Has anyone here quit paying for cable tv?

[NewbieJr 541]

Thinking of getting rid of cable completely. Mine runs me $123.00 a month and I barely watch it. Can get by mostly on just Netflix for 8 bucks/month.

 

If anyone has done this, what are the best options for sports? Live and/or Sportscenter-type stuff.

 

 

[TimmySmith 2,782]

Was off cable for 2 years until last week. FIOS finally got me for $75 a month for basic cable and internet, which I think is a pretty good deal. Unless you are really internet savvy, sports are limited to the networks, but honestly, outside of MNF and TNF I didn't miss it that much.

[KSB2424 3,148]

I've been debating this with myself for over year now and simply have not been able to pull he trigger. Reason being is Id say 75% of th TV I watch is Sports. ESPN, Fox Sports South (airs local games), and The Golf Channel.

 

I think the best set up is to get either a smart tv, apple tv, roku, or blu ray that has internet and simply get the free over the air HD Chanels like CBS/NBC/ABC/Fox and then get NetFlix and/or Amazon Prime. Things like Hulu Plus and Vudu as well.

[IGotWorms 4,058]

Doing it now. We moved recently and I used that opportunity to tell Comcast to go fock themselves. Hate that damn company.

 

Now we just have Internet and Netflix. It's fine except for sports. Don't even miss it at all for now but I'll be hurting come football season

[TD Ryan2 316]

KSB - that's a plan, but it takes effort to hodge podge everything together.

I'm surprised nobody's come up with something to compete against the $100 - $200 a month cable bill everyone has.

 

I mostly watch sports and I think I could get by.

But my kids watch Disney and Disney Jr constantly.

Then there's the few HBO shows.

[BiPolarBear 485]

Got rid of my $96 a month bill years ago. I now pay $32 to a local company for basic so I can see football.

[IGotWorms 4,058]

And yeah, you can do the HD TV antenna thing for local networks but it's a pretty major PITA. Maybe it works better in other areas but for me the signal is always getting messed up

[hoytdwow 202]

Have been off cable for a few years now. I have a digital antenna for the networks and a couple other random channels, which broadcast free in HD. I have a Roku and subscribe to Netflix and Hulu Plus, each $8/month. The WatchESPN app is free and gets me some sports stuff, and I have an MLBTV subscription, which is $25/month.

 

Until they figure out a la carte subscriptions, fock cable

 

ETA, you can go here to see what you can pick up with a digital antenna: http://www.antennaweb.org

[BunnysBastatrds 2,442]

I've got basic cable+. No paid movie channels. I think it has 70 channels. No box. The cable wire is hooked directly to the TV. It's $40 a month.

[KSB2424 3,148]

I've got basic cable+. No paid movie channels. I think it has 70 channels. No box. The cable wire is hooked directly to the TV. It's $40 a month.

 

Now this I could do, which carrier? Comcast / Time Warner?

 

All I focking want is the network channels, and like 5 or 6 other. (ESPN, Golf, FX, AMC, DisneyJr, and CNN). Thats it, thats all I want. I don't want 110 channels for a hundred bucks I want 10 channels for 40 bucks.

[Mile High Drunk 13]

Nope, tv is too good not to watch.

[IGotWorms 4,058]

I've got basic cable+. No paid movie channels. I think it has 70 channels. No box. The cable wire is hooked directly to the TV. It's $40 a month.

HD?

[BunnysBastatrds 2,442]

 

Now this I could do, which carrier? Comcast / Time Warner?

 

All I focking want is the network channels, and like 5 or 6 other. (ESPN, Golf, FX, AMC, DisneyJr, and CNN). Thats it, thats all I want. I don't want 110 channels for a hundred bucks I want 10 channels for 40 bucks.

 

 

Cox Cable. You get three ESPN's, Fox Sports, FX, AMC, Disney, all of the news channels, A&E, History Channel, Spike, WGN, Weather Channel, Comedy Central, VH1, and a bunch of others. The Golf Channel is not in our package but you can add it for a certain price that I can't remember what it was.

 

HD?

 

 

No. That requires a box. I don't need HD. And to be honest, I don't see that big a difference. I'm not saying there's isn't a difference. Just saying that i'm not giving the cable company $30 extra for it.

[DankNuggs 305]

my new man cave is featuring dual flat screen setup, and I think i am going to buy a leaf type HD antenna to get patriots games while i run redzone on the bigger flatscreen. I just looked them up and for $18 for the amazon one with a 15' cable to reach my north facing window wall i hope it works.

