OT: Dropping Cable (TV)

[Nooch]

I know there have been a couple threads on dropping cable television, but since this is a bike forum and we talk about cables on a regular basis, I can't find them.

More or less, looking for the best alternatives to cable tv, and trying to figure out whether or not money will actually be saved in the long run. If optimum is offering me the triple play for $89.95 for two years, and internet as a standalone costs $50, when I either add in hulu plus or other subscription based programming, i end up not much off the original price of just sticking with cable.

Of course we can go with an over-the-air antenna for local programming, which would be fine, but then I've gotta factor the cost of multiple antennae (assuming we keep all of our current tv's)

So for those who have done it (and continued to watch TV), how did you ditch cable?

[zetroc]

I got rid of cable about 4 years ago and have only missed it on a few occasions. Netflix and Hulu Plus fill in the gaps pretty well, and I can watch local news with a $50 antenna. A Chromecast gizmo ($35, one time) lets me push Youtube and Hulu videos from my computer to the TV, and I listen to local sports on the radio. I can use my Xbox Live subscription ($10/mo) to get Netflix and Hulu on the TV.

DSL is about $30 a month, plus Netflix/Hulu are maybe 25, plus $10 for xbox live - a clear winner over cable, which would be at least $100 for TV and Internet, plus I already have the xbox account.

The effect of all of this is that it's harder for me to sit down and veg out in front of the TV - these days I'm much more likely to read a book or a magazine while listening to the radio, if I'm not working on another project or tasks around the house. It is no longer second nature for me to come home and sit down in front of the TV.

tl;dr: cut the cable!

[jh_on_the_cape]

We get internet with the phone over DSL.
We have never had cable. Only the kids watch TV, just netflix and DVDs.

seriously, just drop cable and stop watching Tv except for an occasional movie. If I want to watch sports I go to a friends or a bar. Breaking news is on the internet, like elections. The rest is junk.

[William]

Dropped cable a few years ago (there's a thread somewhere). Made a couple of digital antennas (for the occasional local station viewing), subscribed to Netflix, Dvd's, and occasionally watch something on iTunes. Still coming in way under what cable would run and not missing it one iota.






William

[OldCrank]

Netflix.

LOTs of movies and shows - but they're Not that new, you will be way behind everyone else on your Breaking Bad viewing.

I'm OK with that.

[Likes2ridefar]

pirate bay is the best alternative to cable tv:no:

I still prefer it to the DVR since it has the commericals removed already, and it's just easier to use Jriver on my HTPC vs the crummy cable box.

i actually have cable tv right now because they offered me a great deal for super fast internet plus TV, but didnt for years, and was able to watch everything I had interest in. 1080p, surround sound, DTS, HD-MA, you name it!

[Nooch]

As it is we didn't have the movie channels or anything with the Fios bundle we had/have at the current apartment. Figure it's the easiest way to make a clean break moving the new place, dropping the fios, and not jumping right back into anything.

The phone company -- now that's one that I haven't thought about in a long time, since my phone has been handled by the cable company for the last who know's how long... I kind of forgot there was a 'phone company' at this point! I'll look into that to see about DSL, if it's available...

(just checked -- looks like verizon is the phone provider... it's all digital voice around here..)

So alright, still looking at $50 for internet, and the rest of it I can just hook my laptop into the tv and watch streaming stuff.. see how that works for a while, and go to a netflix or hulu subscription if need be, still coming out ahead in the long run..

Now to look into prepaid cellular.... (new apartment is more money... trying to clean up the budget to up the savings with the added expense..)

[David Tollefson]

We dropped cable a few years ago. Only time I miss it is during the Tour.

Netflix and Hulu+ together run what, $15 a month? BluRay player with wireless streams everything just fine, and they're pretty cheap.

[Likes2ridefar]

We dropped cable a few years ago. Only time I miss it is during the Tour.

Netflix and Hulu+ together run what, $15 a month? BluRay player with wireless streams everything just fine, and they're pretty cheap.

you are aware you can purchase an online streaming package of the TdF for not much $? in my opinion it's better and i used it instead of cable since there are no commercials and you can watch it live or whenever you want later.

