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I had the cable company out this week to remove their equipment and discontinue service. I dug out a dusty old Wii and am trying a month free trial of Netflix and two free weeks of Hulu+. So far it seems to work fine.
Has anyone else voted with their feet and just said "No" to the ridiculous cable TV costs? If so, how's any working out? Which streaming services and equipment to you use/recommend?
We haven't felt the need to get cable TV. We are fortunate and get over 20 channels via old tech antenna. For movies/TV, we use a Wii to watch Netflix. We haven't tried Hulu Plus or Amazon prime. (We are tempted to sign up for Amazon Prime rather than Hulu Plus.) Also, we can plug our laptop into the TV and watch episodes that are available from TV channels on their websites. On the downside, we usually watch last years episodes. On the plus side, we don't have to watch commercials.
I haven't paid for cable TV for about 5 years now. Though I have never rally been a big TV watcher. Netflix does just fine for me. We are borrowing a friends Hulu PLus account and though it does have tons of TV shows I hate the fact that it has tons of adds even in the paid version. If there is ever something you just have to watch You can always find it online and just hook your PC up to the TV.
Also I have an apple TV. That thing is the best!
Sadly i still pay for "basic" cable, but the cable box in my house hasn't been connected to a TV in well over 3 years. the sad thing is due to bundle pricing, my bill would be higher if i dropped basic cable and just went with Internet, so i keep it the way it is for now. I get all my TV needs through Netflix and other "scetchy" means and stream it all through my OUYA Console ! :)
I need to know how you all watch current sports - like football? My son doesn't pay for cable either but he usually goes to a sports bar to watch the games - I'm not going to one of those - don't drink - can't stand smoke so I'm not going into a bar to watch my games. Other TV shows I can see getting off the internet from the individual TV sites - but I think I might throw a fit during football season. (I've been a football fan for 50 years - can't stop now)
Don't have cable. Never felt the need for it and I'm financially better off because of it. I tend to just buy the DVD box sets of the shows I like and I'd rather play video games than watch sports these days.
My husband & I use Netflix & Amazon Prime. Occasionally, we acquire things (his laptop is hooked up to our TV). We are not big sports fans, unfortunately, so can't help you there.
if i am not mistaken i think you can stream nfl games from nfl.com...not sure if they do all of them or just a cpl but i have watched at least one game from nfl.com live.
We watch football on TV - FOX & CBS. We don't get ESPN, so no Monday night football. We listen to radio or an online audio stream of a game if we don't get the game. Our bars are smoke-free in our state so watching there isn't an issue. I watch march madness every year via combination of TV and internet streaming.
Added: A lot of our restaurants (pizza parlors / mexican restaurants) have tv's showing sporting events as well.
My wife and I dropped cable over a year go and went with a Roku box. Along with that we pay a monthly fee to Netflix, purchased Amazon Prime and a lifetime PlayOn TV subscription. With these services I get all the programming I want and am still able to watch any sports I want as well. There was a note above about nfl.com. You have to pay for that streaming ability and due to contracts with the networks many of the games can only be watched after their conclusion and all post season games are viewable only after the conclusion of the game. MLB.com is the same way. I watch my sports on PlayOn TV with a custom script tied to First Row Sports. If anyone wants more detail let me know.
Shalako
I can answer based on what one of my step sons does. He lives in the suburbs of a city so this how he works things out.
Local networks - digital antenna - we definitely watched some football when we went out to visit them in September =) Though we also went and watched the last home baseball game of the season for the local team, too. Yes, I'm a woman who knows football and baseball well. (I just might not remember all the right game terms for things)
Hulu and Netflix via a special box that connects the TV to the internet. He and his wife do not play video games so they just got a box that makes the connection (think they said it was around 100 dollars or a little less) and pulls up a menu of choices for them to find what they want to watch from the services they have. they may have other services via the internet, but I know they have Hulu and Netflix for sure.
We need to cut our expenses down since I have to retire from my job as an eye doctor (there's a certain irony to being an eye doctor and developing a significant vision impairment). I'm doing more freelance money in, but not enough yet to make up the salary difference. We do have Amazon Prime--we order a number of grocery items like our favorite coffee and chocolate enriched rice milk for our daughter from them to cut costs. We also have Netflix.
I'd like to find a decent internet provider in York, PA (comcast has left me less than enthusiastic about their service), drop cable and phone since we have cell phone service.
What are the best boxes to set up streaming to the TV?
We have the Wii, but my hubby & I set up both sets of parents with Roku players to watch Netflix etc... They love them.
