Ditching cable but still having TV

[Diesel73L]

I'd be interested in hearing from folks who successfully ditched the cable company and still are able to watch TV. I've heard mixed reviews from people who have tried this. My wife likes sitcoms (Modern Family, 30 Rock, The Office), but those are network shows which you can get via broadcast, and I've heard the new digital antennas are pretty good. We could also get local football games through that too-not sure if other sports are available on the internet. I'm a big NJ Devils (hockey) fan and their games are usually on cable unless they play on a Sunday and it's on NBC. What about cable channels like Discovery, TLC, and History? Do they offer online content? I love Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, and American Loggers, etc... My goal is to just pay $45 a month or so for internet, buy a digital antenna, and kiss the ridiculous cable bill goodbye...

[IamOld]

I have not ditched cable...can't - really the only "luxury" left - spouse would kill me and so would kids. Besides with have hi-speed net (which I actually HAVE to have for work) and phone with cable.

Re antenna - the thing with digital broadcasting is if you do have the signal you have it. It's either on or off. If you have a tall enough antenna and good reception, you should be good to go. Re Discovery, etc., many of their shows or streamable on their website, etc etc, but you'd need an HDMI cable to run from your PC (and appropriate converter if needed) to your TV unless you want to watch it on a smaller screen.

I know there are gadgets to buy, but as far as true push button and watch...TV is still "easier."

History Channel I do know has content BUT they don't post entire shows online (I know this because I use it for class).

[Diesel73L]

I have not ditched cable...can't - really the only "luxury" left - spouse would kill me and so would kids. Besides with have hi-speed net (which I actually HAVE to have for work) and phone with cable.

Re antenna - the thing with digital broadcasting is if you do have the signal you have it. It's either on or off. If you have a tall enough antenna and good reception, you should be good to go. Re Discovery, etc., many of their shows or streamable on their website, etc etc, but you'd need an HDMI cable to run from your PC (and appropriate converter if needed) to your TV unless you want to watch it on a smaller screen.

I know there are gadgets to buy, but as far as true push button and watch...TV is still "easier."

History Channel I do know has content BUT they don't post entire shows online (I know this because I use it for class).

I get what you're saying-when I was in the store the other day though I did see that a lot of the new TVs are coming with WiFi now which I'm sure makes streaming content to the TV from the laptop a lot easier. As far as the broadcast signal I'll have to see. We are at about 500' above sea level-the higher mountains are to the west of us, so PA stations could be a problem, but NYC stations should be a clear shot, which is convenient since I'm a Giants fan ;) I'm going to give this some serious thought because even though "push and watch" is nice, banking the nearly $1500 a year ($120 a month x 12 months) would be a lot nicer.

[IamOld]

I get what you're saying-when I was in the store the other day though I did see that a lot of the new TVs are coming with WiFi now which I'm sure makes streaming content to the TV from the laptop a lot easier. As far as the broadcast signal I'll have to see. We are at about 500' above sea level-the higher mountains are to the west of us, so PA stations could be a problem, but NYC stations should be a clear shot, which is convenient since I'm a Giants fan ;) I'm going to give this some serious thought because even though "push and watch" is nice, banking the nearly $1500 a year ($120 a month x 12 months) would be a lot nicer.

I am in 100% AGREEMENT re $120/month. Sadly, I would be pushed down the stairs (brakes cut...radio dropped in bathtub) if I attempted that :-) Also, our line of sight is non existent where I live WAY to many buildings and we're in a valley...(of sorts) about 40 miles from the "towers")

having said that, the funny thing is that my daughter is queen of on demand, so in a way, she already watches TV this way...

Nonetheless, spouse loves True Blood, and Spartacus

And I...ehem..."need" my Torchwood and BBC America :-)

Re Wifi TV's - I think Google has some software on some where you can browse directly from teh TV to the internet.

[karm43]

Where I live our tv does not get any channels black screen. We have to have it. If I lived alone I would dump it.

[jeep75]

Check out antennaweb.org it will help you understand what channels you can get with an antenna and what kind of antenna you would need. Along those lines the same UHF/VHF antennas like they made in the 1960's is all you need. These HD over the air antennas that cost $100 is just marketing junk.

[Diesel73L]

Check out antennaweb.org it will help you understand what channels you can get with an antenna and what kind of antenna you would need. Along those lines the same UHF/VHF antennas like they made in the 1960's is all you need. These HD over the air antennas that cost $100 is just marketing junk.

So you can get HD channels (with the proper box of course) with the old lightning rods eh? Thanks for the link!

[jeep75]

yep, If your TV(s) have ATSC tuners built in you don't even a box.

[Logan]

I ditched cable and switched to Internet tv. I use playstation 3 for Hulu and Netflix. We also use Vudu if we want to watch a movie and don't feel like driving to a store. I would recommend a box made for Internet tv ove ps3 althouGh ps3 works fine. Also, I would hard wire the Internet connection to your box rather than use wireless.
We save over 60 bucks a month and I don't miss it one bit. I travel for work and now that I don't have cable I don't even turn the tv on when I'm in a hotel. Life is much better without tv!!!
Logan

[momofthree]

We watch tv thru netflix instant streaming (has deadliest catch among others), hulu, and individual channel websites--many of which have free episodes. One you won't find is HBO or Showtime programming. You'd have to (illegally) download those or wait until they're on dvd, unfortunately.

[GoingDown]

I ditched cable t.v. a long time ago.

I recently ditched NetFlix.

The Phoenix metro area has excellent free broadcast t.v. reception, with a huge amount of stations, and since I mainly liked network t.v. anyways, I'm fine with it.

And I just go to the movie theatre when a really big movie comes out, and let me just say that nothing really beats that experience.

[sm23]

I went from $180/mo for high speed and HD cable to $80/mo by switching to a Roku. I still have basic cable (12 channels) and pay for Hulu Plus and Netflix, thus the $80/mo. I also do not have a home phone, but use an internet phone called Ooma. LOVE it. I pay $4/mo for Ooma. My data has been annoyingly slow this week though.. so when it slows down it gets annoying fast since everything uses the data connection. Good luck!

[Logan]

I went from $180/mo for high speed and HD cable to $80/mo by switching to a Roku. I still have basic cable (12 channels) and pay for Hulu Plus and Netflix, thus the $80/mo. I also do not have a home phone, but use an internet phone called Ooma. LOVE it. I pay $4/mo for Ooma. My data has been annoyingly slow this week though.. so when it slows down it gets annoying fast since everything uses the data connection. Good luck!

$4 a month for OOMA? I paid $200 for it 2 years ago and it's free forever. I know you can get refurbished OOMA's for $99.

Logan

[iv65536]

The apartments where I live have a bulk deal with DirecTV; as a result, my setup with the Choice Xtra package and two HD sets (one with a DVR) only costs me about $40 a month.

[GoingDown]

I just wanted to add that you don't need Netflix or anything like that if you are really trying to cut your costs down. You can borrow movies (and CDs and books, etc.) for free from your local library, watch them, and then return them. It costs nothing. Broadcast t.v. costs nothing. Broadcast radio costs nothing.

I pay nothing for monthly entertainment bill, unless I go see a movie at a movie theatre, and that has become a rare treat for me.

I cut my living expenses down to where I could easily afford them.

I will never go into debt again.