Dumping Cable But Somehow Keeping Internet...

[W2R]

Excellent news!

Thanks, it sure is for me! I don't think I will miss it at all.

 

[tmm99]

Congrats W2R!! I am happy for you!

I am totally happy with no cable since almost everything I ever watched was local channels. OTA and Hulu+ is more than I need.

 

[clifp]

A few years ago I called up Time Warner and threatened to go to Direct if they didn't drop my price. They dropped $35/month but this year they prices started going up. So I tried again and they held firm on their price.

I switched to Dish, but really was forced to stick with Time Warner for internet since I don't have a land line and DSL is slower and not much cheaper. Dish + Internet is the same as the Time Warner bundle. But I do get $25/month discount for 2 years and free HBO/Showtime for Game of Thrones etc. Generally I am happier with DISH than the cable, especially the Hopper technology which records all prime time shows automatically and lets you skip all commercials.

I canceled Netflix which I'll probably start up again the future but maybe not, if the streaming service of Amazon Prime get better.

 

[audreyh1]

Today will be my LAST DAY of cable TV!! As I type, I am watching OTA television and I get a lot of local channels. Reception is beautiful. This is ALL that I will ever need.

Tomorrow I am taking my cable boxes back to Cox Cable and telling them all I want is internet. Free at last, free at last.

Wow, W2R - congrats! Fantastic. You'll notice your monthly expenses drop.

 

[bUU]

Cable/Satellite/Internet is like any other good or service. If you don't like the price don't buy it or buy something cheaper.

You've made really good points. I don't think people should be so beholden to an expectation of having the premium service. If you want it and it is worth it to you, then fine, pay for it. Otherwise, don't, and be happy that you're saving money even if it means giving up that which other folks pay the premium price for the premium service.

That last bit is important though. Things are changing and will continue to change. There's the Aereo situation, and net neutrality, and a whole host of other pressures. If any of them break against broadcasters, then you should plan on broadcasters responding to that, reducing the value of the less encumbered product even further: More commercials; more invasive overlays (especially on "free" channels); less costly programming; etc. We may be one or two big breaks against broadcasters away from seeing even the local baseball teams move to scrambled cable exclusively. And that sort of thing will happen anyway, even without breaks against broadcasters, because cord-cutting itself is an ongoing trend against broadcasters new revenue stream, a new revenue stream made essential by today's investors' insistence on continual revenue growth.

 

[Socal Tom]

Directv for tv, cable for internet, roku for streaming Tv( netflix hulu etc)

 

[ERD50]

Thanks, I'll check it out on Youtube. But for tonight, it's the American Idol semi-finals for me! I want to see whether Caleb makes it to the finals or not.

I don't think anyone started an AI thread this season, did they?

I haven't been glued to this one, but I really like both Caleb and Jena. I'm not really a big fan of the heavy-metal style of Caleb, but he is just so awesome at it, and has branched out a bit from that style, that I smile when I hear that voice (though I don't care to look at the guy). Jena is also awesome, it's just hard to fathom that talent and poise at 17 YO.

I liked Jessica too, but I think she was somewhat out of her element on this show. But I think she'd be great to hear in some bar with a good band, or coffeehouse as a solo.

Best judges ever.

-ERD50

 

[W2R]

ERD, I was a Jessica fan, too but do also like both Caleb and Jena.

Still loving my OTA television (even though I do realize that it isn't the right choice for everyone). Every single show I have wanted to watch so far has been available to me and reception is outstanding.

Honestly, with my video game hobby, reading, podcasts, forum activities, and more, I don't even think I will sign up for services like Netflix and Hulu, at least not right away. I am still in "entertainment overload" even with OTA television.

And, I am saving $110/month! I can become even more of an Amazon addict. Or, to be more practical, I should use it to hire a gardener since I have been neglecting my yard somewhat.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Took back my cable TV boxes this afternoon so it's a done deal. No more cable TV at my house. I will be retaining cable internet.

My bill went down from almost $172/month, to $62/month, roughly a $110/month decrease.

That is almost like getting a second mini-pension!! Only I didn't have to work at all in order to earn this one.

My dear F says laughingly that I am going to be insufferable for a few weeks since I have been more than a bit vocal with my glee. It is a great feeling, that's for sure.

Cox Cable made no offers whatsoever to try to keep me from canceling my TV service. Not one offer, not a penny off what I had been paying although I made it clear that my motivation was to lower my bill. I wouldn't have accepted any offers anyway, but I thought that was interesting.

