A Year Without Cable
December 20th, 2012 at 11:32 AM ^
...are cable TV bills really $175/month? That seems crazy to me but I've never been a subscriber so I don't really know. I've always watched games at the bar and only occasionally download TV shows via iTunes.
December 20th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^
I was paying 79 dollars a month for the lowest (no HD) package offered by Comcast when I cut it off. That was for TV and Internet though. I'm down to 33 dollars a month for 18 mpbs from AT&T for just internet. $175 for a HD package with HBO seems believable.
If you can cut cable and cut out a bunch of your shows in the process (as opposed to turning around and buying them from iTunes) you can save a nice amount. I redirected my media budget into video games and found I can amuse myself for less. Between Skyrim, Saints Row 3, and Gran Turismo, I could keep myself busy for years I think.
December 20th, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^
jfc the internet exists there is no reason to pay for cable
it's called THE FUTURE you guys
December 20th, 2012 at 1:23 PM ^
The hardest part about cutting cable? No BTN2go with Comcast. A close 2nd was NBCSports for hockey playoffs and soccer. Everything else (Mad Men, ESPN, march madness) I could get legally and cheaply. I re-upped for football season, but will probably cancel again soon.
My setup:
Macbook pro with AV adapter to TV (March Madness, ESPN3)
HD ROKU* player (Netflix, Amazon video, MLS direct kick)
Edited to add: A $15 HD antenna that I put on my deck. I was able to get >30 channels that way. Mostly crap, yes, but all the major networks.
*they're awesome. Get one.
December 20th, 2012 at 1:22 PM ^
So I would love to quit cable, but I'm locked into paying for it through my HOA dues. However, my cable company recently got sued and we *might* be able to opt out of the cable contract at some point. However, even if I *could* quit cable, my big conern is sports. It seems that the ESPN3 content now:
1. Is blacked out for any event televised on an cable ESPN network. (ESPN / ESPN2 / ESPNU).
2. Requires a logon (which I guess I could get from a family member).
Also, I don't think I've seen Internet-streaming live sports from ABC, NBC, CBS, etc. I know you can get sports from those "alternative" live-streaming sites, but it's not usually very good quality. Any suggestions?
December 20th, 2012 at 4:41 PM ^
I cut the cord just after the Sugar Bowl.I was already paying for Netflix, and watching that more than I was watching whatever was on Direct TV. Needless to say, what I have missed the most has been College Football and Detroit Tigers baseball. I guess that is really all that I have missed. The only game I was unable to watch at all was Nebraska. Other games I either watched at a friend's house, at a hotel, or else I went in to my office for a few hours and impressed my boss at the same time by completing some little task over halftime. ND, OSU, and one or two others I was able to watch over the antenna.
If you are looking to create a little room in your monthly budget, cutting the cord is one of the best ways to do it. I dont find myself watching programs (any given Thursday night NFL or NCAAF football game for instance, or Sunday Night Baseball, or Jersey Shore) just because they are on. I did wish I could have watched Rich Rod in his bowl game the other night though. I watch more movies and read many, many more books at night now. I would say it is definitely an improvement.
I did call Charter last August though to see about upping my cable package for the cfb season. I was immediately offered some sports package for around $15/month in addition to the $20 or so base package. It sounded great, until the salesman and I mutually discovered that it did not include BTN, ESPN or ESPN 2, or FS Detroit. THe package with all of these channels included would have approached $90/month. Until there is some sort of meaningful a la carte option offered for these channels, I honestly do not think I will give them another penny of my money.
December 21st, 2012 at 6:31 PM ^
minded lifestyle choice. When we first lived together it was in NYC and we were just so busy that there was no time. Someone gave me an old B&W set and I painted it with paint markers; on the screen I wrote, "It's better in black and white," which for some reason didn't show when we pulled it out of the closet once a week to watch the new Seinfeld (yes, that was the old days). When we moved to SF we just realized we didn't need or want one; if something really clever ever surfaced, you got in on it anyway. I'm glad I watched The Wire straight through, even though I was a basket case for weeks. Now there's Hulu, and Hulu Plus, and I really love that Criterion Collection stuff. I haven't had to miss a Michigan football or basketball game in two years.
December 21st, 2012 at 10:53 PM ^
I pay for cable because I'm not interested in being that guy going "help meeeeee i need a streeeeeeeeeeeeeaaamm" for like the Eastern Michigan game. I mean, if it's that damn important that you refuse to miss even the least insteresting of Michigan games, I figure just fork it over. Because between baseball, football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, and NASCAR, pro and college varieties of each (except NASCAR, smart-asses) I'd be buggin' for a lot of damn streams.
That said, if I were not a sports addict I would never have cut the cord because there would never have been a cord. The number of TV shows I follow religiously is zero, and the number of TV shows that I like and can't find on Hulu or on DVD is also zero. The minute I can stop paying for such as the Food Network or whatever, I'll do it. There really are about 10-12 necessary channels, and each one of them is a sports channel.
December 27th, 2012 at 11:50 PM ^
I live in a dead zone 50 miles from the nearest local channels. I have an amazing Mohu leaf HD amplified antenna that gives me a great picture (about $75). It is far and away the best inside antenna and pulls in stations 60 miles away. The unamplified version was about $35. Available online from Mohu or Amazon.
For internet streaming, I use a Roku box with PlayOn for live tv and videos. The Roku and a lifetime license for PlayOn software were bundled from PlayOn for about $79. Roku is great for Netflix and HuluPlus subscriptions.
Charter internet blocks the ESPN's, BTN and MSNBC so I use www.stream2watch.me to receive the ESPN's and MSNBC on my laptop. There are some irritating ads that can be blocked. (I can connect a cable to the tv if I wish to watch it on tv.) ESPN3 often seems to have the games I'm looking for.
For BTN, I subscribe to CBSSPORTS for the minor sports and on the occasions the BTN is broadcasting, I go to the bar for the football and basketball games I can't find elsewhere. OR I watch the basketball games the next day on MGOVIDEO.
It works pretty well most of the time and I save over $69 a month. A good router greatly improves the resolution and buffering.
PS I have older equipment so it was a bit tricky to find all the pieces and get them working. Those of you with newer or smart tv's will find it very easy.
January 1st, 2013 at 1:23 AM ^
I cut the cord about two years ago and never looked back. I use my PS3 to get Hulu/ / Netflix. My wife has an Amazon Prime subscription so I also have access to free movies through them on my PS3. My biggest concern was missing MIchigan games but I can honestly say I haven't missed one game yet. I can get some through watchespn.com and the rest through frontrow.eu or network TV. I have a desktop connected to my TV so I can stream everything right to my big screen.
I would recommend anyone considering this to take the leap. It seems crazy to say now, but I thought I couldn't live without cable TV. However now that I look back on it I wonder why I ever had it in the first place. The one obvious caveat is that you need to have a good internet connection. If you are running basic tier DSL, this probably won't work for you, at least very well. The average person will easily save $70+ a month so to bump your internet package should be well within reason.
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