I finally did it!!! I dumped Xfinity for video service in favor of YouTubeTV!
Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:40 am
To hell with Comcast!!!
My prior service agreement expired last month. What had been an already high $219 for deluxe basic cable + X1 DVR + two HD-capable adapter boxes + phone line (needed for my security system) + 800 mbps internet climbed to a whopping $259 in my new bill.
That was the last straw.
I figured I would call up Xfinity, threaten to cancel, and at least receive a $20 or $30 monthly bill reduction for 6 months to 12 months to stay aboard. To my shock and dismay - no such reduced price was offered to me.
So, I followed through on my threat to cancel Xfinity video service, scaled back to internet + phone only, which with taxes & fees included, will run me $108 per month. I signed up for YouTubeTV a few weeks ago to give it a test run (trial subscription due to a promotion was three weeks in length).
Without add-ons, the price is $72.99 per month. For that price, I get NBA TV, NFL TV, all the collegiate conference sports networks, all the ESPN networks, FS1, FS2, all major local stations minus WMYD and WADL (a cable network-like CW feed is provided, though), and all of the major cable networks I give two craps about.
What is not included are the usual premium networks, Bally Sports, or a digital music service. The premium networks can be purchased as add-ons, but often times you can get the same programming for cheaper by downloading the streaming app for the premium network of interest. I won't pay attention to the Wings unless they make the playoffs whereas the Pistons are an abomination to the sport of basketball, so I could care less about not having Bally Sports Detroit. If the Tigers have an intriguing season, then I'll subscribe to Bally via its app sometime next year. I have plenty of ways to get digital music on my smart TVs already (including from the Sirius XM app), so the absence of Music Choice is no big loss.
Picture quality: fair to good. There is some variance depending on network watched. The lesser watched networks sometimes have lower resolution. The major networks' PQ is almost as good as Xfinity. A 4K programming package can be added for $9.99 a month. I gave this a test run and found it to be a waste of money.
Audio quality: good. I was hearing 5.1 channel audio on multiple networks.
Channel surfing ability: mediocre. Direct access by punching in channel numbers is, of course, unavailable. Also, there is no ability to go in a big circle by using the channel-up and channel-down keys. Once you reach the "last" channel, you can only use the channel-down key on the remote. If you are at the "first" channel (which for me is Fox 2), you can only use the channel-up key on the remote. Going to the programming guide to review programming options is the better bet, in most instances.
Programming guide: good. The ability to sort by categories is great and I love the fact thumbnail previews of programming appear. A great feature is the ability to display multiple channels from the same category on screen at the same time. For example, I can watch four different football games on screen simultaneously and choose which audio I want to hear from those four telecasts. So, why do I only rate the programming guide "good" and not "great" ? Simple. Being able to display full descriptive details for the program I'm watching or wish to watch (as opposed to partial details) is a PAIN IN THE NECK. It requires not one, not two, not three, but four (!!!) friggin' key strokes on the remote if I try to bring up this info in program. The ability to quickly pull up full program info on a smartphone with the YouTube TV app mitigates such nuisance to an extent.
Cloud DVR: TBD. I've not tried it yet.
Extras: good. With the YouTube TV app, I can watch my programming package anywhere on my smartphone. and I can also program my DVR from anywhere. Xfinity's app offers similar functionality but I've found their app to be buggy and difficult to use at times. The YouTube TV smartphone app seems much easier to use, and I can "push" programming from my phone to TVs connected to the same account. If traveling outside of your "home" area, there are some seemingly minor limitations.
More info: https://support.google.com/youtubetv/an ... ome%20area.
Check with your credit card issuer(s) to see if cashback discounts are offered with this or any other streaming service you are considering. AMEX Blue Cash Preferred, for example, offers 6 percent cashback on virtually every mainstream audio & video streaming subscription service that exists, including YouTube TV. For subscribers to YouTube TV's basic package, that amounts to about $50 annually in savings!
SUMMARY:
Instead of paying $259 per month to Xfinity for video, DVR, home phone and high speed internet service, I've divvied up these services between Xfinity and YouTube TV, and now will be paying about $181 per month (before credit card cash back).
The stuff I'm losing by ditching Xfinity for video service is of nominal value to me, so I think going this route and saving $78 per month is a slam dunk.
I know Wide Open West offers high speed internet and YouTube TV bundles, but I still have a very bad taste in my mouth from when I last used them eight years ago. Their customer service at the time was horrendous (far worse than Xfinity).
