Cutting The Cord - Revisited 2018

sshasan · April 9, 2018 8:24PM

A little over a year ago, the Consumer Lab team asked the community about which streaming services they use and to which device they streamed to (How do you use video streaming services?). A year later and many more options available today, we want to ask the same question with a little twist.

Hulu, Netflix, YouTube TV... There are plenty of choices when it comes to streaming TV and movies to your connected devices.

1.) Which services are you using today?
2.) Which devices do you stream to most frequently?

and the kicker...

3.) Would offering a free two-year subscription to a streaming service of your choice entice you to buy a specific streaming device (TV, Smartphone, Laptop etc...)?

*Bonus points for recommending shows to watch! (no spoilers)

coldheat06 · April 9, 2018 8:42PM

Here are my choices below:

Amazon Prime Video, MLB, Netflix, YouTube,
I enjoy streaming to my Samsung S2 Tablet, my Blade ZMax, Axon 7 and my Axon M. If i want to really multi task I stream to my Asus Laptop.
Yes by offering a free two year subscription with a ZTE device I would definitely lean even more to purchasing a ZTE device..... Especially if the device took full advantage of the streaming services.... for example.... If the device had the new T-Mobile 600Mhz band and all of the WIFI bands like Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot

My favorite shows are:

Vikings
The Tick
The Walking Dead
Sneaky Pete
Future Man

jasone · April 9, 2018 9:00PM

As far as pay services that would be Netflix and Hulu
Most frequent devices would be Smart TV, Roku Ultra, then a tablet and lastly a phone. I prefer to watch on the biggest screen possible.
Offering 2 years worth of streaming to a popular service would be something that would definitely interest me. I watch way too much TV and love to stream. Even though I'd do most of my streaming on a TV over the device I was buying, having it be free for 2 years would be a big plus.

*Bonus gonna be all streaming only no network shows

Altered Carbon
Dark
Sneaky Pete
Big Mouth
Santa Clarita Diet
Peaky Blinders
Black Mirror
Mad Dogs
Travelers
Shut Eye
Orange is the New Black
Atypical

hollap · April 9, 2018 9:20PM

I do not subscribe to any streaming services at this point in time. But that's not to say I don't stream services
I stream to my Axon 7, my Samsung TV, and my Acer Chromebook R11 laptop. In fact I'm streaming the Brewers game right now as I type.
Since I do not find one particular streaming service to have all of the things that I want, I probably wouldn't let this sway my decision. In fact, it might sway me away from the device. I would assume there would be software loaded on it that I don't enjoy and most likely would not be able to remove, which to me is not a good thing.The problem is there are so many good shows all over the internet no service does it all, so I don't end up getting any.

The Detour
Billions
Sneaky Pete
Ozark
The Imposters
Fargo
Santa Clarita Diet
Stranger Things
Shameless
American Horror Story
Fargo
The Americans
The Handmaid's Tale

fzrrich · April 9, 2018 9:38PM

1) I subscribe to Amazon Prime (video) and Netflix. Hulu is on again/off again for me depending on if a show I want is currently being aired.

2) I mainly stream to my phone but do also stream to my laptop/pc and TV’s as well.

3) Offering a two year subscription would definitely sway me towards buying a certain streaming device except for Netflix for me since it is already included with T-Mobile. Although I use Netflix the most.

My favorite shows are:

Vikings
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Comic Book Men
The Man in the High Castle
The Walking Dead
The Looming Tower
Krypton
Gotham
West world
The 100
Ozark
Helix
The Last Kingdom
Spartacus
Bates Motel
Sons of Anarchy
Supernatural
Hell on Wheels
Medici
Colony
Peaky Blinders
Punisher
Dark Matter
The Office
Aquarius
MindHunter

hollap · April 9, 2018 9:50PM

@jimlloyd40 said:
@hollap I won't mention Kodi cough cough. I think that you are with T-Mobile now. Are you aware that they will pay for Netflix for you?

Kodi, Terrarium, whatever works I am with T-Mobile, and I am aware Netflix is free. But I don't want to sign up and give out my credit card info to another site just to get a couple of shows free when I already see everything I want.

DrakenFX · April 9, 2018 9:51PM

as Pay services : Netflix, Prime Video,
Free: The CW, The CW Seed, Youtube.
I stream using Smartphone, Laptop and Tablet.
No, offering streaming services won't make me buy any Streaming Device / Smarthphone / Tablet.

