We did it. For months Ben has been advocating telling Cox to take a hike. It wasn't that the service was unreliable or the choices in programming unacceptable; it was just too damned expensive. Even with our Premium package, we were paying over $200 a month for cable and internet service. I was reluctant to leave cable because—let's face it—I'm an old fart and not as welcoming of change as I once was. Also, when we checked into this a few months ago, several of the channels we (okay, I) watched were on channels that the various streaming services did not provide at the time. Service A provided w, x, and y, but not z. Service B provided z, but not w or y. Service C provided x, y, and z, but not w. You get the idea. By the time you added up all the services we'd have to subscribe to, the difference in cost over what we were paying for cable was negligible.
All that changed two days ago. We got an Apple TV. I know, I know…one more cog in the ecosystem for me to eventually rant about. But lo and behold, the device was surprisingly useful beyond just providing a big screen experience of For All Mankind. It serves as a hub for our smart switches and outlets, as well as allowing me to cast my music library to the living room stereo as well as display my Mac's laptop screen on the television when I want to. (Admittedly done rarely, but when needed it was a hassle to hook up.)
We're now subscribers to Hulu and Philo. Those, coupled with Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube (which we were already subscribing to) provide everything we were getting through Cox—at slightly more than half the cost. Even when we add HBO and Showtime back in the mix (when the series we were watching there return next year) we're still coming out way ahead.
So, as usual, I'm late to the party, but glad I finally arrived.
(The only thing I'm struggling with is the stupid Apple remote. Maybe it's just a learning curve, I find none of that Apple intuitiveness about it, and I've wanted to hurl it across the room on several occasions.)
I cut the cord a few years back. Not an Apple Head so I don't do apple. Netflix & Amazon Prime. & NBC Sports Gold (cycling). I don't need much. Never felt the need to watch trendy shows.
The Apple TV 4K console is one of their best products. But I hear you about that damn remote. We've had ours for more than a year now, and it still frustrates me (though admittedly less than at the beginning of use). I'm not dumb when it comes to haptic type interfaces, but the inconsistencies with the responsiveness of this one are a problem. What it is with Apple products having issues where the human touch is involved? (e.g. infamous keyboard issues)
The Apple remote is total crap. It doesn't have an obvious "up or down" to it, so I'm constantly grabbing it the wrong way. There's no grippiness and it's so small that it's constantly falling through the couch. The touch pad is wildly inaccurate. Accidentally fart in its general direction and it will turn your television on. It's just plain uncomfortable to hold. The list goes on and on. Some company did a kickstarter for a replacement remote and it was funded in hours because EVERYBODY hates the damn Apple remote. Not that Apple gives a crap… ever… about anything… except looking cool so they can charge the big bucks.