Saving $ by getting rid of cable/satellite

[DVCBELLE]

I am sick of paying Directv too much money for channels we don't even use!

I watch 4 channels at my house - ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX and my kids watch 2 - Cartoon Network and Disney Channel

I have started investigating Tivo and Netflix

Does anyone have Netflix? Can you tell me how the streaming content works? It looks like they have an agreement with Disney - would my kids be able to turn on the tv and pick a show to watch anytime? What about Cartoon Network - my 6 yo son wants Clone Wars so that would be the most important to me! Is there an option for this? How long does it take to get a new episode?

Does anyone know of any other options that I might look into?

 

[tommya60]

We grouped our cable, phone and internet service and saved a lot of money. I was unhappy with the internet and phone components, so we switched back to AT&T, they offered us a big discount to switch back, we are saving even more money (both switches occured within 10 days).

 

[crisi]

Why the Tivo?

We don't have cable. We use Netflix (use instant play a lot) and Hulu. Netflix doesn't necessarily have the current Disney series - its often a season or two old - my kids don't care. Hulu has a lot more. We stream Netflix using a Roku box to the TV, we watch Hulu on the computers, but it is possible to get Hulu through the XBox 360 (we just haven't completed set up yet). You do need a good broadband connection for this to work.

 

[smokeyblue]

The streaming has tons of kids TV shows and movies. I don't have children myself, but it seems like they have a very good selection; things I know my young niece and nephew like to watch. There is also a lot for adults. Lots of Showtime/HBO tv shows, seasons of tv shows from CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC. Also a good selection of decent movies.

I usually just watch on my laptop and occassionally watch on the TV using the Playstation 3. Also, you can watch a lot of network shows on their websites, you could just hook your computer up to your TV if you wanted to watch them on the big screen.

I would say give it a go! It's more than enough entertainment. If my cable wasn't included in my apartment I would definetely drop it.

 

[crisi]

By the way....the point where I realized I was spending $70 a month so the kids could watch Wizard's of Waverly Place was the tipping point.....If Clone Wars is the only thing holding you back (and I'm almost sure current episodes aren't on Netflix, nor does it appear to be available on Hulu or Cartoon Network as streaming video) you need to ask yourself if Clone Wars is worth $840 a year.....(assuming your bill is like mine was)

 

[Befferk]

I really wish one of these satellite companies would do something like pay-per-channel, where you could build your own package with just the channels you want!

 

[big_red_s]

I have Netflix and I LOVE IT!!!!

I got rid of the premium cable channels and would have gotten rid of cable completly but there are 2-3 channels which DD5 loves.

I can tell you that since getting Netflix I stopped watching "regular" TV programming.
I even bought the Roku box to stream the movies from my computer to the TV (works great and in HD as well but no subtitles).

They are getting very popular, some newer TVs come "Netflix ready" so there is no need for the Roku box.

I highly recommend Netflix, I'm a cheap SOB but I think their service for $9 a month is a steal. I also believe they are starting a "streaming" service for $5 a month.

 

[Lorajo]

We totally got rid of all cable. We filled out TIVO with kids programming before we disconnected last May. We put about 40-50 hours on there for her. She is only 2 so the repetition is fine.
We have 2 or 3 shows we watch - we can watch them online for free.
Works fantastic for us. We know we don't watch more than about 10 hours of TV a week (maybe 2-3 hours or shows and movie or so) and are accomplishing other things.

We did it in May thinking we would maybe reconnect in the fall but so far we do not miss it at all - thanks to getting our shows online. I miss having the news channell once in a while but for $60 or some a month - so worth it!

 

[big_red_s]

We did it in May thinking we would maybe reconnect in the fall but so far we do not miss it at all - thanks to getting our shows online. I miss having the news channell once in a while but for $60 or some a month - so worth it!

Last time we had problems with our cable the operator told me they couldn't get a repair guy to come for a few days.