Sherlock Homes
Agents of Shield
The Tick
Humans
Altered Carbon
Merlin
Stranger Things
The Originals
iZombie
Park and Recreation
The Office
Voltron
Castlevania
Jessica Jones
The Defenders
Van Helsing
Lost
Dark (Orignal Netflix Series)
Black Mirror

there's more back i'll just leave it like that

hollap · April 9, 2018 10:47PM

@jimlloyd40 said:

@hollap said:

@jimlloyd40 said:
@hollap I won't mention Kodi cough cough. I think that you are with T-Mobile now. Are you aware that they will pay for Netflix for you?

Kodi, Terrarium, whatever works I am with T-Mobile, and I am aware Netflix is free. But I don't want to sign up and give out my credit card info to another site just to get a couple of shows free when I already see everything I want.

I don't know why you would have to give out your credit card number. T-Mobile pays for it. I didn't have to give Netflix my credit card number to get the free deal from T-Mobile.

I was told you had to order the service then they back pay you after a month or two. Either way, I don't need Netflix at the moment, nor do I want it.

fzrrich · April 9, 2018 11:15PM

I don't know why you would have to give out your credit card number. T-Mobile pays for it. I didn't have to give Netflix my credit card number to get the free

I was told you had to order the service then they back pay you after a month or two. Either way, I don't need Netflix at the moment, nor do I want it.

@hollap I completely understand. But... the nice thing about Netflix (especially when it’s paid for via T-Mobile) is that you can watch a show and at any point stop watching and pick up where you left off anytime in the future, on any other device., it automatically keeps track of your viewing progress). That doesn’t happen with Kodi or Showbox etc. That being said I do understand your stance.

runtohell121 · April 10, 2018 12:01AM

1) Pay service: Amazon Prime
Free: YouTube

2) Streaming on iPhone X, Galaxy S9, Axon 7, MacBook Pro, LG TV, Amazon FireTV.

3) Depends on the service it includes and if I have any interest in any of the shows.

musicdjm · April 10, 2018 9:11AM

1/ Streaming Service: Terrarium TV, Sling TV
2/ Streaming on Axon 7, Amazon Firestick, PC

3/ Since companies like Tmobile and sprint offer free netflix or hulu respectively the only way it would really be worth it would be if it was a service like Sling TV or other service that allowed your tv service to be actually replaced.

Favorite Shows
Vikings
Any history channel show
SWAT
NCIS
Family Guy
Simpsons
American Dad
Law and Order
Roseanne

TEXASMADE1978 · April 10, 2018 9:18AM

Pay Service: Netflix
Streaming: Axon 7 , (2) ZMax Pro, Samsung Chromebook, Desktop
Depends on exactly what the streaming service was/is and the device as well. It wouldn't be the feature that would make me buy one device over another.

Other Streams: Whichever one I choose at that particular time 😉

The First 48
Cold Justice
Ozark
The Imposters
Fargo
Shameless
American Horror Story
Fargo
The Americans
Stranger Things
Altered Carbon
Black Mirror
The Curse of Oak Island
Vikings
13 Reasons Why
Baskets
Roseanne
Live PD
Big Brother
Survivor
Moonshiners
Swamp People
And many, many more......

14blank40 · April 10, 2018 5:44PM

1) I use Netflix and YouTube primarily.

2) most of the time I stream on my phone (when I'm on the go) or my computer/ laptop. I also occasionally on my smart tv

3) certainly free streaming service is enticing but as one of the few buyers from Canada, I would love to know if that deal was just for the US or also Canada?

BONUS:
-Shrelock (the one with Benedict Cumberbatch)

-Brooklyn Nine-Nine

dnewman007 · April 10, 2018 5:45PM

I stream Netflix and Amazon Prime mostly to my 82" Sammy and 70" Sony UHD TV's. I do stream to my smartphones also. Been watching Sons of Anarchy again!

14blank40 · April 10, 2018 7:20PM

@jimlloyd40 said:

@14blank40 said:
1) I use Netflix and YouTube primarily.

2) most of the time I stream on my phone (when I'm on the go) or my computer/ laptop. I also occasionally on my smart tv

3) certainly free streaming service is enticing but as one of the few buyers from Canada, I would love to know if that deal was just for the US or also Canada?