My prior service agreement expired last month. What had been an already high $219 for deluxe basic cable + X1 DVR + two HD-capable adapter boxes + phone line (needed for my security system) + 800 mbps internet climbed to a whopping $259 in my new bill.
That was the last straw.
I figured I would call up Xfinity, threaten to cancel, and at least receive a $20 or $30 monthly bill reduction for 6 months to 12 months to stay aboard. To my shock and dismay - no such reduced price was offered to me.
So, I followed through on my threat to cancel Xfinity video service, scaled back to internet + phone only, which with taxes & fees included, will run me $108 per month. I signed up for YouTubeTV a few weeks ago to give it a test run (trial subscription due to a promotion was three weeks in length).
Without add-ons, the price is $72.99 per month. For that price, I get NBA TV, NFL TV, all the collegiate conference sports networks, all the ESPN networks, FS1, FS2, all major local stations minus WMYD and WADL (a cable network-like CW feed is provided, though), and all of the major cable networks I give two craps about.
What is not included are the usual premium networks, Bally Sports, or a digital music service. The premium networks can be purchased as add-ons, but often times you can get the same programming for cheaper by downloading the streaming app for the premium network of interest. I won't pay attention to the Wings unless they make the playoffs whereas the Pistons are an abomination to the sport of basketball, so I could care less about not having Bally Sports Detroit. If the Tigers have an intriguing season, then I'll subscribe to Bally via its app sometime next year. I have plenty of ways to get digital music on my smart TVs already (including from the Sirius XM app), so the absence of Music Choice is no big loss.
Picture quality: fair to good. There is some variance depending on network watched. The lesser watched networks sometimes have lower resolution. The major networks' PQ is almost as good as Xfinity. A 4K programming package can be added for $9.99 a month. I gave this a test run and found it to be a waste of money.
Audio quality: good. I was hearing 5.1 channel audio on multiple networks.
Channel surfing ability: mediocre. Direct access by punching in channel numbers is, of course, unavailable. Also, there is no ability to go in a big circle by using the channel-up and channel-down keys. Once you reach the "last" channel, you can only use the channel-down key on the remote. If you are at the "first" channel (which for me is Fox 2), you can only use the channel-up key on the remote. Going to the programming guide to review programming options is the better bet, in most instances.
Programming guide: good. The ability to sort by categories is great and I love the fact thumbnail previews of programming appear. A great feature is the ability to display multiple channels from the same category on screen at the same time. For example, I can watch four different football games on screen simultaneously and choose which audio I want to hear from those four telecasts. So, why do I only rate the programming guide "good" and not "great" ? Simple. Being able to display full descriptive details for the program I'm watching or wish to watch (as opposed to partial details) is a PAIN IN THE NECK. It requires not one, not two, not three, but four (!!!) friggin' key strokes on the remote if I try to bring up this info in program. The ability to quickly pull up full program info on a smartphone with the YouTube TV app mitigates such nuisance to an extent.
Cloud DVR: TBD. I've not tried it yet.
Extras: good. With the YouTube TV app, I can watch my programming package anywhere on my smartphone. and I can also program my DVR from anywhere. Xfinity's app offers similar functionality but I've found their app to be buggy and difficult to use at times. The YouTube TV smartphone app seems much easier to use, and I can "push" programming from my phone to TVs connected to the same account. If traveling outside of your "home" area, there are some seemingly minor limitations.
More info: https://support.google.com/youtubetv/an ... ome%20area.
Check with your credit card issuer(s) to see if cashback discounts are offered with this or any other streaming service you are considering. AMEX Blue Cash Preferred, for example, offers 6 percent cashback on virtually every mainstream audio & video streaming subscription service that exists, including YouTube TV. For subscribers to YouTube TV's basic package, that amounts to about $50 annually in savings!
SUMMARY:
Instead of paying $259 per month to Xfinity for video, DVR, home phone and high speed internet service, I've divvied up these services between Xfinity and YouTube TV, and now will be paying about $181 per month (before credit card cash back).
The stuff I'm losing by ditching Xfinity for video service is of nominal value to me, so I think going this route and saving $78 per month is a slam dunk.
I know Wide Open West offers high speed internet and YouTube TV bundles, but I still have a very bad taste in my mouth from when I last used them eight years ago. Their customer service at the time was horrendous (far worse than Xfinity).