Dropped Cable Today

[Birdie Num Nums]

Cut the cord a month ago. Although, there is some getting used to it, all is going well. I have wonderful digital antenna signal on 7 TV's, a DVR for Over The Air recording and an extra $130 per month. My blood pressure has improved as I have no cable news.

What's your DVR? I too have OTA only, and would like to record a few things here and there for later viewing.

Also, to those posting about Netflix and not being able to download stuff with an expiration date, I can do that with Hoopla digital items from my local library. (I've used it only a couple of times so far, however.)

 

[robertf57]

It frustrates me that we can't download the shows overnight (or other non-peak times), store on a hard drive, and then play when we want. I prefer that anyhow, FF/RW and skipping to a specific spot in the show is almost immediate - streaming has delays as it rebuffers. I know the content owners restrict this to protect their IP.

It almost makes we want to go search the torrents for content. I really don't want to, it's probably illegal content, but I wouldn't use it any differently than the way I stream, so I would not consider it unethical (anyone is free to disagree on this, I really don't care!). My torrent client has great features, I used it to DL the install files for Linux (totally legal use), and it was nice. I could set limits on how much BW it uses, so I wouldn't grind my other computer access to a halt.

I dunno, they do the timing thing with books, why couldn't Netflix let you DL a movie overnight (I could go up a step or two in quality w/o the 'real time' requirement), and then set it to 'expire' in 3 days?

-ERD50

Check out something called Playon and Playlater. Apparently allows recording content from the net to your hard drive for later viewing. Not certain what limitations there are..... Might meet your needs for low use time recording.

 

[jjquantz]

... Try making today's high-production-value programming with budgets a fraction of what they are today. ....

I guess the reason that I cut the cord is that I am still waiting for some of this "high-production-value programming" to be worth watching.

I agree with you 100% with respect to the programming development costs, BTW.

It's just that cable made hundreds of channels available to us and we could still only come up with 60 minutes of programming each week that we actually wanted to watch (and only 22 weeks each year, at that). These 60 minutes were available OTA, too. The math didn't work out too favorably for the cable provider.

 

[Chuckanut]

What's your DVR? I too have OTA only, and would like to record a few things here and there for later viewing.

Several people who post here have this machine:

http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-HW...=UTF8&qid=1419022698&sr=8-1&keywords=homeworx

If you don't mind a rather kludgy interface and have a hard drive to store the shows on, it works OK. If you want an easy to use plug-n-play solution, it may not be for you. Needless to say it lacks many features of more expensive DVR's. All, I need is the ability to tell it to record channel X , set the start and stop times, and days. I also use it for delayed playback so I can FF through commercials.

 

[Elantan]

Starz' original series "Outlander," based on Diana Gabaldon's bestselling novels, premiered in August and is currently on midseason hiatus.

Gabaldon published her first novel in 1991, so this author and her work have had many years to build up a fan base. The Starz series just added to all the excitement.

The first half of the series was set and filmed in Scotland, and Mr. Heughan's haunches figured prominently in Episode 7 of the first half of the season, in "The Wedding."

Of course, I like the books better (there are 8 of 'em, with a 9th in the works). I only watch this series for the breathtaking scenery and historical content.

If you want to get all caught up, Audrey, "dinna fash," you can catch the series this month. Starz will be starting to run the episodes in mid-December, and word has it that Starz will also be doing a marathon on Christmas Day.

Huh, yeah, like I'd get to do that.

It was supposed to start up again in January, but to much wailing and gnashing of teeth, the midseason break lasts until April.

See a brief, earlier ER discussion here, round about Post #15:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/documentary-broken-eggs-73783.html

Ive been to a lot of that places outlander talks about it's a great series

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Ive been to a lot of that places outlander talks about it's a great series

Oh, yes, indeedy, we shall meet up!

 

[ERD50]

Check out something called Playon and Playlater. Apparently allows recording content from the net to your hard drive for later viewing. Not certain what limitations there are..... Might meet your needs for low use time recording.

Interesting, but it is not really a download as such, it essentially allows a scheduled capture of whatever you could watch on-line (I think only some limited shows are put on-line by the networks, I couldn't find 'Jeopardy', for example).

They say that since it is a 'capture' rather than a download, it captures the show in real time. If you get a slow-down or glitch, it will be recorded that way. Whereas a true file download could happen faster or slower than real time, and any delays don't matter, the bits just get stitched together.

