Read my Introduction to this Series.
I signed up for a 14 day free trial of YouTube TV to see if it met my expectations for “cutting the cord”. It did not, but, remember, I am a picky baby boomer (BB) who grew up with TV and still watch TV a lot (but, that is changing, slowly).
If you do not watch TV like I do…..YouTube TV might be perfect for you.
One thing to keep in mind as you consider the various cord cutting options: You will still need Internet service, and that cost will most likely go up as more people stop their cable TV service. A lot of articles on “cutting the cord” fail to mention this small detail.
YouTube TV in a Nutshell
YouTube TV is a technically excellent (audio and video were perfect for the entire trial period) streaming offering for $35 per month.
YouTube TV provided this BB with almost everything I needed to finally “cut-the-cord” with only a few missing elements, namely: live FOX TV which I watch in the morning (the non-political news), live 49’er football (on FOX, of course), Jane the Virgin on CW, HGTV, Hallmark, and the Food Network.
We got free “DVR” of our favorite shows which we watched later on our big screen HDTV using Chromecast. Note: We DVR shows now on Comcast, but, for $10 per month extra.
YouTube TV “Cutting the Cord” Cost Analysis
We currently pay $148 per month for Comcast / Xfinity including 100 Mbps Internet access…..and get everything we want and more.
If I were to cut the cord with YouTube TV, I lose some things while paying $35 a month for YouTube TV and about $70 for Xfinity 100 Mbps Internet.
Total monthly cost after “cutting the cord” will be about: $105 per month.
With losing those few things we have come to rely on…..saving $43 per month is hardly worth the effort of cutting the cord.
YouTube TV Operation
As I mentioned above the audio and video quality for watching a normal TV show were both perfect for the entire 14 day trial. Not one glitch. When I was watching football however, the video frame rate seemed to slow down and it felt like I was watching a standard definition replay of the game. Weird.
The user interface is intuitive and it took very little time to get used to.
Conclusion
Not having FOX killed the idea of us cutting the cord for YouTube TV at this time (No Darren Peck weather and no 49’er football). Plus, saving only $43 a month while losing the few things we love, makes cutting the cord with YouTube TV a NO for us right now.
But it sure is a great service for those who do not watch TV like we do.
Geek On!
TechyMike: Technology Made Easy 