I got rid of cable a year ago and switched to YouTubeTV. Best decision ever. I love it.

I was paying about $250/mo for a basic HD package through Comcast. I had XFinity before that which cost about the same.

Now, between YouTube TV and a basic internet connection from XFinity, I pay $105/mo.

YouTube TV has oodles of channels including all of the Hallmark Channels (which my wife loves and are not available on many non cable platforms).

I love that you can sign in on a browser and hide the channels you don’t watch so your menu on your TV is nice and clean.

You can access YouTube TV on a smart television, through an Apple TV or Roku-style box, or simply download the app to your phone or tablet. Access seems to be unlimited as I’ve had it running on two TVs, a phone, and two iPads all at once.

You can create different profiles for each member of your family so you have separate favorite show libraries and recommendations.

And, unlimited DVR (although you’re not really recording anything; just bookmark a show, and all episodes are available in your favorites library.

For internet, I bought my own modem and one extender. No renting equipment. I signed up for XFinity’s basic fiber optic package at $39.99/mo. Works great and is fast enough for three people to be working/schooling from home, watching TV, and listening to music all in different rooms.

We’re not gamers though. You might need more than the basic package if you’re gaming.

Overall, glad to be rid of cable.

I use YouTube Premium (not familiar with YouTube TV). There is an unending supply of amazing content if you’re into learning about stuff. If you wanted to learn how to spin wool into yarn and knit your own hoodies, I’m sure there’s a channel for that. If you want to learn Japanese woodworking joinery, there are many channels that cover that, if you want to make your own wallets and leather goods, there are channels for that. Learn watercolor? acrylic? 3d digital modeling, rigging and animation? Cybersecurity? Origami? Video essays critiquing films and literature? Basket weaving? Photography? using 3d printers to cast jewelry out of scrap bronze? Dog training? Scuba diving? Robotics? Astronomy? Law? Animals? Lockpicking? Play the harp? the samisen? bagpipe?

YouTube is a million times more interesting than cable tv.

Have you considered taking to the high seas instead?

I LOVE my YouTubeTV. It took me a month to get used to how it works, and a good three months to decide I really liked it. I just mention this, because for most people there is a learning curve.

You can set it up so you don’t see channels you don’t care about. When you go to the guide you can have channels you picked set up so you see the listing in any order you want. You can always flip back and forth between your custom set up and the full set of channels.

When you travel with it, it sets to the local viewing stations of where you are. (There are negatives and positives to that).

Unlimited DVR.

Watch on your phone, laptop, or iPad when traveling.

I use an Amazon stick for my TV, but if you have a smart tv you might not need one. The remote for my stick doesn’t light up in the dark, which I miss (maybe they have one that does now) and it’s voice activated with Alexa, but it doesn’t work great for TV, so I almost never use the voice button to find a show.

The trick is getting your internet at a decent price. I pay $52 for internet and phone in FL over fiber optics, but in TN we were paying $75 for just internet with cable.

There is a youtubeTV Facebook group if you have questions if you decide to get it. You can ask jellies also, but the Facebook group will have more info.

Also, note that the YouTube TV app is separate from the regular ole YouTube app.

^^True, but if a smart TV has access to YouTube on the remote with the push of a button, you can use your TV remote to get directly into youtubeTV also.

@JLeslie: Yup. My Smart TV has the YouTube TV app built in.

I was saying that more fir accessing on a mobile device.

@cookieman It’s good what you pointed out. It was confusing to me at first. A lot of it was confusing to me, I had a big learning curve.

@JLeslie: Yup. It took my wife about a month to get the hang of it. She was so attuned to the cable model. A few stumbling blocks were:

• No voice activated remote. This is only because my Smart TV is not new. Newer ones come with one.

• The TV channels are no numbered – just logos of what they are. We were so trained to think, “That show is on channel 12.”

• You don’t delete watched shows on the “DVR”. They just show as watched.

Voice remote doesn’t bother me. (lack thereof)

Unnumbered channels – I’ll adjust.

My main concern was getting a goodly selection of channels for an eclectic viewer.

I haven’t used cable TV in a long time, and haven’t missed it. I’ve watched what I want to watch, when I want to watch it, and with no ads, which I like much much better.

I’ve used Netflix (which has gotten a bit worse lately), DVD rentals, and various other free an paid Internet sources (with the paid ones (e.g, HBO Now, Apple TV, Britbox), I tend to use them for a bit, watch what I want to on them, then cancel). If you get Amazon Prime for free shipping, you get some of their TV stuff.

I eventually got a Roku, which does a pretty good job of hooking up to various free and paid Internet sources, as well as searching across them all.

