I’m about 8 months (and a major sports cycle) into cutting the cord, and here’s my setup and review:
Setup
Internet through Spectrum (formerly TWC): $50/month
Sling with Orange/Blue/Sports Package: $50/month
Amazon Prime Video: $10/month
Netflix: Free (riding on the coattails of in-laws account)
Startup Costs
Roku Premiere+ ($80, ethernet-capable – this is vital to a cord-cutting operation)
OTA Antenna ($25)
I also recently replaced the Roku with an ethernet-capable Roku 49’’ TV (which was a major upgrade over my ten-year old tv, anyway) for $300. Old tv and Roku moved to the bedroom.
Pros
-Monthly all in price for tv, internet, and streaming services is $110.
-I get practically everything I want, particularly in the sports department (perhaps most importantly: RedZone Network!), with some exceptions noted below. The quality and consistency of streams has been just as good as Directv on the whole.
-I can stream all my channels anywhere on any device (I have Sling on my Phone, Tablet, and Laptop).
-Wireless headphone capability through Roku remote. Perfect for when the family is sleeping.
-Absolutely no haggling or introductory price drop-offs. You pay a consistent fee for a consistent service, and you can add and cancel stuff immediately and easily.
Cons
-Not having the major networks on Sling is probably the biggest drag. The OTA reception is not perfect where I live, particularly Fox, which comes in poorly.
-I occasionally miss having some of the peripheral channels (CNBC for some NHL playoff games and Olympic coverage and TruTV for specific NCAA tournament games are two examples that come to mind). However, if I really wanted something I can add and drop it by the month for a $5 or $10 fee – it’s not a problem of Sling not having it, it’s just me not wanting to buy a whole package for one channel I will use very rarely. Plus, sometimes you can still access those things online, and reddit can always hook you up with a stream if all else fails.
-As mentioned previously, there’s about one minute lag with Sling compared to cable (as far as I can tell). It’s very annoying watching sports live while also following on phone, twitter, sports tracker etc. spoilers are inevitable in that situation.
-Changing channels is harder than traditional setups (because there are no channel numbers) and it takes a second to change the streams, so it’s not instantaneous.