TV (in the form of Satellite/Cable) gave it up for good!

[Bird_Flu]

This reminds of cancelling my service. You would not believe the sell job this person tried to do to keep me. I have a tough time being just overtly rude to people, but I had no choice. This person drolled on and on for like a half hour..all the time, me politely saying "yes, please just cancel my service. What you're offering does not interest me". I gave them a chance.... I told them I'd stay if the whole shootin' match was 20 bucks. Obviously that didn't fly .

They weren't saving you. Seriously though I watch a ton of sports, if the sports leagues ever wised up and let me actually stream my local teams I would do drop DirecTV in a hot minute. Since that will NEVER happen, they get my money every month. I call and ask for an extra $10-$20 off per month and they usually can find a discount code. Without the discount I would be slightly over $100 per month which is the mental block for me where it becomes too expensive.

 

[tinashubby]

I've been thinking about it. I almost pulled the trigger last fall but the provider cut 30 percent off my bill and gave me more content. The problem is the content. So much garbage with little to no value and I'm tired of having certain messages shoved in my face by the networks.

We have started reading more in the evenings and I'm thinking of adding satellite radio before making the cable ditch. I've also started word games and puzzles. Once I'm comfortable we have enough entertainment options I think we'll make the choice to ditch cable for good.

Roku ($50) streams Pandora ($0), so no satellite radio for us. Netflix ($8) and Amazon Prime ($0 had it anyway) cover most things, but I haven't cut the cord yet. Hulu Plus ($8) may be a deal maker though.

 

[Graybeard57]

Will give it up in about a year, when our contract is up. Seems the more we spend on TV, the less we watch.

 

[BubblesTGB]

I have all the best intentions to do this. I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Tivo, etc... so I know I would be able to survive without cable. Actually, our HOA provides "basic" cable as part of our association fees. So I actually have the ability to get the locals and a few other stations at no additional cost. The problem (a good one to have) is that every time I call to cancel the "digital preferred" cable, they throw ridiculous deals at me and I can't bring myself to cut the cable. I have a few hundred channels (very few of them with anything worth watching) and the highest speed internet for $47/mo for the next 12 months. If I cancel the upgraded cable, they would raise my internet subscription to $49.99/mo. So - somehow - by having cable, I actually "save" $2.99/mo. It's ridiculous. But good for everyone who has cut the cable. I know my luck will one day run out and I hope to make the transition successfully.

 

[OldAF]

Anyone else use alternate methods for their entertainment...ditching the cable and satellite?

I dumped them so long ago, I can't even recall exactly how long it has been. I get all the broadcast networks OTA, so between that and Redbox my monthly entertainment outlay is minuscule. If I want to see a show that aired on a "premium" network I just buy the blu-ray when it is released. That may sound expensive but they're usually around $30 at release and even less in a year if you watch for sales. I only buy a handful and trust me, the expense is a fraction of what the monthly cable bill would have been.

Now if I could only dump cable internet...

 

[Haggises]

If I ever move from my current company, im cutting the cord for all but data.
For now, free all you can eat cable, internet and voice will do.

 

[SiBurning]

Turner Classic Movies

 

[syngent]

TCM you say ?

 

[Christian_V]

I use a Roku which gives me access to Netflix, amazon prime instant video, my buddies hulu plus and vudu account (which I pay every few months) and tons and tons more free options. I'm sure apple TV and all the other TV boxes do the same thing. But yeah I love my Roku. I use my ps3 on the main TV which also picks up subscription service channels

 

[jamesspo]

Yep, that one of the few good ones. Although, still, nothing I can't replicate with DVD's from Netflix.

Turner Classic Movies

 

[SiBurning]

Yep, that one of the few good ones. Although, still, nothing I can't replicate with DVD's from Netflix.