-ERD50

 

[Derslickmeister]

Only as a last resort in an effort to keep from having to eat cat food could I cut the cord on the satellite TV. I just love college football and ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU way too much to ever part with it

 

[Mulligan]

Only as a last resort in an effort to keep from having to eat cat food could I cut the cord on the satellite TV. I just love college football and ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU way too much to ever part with it

Just do what I have learned to do, Der.... I divide the bill by 30 and then convince myself that it is pretty cheap entertainment for less than $4 a day.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[bUU]

I guess the reason that I cut the cord is that I am still waiting for some of this "high-production-value programming" to be worth watching.

I know you were joking, but there are people I think who actually pay for things they don't think are worth the cost. Isn't that one definition of irrational?

I agree with you 100% with respect to the programming development costs, BTW. It's just that cable made hundreds of channels available to us and we could still only come up with 60 minutes of programming each week that we actually wanted to watch (and only 22 weeks each year, at that).

On average, our TiVo records about 25 hours of programming that we would consider worthwhile. We watch a fraction of that (deleting the rest before we get a chance to watch it). So we're getting a great bargain from cable, since they have to price the product lower than it is worth (to us) because we're above average in our appreciation of what they offer and because the have to artificially lower the price below value to forestall some of the piracy. Everyone will have a different place in the pricing model, unique to how much they appreciate what is offered, but (again) there is no place in this for people paying more than what they're getting is worth.

 

[harley]

I suspect that if the government had a legal way to more vigorously prosecute those who violated DRM, and did so vigorously, then those who protect their property with DRM would be more willing to rely on it. It's the nature of intellectual property: The more freedom people have to take what they didn't pay for the less inclined the makers will be to offer what they make in less readily secure-able packages.

Be careful what you wish for: "Coming to terms with digital advances" may mean a recognition that there really is no way to protect digital content. Once the industry realizes that, it may severely undercut the value of being in the business of producing quality movie and television productions. Try making today's high-production-value programming with budgets a fraction of what they are today. I used to be heavily invested in the sector, but no more. I think trying to make money in a business where consumers can just take whatever they want without paying is foolish.

I can't really speak for internationally, but once the music and movie/tv industry started making their stuff available for purchase online, the piracy levels in the US dropped significantly. Back in the Napster/LimeWire/eDonkey heydays, there was a ton of piracy going on largely because there was no legal way to acquire the music/whatever digitally and legally. You had to buy the DVD and rip it yourself, and even that was illegal. Once the media became legally purchasable, the percentage of it being pirated dropped significantly. Most people will pay for value if given the chance.

Also, if you are pulling stuff off the torrents, you are running a very big chance of ending up with malware of some sort. It's like the drug war. If it's legally purchasable, it keeps the majority from having to deal with criminals to get what they're going to get anyway. And that tends to make the price worthwhile. Who wants to hang out with either virtual or real life crooks and scumbags, given a choice.

 

[dtbach]

I figure with Directv and Charter cable internet we are paying about $160/mo. To me that isn't bad at all for all the stuff you can see along with Roku(Netflix, Hulu, Amazon prime). We did get rid of Starz though. Otherwise, seems worth the price to me. And I can afford it so what the heck.

 

[harley]

I could live without cable, but I don't want to. 90% of what we watch isn't available OTA. And I like high speed internet. My experiences with satellite and DSL haven't been too impressive. We shut it down every 6 months as we snowbird back and forth, so we always get a "new customer" package when we start the other one up (Comcast in FL, Mediacom in MD). Depending on the season and what's on we might do a premium channel. Game of Thrones we buy HBO, Outlander we get Starz. Keep them until the season is over and then end them. It's cheaper to add the premium channel for a few months than to buy the episodes on Amazon or whatever.

 

[aja8888]

We are with Crapcast and have no other good choice unless we go Direct TV or Consolidated Communications (which we hear is extremely poor). Our bill has increased from $151.12 per month to $230.03 in the last 12 months.

