Cable TV

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
If you can get naked DSL/cable/fios internet, go for it. For your phone, stick with a cell. Cut the cable TV cord. Your $$ is best spent on a good antenna for most things, and the internet connection can get you anything you missed OTA.

Oh, and you can get a really cheap DVR card for your PC. I've been using mine as a dvr for years. With the switch to digital, most OTA stuff will be available in high-def iirc. You shouldn't have to rent the equipment or pay for HDTV service...

Can you point to a good one? Truth be told 90% of our programming comes straight from Fox. If I could have a PC-based DVR kick-in to record OTA HD, then that's absolutely all I need.

Commercials make me want to break people's bodies, which is why it's so important I have some recording setup in place.

 

[boomhower]

If you have a good signal OTA HDTV is better than what you get over cable. There is nothing special about an HDTV antenna. You can get a decent indoor antenna for ~$30 and go up from there. IMHO you do get to a point on diminishing returns rather quickly.

I just locked into TW's "2 year price gauruntee" for $158 for 2 HD DVR's/phone/internet. Not bad but still a lot of cash.

 

[lizardboy]

I tried to get rid of Comcast and go OTA-HD & DSL with AT&T, but AT&T could only get me 1.5Mb for $35/month. So I stuck with Comcast, I have their $10/month limited basic cable & $19.99 6Mb internet plan. Without the $10 limited basic cable, internet would cost $49/month. I really just with someone would offer decent broadband for $30/month...that's all I want. I don't want a landline, I don't want TV, I don't want a bundle, I don't want UVerse, I don't want to feel Comcastic...just sell me the fucking Internet for a fair price.

 

[Soul Reputation]

Commercials make me want to break people's bodies, which is why it's so important I have some recording setup in place.

Agreed, lifes too short to be an ad mans dart board. Which is one reason why NFL games suck compared to years ago when they used to let the camera roam the sidelines when there was a timeout or an injury. Screw commercials.

 

[Bignate603]

We cut cable last week. With hulu and netflix we can get pretty much whatever we want.

 

[StageLeft]

Agreed, lifes too short to be an ad mans dart board.

Mental problem or not, they really upset me on a visceral, base and instinctive level. I really, really hate them.

We cut cable last week. With hulu and netflix we can get pretty much whatever we want.

Man, I wish Xbox 360 would get a hulu client. I would jump on that like oprah on a pie and that is a fact. Its netflix streaming we are using quite a bit and have been for a few months.

EDIT: I may give playon a shot. It is an extra step, but allows hulu to run on the xbox 360 or ps3.

 

[boomhower]

TV companies will fight any set-top hulu box tooth and nail. It basically terrifies them.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Agreed, lifes too short to be an ad mans dart board.

Mental problem or not, they really upset me on a visceral, base and instinctive level. I really, really hate them.

We cut cable last week. With hulu and netflix we can get pretty much whatever we want.

Man, I wish Xbox 360 would get a hulu client. I would jump on that like oprah on a pie and that is a fact. Its netflix streaming we are using quite a bit and have been for a few months.

My wife just got a new laptop so we have her old one hooked up to the TV. It works pretty well.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
I D/L anything else or buy the DVD if its that good.

where is the legal free DVD stuff kept

also to the others praising bittorrent, I doubt you are legal either.

DVD's are fucking down to $10-20 new, if you shop out of previously owned even cheaper.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
Coat hangers FTW. (If you can't find a set of actual rabbit ears). Though, aren't they going to stop broadcasting that shortly? I thought they already did.

Rabbit ears will pick up hdtv if you have the converter box...many companies are relabelling theirs to add HDTV to the lists of reception.

 

[iGas]

Originally posted by: God Mode
I got rid of cable many years ago. I refuse to pay for something where I'm forced to watch commercials.

a hundred channels and nothing to watch.

<-- No Cable since 1991.

 

[ric1287]

if it wasn't for ESPN/comcast sports I could do it.

 

[Fritzo]

I have Dish Network with 250 channels, a 2 room DVR, and 4 receivers, and my bill is around $80. Sounds like you have a lousy cable company.

