No More Cable - The good, bad and ugly

[JB2K]

A Tivo will work if you pay the subscription fee of about $12.95 per month per box. The newer Tivos also have wireless built in to watch Netflix or HuluPlus.

I won't get into the good/bad of cutting cable, as that has been discussed a zillion times, here (why doesn't the moderator make a sticky, already? Oh, wait, I forgot that the moderator has been MIA for about the past 18 months).

Seriously, while many TiVos have a monthly subscription fee (which for many negates going cable-free), you can still pick-up some units with transferrable lifetime subscriptions from eBay.

Now, that may be appealing to some of you, out there...

 

[C.Ann]

I'm curious - when you called to cancel the cable did they just cancel it for you or did they try to "make you an offer you couldn't refuse."

I figure once I do try to cancel, I may end up having it for another year with a good deal, lol.

Last year they cut me a good deal when I told them I would either have to drop to the Basic (with internet) or go without completely..

This year the prices have gone up yet again (I'm talking about my place at the lake where I live for about 7 months out of the year) and I have a "gut feeling" there will be no offers this time around.. (Which is why I said on the other thread I will go from Standard to Basic..) The problem is that they know they have everyone over a barrel up there - one cable company - one telephone company - and a dead zone, making cell phones useless..

Of course I'll still try when the time actually comes to call and tell them to take me off my seasonal plan and get me up and running again, but when I called just as an "interested potential customer", the rates I quoted on the other thread were what was offered for that particular area..

There's no way I'm paying $116 a month (plus tax) for Standard Service that is at least 75% sports and shopping shows (if not more), so we'll see what happens when I actually make the call..

If I have to go with the Basic, that's fine.. I'll live.. I've been gathering up VHS tapes I have, DVD's I have, borrowing some from my DD, and will be picking up more at garage sales and such for "background noise".. For such a significant savings every month, it's well worth dropping down to the Basic..

 

[Kycha]

Can anyone explain what hulu and roku are?

 

[crazelion]

Can anyone explain what hulu and roku are?

I know what hulu.com it website that watch shows. It can be access on online. I have use hulu.com and I like it. I getting ready to setup wireless network in the house so I can stream netflix and hulu . One my friends was throw out old hp with windows xp on it and told let me have it.

I can't get mom to cut cable. That her life live.

 

[brymolmom]

I'm curious - when you called to cancel the cable did they just cancel it for you or did they try to "make you an offer you couldn't refuse."

I figure once I do try to cancel, I may end up having it for another year with a good deal, lol.

It is my experience (and those around me from discussing with them) that Time Warner does not ever make you a deal if you call to cancel it. The last time, several years ago, when we were getting the Dish - I called and they said nothing, no offer. Not until I disconnected anything and then brought it all into downtown 20 minutes away and waited in line to hand it in - THAT'S when they 'made me an offer'. At that time, I was way too annoyed and too invested in the Dish offer - so I declined. This time around, even when I went thru all that and handed in my boxes, etc - they made me NO OFFER. Nor have I gotten any calls. I think they realize that this is the end and they can't lure back people like me.

 

[brymolmom]

I won't get into the good/bad of cutting cable, as that has been discussed a zillion times, here (why doesn't the moderator make a sticky, already? Oh, wait, I forgot that the moderator has been MIA for about the past 18 months).

Seriously, while many TiVos have a monthly subscription fee (which for many negates going cable-free), you can still pick-up some units with transferrable lifetime subscriptions from eBay.

Now, that may be appealing to some of you, out there...

I apologize for my ignorance, but with these Tivos with lifetime subscription - would we be able to hook it up to our TV with only antenna and record from it? Thank you for the information and link! I'm definitely going to check it out!

 

[*Seanaci*]

DH and I haven't had cable for 3 years now (ever since we moved back in with my parents). I actually love not having cable. If we had cable, DH and I would most likely fight over what to watch on any given evening.

With a digital converter box (got it at Radio Shack for like $60 as a replacement for the original Apex we had which crapped out on us after a year) and rabbit ears, we get all the local channels, several PBS channels, and my sons favorite Qubo (this is a channel that if you have cable, you have to call your cable company to have it added to your line-up).