We pulled the plug on cable 2 years ago, and have no regrets. I built an outdoor HD antenna which gives us dozens of amazing high def channels. Using Windows Media Server on a home theater PC, we record many of our shows via the TV antenna. Additionally we subscribe to Hulu+. We tried Netflix again this year, but were disappointed with the diminishing selection. We prefer to use Amazon Prime for our few movie needs. But for Hulu+ and/or Netflix, we absolutely love our ROKU box that elegantly streams the content to our TV. Our cable bill was probably $120/month. We now pay about $7 or $8/month for Hulu+, and the Antenna I built cost about $20 of materials. Between the free Amazon Prime tv shows and movies and Hulu+, and the free over-the-air TV broadcasting, we don't miss any of our shows. Even if we subscribe to both Hulu+ and Netflix, our savings is over $100/month. And we don't sacrifice any content.
For equipment, look into the "HD HomeRun". It's an external TV tuner that can record 2 over-the-air TV shows at the same time. We use the free Windows Media Server on Windows 7, and it works great. The only other hardware we recommend getting is a Roku box. While I built a fancy antenna, you can just as well use any existing antenna or go buy one at Radio Shack or any local hardware store. With proper mounting, our antenna picks up stations 30-50 miles away.
It's worthy to note that as great as Hulu+ is, there are some shortcomings. 1) If a show airs today, you won't get it for a few days on Hulu at the earliest. 2) Some networks don't allow their shows to be viewed via Hulu (Yes I'm pointing the finger at you CBS). 3) Even with the fastest internet connection in our area, Hulu sometimes 'hiccups' and we have to wait for Hulu to regain its composure. 4) Show's don't stay available on Hulu indefinitely. Don't wait too long, or the show/season you want to watch may just go *poof* one day and will no longer be available.
For these reasons, I strongly recommend having an over-the-air antenna for watching the shows you can't get online. With software like Windows Media Center, you can turn a home theater PC into a DVR that will record over-the-air TV. You can also buy a cheap remote control that plays nice with Windows Media Center. It 'almost' has that cablebox DVR feel without the hefty price tag.
On a similar note, here's how you can get the lowest price on your internet:
First, I want to say that it's a shame internet companies do not reward customer loyalty (those customers who stick around with the same internet provider). It also amazes me that more people aren't doing this strategy, outlined below:
Our area has 2 choices for internet (DSL, and Cable). Unlike cell phone companies, that somewhat reward loyal customers with free upgrades/incentives, the internet companies could care less about you once you sign up with them.
Since internet companies do not reward loyalty, here's what you can do to maintain the lowest price possible: Step 1: Sign up for one of the internet choices. Get their cheap introductory price (which may last a few months before the rates go up). Step 2: When the introductory price ends, sign up with the other internet company, and get their 6 months of low monthly costs. Step 3: Once you have signed up, cancel the other. Step 4: Wash/rinse/repeat.
Using this technique, we maintain the hardware for DSL and Cable. Switching is very easy. And by switching, you always are eligible for the other company's new user promotion. We consistently pay $20/month or less for the fastest speed offered. Just remember, once that low price ends, and they want to charge you $60/$70/$80 per month, just smile and wave goodbye.
@Garyc - that only works for those where there is more than one choice. My choices are DSL or Hughsnet. I'm not going with satellite ever for internet connection if I don't have to. At least my DSL provider is a part of a small local telephone company. Great to work with, but sometimes a pain because they are small and it takes them time to upgrade. At some point I will have fiber to my house, but right now I'm three miles out from the local village (13 miles from the telephone office) and on a dead end leg. ::chuckles:: I'm in the red headed step child section of the network.
For those keeping cable, internet, and phone and have choices, definitely look into bundle package discounts. At least my little telephone/ISP provider does that - even for us poor smucks too far out for the cable. Yeah, hubby has had DirecTV ever since he moved here and we did not change that after I moved in even if I could live without a TV, he can't. And I bet you a million bucks digital attenna won't pick up squat at our house unless we put it on tall pole because we can't even pick up the radio except in a car here.
@Briseadh: You may be surprised at what you can pick up with the right antenna. Visit this website:
Based on your location, it will tell you which direction to point your antenna and what type of antenna you should be using. It asks for your zipcode, and if you can mount your antenna more than 30 feet above ground level.
My neighbors cannot get reception, and think I'm crazy for trying. But once I found out which type of antenna works in our area, I built an outdoor antenna using PVP pipe for a frame. What's nice about PVP pipe, is its strong, weatherproof, and you can paint it to match your house so it blends in. We have our antenna on our roof, hiding behind our AC unit. You can't see it from the ground.
In case you are wondering, I build a Single Bay Gray-Hoverman Antenna, using schematics from here: http://www.digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna/design.htm,
And using step by step instructions here: http://www.casano.com/projects/hoverman/
The photos in the links above shows a double bay, but I tried a single bay first, and it worked.