[Nooch]

next question -- anybody have a recommendation for a good antenna? was looking at this one (http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Leaf-Paper-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004QK7HI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382384261&sr=8-1&keywords=digital+tv+antenna) but seems a little pricey -- though I suppose if it works, it works.

[Louis]

Why stop there?

I haven't had a TV in the house for about 20 years. I do have a Netflix subscription and get two DVDs per month, which I play on a little Sony portable viewer. (actually, sometimes I go a few months without bothering to return a movie, mostly because I just don't bother, so my actual throughput is way less than 2 / month)

[plattyjo]

We haven't had cable for years either (we go to see films/Netflix/iTunes), but recently got it for free when my husband threatened to quit Comcast due to a string of crappy service/fees with our internet connection (they halved our bill, too.) Not a recommended method, but if you find yourself in the same situation, doesn't hurt to ask for freebies!

[Nooch]

Why stop there?

I haven't had a TV in the house for about 20 years. I do have a Netflix subscription and get two DVDs per month, which I play on a little Sony portable viewer. (actually, sometimes I go a few months without bothering to return a movie, mostly because I just don't bother, so my actual throughput is way less than 2 / month)

Eh, with a one year old and one on the way, we need to have *something*

[Peter P.]

next question -- anybody have a recommendation for a good antenna? was looking at this one (http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Leaf-Paper-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004QK7HI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382384261&sr=8-1&keywords=digital+tv+antenna) but seems a little pricey -- though I suppose if it works, it works.

Most passive indoor antennas work the same so it's not worth looking for one better than the other. I would buy ONE, probably on the lower or middle of the price range, and test it on all your in-house TVs. You might be pleasantly surprised.

The good thing about digital TV is you either get the entire signal static-free or you get nothing, so that's your simple way of testing the antenna.

The factor most affecting your TV viewing with regard to antennas is height. If you can at all, get the antenna outside. Then get it as high as you can. Next, you'll probably have to point it at the transmitter's antenna, which means you may forsake some channels to receive others. At the extreme, mount the antenna on a rotor. You can hook multiple TVs up to the same antenna with an impedance matcher/multicoupler.

[thirdgenbird]

No cable here either. We have an antenna that really only gets used during football season and Netflix. We are roughly a season behind on a few shows, but it is worth it.

We tried hulu. I hated it. It still has commercials, if you quit watching something it won't bookmark (Netflix does) and if you restart it you can't fast forward back to where you were. You are forced to watch every commercial first. To add insult to injury, the shows my wife wanted were not available on plus. You could only watch them on the free website. It may have changed in the last 18 months but in the time we had it, I found it a total waste.

Edit:
Antenna

We tried a few small indoor ones in our previous apartment (top floor) and they all blew. We got one or two channels even with a high end unit.

Now that we are in a house, I have an old school (pre digital) large antenna in the attic with a booster on it. We get all of the channels in our market and a few in the neighboring one. Being in the attic means that it can't get damaged and no one has to see the ugly thing.

[Germany_chris]

$79 a year for Amazon Prime free shipping and free movies

7.99 for Netflix

3.99 for Hulu +

Project free TV also

[jlwdm]

After reading these suggestions I do not see a compelling reason to drop Verizon Fios for some other service. It appears there is a little savings for a big drop in service.

Jeff

[AngryScientist]

my household would grind to a halt without "jake and the neverland pirates", "henry hugglemonster", "sid, the science kid", and my personal favorite "the backyardigans".

my wife and her father are also addicted to cooking network and food TV.

there is no way cutting the cord at my house would fly.

now, if i could buy cable stations on an individual basis, i would be all over that.

[thirdgenbird]

3.99 for Hulu +

Pretty sure that is half what they were charging a little over a year ago. I wonder if other people were leaving for netflix and prime.

[Nooch]

my household would grind to a halt without "jake and the neverland pirates", "henry hugglemonster", "sid, the science kid", and my personal favorite "the backyardigans".

my wife and her father are also addicted to cooking network and food TV.

there is no way cutting the cord at my house would fly.

now, if i could buy cable stations on an individual basis, i would be all over that.

yes, while I'll too miss Jake and that sneaky snook captain hook, i think we could manage with a strong DVD collection and running youtube through the tv... Thankfully we stopped putting the TV on and plopping the baby in front of it while we ran around the house, so that's good.