 

[GrumpyMan]

I was paying $154.00 to Comcast for phone, HD Cable and internet. Way too much money now for the 10 channels I watched. With HD rabbit ears and tethering from my Moto Q Global phone for the internet, I'm set for a while. Once some company lets me order only the 10 channels I watch from the 350 or so I had, then I may reconsider. And now even on cable they coordinate the commercials so you can't even surf and watch 2 or 3 different shows at once anymore. :thumbsdown:

 

[Pliablemoose]

My company currently pays for my cable & internet, but prior to that, I was using a dry loop and OTA HD with my HTPC running Vista and a dual TV tuner, works like a charm, and I'll go back to it in a heartbeat, I should have negotiated my current contract for internet only, but I was busy & blew it off...

 

[Pepsei]

Originally posted by: Soul Reputation
You should look into what's called "Free to Air". I know nothing about it, someone told me if you use it, you can get the same channels you get on cable for free. Maybe somebody else can shed some light on FTA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air

let me help you out... right now is not a good time to get into FTA, certain 'provider' is in the process of moving everything to a different encryption (nagra 3), that may turn everyone's equipment into a high priced paper weight.

 

[GoingUp]

With the amount of free shows you can watch online now adays on Hulu, unless you want to watch live sports, you really don't need cable tv. I downgraded my package and got rid of HBO etc to save on my bill. Took myself from $150 down to $112 after taxes for digital cable + HD DVR and cable internet.

 

[sjwaste]

Man. I pay $90/mo for 20/5 internet, hd package (no premiums), hd dvr w/ multiroom, an sd box, and phone service. I have this rate for the next year, then it goes up to about 120. At that point I'll cancel the phone b/c we don't use it, but it was cheaper to take the package with it than without.

This is FIOS in VA, btw.

 

[Shadowknight]

I dropped cable in 1998, once I realized what little TV I watched was the major networks; I watch a lot more nowadays, thanks to the higher-image quality of digital OTA. I even got the PAL DVR from Dish; records in HD, provides a one-week guide with no fees (where available, otherwise it builds one for a 3-24 hr period from PIP data) and it has two tuners built into it. Supposedly, you can upgrade the hard drive to a 500gb and double the normal storage capacity.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

Originally posted by: JEDI
havent had cable/satilite this century.
tv antenae FTW!

<----- only watches 2 shots on TV, LOst + Dollhouse

yet it seems i';m always short on time.
where the hell does all those hrs i save from not watching TV go???

oh yeah, i go out 5x/week. :smile;

cut your cable. go outside. live life...

No one, much less the OP, came close to asking you for your opinion about television viewing in general.

 

[funkymatt]

havent paid for cable television in over 4 years and loving it. we get our news online and spend a lot more time with the family. we watch hulu and were have netflix, so i still keep current on the "good" shows and movies.

 

[Bignate603]

Wow, I just realized that while we canceled our cable 2 weeks ago it's still connected. I wonder if they'll ever get around to turning it off.

 

[DAGTA]

Walmart has a $20 HD Antenna that works great. I get about 30 channels (in Phoenix). Haven't had cable tv since I lived in a dorm in the 90's.

 

[Kelemvor]

I pay $35/mo for cable internet. Then I took the trap off my line so I get cable TV for free.

If I have to give it up I would. I have plenty of movies and I download most shows I want to watch anyway. Went without it for a few months a while back and it wasn't too bad.

 

[JasonSix78]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Agreed, lifes too short to be an ad mans dart board.

Mental problem or not, they really upset me on a visceral, base and instinctive level. I really, really hate them.

We cut cable last week. With hulu and netflix we can get pretty much whatever we want.

Man, I wish Xbox 360 would get a hulu client. I would jump on that like oprah on a pie and that is a fact. Its netflix streaming we are using quite a bit and have been for a few months.

EDIT: I may give playon a shot. It is an extra step, but allows hulu to run on the xbox 360 or ps3.

Wow, I'm going to try Playon out and see how well it works. Thanks for posting!