Cutting Satellite (Direct TV) ??

[abcboys]

We didnt get rid of satellite but we went down to the lowest package (2499) with the Dvr (6) and subscribe to Netflix (799). This is with dish tho. Total bill is around 40. Not terribly expensive and plenty of stuff for all of us to watch.

 

[DawnM]

Is this a 12 month intro rate?

I see the $24.99 rate as a teaser rate but it goes up to $49.99 after one year.

We would need all 3 TVs hooked up, so it would cost more, but we can't get DISH anyway. They came out and said our tree line is blocking their satellites.

Dawn

We didnt get rid of satellite but we went down to the lowest package (2499) with the Dvr (6) and subscribe to Netflix (799). This is with dish tho. Total bill is around 40. Not terribly expensive and plenty of stuff for all of us to watch.

 

[tvguy]

I am firmly in the outer band if the gray circle on tvfool. The joys of living in a valley in the sticks. I even put that I would have an antenna at 30 ft., but still no go.

As someone who works in tv and who "survived" the switch from analog TV to digital (answering angry viewer calls)......I will tell you that where digital TV signals can be received, and where they can not depends on not only where you are, but what your home is made of, and where the antenna is.
Digital is much much much more sensitive. Literally, your house may be in a dead spot, and your neighbors get great reception. That is why I recommend starting with a $10 set of rabbit ears to see exactly what kind signal you have inside your home.
I set up rabbit ears on a TV in my mom's bedroom, this is one spot the antenna has to be in to get reception....and if you walk between the antenna and the window, you loose that signal.

 

[brymolmom]

LOVE that we got rid of cable 2+ years ago.

We have Netflix. We bought a computer to attach to the TV with Windows Media, along with a $30-ish card that acts as a DVR. Purchased a second card a year later so we can now record 2 shows at once. Plus purchased a rooftop antenna for around $100. Total spent was about $600 or so. We were spending $70 ish a month and now spend $7.99 for Netflix so we 'made' that money back after about 9 months.

I'm currently watching my recorded Person of Interest from thursday.

HIGHLY recommend this to anyone.

 

[letsgoreds]

Just wanted to add that you can buy a TiVo WITH lifetime service off of eBay.

We dropped cable over a year ago and don't miss a thing. Just use our HD TiVo, and regular TiVo to record shows. Plenty on PBS for the kids.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I recently called DirectV and had them cut off all our movie channels and we STILL have a $159 a month bill. We pay $53 a month just in HD/DVR/equipment fees.

I called them back and told them if we can't get the bill lower we will buy out our contract for $280 and just get local cable for $50 a month. She lowered it by $25 a month for 6 months. But after 6 months I will have to call back and have a new discount applied.

We have a ROKU, Netflix streaming and DVD by mail, and Amazon Prime. But DH doesn't want to give up directv.

I have gotten it as low as I can without cutting off vital channels that we watch all the time.

I guess we are too use to having all the hundreds of channels but it kills me knowing we pay over $150 a month just for the satellite.

 

[DawnM]

Just be aware and forwarned that if you get one of these for a TV in your house, others may soon ask for one on the man-cave TV.

Not that I have had any issues like this in the past......

Just wanted to add that you can buy a TiVo WITH lifetime service off of eBay.

We dropped cable over a year ago and don't miss a thing. Just use our HD TiVo, and regular TiVo to record shows. Plenty on PBS for the kids.

 

[DawnM]

But can you stream your recordings to all your TVs? We have 3 TVs, one on each floor (two stories plus a basement).

LOVE that we got rid of cable 2+ years ago.

We have Netflix. We bought a computer to attach to the TV with Windows Media, along with a $30-ish card that acts as a DVR. Purchased a second card a year later so we can now record 2 shows at once. Plus purchased a rooftop antenna for around $100. Total spent was about $600 or so. We were spending $70 ish a month and now spend $7.99 for Netflix so we 'made' that money back after about 9 months.

I'm currently watching my recorded Person of Interest from thursday.

HIGHLY recommend this to anyone.

 

[DawnM]

Another option to get more recent shows to your TV is PlayOn. It will allow you to stream whatever is currently online to your TV through a device like Roku.

It only works through a PC and the PC must be on while you use it and the program fully open, but does not require the PC to be connected to your TV.

It isn't perfect. I often have buffering or glitches, but it is an option. It is a one time $40 fee.

PlayOn also sells another program called PlayLater that allows you to "record" online shows to Play Later.

So, if you are really into Hawaii Five O say, and you dont' think you will watch the 3 episodes currently available online before they "expire" PlayLater will keep them recorded for you kind of like a DVR.

Again, you need your PC on and the program open to stream them to your TV.

This records ONLINE programs only. So, you can record from sources like CBS.com, ESPN2.com, etc.....

 

[DawnM]

We had to get a rooftop antenna that would reach 60 feet.

We have an indoor antenna on a tv in the kitchen and I only get 3 channels and even those go in and out and drive me nuts.

We live 25 miles from the location of the TV stations but we also live DOWN a hill and have a ton of huge 90ft trees surrounding our house.

