. Cable operators have to deliver hundreds of channels, plus broadband and phone service over a single connection to your home, so the TV signal is usually compressed to conserve bandwidth. Not so with your OTA feed. The difference is immediately noticeable. Outside of a Blu-ray movie, this is the best output I’ve ever seen on my TV. And did I mention the channels are free?”
“Apple TV, tightly integrated into the Apple ecosystem, gives you access to content from iTunes as well as the ability to stream content from any iOS device to your TV,” Diallo writes. “If you’re in an Apple-centric household and want to add the customary ‘Designed in Cupertino’ fit and finish, there’s much to like with Apple TV.”
Read more in the full article here.
If I could get all NFL games, I’d tell DirecTv to F off. Today. It’s the ONLY reason I don’t cut the cord.
Couldn’t agree more. What’s with the NFL package only being available on satellite? I live in a condo, so I’m not able to install a dish. That just plain and simple sucks.
https://gamepass.nfl.com/nflgp/secure/packages?ttv=1&icampaign=Prod_GP_Nav&cvsorc=Homepage.GP.GP_Nav
Why not this?
That doesn’t show games live. Live games are listen only.
Well that sucks.
Available only on satellite is insanely stupid. Take an aerial shot of Manhattan facing South. Every apartment you see cannot get DTV because their windows face north, that’s if they were aloud to install one. I now live in South Beach and my complex doesn’t allow Satellite Dishes. Fortunately I’m a Broncos fan so I’ve seen almost all of their games over the air with antenna
Most places cannot ban satellite dishes. It’s against federal (FTC) law. Anything 18″ and smaller must be allowed. It’s the big dishes that are banned.
DirecTV paid the NFL about $5 billion for the exclusive rights for NFL Sunday Ticket.
The latest version of Madden included NFL streaming. My brother moved and could not keep his DTV, and for $100 he gets the Ticket. Don’t know if he sold the game to recoup and of the cost.
There was a story a while back that Google is negotiating to offer the NFl Sunday Ticket. (Not a Direct TV app… Broadcast rights). I think this is huge, and Apple should make sure that they are the ones to get the contract. This is the only reason many people have Direct TV. It also the main barrier to cutting the cord for many people. Apple should do whatever it takes to be the exclusive provider of NFL Sunday Ticket. They’d double the total number of AppleTVs sold over the first month. Additionally, they should negotiate with the NCAA on college sports broadcast rights. This is the key to the TV wars. The guys I know with the best home theater systems are all sports fanatics.
Absolutely, spot on!
But don’t hold your breath. Apple under Tim is more interested in rainbow girly thin graphics in iOS7 instead of gladiator (manly) football to their short-sighted detriment.
The West Coast crowd just doesn’t get this one and Jony is probably a sneering soccer fan …
I had DTV and liked it. Left DTV when I moved. I now have NFL Redzone which is so much better. Every scoring play is shone and commercial free. There is no better way to spend a Sunday other than 8 hours of commercial free NFL.
I couldn’t agree more. Apple TV just needs NFL Network & NFL RedZone channels added and that would be enough for most.
Why is this available for TV and mobil but not on my laptop?
wizig.tv links all the games free on the internet
typo error. i meant wiziwig.tv
I would love it if Apple would bake into the AppleTV a DVR and a way to play (or rip & play) my DVDs, as well as streaming my content to my iPhone when I’m at work.
I already dropped cable & it’s the best move of my life. Besides the cost savings, the image quality of over the air broadcast really is superior – great when watching sports especially. As for the rest, my wife & I watch Hulu (free version), subscribe to Netflix (for DVDs we’re interested in but don’t want to buy), and scour the stores for deals on the DVDs we do want to keep & re-watch. Old TV shows on DVD are coming out now & thats a fun diversion for us.
AppleTV sort of fits into that, but we haven’t bought it because honestly we like what can be done with Roku (streaming) and yes TiVo. I fact, if TiVo didn’t charge a monthly fee, we probably would have went that route already, & just dealt with the rest some how.
Apple is missing an opportunity here. They really should for get about these content deals they’re trying to negotiate – the content is already out there & on iTunes Store – just make the box do as much as the technology allows. The law is already clear that this stuff is legal under Fair Use rights. I think Apple is just trying to not piss off other corporations & that’s holding up the Next Great Thing!