My mother-in-law, on the other hand, was not happy to hear of the plan to drop cable, lol. I was *this* close to suggesting she pay for it.... but then common sense took hold of me.

[sjbraun]

I ditched satellite tv a few months a go. I was paying $80 a month to basically watch three channels. With Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Amazon Prime I get all the content I need. I'd much rather watch entire season of a series over the course of a couple of weeks. I pay for some shows, but at $2 an episode, I still come out ahead.

Just started Homeland last night, looks to be a decent show.

If cable or satellite allowed ala cart options, I might reconsider, but since I don't care about ball sports, there's not much reason to pay for a subscription which largely supports those choices.

Let me second the recommendation for Universal Sports' Tour coverage. It was much better than what was broadcast on tv. Start with a four or five hour stage, fast forward to the climbs or sprints. Watch whenever you wish.

-Steve

[Germany_chris]

Pretty sure that is half what they were charging a little over a year ago. I wonder if other people were leaving for netflix and prime.

I dunno, I've had the service for four years now..

OK so I just went into my PayPal it's $7.99 I could have sworn that it was 3.99. :o

[rice rocket]

After reading these suggestions I do not see a compelling reason to drop Verizon Fios for some other service. It appears there is a little savings for a big drop in service.

Jeff

I prefer not to perpetuate the monopolization of media. Out here, there's only Comcast, and hell if I'm paying them for content.

My only hope is Google dumps a whole bunch of money into Google Fiber and creates some competition for Comcast/Verizon/cable providers nationwide. Currently in KC, MO (only place Google Fiber exists currently), you either pay a flat $300 fee for install and never pay a monthly charge for 5 Mbps, or you pay $70/mo for gigabit service.

Of course, you can argue that Google is a media monopolizer too...

[jh_on_the_cape]

my household would grind to a halt without "jake and the neverland pirates", "henry hugglemonster", "sid, the science kid", and my personal favorite "the backyardigans".

my wife and her father are also addicted to cooking network and food TV.

there is no way cutting the cord at my house would fly.

now, if i could buy cable stations on an individual basis, i would be all over that.

those cartoons are all on netflix. well, i don't know about hugglemonster...

[jh_on_the_cape]

Thankfully we stopped putting the TV on and plopping the baby in front of it while we ran around the house, so that's good.



this says it all. kids get used to no TV very quickly and start playing with toys or reading. a little tv is fine, but most kids and adults watch too much TV. at least play Wii or something.

cut the cord.

[roguedog]

I had the Mohu Leaf. It worked really well (surprisingly). It replaced a big old amped antenna from Radio Shack. It's smaller and it works better.

Placement is important as is luck of the draw, that is, it sorta depends on where your house is and which direction you want to / need to put the antenna. This placement may to may not happen to be the optimal one to receive all the channels in your area.

I bought my dad the Leaf Ultimate and he really likes it and it works well for him. I currently have the older amped Leaf Ultimate and it works well. I think the current generation addresses some issues from the 1st gen (like my power adapter developed a buzzing and is kinda cheap).

I haven't paid for cable in a loooonggg time. I rarely watch TV. I'm w/ the Netflix/Amazon/ITunes/Hulu crowd... I get to choose when and what I want to watch without being sucked into junk. I'm sorta amazed whenever I go to a hotel or a friend's place and flip through 200 channels and see how much junk is out there.

I too would be tempted if I'd be allowed to pick n choose channels though (Discovery, History Channel, Biography, .. etc)

[William]

We had Fios, but there were only a couple of channels that we would really watch, and even then the amount of commercial advertising going on was ridiculous. I started timing content vs commercials and in many cases it was approaching 50/50. Edit: And then they start rolling commercials at the bottom of the screen after the regular commercial break is over and the content starts running again. Eff that!! Remember when cable first came out? The whole selling point was you don't have to be interrupted by annoying commercial because YOU are paying for content, no need for advertisers.:rolleyes: Now you pay to watch content....and advertising. Cable networks collect on both ends.

Don't miss it one bit.