I told her that it's fine, but FYI (you know those calls are recorded and reviewed) that the longer I don't have the service, the more I realize how much I could do without it.

 

[hipchickie]

Is cable an option? We have comcast, which is ridiculously expensive, but I am about to change some things around too to make it affordable but keep as many things as the kids like.
My current plan is this:
Switch to Comcast bottom rung basic digital - but comes with on-demand, so many shows are available for free that way - not positive which ones, but disney, nick and CN all make some content available. Keeping good internet, and using hulu more. Changing to land line (from current phone via comcast)

Then - buying a blu-ray player or PS3 (I think? I am sure someone knows for sure) that can get the streaming netflix, and possibly completely getting rid of cable at that point.
ETA - or evidently a ROKU box....god I love this board!!!

 

[puffkin]

Not having cable is one of my biggest nightmares. Seriously

When I got laid off in the spring we had Directv. I called them and Comcast and asked about bundle packages. Directv didn't want to work with me, but I was able to get the Triple Play through Comcast for a great price. I had more channel options, my DVR, plus On Demand and HBO. I got high speed cable internet and free nationwide digital phone with a bunch of extra features. My price is locked in for 2 years plus I got a $200 rebate for some reason (I don't remember the promotion). They wanted to charge me installation, but I talked them into doing that for free. So all in all I got more than before and I saved $30 a month. I was thrilled! It never hurts to call and see what they can do for you!

 

[cjackearl]

We got rid of DishNet this month and honestly have rarely missed it. We didn't watch during the week and found that it was a huge magnet on the weekends. Our girls complained that we'd be missing the 25 days of Christmas on ABC Family, but we've got plenty of Christmas DVDs and Netflix movies. We do watch movies & tv episodes streamed to our computer because its in our bedroom and the kids snuggle on the bed and watch. I get my two shows that I actually miss on Hulu. We've only suspended our satellite service until we make sure we're happy with our decision and my hubby would like to see it back in February for the winter Olympics, but so far so good. I love saving the money and seeing my kids pick something other than tv on the weekends.

 

[PIERCEDRN]

You are pretty much the person that HDTV was designed for...
1. First off the networks are free off the air, not the snowy mess that we were used to before we all had cable. The ASTC digital broadcast off the air is HD as in perfect. It is sort of all or nothing good reception or no or unwatchable picture. Now depending on how far you are from a metro area doing the broadcast, you may get away with a very small antenna that could cost you $50 or less. There are also models of powerful antennas that you can make on youtube... seriously they work as well as the $100+ ones at big box stores! Check out antennaweb.org and find out what channels you can expect. Now if all goes well you have HD reception on all the networks, and a surprising number of "extra channels", we get a 24 kids channel called Qubo.
2. Now to take care of the other channels you might want, like disney and CN. You will need broadband internet for all options.
First option: look into buying a networked (ethernet connected) Blu-ray player that does Hulu, Netflix or other way of getting internet streaming to tv. There may be a much smaller fee for these services than the cable beast.

Second option: Get a device like WDTV LIVE (western digital tv)for about $100 one time only. Now this will play any tv show or movie files you may have on a computer, and store them on an external hard drive. They will also stream netflix, Hulu, or youtube to your tv with an easy menu. Next wrinkle: not so disney They will also play any of the easily available tv shows off of Bit-torrent sites, with which you could quickly fill up a Terabyte of space with every show/movie imaginable. I could PM you a few which are family friendly.

Either way you will just need Broadband access and a tv. If your TV is not HDTV built in a converter box will work. Snip Snip bye bye cable.
BOB

 

[big_red_s]

my hubby would like to see it back in February for the winter Olympics

didn't last time NBC streamed the olympics?

 

[scard192]

I love Netflix, haven't been to the movies in 5 years. I skip the Tivo/DVR fees and use an old-fashioned VCR.