That is amazing, to go from full service cable with all the bells and whistles to no cable tv at all. I have read somewhere on the interwebs that the cable providers could care less about the tv as they are just distributors of that.

I am almost ready to do the same.

 

[W2R]

That is amazing, to go from full service cable with all the bells and whistles to no cable tv at all. I have read somewhere on the interwebs that the cable providers could care less about the tv as they are just distributors of that.

I am almost ready to do the same.

What pushed me "over the edge" was attaching an OTA antenna (while I still had cable) and then seeing all that was available to me. So if you are thinking about it, that is what I would recommend doing. If you decide that you still need cable, you won't be out very much since they are cheap.

Frank offered to make mine and I took him up on that, since he is a ham radio operator and unusually expert with antennas. I would have done it myself, but I haven't designed an antenna since I was in engineering school, decades ago. It cost him less than $5 so I paid him by just buying him lunch. But, if you look on Amazon there are lots of OTA antennas and as I mentioned most of them are cheap.

I wonder if some cable companies might be pushing people to do this. Then once everybody is streaming video content through Netflix and similar providers, and using their cable internet services instead of using their television services, the cable companies could increase their charges for internet. Oh well. Anyway, I am researching cheaper broadband just in case.

 

[REWahoo]

W2R, I'm impressed. We were unable to go "cold turkey" and switch directly from satellite TV to OTA only. But OTA, Neflix and Amazon Prime has been able to totally meet the requirements of three distinctly different consumer segments in this household: me (DVR supplemented OTA and Netflix), DW (Netflix, Amazon Prime, & OTA) and the grandkids (Netflix & Amazon Prime).

Made the change in January and not one complaint from any of the above audience members...

 

[W2R]

W2R, I'm impressed. We were unable to go "cold turkey" and switch directly from satellite TV to OTA only. But OTA, Neflix and Amazon Prime has been able to totally meet the requirements of three distinctly different consumer segments in this household: me (DVR supplemented OTA and Netflix), DW (Netflix, Amazon Prime, & OTA) and the grandkids (Netflix & Amazon Prime).

Made the change in January and not one complaint from any of the above audience members...

That's great!!!

Thank you. Part of the reason it has been so easy for me, is that honestly I get bored watching movies and I have a lot of other entertainment available to me. Most people would probably need or want Netflix, Hulu, and so on.

Also, I went for years with no TV at all, back in my LBYM days, and it is not that much a part of my life I guess. I *must* have my American Idol fix, though! I enjoyed watching it OTA last night, along with local news and the Tonight Show. That is exactly what I would have watched even with cable.

I have Amazon Prime but other than half of one episode of Downton Abbey, I haven't ever actually used it. It's there if I want it, but for now I just like the free two day shipping.

 

[pb4uski]

W2R, one thing to consider might be to get TiVo or some DVR capability. Some friends of ours live in an area with good OTA and went with OTA and Tivo and Netflix and love it and the dramatic reduction in cost.

Unfortunately we live in a spot that has no OTA reception, but even if we wnere able to go OTA there is no way I would give up DVR and watch commercials.

On another topic, since we don't have OTA reception we have Dish and upgraded to the Hopper on Monday and have been very happy with the new technology, especially PrimeTime recording and Auto-Hop over commercials.

 

[W2R]

W2R, one thing to consider might be to get TiVo or some DVR capability. Some friends of ours live in an area with good OTA and went with OTA and Tivo and Netflix and love it and the dramatic reduction in cost.

Unfortunately we live in a spot that has no OTA reception, but even if we wnere able to go OTA there is no way I would give up DVR and watch commercials.

On another topic, since we don't have OTA reception we have Dish and upgraded to the Hopper on Monday and have been very happy with the new technology, especially PrimeTime recording and Auto-Hop over commercials.

I know that a lot of people really love DVRs, but I just have to be different. For over a year I paid a monthly charge on my cable bill to rent a DVR, but for me it was an abysmal failure. It turned out that I used it only a handful of times. Sure, ads are obnoxious but I customarily mute the ads and go to the bathroom or get up and do things during commercial breaks. So from direct experience, I know that for me the purchase of a DVR would be a complete waste of money, unfortunately.

Even though you don't get OTA, you probably have a lower population density and more peace and quiet than areas that do. That's very cool and a nice lifestyle to have. Glad the Hopper is working out for you.

Different strokes for different folks, and all that.

 

[kimcdougc]

We still have cable Internet. We have competing cable companies and we are wired for all of them, so every 6 months or so we just cancel or threaten to cancel and get the new customer rates. We switched to Ooma for phone so usually the best high speed Internet only rate is around $40 - $55 a month depending on who has the best special.