Our service includes:

Double Play package: TV (preferred package - no pay channels) - ($138.44) & Performance Internet - 45 MB/sec down, 5 MB/sec up (incl. above)

Two HD DVRs ($39.98)
One Non - HD DVR ($9.95)
Rent of cable modem/wireless router ($10)
A service protection plan ($5)
and $24.00 in taxes, fees and surcharges.
NO PHONE PACKAGE
NO PREMIUM CHANNELS

This sucks for sure, but this seems to be the norm around here. DW wants the TV and there are programs she watches that you can't get with OTA or Netflix. So either I try Consolidated or pay the freight. I have tried calling and threatening to leave and Crapcast knows the alternatives are not that great in our area so are not responsive.

To reduce, I guess we could drop the service plan and get our own modem/router, but that would only save $15/month after a cost outlay of $75 or so for a cable modem/router. Dropping Internet speed is not possible without downgrading the channel package, which then drops off a couple of the stations DW wants.

Maybe I'll take a look at Consolidated and take a chance. Anyone here on that service?

Any thoughts?

 

[W2R]

My cable bill with Cox Cable just kept spiralling upwards and upwards. I am so glad I cut the cable TV and went to OTA plus Amazon Prime/Netflix. I still have a cable bill, because I have cable internet, but it is much lower now. I can get a lot better satisfaction out of that money than I got from spending it on cable TV.

I am so lucky that I do not like watching sports on TV, and that I don't have kids or spouse who want certain shows, or else I might be stuck paying for cable I think. I don't miss any of the programs I can't see any more, at all. Actually I welcome more quiet and fewer commercials in my life. I know everyone doesn't feel that way, but I do and I had forgotten that fact.

Maybe I'll take a look at Consolidated and take a chance. Anyone here on that service?

I don't know anything about Consolidated, but gosh, how much worse could it be? I am thinking that if you don't like it, you could always switch back eventually and Comcast would probably give you a (lower) newbie price then.

 

[harley]

Maybe I'll take a look at Consolidated and take a chance. Anyone here on that service?

Not on Consolidated, so I can't help there. Although I'm on Mediacom half the year, and they are pretty pathetic too.

My one suggestion is give it a try. Worst case, it sucks, then after about 3 months you can hook back in with Comcast as a new customer, and maybe get a better deal. Once you've got it, call every year and try to negotiate to keep it lower.

What have you got to lose?

Oh yeah, and then there's the slight possibility you might like it better.

 

[aja8888]

I don't know anything about Consolidated, but gosh, how much worse could it be? I am thinking that if you don't like it, you could always switch back eventually and Comcast would probably give you a (lower) newbie price then.

Not on Consolidated, so I can't help there. Although I'm on Mediacom half the year, and they are pretty pathetic too.

My one suggestion is give it a try. Worst case, it sucks, then after about 3 months you can hook back in with Comcast as a new customer, and maybe get a better deal. Once you've got it, call every year and try to negotiate to keep it lower.

What have you got to lose?

Oh yeah, and then there's the slight possibility you might like it better.

Yes, that's what I will do...switch to Consolidated and see what happens. They are pushing the neighborhood hard now so I can get a better deal. And if we like it, it's all good too!

Right after the holidays I'll get on it.

 

[Cobra9777]

...DW wants the TV and there are programs she watches that you can't get with OTA or Netflix...

We have OTA, and we subscribe to Netflix and Amazon Prime. We also use Hulu and several other free streaming sources. We've always been able to watch any program that we wanted to, including lots of cable content. We've also discovered tons of great new programs that were not available on cable. I would strongly encourage you to research streaming options (beyond Netflix) for the programs you want. Cable is a complete ripoff, and your post proves it. The only legitimate case for keeping cable is for hardcore sports fanatics.

 

[aja8888]

We have OTA, and we subscribe to Netflix and Amazon Prime. We also use Hulu and several other free streaming sources. We've always been able to watch any program that we wanted to, including lots of cable content. We've also discovered tons of great new programs that were not available on cable. I would strongly encourage you to research streaming options (beyond Netflix) for the programs you want. Cable is a complete ripoff, and your post proves it. The only legitimate case for keeping cable is for hardcore sports fanatics.

I know its a complete ripoff and I have not done all the research yet. I do like to watch golf, baseball and pro football, but I could do that at a sports bar. Of course, the bar's food and drinks cost money too.

According to the 4 page Comcast Price List I got with this bill (yes, 4 pages long), internet alone (Performance version) is $66.95 per month without taxes or modem rental (~$20 total). So add in Nexflix, Prime, Hulu Plus, etc and the bill is well over $100/month, which is still a good savings.

