Cable? Netflix? Hulu? Least expensive option for TV viewing?

[IleneF]

So my directv contract just lost some of it's discounts/rebates whatever. I was able to get another $20 off for 6mo more but after that it will be too expensive to continue. I'm looking into other cable type options. We mostly view TVland, local channels, Bravo (DD HAS to have this apparently), HGTV and food channels. We are not big on sports or movies like most families seem to need. We have a Tivo as well and a wii system and a macbook. What do you think is the least expensive way to view TV?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Madison'smommy]

Did you check out what Dish has to offer? Signing on as a new customer, you will get a discounted rate for a few years. With the channels that you "need" you would not need a higher plan. You could proabbly go with one of the more basic plans. We are not really tv watchers, and have a basic family plan by Dish. We pay less than $30. I believe we have all the channels you want except HGTV. Maybe you can check on that. Yoou can look into bundeling your cable/tv/phone. We have been offered some good deals doing that!

 

[annsteere]

Hulu shows that they offer HGTV. But, it turns out they only have about 6 shows of the "fix it up cheap or to sell" variety. I ran out of those in less than two weeks.

 

[wovenwonder]

I really miss Food Network since giving up my extended cable a year ago. NOT $40 a months worth though so I won't be upgrading anytime soon. I would LOVE to find a streaming option though if anyone knows of any!!

 

[kerplop]

Thankfully we're not big TV people and what we do watch is on regular local stations. What we have is a Seagate/Roku box for Netflix streaming and we got a pair of $8 digital rabbit ears to pick up HD local stations. We actually get quite a few where we live. If there's a show you really want to watch that is on cable sometimes you can rent it on iTunes or get a season pass. I wouldn't know so much about that, but people do it I guess. Our cable bill went from $175 a month with internet to $45 with cable and $8 a month for Netflix.

 

[Kies99]

We pay around $10 a month for cable through Comcast. We get the ultra basic that is local channels and a few others. We also have Netflix which we stream through our Wii. We don't miss cable as there is so much out there on Netflix, even for our two DD's (10 and 8yo).

We won't ever go back to full cable again.

 

[DisneyGlitter]

We cancelled our cable and got 'rabbit ears.' After the initial purchase, we get 46 channels for free and they are all HD! We ordered ours off of Amazon and installed it in our attic. I think it is great and we will never go back to paying for tv.

 

[Nayan]

Those are the same channels I watch and unfortunately most of the shows on them you can only get with sat/cable.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

Those are the same channels I watch and unfortunately most of the shows on them you can only get with sat/cable.

Me too. It's my incentive to get to the YMCA and spend time on the treadmills with the cable TV attached!

 

[magik]

We cancelled our cable and got 'rabbit ears.' After the initial purchase, we get 46 channels for free and they are all HD! We ordered ours off of Amazon and installed it in our attic. I think it is great and we will never go back to paying for tv.

This is what I was going to suggest. You can can get a good attic or roof mount antenna, which will be an initial outlay of money, but then you can just watch free broadcast TV. You can also try an indoor little antenna that you hook right up to your tv...the HD ones don't look much like rabbit ears anymore from what I've seen, but that's the gist. I've never had much luck with the little indoor antennas, but that could just be where I live.

 

[DawnM]

We just cancelled DTV.

We have Roku boxes hooked up to our TVs and Netflix and Hulu+. Hulu+ may have the Food shows you want.

We also plugged the cable wires that were going into our DTV line into our cable box (we only have internet) and got some channels that way. The rest we get through an antenna.

Dawn

 

[21yankees]

We cancelled our Directv 2 months ago. Those are the same channels I enjoy watching.

Here's what I've found so far.

Food Network has some of their shows on their website as well as on Hulu. Do some digging and you'll find more than you expect (I know I did).

Bravo is a bit more difficult but you can get just about all of their shows through iTunes or Amazon for 1.99 an episode, just depends on how many of the shows your daughter watches.

Tvland also keeps a decent selection of shows to watch on their website. In addition to that you can stream a few of them through Netflix and the rest you can do the disc in your mailbox.

For local channels you can get rabbit ears and get them for free.

Hope this helps.

steph

 

[jennbunn]

We got rid of comcast back in may when my hubby lost his job. We have netflix on our wii and ps3. My hubby is back to work but we have gotten used to the way we have it now. I don't think I am going back to the 225.00 comcast bill and will be sticking with netflix.

 

[JB2K]

...and they are all HD!

Didn't you mean to say "digital" (which is something completely different from HD)?

True "HD" channels are normally limited to the major network affiliates and some independent stations -- the digital sub-channels that have appeared recently, such as Retro TV, local weather, etc. are not High-Def.

Had to correct my mother on this, as someone sold her an "HD Box", which was completely unnecessary, given that she has a brand-new digital-ready flatscreen HDTV...

