Sound Advice: Cutting the cord with YouTube TV

Don Lindich, Tribune News Service on Sep 17, 2025

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Q. I read the column about the vSeeBox and agree regarding potential piracy. What I don't understand is why does anyone needs to pirate content at all? I have the most basic DISH service, and a Gen 5 Boost mobile Motorola phone coupled with a 4K Vizio smart TV. I have so much free content, particularly with the phone hot spot and DISH free channels and satellite feed that I'm often faced with decision freeze. I count the $88/month DISH fee as amazingly cheap, and the $50 for the unlimited data Boost phone opens up all sorts of stuff. I have channels I've never had time to investigate, cuz work and life and sleep, y'know?

—R.C., Fargo, North Dakota

A. One reason people may decide to pirate content is the $88/month charge, low as it is. One might pay between $350 and $400 for a vSeeBox or Superbox, the equivalent of four months of your DISH service. After that they have broken even and don't pay again as long as the box works. Someone using one of these boxes is also likely to receive much more content than with an entry-level subscription from DISH or a cable company. There is also channel access. News channels like CNBC, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News typically require a subscription, as do the various ESPN channels. If you want these cable staples you typically have to pay to receive them legitimately.

I was a DISH customer until very recently and had subscribed continuously since 1996. My own bill was up to around $200/month as I had multiple TVs connected, as well as the whole-house Hopper DVR. It was getting a bit hard to stomach the cost since I was not using it nearly as much as my streaming services, so earlier this year I put my account on pause for $5/month to see how life would be as a cord cutter.

Everything was going fine until football season approached and my dad, who visits frequently, was disappointed that I no longer received ESPN or the plethora of college football games you can get on cable. Rather than just restart my DISH service I did some research and decided to try YouTube TV, an internet-based cable/subscription TV service. Well, I am one happy camper and doubt I will ever go back. I like YouTube much more than any TV service I have tried, and it is much less expensive as well.

To use YouTube TV you download and install the app on your streaming device or smart TV. (Please note the YouTube TV app is different from the regular YouTube app.) There are no contracts or installation, and I pay less than $100 per month for the 4K service that allows me to connect as many devices as I want and which provides unlimited DVR space for recording. Getting the many channels I receive, the DVR service, 4K availability and the ability to hook up lots of devices for under $100 per month was already enough to make me an enthusiastic customer, but what really cinched it is the picture quality, which is much better than I was getting from my DISH boxes connected to an HDMI input. The image just pops with gorgeous color, natural contrast, great sharpness and natural motion rendition. One thing I prefer with DISH is the channel interface is more intuitive to use, and the system easier to navigate. Other than that, I am an enthusiastic YouTube TV convert and may stick with it for the next 29 years, just as I did with DISH.

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