[BiPolarBear 485]

And yeah, you can do the HD TV antenna thing for local networks but it's a pretty major PITA. Maybe it works better in other areas but for me the signal is always getting messed up

I am a long way from the HD transmission tower here in Fort Worth and had to give up on that effort. I bought a $150 powered HD antenna and the results still sucked. I know people closer to the HD source who get a great picture.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

my new man cave is featuring dual flat screen setup, and I think i am going to buy a leaf type HD antenna to get patriots games while i run redzone on the bigger flatscreen. I just looked them up and for $18 for the amazon one with a 15' cable to reach my north facing window wall i hope it works.

If you have cable, you might not need the leaf. I run a split cable directly into the TV and get all the locals in HD.

[DankNuggs 305]

I am a long way from the HD transmission tower here in Fort Worth and had to give up on that effort. I bought a $150 powered HD antenna and the results still sucked. I know people closer to the HD source who get a great picture.

i went to hoytytoyD's website and it says all the channels i'd care about are all 3 miles away to basically dead north, hoping that means i don't need a powered amp and will get them fine

[DankNuggs 305]

If you have cable, you might not need the leaf. I run a split cable directly into the TV and get all the locals in HD.

My mancave is the cable/internet command center, i wanted to be able to hardwire my ps3 into it rather than run it on wifi, worried splitting it may impact something. I'll pay the $18 if it works.

[NewbieJr 541]

Have been off cable for a few years now. I have a digital antenna for the networks and a couple other random channels, which broadcast free in HD. I have a Roku and subscribe to Netflix and Hulu Plus, each $8/month. The WatchESPN app is free and gets me some sports stuff, and I have an MLBTV subscription, which is $25/month.

 

Until they figure out a la carte subscriptions, fock cable

 

ETA, you can go here to see what you can pick up with a digital antenna: http://www.antennaweb.org

Don't you need a cable subscription in order to use Watch ESPN?

[hoytdwow 202]

i went to hoytytoyD's website and it says all the channels i'd care about are all 3 miles away to basically dead north, hoping that means i don't need a powered amp and will get them fine

Mine are all 15-20 miles away and come in beautifully just about always with a $20 radio shack antenna. Except ABC. For some reason that focker won't come in. But CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS all great.

[hoytdwow 202]

Don't you need a cable subscription in order to use Watch ESPN?

Not always. They showed the whole World Cup for free, and all the ESPN 3 stuff is free, which as an FCS football man, is really what I want anyway.

[KSB2424 3,148]

It's the sports man. It's the sports.

 

ESPN has NFL games, college football and basketball games, MLB games.

 

Fox Sports South is the local cable affiliate for me has both NBA (Hornets) and NHL (Hurricanes) games all the time.

 

The Golf Channel is a favorite of mine too.

 

That's pretty much all the cable I watch. Everything else I could get over the air or over the internet. But I just can't give them up. I need to go through a detox program or someting first.

[hoytdwow 202]

It's the sports man. It's the sports.

 

ESPN has NFL games, college football and basketball games, MLB games.

 

Fox Sports South is the local cable affiliate for me has both NBA (Hornets) and NHL (Hurricanes) games all the time.

 

The Golf Channel is a favorite of mine too.

 

That's pretty much all the cable I watch. Everything else I could get over the air or over the internet. But I just can't give them up. I need to go through a detox program or someting first.

You can get just about everything but NFL through subscriptions on Roku or Apple TV.

[BiPolarBear 485]

i went to hoytytoyD's website and it says all the channels i'd care about are all 3 miles away to basically dead north, hoping that means i don't need a powered amp and will get them fine

Three miles? You are going to be fine with a passive hd antenna.

[GobbleDog 997]

Very jealous of all yall who are off cable. I could do easily do it if I lived alone (all computer), but wife and kid would lose some of their shows on TV. Plus they'd be stuck watching commercials.

 

Do DVR boxes work without cable? How much they cost?

[tanatastic 2,062]

Id love to lose cable. Get a roku 3 box and get netflix and hulu, all the tv u could need...except the nfl. I basically pay 120 for cable just to be able to get the nfl redzone channel package and to watch tnf, mnf, snf. Once the nfl gets an "app" channel like nfl mobile for roku ill cut cable out completely.

[hoytdwow 202]

but wife and kid would lose some of their shows on TV. Plus they'd be stuck watching commercials.

 

There are very few shows that you can't get through netflix or hulu or amazon, including kid shows. My daughter is 7 and never lacks for something to watch. Netflix has 0 commercials. Hulu has a couple per show (less than on TV). Don't know about amazon.

[edjr 6,592]

Thinking of getting rid of cable completely. Mine runs me $123.00 a month and I barely watch it. Can get by mostly on just Netflix for 8 bucks/month.

 

If anyone has done this, what are the best options for sports? Live and/or Sportscenter-type stuff.

 

 

 

Let me know when netflix starts showing live sporting events

[TimmySmith 2,782]

Very jealous of all yall who are off cable. I could do easily do it if I lived alone (all computer), but wife and kid would lose some of their shows on TV. Plus they'd be stuck watching commercials.