William

[bobswire]

Netflix streaming/Roku box w programing and over the air digital programing. Roku comes with lots of programing It even includes all PBS programing.
$15 a month. includes disc rental too which I use for movies not offered on streaming (usually new releases).
AT&T Uverse internet DSL.
$24.95 a month. ( you have to talk to rep to get that price but well worth it)
I'm averaging 10 Mbps More than enough for my needs
Magic Jack used as home phone.
Initial outlay $50 for the magicjack
$30- a year thereafter
Cell Phone
Virgin Mobile (Sprint)
Samsung S2 $200 initial outlay for phone
$35 Mo. Unlimited Data ( which I use more than as a phone)
300 minutes talk ( I don't talk much on this phone. I use it for convenience and emergency while biking or on the road).
Previously I was paying out over $190 a month for those services before downsizing and switching over.
Now I'm paying $68 per month TV, both phones, home and cell,high speed internet

[jh_on_the_cape]

I just heard a piece on NPR that Canada is requiring alacarte pricing for channels in addition to bundling. Also went on about that would never happen in the USA due to cable companies and other large interests never allowing it to happen.

I had the Mohu Leaf. It worked really well (surprisingly). It replaced a big old amped antenna from Radio Shack. It's smaller and it works better.

Placement is important as is luck of the draw, that is, it sorta depends on where your house is and which direction you want to / need to put the antenna. This placement may to may not happen to be the optimal one to receive all the channels in your area.

I bought my dad the Leaf Ultimate and he really likes it and it works well for him. I currently have the older amped Leaf Ultimate and it works well. I think the current generation addresses some issues from the 1st gen (like my power adapter developed a buzzing and is kinda cheap).

I haven't paid for cable in a loooonggg time. I rarely watch TV. I'm w/ the Netflix/Amazon/ITunes/Hulu crowd... I get to choose when and what I want to watch without being sucked into junk. I'm sorta amazed whenever I go to a hotel or a friend's place and flip through 200 channels and see how much junk is out there.

I too would be tempted if I'd be allowed to pick n choose channels though (Discovery, History Channel, Biography, .. etc)

[Nooch]

Netflix streaming/Roku box w programing and over the air digital programing. Roku comes with lots of programing It even includes all PBS programing.
$15 a month. includes disc rental too which I use for movies not offered on streaming (usually new releases).
AT&T Uverse internet DSL.
$24.95 a month. ( you have to talk to rep to get that price but well worth it)
I'm averaging 10 Mbps More than enough for my needs
Magic Jack used as home phone.
Initial outlay $50 for the magicjack
$30- a year thereafter
Cell Phone
Virgin Mobile (Sprint)
Samsung S2 $200 initial outlay for phone
$35 Mo. Unlimited Data ( which I use more than as a phone)
300 minutes talk ( I don't talk much on this phone. I use it for convenience and emergency while biking or on the road).
Previously I was paying out over $190 a month for those services before downsizing and switching over.
Now I'm paying $68 per month TV, both phones, home and cell,high speed internet

I was eying the page plus prepaid plans... $55 for unlimited talk and text and 2gb of data... it's the data that i use the most..

it's very hard becoming un-tethered, it seems.. it's just easier to stick with the crooks... the prepaid cellular seems like such a hassle, but we could save at least $50 a month, if not more, bringing our iphones over..

[jh_on_the_cape]

I was eying the page plus prepaid plans... $55 for unlimited talk and text and 2gb of data... it's the data that i use the most..

it's very hard becoming un-tethered, it seems.. it's just easier to stick with the crooks... the prepaid cellular seems like such a hassle, but we could save at least $50 a month, if not more, bringing our iphones over..

i do virginmobile and it's not a hassle. 35 a month. they have iphones now. I do not understand why people pay so much more...

[Nooch]

i do virginmobile and it's not a hassle. 35 a month. they have iphones now. I do not understand why people pay so much more...

Oh, I know it's not that big of a hassle -- it's just getting what I want for two phones (the data allowance, the verizon network, so i'm stuck with page plus).. i wish i could do unlimited data and low minutes...

[jlyon]

I have Page plus for me and Virgin Mobile for my Daughter.

Virgin I beleive is $35 a month for low talk minutes but Unlimited data.

For me I have no smart phone and talk very little so $30 a year for Page plus minutes is all I use.