Right now we have basic cable on one TV, too, as it cost the same as Internet alone. But the living room just has the lap top set up.

You know you can do away with that wire hooking up to the tv. Just get a chromecast plug in and you can serf, watch netflix etc on your tv wirelessly. Only $35 bucks. Works great. You have to download google chrome to use it but it is the best if you don't have a smart tv.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

You know you can do away with that wire hooking up to the tv. Just get a chromecast plug in and you can serf, watch netflix etc on your tv wirelessly. Only $35 bucks. Works great. You have to download google chrome to use it but it is the best if you don't have a smart tv.

I looked at that on Amazon and I did consider that option. The description on Amazon had phrases like "recommended modem" and "select content" and only working with Chromecast, so we went with the cable for greater choice of browsers and content, less Google prying eyes, and less of a possibility of another failure point with something more complex than a simple cable, which we already owned and wouldn't have to pay extra for. The lap top sits on the entertainment console with the TV, so the wire is just one more added to the collection of other devices wired to the TV, like the Roku and DVD player. Plus my kids had the HDMI cable set up on their TV in a different room, so I knew in advance that would work with our current router and if I had any problems setting it up they could help me fix it.

The wireless keyboard and mouse keep us from having to string any cables across the room.

 

[tmm99]

W2R, one thing to consider might be to get TiVo or some DVR capability. Some friends of ours live in an area with good OTA and went with OTA and Tivo and Netflix and love it and the dramatic reduction in cost.

Unfortunately we live in a spot that has no OTA reception, but even if we wnere able to go OTA there is no way I would give up DVR and watch commercials.

I bought AverTV (~$45) and a remote so I record OTA TV shows on my laptop and the laptop is connected to the TV via HDMI cable. I can watch recorded OTA TV shows using my remote as if I have a TiVo or something. I can skip commericals and everything.

 

[someguy]

cable vs OTA quality

How does the real-life quality of OTA HD compare to cable HD? I realize different CATV providers may have different codecs or compression ratios, but most HD CATV I've seen is similar in quality.

 

[W2R]

How does the real-life quality of OTA HD compare to cable HD? I realize different CATV providers may have different codecs or compression ratios, but most HD CATV I've seen is similar in quality.

To me, it looks about the same. Bear in mind that I am not the most discriminating viewer since my vision is not great. Still, I can definitely tell the difference between cable HD and not-HD service, and the OTA looks identical to the cable HD to me.

From what I have read, OTA HD is supposed to be better than cable HD. If that is true, I could not see it.

 

[REWahoo]

From what I have read, OTA HD is supposed to be better than cable HD. If that is true, I could not see it.

I can definitely see the difference. My OTA HD clarity is definitely sharper than the picture I was getting with DirecTV.

Here's why:

Broadcast HDTV delivers by far the best-quality HD pictures, because cable and satellite bit-starve the digital pictures in order to decrease the bandwidth they occupy.

TVTechnology: Are Viewers Rediscovering Over the Air TV?

 

[jimbee]

How does the real-life quality of OTA HD compare to cable HD? I realize different CATV providers may have different codecs or compression ratios, but most HD CATV I've seen is similar in quality.

If the OTA signal strength is good, OTA picture quality is as good or better then cable or satellite TV.

 

[Stillninetofivin]

If the OTA signal strength is good, OTA picture quality is as good or better then cable or satellite TV.

And you can be far away from the signal too. Prior to 9/11 I was pulling in quite a few HD channels off the north WTC tower, 38 air miles away.

 

[REWahoo]

And you can be far away from the signal too. Prior to 9/11 I was pulling in quite a few HD channels off the north WTC tower, 38 air miles away.

+1

I'm 42 miles away and get a great signal even though my antenna is in the attic, not outdoors.

 

[tmm99]

I was pleasantly surprised to see how clear the pictures were on OTA. I live near a military base and every time a plane is flying nearby my screen gets choppy. Something I didn't know could affect the reception...

 

[Kaufmanrider]

This has probably been mentioned, but I think if you cut cable TV and keep cable internet you still get some basic TV channels, i.e., local TV at no additional cost. When I went to California to work last year I didn't want to pay for TV, just internet in my apartment. The On-site Manager told me to hook up a splitter to the cable line, one end going to my cable internet box, the other end to my TV. I had ABC, NBC, Local FOX, CBS, ION, etc. I had Brighthouse Cable Interenet (Bakersfield) and paid $31 a month.