They do have many things, though less each year because they continue to release new stuff on DVD that noone else will. Another thing is the prints they own that noone else has. For years they had the only good copy of Roger Corman's The Terror, but it's finally been restored and released on blu ray. I still buy VHS tapes--not many, but a few--because there are still movies that have never come out any other way. The Uninvited (Ray Milland) only came out on DVD last year, and I can name a dozen others. It's not as noticeable for the average movie fan, but once you get to the point where you're hunting for foreign releases, having trouble finding anything else to buy, and run into more movies that have never been released than those that have... That's where you end up after a few years of buying rather than renting. At least if you're into older movies.

For example, TCM irregularly aired the Hildegarde Withers mysteries. They were finally released this year on DVDR by Warner Archive. I have probably 100 movies/sets from the Warner Archive. Warner also handles DVDRs for Columbia & I think Sony. TCM isn't a studio, but more of a private archive. And they still have plenty left in their archive. Fortunately, they're very interested in releasing whatever they're allowed to, unlike some of the big studios. So until Sony and Universal buckle, we're lucky to have TCM who will release them. More important, they can still air some of the movies that we'll never see on legitimate DVD because of rights / ownership issues.

BTW, if you do go the buy route, get yourself a region free player. I've picked up many things from the UK way cheaper. For example, the Absolutely Fabulous box set was about $100 in the US, but I got the UK box (with one special episode missing) for $28 including delivery. There's plenty of other similar deals, especially in mysteries which are still popular in the UK.

 

[BaritoneJP]

I cut off dish seven years ago and got one of the first roku boxes. Haven't looked back since. With netfix, hulu, amazon, I haven't really missed much. The other night I was at a friends house and saw the same rerun that I saw the last time I watched dish. Sports is not really an issue as we normally go to watch games at friends ... we take food so its a good trade.

 

[mvk]

I have not had cable since 1994. I use roku with Netflix and VOIP for my home phone (Ooma).

 

[August West]

I have looked into this. Sports is the big wild card.

 

[SiBurning]

I have looked into this. Sports is the big wild card.

I see what you did there.

Even though I still have cable, I'm watching the Giants and Jets earlier over the air. But I can't stand broadcast TV here in NYC. Of about 78 stations, 15 are shopping and it seems like 59 are in Spanish or Mandarin.

 

[August West]

I see what you did there.

Even though I still have cable, I'm watching the Giants and Jets earlier over the air. But I can't stand broadcast TV here in NYC. Of about 78 stations, 15 are shopping and it seems like 59 are in Spanish or Mandarin.

Agreed. I am seriously considering dumping cable for the same reasons. If you are an avid sports guy you can't get as many sporting events "over the air" as you can with a subscription/cable service. The sports franchises have this really locked up.

Besides, The Buffalo Bills are the only NFL team truly in NY.



GO JETS!

 

[RSC]

Twenty foot (from ground surface) mast with vertically stacked Antennas Direct 91XG (for UHF) above a Winegard YA-1713 (for VHF), joined by a UVSJ routed to a Winegard AP-8275 preamp. I get lots of channels 108 to 120 miles away, but my geography is a lot more favorable than most. I have never subscribed to cable or satellite.

 

[August West]

Twenty foot (from ground surface) mast with vertically stacked Antennas Direct 91XG (for UHF) above a Winegard YA-1713 (for VHF), joined by a UVSJ routed to a Winegard AP-8275 preamp. I get lots of channels 108 to 120 miles away, but my geography is a lot more favorable than most. I have never subscribed to cable or satellite.

I admire the rig and the self reliance. I am not ready for that kind of commitment just yet. Maybe after I talk to Time Warner Customer Service again I will be!

 

[john shea]

I do not watch sports. I get by with HD TV and WIFI for Netflix, HULU, Youtube, and the internet. Cable is too costly. For several years, I had no TV, and did not miss it. I can see where having no TV would be tougher if one has kids or is shut in.

 

[August West]

I do not watch sports. I get by with HD TV and WIFI for Netflix, HULU, Youtube, and the internet. Cable is too costly. For several years, I had no TV, and did not miss it. I can see where having no TV would be tougher if one has kids or is shut in.

If it wasn't for the sports I would cut the cord for sure.