by SMU_Alum11 » Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:43 pm
While everyone would be extremely happy with a la carte channel packages, it's still not there yet. You can get OTA channels for free which is nice to get your 4/5/8/11 assuming you live close enough but you also have to get an OTA DVR (not including external HDD) which can be expensive and some need subscription service if you want a "channel guide and DVR scheduler".
There are services that are deemed "cable-cutter", (I have one and will give my review so far) is: PS Vue, DIRECTVNow (I have) and Sling Tv. I personally found Sling tv to be the worst deal because if you want both espn and fox then you have to buy both their packages (around $40 a month). However they will be getting cloud DVR soon. Directvnow had a great plan for $35 a month limited time which gives over 100 channels and all the sports channels except for NFL network and cbs sports network. Also you don't get local channels except fox which NFL games get blacked out (hence my OTA discussion). Also no planned DVR services which really does suck. PS Vue is more established but a bit more pricey with less channels but has DVR. All of them don't have a la carte but does make them more concised packages (no Spanish channels or pointless channels).
Then there are the other subscription medias like Netflix (have), Hulu (don't), Amazon prime (have) which again their stuff doesn't fully satisfy consumer needs alone. CBS tried to do the stand alone subscription platform but again how many shows on their do you actually watch? Maybe one or two.
In conclusion, while not mentioning everything (I.e having a powerful internet 200mbs is what I have), there isn't a truly viable a la carte platform out there that I'm aware of. Anyways, just my take.
Insert "this is fine" GIF