BONUS:
-Shrelock (the one with Benedict Cumberbatch)

-Brooklyn Nine-Nine

@14blank40 it isn't a done deal. It's research to see if there's enough interest to make it worthwhile.

I realize that but I figured that at least letting them know about some of the concerns that Canadians may have might be useful for them.

dnewman007 · April 10, 2018 9:21PM

@westside80 said:

@dnewman007 said:
I stream Netflix and Amazon Prime mostly to my 82" Sammy and 70" Sony UHD TV's. I do stream to my smartphones also. Been watching Sons of Anarchy again!

Good Lord! I have a 32 inch 1080p Sceptre TV in my room, an older 28 inch Vizio 1080p TV in my daughter's room and a 50 inch 1080p Emerson TV in the living room. The 50 inch was a Black Friday deal. My bedroom Sceptre TV actually has the best picture. Most TV programs are shot in 1080i and other than limited programs on Netflix, other streaming services and Blu-ray there's not yet enough 4k programming to make me want a 4k TV. I hope that changes in the future but until TV programs are shot in 4k I'll probably stick with 1080p.

P.S. I loved SOA

Picture quality is better even in 1080 with the UHD Sammy set. I agree that most programming is in HD right now. My Samsung 4k Blu Ray up-converts and does improve picture quality a little. Needless to say my family room is like a theater. My wife and I love to watch movies.

razor512 · April 11, 2018 1:48AM

I don't use too many paid streaming services beyond occasional short term use of Netflix and Amazon prime for when they get a decent original series.
Beyond that, a consistent source of good content spanning the ear, can be from fan subbed anime.

In cases like that, it is a great experience to be able to watch on a PC, and then finish watching on a smartphone or tablet. This is especially the case if you have a NAS or even an external hard drive connected to a USB port on your router.

If ZTE were to include 2 years of a streaming service, that would be awesome so long as the device itself stil has great hardware.

For recommended shows: Binge watch the following shows:

Made in Abyss
Garo - Vanishing Line
GATE
Inuyashiki
Katsugeki Touken Ranbu
Overlord
Shingeki no Kyojin
Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
Youjo Senki
Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho

saeedted · April 11, 2018 2:02PM

1.) Which services are you using today?
2.) Which devices do you stream to most frequently?

and the kicker...

3.) Would offering a free two-year subscription to a streaming service of your choice entice you to buy a specific streaming device (TV, Smartphone, Laptop etc...)?

*Bonus points for recommending shows to watch! (no spoilers)

Lets see... I use Amazon Prime Video and T-Mobile is paying for my Netflix but the service I use the most is Youtube.

The devices I mostly use to stream are:
*Galaxy Tab S- whenever I am home to watch YT, Prime Video, and Netflix
*Roku TV in the living room- Netflix
*Smartphones- Youtube
*Spro 2- Amazon Prime Video and Netflix

I rarely use my MacBook to stream content.

I could be enticed to buy a device if it offered a free two-year subscription to something like HBO/ Sling TV/ Youtube TV.

My Favorite Shows are:

Homeland
The Expanse
Better Call Saul
Sherlock
The Originals
Humans
Game of Thrones
Westworld
Legion
Atlanta
Mr. Robot
Ozark
Black Mirror
13 Reasons Why
Stranger Things
Sneaky Pete

Favorite Channels on YT:

Philip DeFranco Show
Mr. Mobile
Pocketnow Daily
College Humor

wiseman13 · April 11, 2018 3:46PM

1.) Netflix and Amazon Prime. We also purchase shows we like on Google Play
2.) Several Chromecasts connected to TVs and Projectors. Also use my Axon M when I am on the go. About to travel to Europe for business this weekend, so I have been downloading.
3.) Unlikely since a lot of those offers do not seem to work if you already pay for the service. I have had some things like this with a free two years of Google Drive and it was a nice perk, but did not drive me to buy one device over another.

Starwars Rebels
Troll Hunters
Voltron (New Netflix version)

DoppelgangerD · April 11, 2018 6:07PM

@westside80 said:

@dnewman007 said:

@westside80 said:

@dnewman007 said:
I stream Netflix and Amazon Prime mostly to my 82" Sammy and 70" Sony UHD TV's. I do stream to my smartphones also. Been watching Sons of Anarchy again!