I just convinced my wife to switch from Virizon to Virgin.

[redir]

I've never paid for cable in my adult life. I did have it free at an apartment once but rarely watched it. If it was a la carte I would consider it but it's just packaged with junk. I think it's an old school and dieing model people want entertainment on demand now. I do have Netflix but am really annoyed by their search, it sucks, and a lot of movies I want to see are simply not there. I have a computer entertainment system (HTPC) hooked up to a TV tuner and running MythTV. I just have an old cheap antenna, rabbit ears with some sort of tuner dial. I went and bought an expensive one with a booster and all that and actually took it back because it was actually worse then the rabbit ears.

I'm with others who say cut the cord! Kill your television man... er well not really but why pay a commercial company for junk you don't want and hours and hours of commercials.

[Saint Vitus]

I cut it on Saturday.

Besides the wait in line (and it looked like others were there for the same reason), it was so easy, matter of fact the guy at the counter said that it's pretty regular anymore. And why not, my bill had ballooned to $125 for regular cable, HD and internet, plus modem rental (···???) and box rental. The modem fee was pretty recent so I bought my own and called TWC to change the MAC address to the new one. So i opted for one level higher of internet service and saved myself $80.

OTA antenna, Netflix, Mac mini (with optical drive), NAD integrated amp running Rogers LS-1 and I use the phones or iPad as remotes. One and done...

[SpokeValley]

my household would grind to a halt without "jake and the neverland pirates", "henry hugglemonster", "sid, the science kid", and my personal favorite "the backyardigans".

my wife and her father are also addicted to cooking network and food TV.

there is no way cutting the cord at my house would fly.

now, if i could buy cable stations on an individual basis, i would be all over that.

+1 A la carte instead of bundles would be a blessing.

[William]

+1 A la carte instead of bundles would be a blessing.

I might have considered keeping it if this option was available. That's a big "might" though, I've grown too tired of the increase in commercials and advertising.






William

[CunegoFan]

My main beef with cable is that the product has become worse and worse over the years. There are sometimes as little as five minutes between commercial breaks. Every channel has an annoying logo stuck in the corner. A large number of channels began as specific interest channels but morphed into virtually the same content as they targeted the lowest common denominator. There are tons of channels, including ESPN, that I do not want. This is made worse knowing that ESPN adds something like ten bucks to your cable bill and Disney requires it to be part of the basic package.

I watch mainly movies, and the premium channels are worse than ever. The content is basically big budget Hollywood movies played in heavy rotation around the clock. There is no room for any small budget or indie productions. There are sometimes only two or three new movies that I care to watch that show up for the month on a premium channel. Not only does Netflix end up being cheaper, I can pick from a huge selection, most of which will never air on cable. For non premium channels I wonder why I am watching an edited movie with an irritating chanel ID overlay and commericals every ten minutes that have their sound jacked up to twice the volume of the movie.

[lookout2015]

I just heard a piece on NPR that Canada is requiring alacarte pricing for channels in addition to bundling. Also went on about that would never happen in the USA due to cable companies and other large interests never allowing it to happen.

It's actually the content providers that require bundling -- the cable company gets most of the blame for the sad state of TV affairs in the US, but much of what they all do is forced either by FCC and other regulatory on the one side or content providers on the other

A la carte will only happen in the US if Congress ever passes a law mandating it. And if that happens, you will almost certainly see your overall cable price go up -- every channel will cost close to what an a la carte premium channel (HBO, Showtime) costs you today....

(Which is not meant by me in any way to be a defense of cable practices. For most cable companies their business model today depends on the incremental revenue stream from being the captive content gateway, and they're content to limp along with the status quo as long as possible until they have to face the coming reality of only being an IP pipe without also being the content gateway. Most have yet to figure out how they'll sustain profits once that transition is upon them)

[jh_on_the_cape]

Why can't they keep the currently bundle options, but also have a la carte?
Why does internet alone cost more than cable and internet in many cases?

It's actually the content providers that require bundling -- the cable company gets most of the blame for the sad state of TV affairs in the US, but much of what they all do is forced either by FCC and other regulatory on the one side or content providers on the other

A la carte will only happen in the US if Congress ever passes a law mandating it. And if that happens, you will almost certainly see your overall cable price go up -- every channel will cost close to what an a la carte premium channel (HBO, Showtime) costs you today....