 

Do DVR boxes work without cable? How much they cost?

I told the wife and kid they could have all the cable they paid for. Thus explains the 2 year gap.

[WhiteWonder 2,738]

you can stream any game from your computer. tons of sites. just hook up your TV to your comp or laptop as the monitor.

 

for baseball http://www.strikeout.co/

 

http://www.stream2u.me/sports/american-football.html

 

http://xn--frstrowsports-39b.eu/

 

you can even stream Redzone

 

 

you just have to click out of all the initial pop ups when you select a game to watch and then you should be good. and obviously don't download or install anything they tell you to.

 

 

combine the use of these sites with netflix/amazon and all i'd really miss are HBO/Golf chan. I don't watch much TV though I do like some discovery and history shows. For HBO I could easily just borrow a friends e-mail login for HBOGO for sundays.

 

 

that said, I still have a cable/internet package.

 

how much is internet alone?

[MTSkiBum 1,620]

Have not had cable in the last 2 years. I get cbs, fox, and nbc in hi-def via antenna.

[tanatastic 2,062]

Cable really needs to completely get with the times and switch to an app based system. Heres how it will work. You get comcast or whatever cable provider, then you start with just a few local channels for free or very cheap. Then from there you can add channel apps that have a price. So lets say all you watch is espn and the food network. You add those for 2 bucks a month or whatever and you just have those channels. want more, add more. All from the interface at home, no calling and spending an hour with customer service. Im sure this wouldnt make them enough money to keep alive but the concept is there and it would eliminate the fluff of haveing 500 channels but only ever needing 5.

[Quickolas1 80]

Sports and HBO are probably the last 2 pillars keeping cable alive. Def the only 2 reasons I still have cable. Unfortunately, the cable companies know it.

 

There was a great cord-cutting calculator at marketwatch.com but the link isn't working now.

Basically $100 Roku3 + a $40 HD Dish (for local pickup) + HuluPlus + Amazon or Netflix + MLB or NBA or NHL will run you about $30-35 per month. Still HD mostly. Websites to find if your shows are on Hulu/Netflix/Amazon have popped up recently.

 

Now you could still pay per episode for like Game of Thrones... but if you have multiple shows on multiple cable networks, it might not be worth it.

 

And you'll have to live without non-network NFL or frequent sports bars.

[kutulu 1,676]

I cancelled but kept my internet through Comcast. so after a couple of months they offered me this cable deal for two years (it's missing some good channels but I do get amc, hbo etc but not espn, fx, etc). it costs like 8 bucks more then I was paying just forthe internet (basically paying for the hd box). good for two years, cancel anytime.

 

when it runs out I'll cancel again, I got a couple of rokus and 2 hd antennas. plenty of stuff to watch.

[mmmmm...beer 807]

Dumped Dish 6 months ago and never looked back. IMO Hulu Plus is 10x better than Netflix though we keep both. Hulu Plus gives me and the wife most of our shows weekly: Three days from now our Amazon Prime sub expires. I said fock renewel, they upped it to $100 a year and it focking blows. It's always been the sh!ttiest of the 3 by far. I stream NFL games on the interwebs.

[Herbivore 1,134]

Just cancelled or switched from Comcast tv/internet/phone to Verizon internet and phone..$175 to $55 per month. Checked out antenna web dot com the other day..will report whatever I go with. NFL and NCAA tourney are the only things I am worried about. No Fios in my area..dish or direct.

[hoytdwow 202]

Cable really needs to completely get with the times and switch to an app based system. Heres how it will work. You get comcast or whatever cable provider, then you start with just a few local channels for free or very cheap. Then from there you can add channel apps that have a price. So lets say all you watch is espn and the food network. You add those for 2 bucks a month or whatever and you just have those channels. want more, add more. All from the interface at home, no calling and spending an hour with customer service. Im sure this wouldnt make them enough money to keep alive but the concept is there and it would eliminate the fluff of haveing 500 channels but only ever needing 5.

yep. Until they figure this out, fock em

[Mookz 1,348]

I quit paying for cable a couple of months ago, and so far so good, but now all of a sudden they're threatening to disconnect me!

[IGotWorms 4,058]

Dumped Dish 6 months ago and never looked back. IMO Hulu Plus is 10x better than Netflix though we keep both. Hulu Plus gives me and the wife most of our shows weekly: Three days from now our Amazon Prime sub expires. I said fock renewel, they upped it to $100 a year and it focking blows. It's always been the sh!ttiest of the 3 by far. I stream NFL games on the interwebs.

Hulu Plus lost me when they started doing commercials. I thought no commercials was what I was paying for

[IGotWorms 4,058]

yep. Until they figure this out, fock em

They know full well that a la carte would be hugely popular - it just doesn't fit their business plan.