Monthly fee madness is what kills Tivo for me too. Seems like just about EVERYBODY wants a monthly fee and you can be monthly fee’d into oblivion. They add up, just have to choose wisely. Fortunately I pretty much despise sports (current injurious head injury findings don’t help my opinion of football or boxing – I don’t need to watch slow bludgeoning spectacles) so not a concern. I am intrigued by off air improvements as cable quality sucks compared to Blu-Ray. They can’t even get low compression HD right and they’re already talking 4K aka UltraHD? Brother! I do have Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Netflix, so far.
Use Handbrake to rip your DVD’s to your Mac. Import them into iTunes. View movies on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone. Viewing limited when connected to home network and iTunes is open.
If you have a MS PC I’m sorry, I cannot help you.
Whoever can figure out to package channels and pricing structure ‘a la carte’ over the internet is the winner in this race. Some folks want all movie channels, charge them by channel subscribed. Some folks want sports and news channels, let the individual select their own over the net…..
conceptually simple, yet I know difficult to do in practice, but whoever does it, simply wins….
He is absolutely right about OTA(over the air) signals being better from lack of compression .
I was astounded at the difference in HD hockey games here in Canuckland when I cut the cable .
OTA signals are compressed using MPEG2. Cable and sat TV just compress them even more to make space for all the other channels.
I cut the cord in January and have saved over $1200 since then. I’m using a Mac mini to drive everything, you can read up about it in my blog:
http://atariage.com/forums/blog/blog-148/cat-150-dvr-project
Rory
Pull good ol’ American greed out of the equation and it is very easy to do.
OTA sounds great, but it’s not available everywhere. I can get a grand total of two local OTA channels where I live. And other “local” channels are not available on satellite because I live outside their official broadcast area, or so they say. So cable is my only choice if I want to watch most broadcast network shows or sports.
Over-the-air broadcasts are indeed phenomenal … if you don’t live near forests or hill country.
Amadou Diallo, back from the dead?
This article from Forbes is written by Amadou Diallo?
Is this the same Amadaou Diallo who was sexually molested in prison by New York cops about 10 years ago? He won some 10million dollars in damages and moved to Florida. If it’s him, then more power to him!
No. Amadou Diallo was an unarmed man shot and killed by 4 NYPD officers in 1999.
You’re thinking of Abner Louima.
Been cut it : Netflix Hulu and and amazon prime rule. Oh and fastest, most reliable yet cost efficient internet with unlimited usage? Verizon Fios. Highly recommended for all streaming purposes
Netflix is the deal of the century. My family would kill me if I dropped Netflix.
That $7.99 is so easy to justify when I’m saving over $100 per month after dropping cable TV over a year ago.
Same here, Netflix streaming n DVD for most everything… Red Box and the occasional Apple rental for everything else. We haven’t had cable for a couple of years.
Cut the cord about 18 months ago and haven’t looked back. Live sports are still the issue. I subscribe to MLB & NBA to watch RedSox and Celtics games here in CA. Works great. However, can’t watch local teams (no OTA broadcasts of their games). ALCS is fortunately on Fox (though I hate the announcers). NLCS is on TBS (pay TV only). I’ve got ESPN courtesy of my brother’s cable subscription. I would gladly pay a monthly fee for ESPN just like i do for NetFlix if offered the chance. NFL is less of an issue because most of their games are available OTA.
I have been using eye tv from elgato for years it allows me OTA viewing and recording as well as remote viewing in iOS. I cut the cord years ago using eye tv on my mac, the TiVo features and auto loading recorded programs into iTunes is a perfect companion with Apple TV.
Apple TV Mohu ($30 HD anntena) Unblock-us.com covers all my bases. I can watch Football with the anntena and circumvent the backouts on Apple TV with unblock-us. Unhooked months ago and haven’t looked back.
Here’s another tip for cost-cutting and cable-cutting: PAY YOUR NEIGHBOR FOR WIFI. OR start your own mini-WIFI network and charge your neighbors after they cut their cords.
It’s simple (for apartment dwellers): how many WIFI networks do you see when logging on? Identify the strong signal(s) and then solicit your neighbors: you give them $10/month and they give you a password.
Or ask your neighbors if they’d like to cut their cords and you can run a WIFI network for them. Be sure to get latest Airports with fastest protocols.
Works great here in NYC. And it’s friendly.
Kill Time-Warner.
Stupid set top box makers have stopped including composite video outputs making it impossible to use with older sets.