Cutting the cable cord....

[DawnM]

This might be something you have already done, but have you run an "antenna channel search" on your TV?

On our TVs we have "Antenna" settings as well as "Cable" settings an you have to run a search with the right one in order to get channels correctly.

Dawn

OP here. Irony of ironies, we do have an external roof mount antenna, I just never noticed it before.

Of course I just spent the last 2 hours trying to get it to work with no luck, everything is connected with the right cords, but it isn't working. Any ideas?

 

[brymolmom]

Sorry I can't help with ideas about getting the antenna to work - we bought one when we ditched cable. It is a rooftop one and we get around 10 or so stations (some are duplicates - NBC and ABC from our local and next city over). We bought a PC to hookup to the TV and use Windows Media to record shows (works about the same as Tivo but need to buy different cards to record 2 different shows at the same time, but they're inexpensive.

We watch network TV with the antenna, watch Netflix and recorded shows and shows off the internet with our PC.

I don't miss cable at all. I did before we had it setup to record but now we're all set. Total cost for setup with antenna, PC and cards maybe around $600 or so - but we have been cable free for 2 years so we have well made that back in savings.

Do it!

 

[Diet Dr Chill]

I don't have cable or an antenna. We just have a PC hooked up to our TV.

I guess this life would suck if you were a huge sport nut. The only thing I ever tried to watch streaming was the 2010 World Cup and it kinda sorta worked. I read local news stations/papers online for local news. The only news show we watch regularly on the TV is a streaming version of ARD's Tagesthemen. I Hulu some shows or watch them when they have been uploaded to the particular channel's website. For example, Spike TV, Comedy Central, and A&E have a lot of recent episodes available streaming. Netflix for movies and older episodes of TV shows.

Occasionally, some things slip through the cracks not having regular TV. Like we didn't know the garbage men had gone on strike until after they didn't pick up our garbage, though it was all over the local news apparently.

 

[theworldneedscolor]

We could never give up our satellite TV. We just recently got Netflix, and I barely use it. We frequent our video store more often, but mainly we watch a lot of TV, and whatever movies we can find (there's always something good playing on some random channel!). It's the one bad habit I refuse to ditch!

 

[jpeppers]

It is strictly personal preference. If you are a casual TV watcher you will probably do fine with this but there is no way I could cut out my Satellite subscription or cable. I would look at every other corner I could cut before I cut my TV. I would ditch my cell phone way before messing with my TV but I'm a sports and TV nut.

 

[pat fan]

I have tried this site and I get no stations in green and only a couple in yellow. This is the problem and there isn't much I can do on my end to fix it.

HAH! Mine are in the outer blue, bordering on the last ring of color that has varrying colors ion it. We tried a small outside antenna to no avail, and unless we want to spend a few hundred and have the only tv guy in the area come do a site survey to see if a big ole antenna would work, we are out of luck. Still considering putting DTV on hold once football season is over, but not sure if I can really commit to no news or anything.

 

[mrsklamc]

News from the internet?