 

[rodi]

aja8888 - There are some options that would long term lower your bill - but cost some upfront.

Buy a cablecard ready dvr (like Tivo). Instead of spending $50 in settop box rental - you'd pay $2.50/box in cable card rental. You don't have to subscribe to Tivo (although it's a really nice guide/listing interface.)

Buy a cable modem and save that $10/month. By your own math that would have a payback in less than a year.

You might need to get a tuning adapter device if comcast is doing switched digital video - but they MUST provide that adapter free of charge. I know it works with Tivo - not sure about other DVRs. But they have to provide you the tuning adapter if you ask for it - but won't volunteer it's availability. (I had to quote FCC regs to them to get mine when I had one.)

Why do you have three settops for 2 people? Is the third one in a place you might be able to get by with just a digital tuning adapter or just coax into the tv? That would save you $10 month. Also - why two DVRs? Does comcast not have a whole-home solution where you can stream content from the hard drive of one DVR to a "dumb" settop...

It seems like you can rent different equipement and save $30 or more dollars per month.

FWIW - my old job was in cable settops - so I probably am personally responsible for bugs/glitches/bad user interface. Don't hate me.

I dropped cable boxes, cable cards, tuning adapters 6 months ago... For 1 year I'm paying $35/month for "standard" internet (15 down, 1 up), and get all the standard def content that isn't scrambled (I don't get CNBC or the weather channel.) This is down from the $120/month I was paying to have a cable card, tuning adapter, and high def channels. We have line of site to the network channels' antennas so we are able to watch content in high def that's network. We use our already owned Tivo for DVR.

 

[aja8888]

Rodi:

Thanks for the suggestions. I am looking to trim this down, but, DW wants DVR capability in the family room and bedroom since Comcast does not have (to my knowledge) a setup like Uverse, where you can have a central DVR to record and watch the recorded programs on cable boxes in other rooms. If Comcast has it, they don't seem to advertise it.

The third box (non-HD) is in the spare bedroom where guests stay on occasion. She definitely wants a cable box in that room.

I can buy a cable modem and have several wireless routers, but that's not a big savings, but I may do that too.

I have tried an antenna and we get fine reception, but 3/4 of the programs are Hispanic or Chinese. That's out.

The only way with Comcast to get a TV/Internet package that contains the programs DW likes is to stay with the current plan, otherwise the programs are not supplied in the lower tier listings.

I just looked at Consolidated and they have the similar DVR package Uverse supplies. I may give them a call.

When we had Uverse at the last house, we were getting the same TV/internet service for $124/month, all taxes and fees included. Internet was a bit slower (15 MBS vs 45 MBS), but who needs 45 MBS?

I wish I could post a .pdf file on here large enough for readers to see the Comcast rates sheets.....amazing. They even charge you for self install packages ($30) and also the shipping to your house!

 

[harley]

Just fyi, we're with Comcast in FL, and we have the multi-room DVR capability. You may want to ask, although it may depend on the region.

 

[Texconsin]

I divide the bill by 30 and then convince myself that it is pretty cheap entertainment for less than $4 a day.

Agreed. So is high speed Internet, especially when I'm retired in 5 years. My brother, on the other hand, eschews the expense and goes to community centers in The Villages.

There's frugal and then there's cheap. Life's too short to check and send email on a public computer. Better to work an extra year and escrow your cable and Internet fees, if that's what it takes.

 

[aja8888]

Just fyi, we're with Comcast in FL, and we have the multi-room DVR capability. You may want to ask, although it may depend on the region.

After scouring the four page price schedule on Comcast, they do offer any room DVR service in selected areas here. You have to call to see if it's available and it requires professional installation and some other fees.

It's all about fees with Comcast.....

 

[jimnjana]

Rodi:

Thanks for the suggestions. I am looking to trim this down, but, DW wants DVR capability in the family room and bedroom since Comcast does not have (to my knowledge) a setup like Uverse, where you can have a central DVR to record and watch the recorded programs on cable boxes in other rooms. If Comcast has it, they don't seem to advertise it.

!

We got a TIVO Roamio for in the livingroom and a TIVO mini in the bedroom. Better DVR than what was available thru cable company.