(Which is not meant by me in any way to be a defense of cable practices. For most cable companies their business model today depends on the incremental revenue stream from being the captive content gateway, and they're content to limp along with the status quo as long as possible until they have to face the coming reality of only being an IP pipe without also being the content gateway. Most have yet to figure out how they'll sustain profits once that transition is upon them)

[Nooch]

my wife says to me last night, after watching yet another episode of 'million dollar listing' "i don't know about the whole no cable thing...."

sigh.

[giverdada]

when i first heard about that blog about something like 'stuff white people like' or something like that, it was about the tv thing, and that white people like to have no tv so that they can tell other people that they don't even have a tv.

i didn't have a tv since moving out of my parents' place to go to university.

then the olympics were on in london, and we were trying to foster an athletic awareness among our girls, then 7 and 4, so we got one, a day before london opened.

we don't have cable. we have internet bundled with a landline that we may get rid of this month. we didn't have a tv for our oldest's first 7 years of life. and she reads better than most of my high school students twice her age. i'm not bragging or judging the whole tv thing, but it is amazing finding out the things that don't really get missed once they are cut off and let go or otherwise done without. like 'extra' money - i've started deducting a bunch from my paycheque, automatically so i never see it, and it's not been a pinch really. i'm excited to go a little further with it, push the debt down, see how far i can get with how little. we've done finely without a tv. i grew up with a tv in the house, but it wasn't in the living room. the living room had a bunch of couches, whose cushions my brothers and i would throw on the floor, then lie on while we drew fantastical pictures of super muscular guys or outlandishly tech mountain bikes or whatever. i would watch 90210 (gasp) once a week. the rest of the time we made our own fun. i don't miss tv. i don't much enjoy it. and i watch a bunch of sports and bike races on the internet, sometimes live feeds from steephill, sometimes after the fact on youtube. i don't think i have time for tv, but everyone's got time for different things. best of luck to you in your venture!

[stien]

Just a data point here. We are an Internet only house and Comcast has consistently made it more and more painful to do so. Jacking up the price twice and offering deals a few dollars more for tv, web and phone for the first year.

It think about stopping the web connection some days. It would cut down on extra bike purchases and id ride more.


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[mossman]

I am tv/cable free.

I just own a laptop & a rooted/custom rom'd android smartphone.

I mostly just use netflix, project free tv, couchtuner, and bittorrent trackers like karagarga for harder to find stuff. I had hulu+ but canceled that quick.

for local tv, I just use filmon.com and I have an eye on aereo once the bugs are worked out. but I get my local news coverage online, anyway. I use filmon mostly for the local PBS programming...which is quite excellent.

[Ralph]

If I could figure out how to stay informed about financial markets here and around the world thru CNBC and Bloomburg, and how to stay informed about what's happening in DC (C Span channels) and other world info thru CNN, etc, I would drop cable real quick. But I don't watch any of that entainment stuff you guys talk about. How do you make investment decisions without following world politics and financial markets, stuff like that? If you are young and maybe don't have much investments yet, how do you at least make financial decisions about your retirement account? How do you even know how to vote without the propaganda from Fox and MSNBC? (LOL) Seriously....where do you get your info in todays world without cable? I know there are plenty of web sources for info, but you have to go there. Very time consuming. Dropping out doesn't work for me.

I guess my problem is I don't see a viable alternative to Cable.....yet. But am sure it's coming. Maybe one urban market at a time. You are sure correct that this stuff costs way too much and I also don't like being in the grips of a monopoly....and a tax revenue source for local governments. I think I would be in favor of just paying for channels I watch regularly, and then also paying by the program for other things like sports.

[cash05458]

I have got my media bill down to 30 bucks a month total...the 30 is for my internet with a local Vermont company...I run magicjack for phone...I think I paid 80 bucks for next 5 years...no cell phone because whatever it is it can wait...tv ant. for a few local channels and then torrent whatever I want to see for free...of course this would prolly only work as a single guy as I am...I doubt a woman would deal with it and certainly not if we had kids...the magicjack works fine...I would say about a 80 percent success ratio with it...makes it more interesting...