 

[ssawka]

After trying several different methods, I would recommend getting a dedicated computer for the TV (If you can afford it!) Last year I bought a $400 desktop from HP that has Vista Home Premium, which comes with Windows Media Center (WMC). With a TV tuner, WMC is a DVR it also has plugins for streaming form different sites (including Netflix and Hulu). You can also extract DVDs that you own and have them readliy available. I've also ripped my approximately 1000 CDs onto the hard drive as well, so now I have a Jukebox of all my music. The other thing about a dedicated PC is that you can upgrade it as the technology changes and/or add external drives when more space is needed.

 

[PIERCEDRN]

After trying several different methods, I would recommend getting a dedicated computer for the TV (If you can afford it!) Last year I bought a $400 desktop from HP that has Vista Home Premium, which comes with Windows Media Center (WMC). With a TV tuner, WMC is a DVR it also has plugins for streaming form different sites (including Netflix and Hulu). You can also extract DVDs that you own and have them readliy available. I've also ripped my approximately 1000 CDs onto the hard drive as well, so now I have a Jukebox of all my music. The other thing about a dedicated PC is that you can upgrade it as the technology changes and/or add external drives when more space is needed.

This is definitely considered by most the best TV solution, but it can get very pricey if you have to buy or build in 2 hd tuning video cards (to watch, pause and record like a dvr) . The now outdated, but still widely used, analog video cards still depend on cable to make the signal watchable. Make sure the computer has an ASTC tuner or its already obsolete.
If you are on a tight budget, or if your wife gave a stern veto on a computer in our family room like me, a WDTV, ROKU or Popcorn Hour type solution could be much cheaper and sleeker.

Personally I am held hostage by Comcast Cable in NJ, so if I want to watch my phillies it is pay cable or go to the stadium.

 

[tzolkin]

We got rid of our satellite a few months ago (we do not get any tv channels at all now).

We have Netflix and also watch TV on hulu.

We have a laptop in the family room that we plug directly into the TV and use the TV as a monitor. There are lots of shows on hulu and you can even set up separate accounts for each member of your family. We also used to watch the Netflix watch instantly movies via the laptop/TV.

We recently bought a Blu-Ray player that has Netflix on it. This is very nice because you can just use the remote to select something instead of using the computer. The only drawback is that you can only watch movies that are in your "Watch Instantly" Queue. (My brother uses a PS3 and on that has a search feature.) This has not really been a problem for us. We have about 200 movies/shows on our queue. If we want to watch something that's not in our queue, we just go onto the computer and add it and it shows up immediately on the TV.

Not everything is available to watch instantly on Netflix, but it's a good enough variety for us. We have the 3 movies in the mail plan, and have it set up to get one kids movie and two adult/family movies at a time.

 

[ssawka]

This is definitely considered by most the best TV solution, but it can get very pricey if you have to buy or build in 2 hd tuning video cards (to watch, pause and record like a dvr) . The now outdated, but still widely used, analog video cards still depend on cable to make the signal watchable. Make sure the computer has an ASTC tuner or its already obsolete.
If you are on a tight budget, or if your wife gave a stern veto on a computer in our family room like me, a WDTV, ROKU or Popcorn Hour type solution could be much cheaper and sleeker.

Personally I am held hostage by Comcast Cable in NJ, so if I want to watch my phillies it is pay cable or go to the stadium.

Not really, I bought a brand new PC with Windows Vista Home Premium and an ASTC USB tuner for around $450. Yes, it is more expensive than the three you've mentioned, but not much more than the Popcorn Hour (I looked at this before getting the PC). Plus, it will pay for itself in less than a year if you drop cable.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I really wish one of these satellite companies would do something like pay-per-channel, where you could build your own package with just the channels you want!

Amen ~ we watch maybe 10 channels, 1/2 of which I could get with rabbit ears *a cheap antenna* (I think I still could ~ not sure with the recent change) ~ but I love HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Discovery. DS watches the History Channel, DD watches Disney channel.