Good Lord! I have a 32 inch 1080p Sceptre TV in my room, an older 28 inch Vizio 1080p TV in my daughter's room and a 50 inch 1080p Emerson TV in the living room. The 50 inch was a Black Friday deal. My bedroom Sceptre TV actually has the best picture. Most TV programs are shot in 1080i and other than limited programs on Netflix, other streaming services and Blu-ray there's not yet enough 4k programming to make me want a 4k TV. I hope that changes in the future but until TV programs are shot in 4k I'll probably stick with 1080p.

P.S. I loved SOA

Picture quality is better even in 1080 with the UHD Sammy set. I agree that most programming is in HD right now. My Samsung 4k Blu Ray up-converts and does improve picture quality a little. Needless to say my family room is like a theater. My wife and I love to watch movies.

I love watching TV and movies too. My 50 inch is huge to me so I can't imagine having an 80 inch TV.

I have a 120" Cinemascope screen in my media room with a 4K projection system.
There is no better way to watch movies, sports, and some tv shows.
I will NEVER understand why some people would watch those things on a phone.
I can understand some YouTube videos and whatnot, but being able to watch good content on a giant screen is very immersive, and is of course why commercial theaters exist in first place.

Everyday viewing I do on a 43" set in my living room, but I'll soon be upgrading that to a new 50" set.
I'd love to make it bigger, but the designated area for the tv won't accommodate anything bigger.
Then I'll relegate the 43" set to the bedroom to replace an ancient 768p display (lol) and all 3 will have 4K capabilities.

FWIW, even when watching lower res content (like 720p/1080i/1080p), a 4K display will upscale and process the lower resolution sources to make them look even better. How much better of course depends on the capabilities of the display, and if the original source looks like crap, there's only so much a processor can do to make it look better.
As they say, garbage in = garbage out.

hollap · April 12, 2018 3:49PM

@DoppelgangerD said:

@westside80 said:

@dnewman007 said:

@westside80 said:

@dnewman007 said:
I stream Netflix and Amazon Prime mostly to my 82" Sammy and 70" Sony UHD TV's. I do stream to my smartphones also. Been watching Sons of Anarchy again!

Good Lord! I have a 32 inch 1080p Sceptre TV in my room, an older 28 inch Vizio 1080p TV in my daughter's room and a 50 inch 1080p Emerson TV in the living room. The 50 inch was a Black Friday deal. My bedroom Sceptre TV actually has the best picture. Most TV programs are shot in 1080i and other than limited programs on Netflix, other streaming services and Blu-ray there's not yet enough 4k programming to make me want a 4k TV. I hope that changes in the future but until TV programs are shot in 4k I'll probably stick with 1080p.

P.S. I loved SOA

Picture quality is better even in 1080 with the UHD Sammy set. I agree that most programming is in HD right now. My Samsung 4k Blu Ray up-converts and does improve picture quality a little. Needless to say my family room is like a theater. My wife and I love to watch movies.

I love watching TV and movies too. My 50 inch is huge to me so I can't imagine having an 80 inch TV.

I have a 120" Cinemascope screen in my media room with a 4K projection system.
There is no better way to watch movies, sports, and some tv shows.
I will NEVER understand why some people would watch those things on a phone.
I can understand some YouTube videos and whatnot, but being able to watch good content on a giant screen is very immersive, and is of course why commercial theaters exist in first place.

Everyday viewing I do on a 43" set in my living room, but I'll soon be upgrading that to a new 50" set.
I'd love to make it bigger, but the designated area for the tv won't accommodate anything bigger.
Then I'll relegate the 43" set to the bedroom to replace an ancient 768p display (lol) and all 3 will have 4K capabilities.

FWIW, even when watching lower res content (like 720p/1080i/1080p), a 4K display will upscale and process the lower resolution sources to make them look even better. How much better of course depends on the capabilities of the display, and if the original source looks like crap, there's only so much a processor can do to make it look better.
As they say, garbage in = garbage out.

When my wife has control of the TV (yes I'm man enough to admit it) I use my phone or laptop to stream sports. That's my main use for it. Also sometimes when I'm out of town or just not close to a TV. Outside on my patio for example.

jasonscarter · April 12, 2018 7:28PM

Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Now
Roku, Smart TV, Axon 7, Desktop PC
For sure it would. Dish Network gave me a years worth of Netflix, which saved me over $100 a year for that service. 2 years worth of any service would be a major win win $$$ wise.

Shows:

Silicon Valley
Walking Dead
The Grand Tour
Good Doctor

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