We have also been on Netflix for a year and a half and LOVE it. I have watched so many shows that I never would have otherwise.WE have considered dropping our Netflix subscription to 1 DVD out at a time and unlimited streaming (to save money)...but so far we have not. But still, $20 a month for 3 DVD's out at a time and unlimited streaming is a heck of a deal IMHO.

My parents do have cable downstairs...and told us we were welcome to get cable upstairs but we'd have to pay for it. It's do-able...but we'd have to put our TV in one spot and leave it...which I'm not fond of (I like to re-arrange my furniture every 6 months or so). Plus, it's an expense we just don't need. And we've done without it this long, we're obviously not missing it.

 

[GoofItUp]

I apologize for my ignorance, but with these Tivos with lifetime subscription - would we be able to hook it up to our TV with only antenna and record from it? Thank you for the information and link! I'm definitely going to check it out!

Yes, this is definitely possible. We've been on antenna only with Tivo for about 4 years. We bought the lifetime subscription back at the time (I think it was around $300 or so) and have not paid anything since! I would tell you the technical details if I knew them, but DH is the one that sets all this up.

We currently have AT&T internet, but our one year promotion expired last week. We called our cable company to see about changing internet service to them and found out our house we now live in has never had cable service set up! And our house has been here since '03! The cable co was suppose to call us back -- which they never did -- but I called AT&T and told them I was looking at switching. They have me a new 1-yr promotional price that was $5 less than what we were paying! WINNING!

 

[shortbun]

I hope I am never faced with this. I love my DVR and I'm lazy. you guys are very, very good and should be proud of yourselves. I don't watch tv during the day or when my son's around because I have more important things to do but after 10pm or when he has friends over, Saturday and sunday mornings...I'm a tv head, lol! There would be no consoling me if I had so few choices. Alas, I am spoiled by progress. ha!

 

[hsmamato2]

how do you hook your pc to the tv? I'd heard you can DVR on Windows 7- (which I don't have) I tried Hulu plus for a week- it was cool- but we are keeping dishnetwork for a while till my life slows down and I have time o think about it....
I already know I only keep it for the DVR-

 

[JB2K]

I apologize for my ignorance, but with these Tivos with lifetime subscription - would we be able to hook it up to our TV with only antenna and record from it? Thank you for the information and link! I'm definitely going to check it out!

Absolutely! The beauty of TiVo is that you can use it with either an antenna or cable...

 

[Rob R]

We are halfway there. We have cable and use it mostly to watch
College sports.

Tv we watch the same list if shows earlier- survivor, amazing race, big bang theory and undercover boss.

We have a homemade antenna using coat hangers and a dvr recorder from magnavox I bought at walmart online. It was about $200 give or take, we've been using it for a couple of years.

We own the dvr and can record what we like. The tuner is digital in it, so no converter boxes and the like

Works well for us.

If it wasn't for MSU hoops and football the cable would be gone too. But since we have a projector with a 92 inch screen gameday gets crowded at our house.

 

[KandiB47]

After reading this thread last night (I don't have cable, my husband wants it back) I decided to give Netflix another try. We have a Wii and a PS3. It's only $8 a month for streaming only. I'm am very happy with their streaming selection. When I tried it a few years ago, there was very little. Now I have the Wii connected to the upstairs tv and the PS3 to the downstairs tv. You must be able to connect as many devices as you want to one subscription.

The only downside is I've been watching a lot of tv for 24 hours


Does anybody have suggestions on how to get sports channels, specifically football and baseball, without cable?

 

[Nayan]

No, you cannot get LEGAL sports online. There is ESPN3, which is online sports programming, but none what you mentioned and you must have it in your cable package to access it. There are 'illegal' sites you can view sports, but many have been or are being shut down.

 

[sookie]

I second the TiVo recommendation. You can also user the new TiVo machines as a digital receiver.

 

[KandiB47]

No, you cannot get LEGAL sports online. There is ESPN3, which is online sports programming, but none what you mentioned and you must have it in your cable package to access it. There are 'illegal' sites you can view sports, but many have been or are being shut down.

I've tried doing that for some Vikings games but it was pointless to bother. They shut the games down well before halftime. My friends husband subscribes to some online site with Steelers games because he is from PA and lives in WI. I thought somebody might have experience with that.