I am firmly in the outer band if the gray circle on tvfool. The joys of living in a valley in the sticks. I even put that I would have an antenna at 30 ft., but still no go.

 

[GAN]

It will be interesting to see if/when (the rumors are heating up...again) the iTV hits the street what that will do to the mix. It was one of Steve Jobs' pet projects and he believed he had cracked it -I think the problem was with fees to TV rights. In a nutshell, most of us pay for garbage we don't watch -the solution would to pay for what you enjoy. This is what most rumors out there are pointing to. I've got TiVo Premiere, AppleTV, Netflix, Amazon Instant -I'm ready to cut the cord.

 

[tvguy]

We had to get a rooftop antenna that would reach 60 feet.

We have an indoor antenna on a tv in the kitchen and I only get 3 channels and even those go in and out and drive me nuts.

We live 25 miles from the location of the TV stations but we also live DOWN a hill and have a ton of huge 90ft trees surrounding our house.

Normally the transmission towers are not at the TV stations. They are usually in a remote area, with all the stations having their transmitters there. Here in Sacramento, all the transmission towers are in Walnut Grove, 25 to 30 miles from the stations themselves. There are literally people living next to the TV stations themselves, who can't get a signal.

 

[Eeyore's-tail-tack]

We have no cable at all. We have a digital TV. We have a Wii and get live streaming for $7.99 a month. We won't go to cable. Besides that we get quite a few stations with only our digital signal. No outside antenna. Just the free one that came with our television and maybe a small rabbit ear one.

 

[pat fan]

Here in Sacramento, all the transmission towers are in Walnut Grove

With Laura Ingalls???

As someone who works in tv and who "survived" the switch from analog TV to digital (answering angry viewer calls)......I will tell you that where digital TV signals can be received, and where they can not depends on not only where you are, but what your home is made of, and where the antenna is.
Digital is much much much more sensitive. Literally, your house may be in a dead spot, and your neighbors get great reception. That is why I recommend starting with a $10 set of rabbit ears to see exactly what kind signal you have inside your home.
I set up rabbit ears on a TV in my mom's bedroom, this is one spot the antenna has to be in to get reception....and if you walk between the antenna and the window, you loose that signal.

So what's your service fee to come to my house and see what I can get? Seriously, how can I check to see if I could get something? When my grandmotherIL lived here, she had an antenna on the roof and got a couple snowy channels. Are the signals better now where we should be able to get something? Or is the fact that the trees have grown more since then mean LESS signal? I hate to spend $600 on an antenna and get nothing. (that is the quote from the nasty TV guy in our area who didn't even come to the house). We bought a $60 antenna from the internet and nothing came in. The snow didn't even change! It's a new flatscreen tv so we don't need a converter box, right? I'd go to RadioShack and ask for help, but our has teenagers working there who have NO idea about anything, they just run the registers! Sigh............

In a nutshell, most of us pay for garbage we don't watch -the solution would to pay for what you enjoy.

That's how it used to be, I doubt they will go back to it.

 

[brymolmom]

But can you stream your recordings to all your TVs? We have 3 TVs, one on each floor (two stories plus a basement).

No...But with a bit more upfront outlay of cash - you'd just do my setup x 3 for any TV that you want to watch your recordings. Likely could do it for maybe $300 - $350 per room. It SEEMS like a lot - but depending how much you pay for your cable right now, you'd likely make it back in 6 - 12 months.

We refuse to do the TV's in every room thing...We have 2 - one upstairs and one in the basement. We only do recorded shows on the upstairs one...Downstairs can watch regular TV channels, Netflix and DVD's.

 

[gymboqueenkaylee]

We just got rid of cable/satellite service this past month. I was tired of paying 180 per month. We purchased a Roku box for our mail television and got an AV cable for DD's ipad to hook to her ipad and stream her television shows from there. We are happy so far. We are not big tv watchers (mainly because we are NEVER home) so we are happy with what we got. The initial cost of the Roku box was expensive (around 100) and we did subscribe to Huluplus and netflix (but that was still way cheaper than cable in the long run).

 

[HHSTigerFan]

As sports lovers, no way, no how could we cut Directv..

 

[brymolmom]

As sports lovers, no way, no how could we cut Directv..

It's getting there though...I've heard that there are lots of sports package options online now...For a fraction of the cost for DirectTV and with all the games. Not sure if it's all sports at this point but I think it will be soon.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

MLB package comes to about $11/ month, NFL is exclusive to Directv, BTN doesn't have anything, not sure what the other conferences have.. So even if all sports offered such packages, the cost would quickly add up to close to the $105 we currently pay..

 

[pat fan]

As sports lovers, no way, no how could we cut Directv..

IF I could get my local channels, I might give up DTV even though I love my football. Yes, I would lose the Thursday night games on NFL Network, but good grief, it's almost a moral thing that I am being robbed to pay for channels I have zero interest in watching and some I find downright disgusting and don't even want on my channel lineup, much less that I would watch!