Either way, "free" TV options are far greater than they were prior to the analog shutdown...

 

[MineMail]

We just cancelled DTV.

We have Roku boxes hooked up to our TVs and Netflix and Hulu+. Hulu+ may have the Food shows you want.

We also plugged the cable wires that were going into our DTV line into our cable box (we only have internet) and got some channels that way. The rest we get through an antenna.

Dawn

What's the Roku pricing? I saw the display at Best Buy, but it looked like a subscription plan on top of your internet connection fee. I couldn't figure out how much extra / month it would cost.

We're getting rid of DirecTV in September unless they drastically reduce their prices. I'm planning to go to over-the-air broadcasts and computer-internet since that will be the biggest savings.


Attic antenna question: does it work if there aren't any windows in the attic? Ours is entirely enclosed. I hate to put an antenna on the roof since it's still new.
I do have the DirecTV dish on a pole in the backyard - maybe I could install the antenna on that and use the cables?

 

[Nayan]

There are no fees to use Roku and there are a few free 'channels' but it's mostly used for streaming Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus which are all subscription based.

 

[sam_gordon]

Didn't you mean to say "digital" (which is something completely different from HD)?

I wouldn't exactly say that. HD is "digital", just not all "digital" is HD (there's also SD-- standard definition). And just to confuse the issue, just because something fits a 16x9 (or widescreen) doesn't mean it's HD either.

Either way, "free" TV options are far greater than they were prior to the analog shutdown...

This is also true. However, the '46' channels listed by a PP is probably only attainable if you are near a major market (ie: NY, LA, Chicago, etc) or midway between multiple markets. You can check out http://www.tvfool.com or http://antennaweb.org for channels available to you and what kind of antenna you need.

Attic antenna question: does it work if there aren't any windows in the attic? Ours is entirely enclosed. I hate to put an antenna on the roof since it's still new.
I do have the DirecTV dish on a pole in the backyard - maybe I could install the antenna on that and use the cables?

Yes to both. It all comes down to signal strength. If you get enough signal to the TV, you get a picture. The strength of the signal making it to the TV is dependent on LOTS of things... distance from transmission tower (the two websites above will give you information for your house), type of antenna, location of antenna (in the basement vs. on a tower outside the house-- said for demonstration purposes only, not to say you'll need one), and cable run (the longer the run from the antenna to the TV, and any splitters on the line, will degrade the signal).

This is not really as difficult as I make it sound. Go to one or both of the websites I listed and they'll tell you how far you are (determines how strong an antenna you need) from the broadcast towers and what direction they are.

FWIW, my antenna is in my attic (no windows) and I am ~3 miles from the closest two towers and ~20 miles from the furthest two.

Hope this helps.

 

[seashoreCM]

Had to correct my mother on this, as someone sold her an "HD Box", which was completely unnecessary, given that she has a brand-new digital-ready flatscreen HDTV......

The HD box can be saved for use with another, older, TV that does not have a digital tuner (digital channel selector). Some HD boxes will work with computer monitors if you have a spare one of those.

Sometimes separate antennas for two TV sets will work where one antenna with a splitter does not. It is possible for one antenna to not be strong enough for two TV's, depending on where you live.

 

[DawnM]

Roku is just a streaming device to stream things through your internet wireless connection at home.

I subscribe to Netflix ($8 for streaming per month) and I also subscribe to HuluPlus for $8/mo.

I love it. You can pause, fast forward, pick what you want to watch on Netflix, etc...

Also, I purchased my Roku boxes through Amazon. The prices are cheaper. No tax and no shipping cost.

Dawn

What's the Roku pricing? I saw the display at Best Buy, but it looked like a subscription plan on top of your internet connection fee. I couldn't figure out how much extra / month it would cost.

We're getting rid of DirecTV in September unless they drastically reduce their prices. I'm planning to go to over-the-air broadcasts and computer-internet since that will be the biggest savings.


Attic antenna question: does it work if there aren't any windows in the attic? Ours is entirely enclosed. I hate to put an antenna on the roof since it's still new.
I do have the DirecTV dish on a pole in the backyard - maybe I could install the antenna on that and use the cables?

 

[Abbeys_mom]

I really miss Food Network since giving up my extended cable a year ago. NOT $40 a months worth though so I won't be upgrading anytime soon. I would LOVE to find a streaming option though if anyone knows of any!!

Check out the videos on http://www.chow.com/videos - DD's favs are the YADIAW (You are doing it all wrong) and Cooking with Grandma series. My all time fav is Meatyballs.

Hulu Plus has an entire genre with a ton of food and cooking shows.

If you have kids and like to travel, a fantastic show is "Travel w Kids" - DD loves that one. It is kind of like a Rick Steve's for kids.

ETA - Chow also has a Roku channel, but it is not updated as frequently.