Charter Spectrum streaming - is it just us?

[WoodsmanVol]

Summary: get hulu

No thank you. We're happy with our OTA, ROKU free channels, ROKU Netflix subscription (*Will tell more farther down), and Internet live streaming when we so opt for it. Which these days isn't as often as the past. We have a goal to return to being book readers as opposed to being purely digitalizers. That's the theory anyway.

*No idea why but rare and random times we see newly released movies on Netflix despite our subscription being BASIC. There's no announcement or other indication when this happens. Example: When the Avengers: Infinity War was released, just two days later and late at night, I was scanning Netflix for what movie or TV show I wanted to watch, I was stunned to see the Avengers movie in the list. Thought it was just maybe a trailer but clicked it anyway. Nope, it was the movie. Of course I watched it. Three days later, it vanished. Figured it was an error by someone. But from time to time this happens, admittedly one has to be lucky to catch them as they seem to come and go with rapidity. Some are there one night then vanish thereafter until the DVD versions come out. Got no idea why it happens and I don't ask questions.

In a nutshell, Shirley and I are quite content with our setup and save money for other things. Hotel adventures. Culinary adventures. Parks and museum adventures. Grandkids spoiling. Fishing adventures. Local beer brewery adventures.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

I have spectrum 200mbs here south of Raleigh. We lost internet with the hurricane twice for about 15 hours. Then a few days later for about an hour. I now have their customer service number on my phone. Guy came out and said he would inspect (clean?) our connections. He measured the signal and watched traffic for a while. Things are fine for now.

 

[Volfan2012]

So grim cord-cutters that we are (and also too lazy to buy and install an HD antenna), we partially sleazed back to Charter via their a la carte streaming service, which includes networks plus some Fox sports stations. I've noticed that news, evening broadcast TV, etc are pretty much fine, but their CBS games are nearly unwatchable - pixellated jerky video, frequent freezes, etc.

Is this just how it goes with Charter streaming? Are they trying to force us back to a cable subscription? (the way my iPhones seem to start crapping out when a new model comes out...) ESPN and SEC coverage on Sling is fine.

This isn't some 10-zillion-dollar setup. Just a 37 inch HDTV.

I have playstation vue and have no problems like you state. I saw some of this when I streamed direct tv now but vue has been a much more pleasant experience. I get all the Fox sports stations, all ESPN stations and a grand total of about 55 stations for 41 dollars. I was on regular charter not streaming before paying about three time this amount even though it was about 100 stations most of the additional ones were just garbage stations I did not watch. Also Vue allows you to watch 5 different tv's or computer, tables, phones or streaming objects at the same time. Streaming on vue has been terrific could not ask for better.

 

[VolNExile]

I have playstation vue and have no problems like you state. I saw some of this when I streamed direct tv now but vue has been a much more pleasant experience. I get all the Fox sports stations, all ESPN stations and a grand total of about 55 stations for 41 dollars. I was on regular charter not streaming before paying about three time this amount even though it was about 100 stations most of the additional ones were just garbage stations I did not watch. Also Vue allows you to watch 5 different tv's or computer, tables, phones or streaming objects at the same time. Streaming on vue has been terrific could not ask for better.

Vue is starting to look good if only because it has everything on one service. Game flipping is pretty tedious when ESPN and SECN are on Sling and CBS and the Fox stations are on Spectrum a la Carte.

by the way, someone mentioned calling retention when they jack up your prices - good luck! Charter Spectrum only started to play (make better offers) several months after we cut cable. Retention was very much "sorry, bub." They made my husband so mad that he won't listen to going back to real cable at a (once again) lower price.

Sure, these guys are in business, but I refuse to believe that they are all operating at a loss on first-year fees. If they can afford to provide cable + internet for $90 or whatever in year 1, they can afford to keep offering that price.

As for "being in business", I consider cable and internet to be public services, just like telephone (remember that?), electricity, gas, water, sewer. You don't have true competition in public services, and they are generally regulated to some extent by local governments. I don't know if KUB is still around (I've been gone from Knoxville for nearly nine years now), but imagine if they charged you an initial fee for your gas and electricity the first year, and then jacked it up half again the second. And your options then are to do what, exactly?

Thanks to all for the feedback. I'll start with getting the cable guy (well, internet guy I guess) back out to check the lines, which serve as the equivalent of an Interstate highway exchange for the local fluffy-tailed rodents.

 

[WoodsmanVol]

A few months ago, I got a mailed pamphlet from Spectrum. It offered Internet only 100 Mbps service for 29.99/mo. I went online and saw the same offering. Since they purchased TWC Ihad an account with them so signed in. I got a live Chat service rep and talked to him about this offer. He kept trying to get me to agree to sign up for the bundled service. Finally, when I insisted I only wanted the Internet only service he said they don't offer it as it has to be bundled. I reminded him I had a mailed copy and their own website bacvked up what that copy said. He then said if I did sign up for it, it would cost me 129.99/mo which means it was still a bundled service. I basically told him to GTH. I still get ofrfers from Spectrum, DirecTV, and DISH but ignore them all. They lie, cheat, steal, and swear service is free. I can't wait until my state installs their FIOS to compete with the vultures we have here now.

 

[m1al]

So grim cord-cutters that we are (and also too lazy to buy and install an HD antenna), we partially sleazed back to Charter via their a la carte streaming service, which includes networks plus some Fox sports stations. I've noticed that news, evening broadcast TV, etc are pretty much fine, but their CBS games are nearly unwatchable - pixellated jerky video, frequent freezes, etc.

Is this just how it goes with Charter streaming? Are they trying to force us back to a cable subscription? (the way my iPhones seem to start crapping out when a new model comes out...) ESPN and SEC coverage on Sling is fine.

This isn't some 10-zillion-dollar setup. Just a 37 inch HDTV.

In a word, yes.. Charter/Spectrum sux big ole donkey dix....