Can Cutting the Cord Cost More than Cable?

Today I came across an article on cutting the cord. Not unusual at all, especially since that is one of my passions and I am always alert to such information. This article was different though because it came from the Cox cable Web site. It was a piece explaining how cutting the cord won’t save you as much money as you think it will. I know there are some positives with your local cable company. My mom likes to be able to call someone up and tell them “something” is wrong with her remote or something simple. Usually it is because her bundled phone isn’t working, but that is a story for another day. Service is something my mom likes to have available and others do to. Also, cable will usually provide a lot of channels, whether you use them or not. However, I have not seen the cost argument made for sticking with cable.

https://www.cox.com/residential/special-offers/the-cost-of-cutting-the-cord.html

First, let’s dive into this “service” thing. Yes, a real person will come to your house if you need them. That alone is what keeps my mom sticking with cable. If she doesn’t want to troubleshoot herself on the phone, the cable company will send someone out to see what the issue is. But let’s be real here, the whole reason satellite got such a quick stronghold on the cable TV industry was lousy service with the cable companies. I remember when the move to a 4 hour installation or service call window was life-changing. Sure, it was an improvement, but I still have nightmares about being on hold for up to an hour trying to get someone to help me. Service may be something to tout for select cable companies, but it isn’t something that comes to mind for most customers.

Now we can move on to the cost aspect of the Cox article. The author starts by acknowledging many cable subscribers are making the switch and cutting the cord to save money. Then the piece changes coarse and makes the claim that due to technology, services are less expensive today than they have been in the past. Most of us know cable bills have skyrocketed in the last ten years. Part of that is the cost the cable company gets charged for a channel, but as a consumer, we know costs have soared no matter the reason. To say certain services are more efficient doesn’t really do it for us. The author points out that bundling saves money and I noted in their example I would save $3 a month on the Internet portion of the bill, not really enough to change my mind.

The cable portion of the $100 bundle example was $55 and included 200+ channels. I had a hunch about their offerings, so I looked it up and found that more than a hundred of those channels were music channels. The other channels were about what I was expecting from a package in that price range. I also noticed that the price was good for only the first year with a two year agreement. To purchase the TV portion alone the price was $60 a month for 12 months with a 24 month agreement and you need to pay $50 for installation unless you do the self-install for $20. Seriously? $20 to install it yourself? This is why people hate cable.

The post really dives into the smart TV aspect of using streaming services to watch cable TV stating that most consumers don’t have smart TVs and they are expensive. The author acknowledges you can get a Firestick, Roku or hook up your laptop, but they make it seem like that should be some kind of challenge or too costly. There were too many references to smart TVs being a hindrance for me to take this article seriously that I thought I would try to help them out with at least a couple good reasons  why someone might want to stick with cable.

The real advantages for Cable

The DVR

if you are on a service like Sling TV you probably have noticed a longing for your DVR as their on demand service is a little spotty. PlayStation Vue has a cloud-based DVR option, but it isn’t quite the same experience and most of the reliability complaints associated with the Vue have been DVR related.

Antenna users will need to fork out some up front money if they want a decent DVR experience similar to a cable or satellite DVR. ChannelMaster’s DVR+ will set you back about $300 and an antenna-based Tivo will cost you both for the set-top box and the $15 monthly service fee for the guide.

For on demand only services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime, a DVR isn’t a big deal, but for streaming cable services or an antenna, it does make a difference

Video Quality

Video quality isn’t talked about too much when talking about cutting the cord, but I do notice a deeper picture with cable or satellite than I do with my streaming services or local TV antenna. I have often seen opinions that state their antenna picture is better quality than when they viewed the same channel through their cable, but for me it was usually better and for a couple of channels, more reliable with cable. I don’t think too many viewers with top end TVs will argue that streaming video is as good as cable can provide, but I am sure there will be some.

I was visiting my mom and wanted to check out her TV watching a streaming game on MLB.TV. I went to the app and picked the free game of the day and the picture was good, but not great. My mom has a top Samsung 4K TV that upscales an HD picture better than I have seen in any showroom. I compared it to another game being broadcast on cable and you could notice the difference. If you have a really quality TV, there are few streaming services that will give you a better picture than cable at least right now.

Lower cost for Internet

If you are a heavy streamer you may have to pay more for Internet. Most Internet providers have data caps and you can surpass them pretty quickly if you watch a lot of shows or sports. My brother cut the cord and was at his cap after a week or so using streaming services. He went with an unlimited plan, but it cost him $20 more a month. Still worth it probably, but we need to be realistic with the savings we will get and what other costs might be associated with switching.

The Conclusion

The arguments made by the Cox article don’t really add up. However, for many cord-cutter wannabees, it is important to know the facts. There are important advantages to cable. Video quality, a good physical DVR and the need for less data being the main three.

Yes, cutting the cord can lead to tremendous savings for you if you are satisfied with less live choices or features like a real DVR. I am a proud cord-cutter, but I did so knowing the real cost of dumping my cable and you should too.