There are also some good programs you can use on a computer, like Plex, if you’re slightly more technical.

I’ve never tried YouTube TV.

@elbanditoroso The YoutubeTV channel line up is better for me than the cable basic and even better than the one tier up, but that because of the channels I specifically like to watch. My husband didn’t lose any shows in the change over either. Obviously, you can check the listing where you live.

My husband and I did the free week of YoutubeTV before we cancelled our cable. It wasn’t enough time to really get the hang of it, but I felt more secure that I would be able to see all the shows I cared about. Using it is much easier than trying to understand everything by just reading about it.

@JLeslie yes, good point, I’ll probaably sign up for a ‘test drive’ in November some time so I’m ready to make changes when my contract is up.

I cut the cord 2 years ago; however, I chose NOT to go to YoutubeTV as I do NOT trust Google to treat my privacy with respect!!! I had 1 channel that I basically watched on cable. I could get that same channel for FREE with a TV antenna & a local station. I already had a ROKU & I chose to use it when the local channel wasn’t available due to the weather or whatever other problem was going on. I canceled ALL my paid to watch channels & started over. With the appropriate app, I can pretty much watch anything I feel up to watching. The FRNDLY app pretty much has the same shows as my local antenna but it doesn’t have ALL the weather related problems the local antenna was having. My Prime package provides me with a ton of FREE movies. I signed up for RedBox which is FREE unless I want to watch a specific movie & that usually runs me $5–7 each to watch. I don’t watch that many movies, so paying per view isn’t a big deal for me!!!

There are several FREE apps that show live-watch channels. I used to have Netflix, Hulu & Disney+. I dropped all 3 of those & saved about $25/mo. As other movie channels pique my interest, I might sign up with one of them, but I CHOOSE to NEVER pay more than $7/mo for any movie channel & I can cancel when I lose interest in their offering. Then I can replace with a NEW app until I lose interest in them!!! It’s truly a MORE ala carte system than cable & I’m NO longer paying the cable company $250/mo for 300 channels that I don’t have time to watch!!!

For my WiFi connection, I cut off the cable company & chose to go with T-Mobile’s “Home Internet” package. It costs me $50/mo just for internet & I switched my cell over to T-Mobile & I’m only paying $100/mo for BOTH cell & internet. My cable company was charging me $75 just for internet; so, I’m technically getting my cell for $25 extra. I’m saving $150/mo on cable & I’m spending NOWHERE that much with my personalized ROKU plan!!! Yes, it’s a little more complicated to keep up with my apps, but for $150/mo, I can deal with it. When I get too confused, I simply cancel ALL paid apps & start over. I’ve found that my tastes change frequently & looking over my desires & expenses every few months helps to keep me on track!!!

I don’t know your interests, but it’s another alternative to Youtube TV!!! Oh yes, I also live by myself, so I have NO one else to care what I choose!!!

I’m just getting exhausted of the content wars. I’m from the generation who was never convinced to buy cable in the first place, because the content was all so terrible and the prices so high. Yes, the disruptors have provided a superior product for less for a while, but look around. These aren’t public services, they are corporations that must make more money constantly or die. We are at a saturation point. Prices will steadily rise from here. Ads will increase. Content that is advertising will increase. The streaming barons are just this generations replacement fat cats, buying laws, stifling innovation, and controlling narratives.

I guess that’s all to say, it doesn’t matter what’s a good deal today – the value proposition on deteriorates from here on out. The only sustainable solution is to gasp, consume less.

YouTube TV? Do they offer Cartoon Network??

^^ Yes

I don’t have it but am looking to save money via cutting the cord. With YouTube TV, can you watch or how can you watch a daily show like the evening news? Or a late night daily show like Stephen Colbert?

@jca2 – getting a single network, like paramount (cbs) or peacock (nbc) will cost you about 15% of YouTube TV, and you will get your evening news and late night shows.

The real issue I have with YouTubeTv is that it’s got so much content, and is so expensive, that its only a minor pivot away from cable television. Why not try a TV antenna, and get free local networks, with live news, celebrities, and major sports? Then pay for a cheaper steaming service to supplement your insatiable addiction to content, and boom, you’re entertained and richer.

@jca2 You probably would get great antenna TV as long as you don’t have mountains around you, since you live close to NYC. The question would be are you close enough.

My sister has a $25 small antenna, it’s like the size of my hand I think, but she’s in the city. My neighbor in FL has a very large outside antenna (I think it’s a lightening magnet) it’s taller than me, but we are very far from Orlando.

Here’s a website to check signal strength in your zip code. https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps