OT: Cutting the cable

I need to do something.  Comcast has my building hostage (only provider we're allowed to have in the apartments) and cable + internet runs me $180 / mo.

I've been without cable for a year, with Netflix as my stand in. The only issue is finding live game coverage, but between friends, family, sports bars, and streaming of questionable legality I haven't second guessed the decision at all.

Through your Roku's what?

Netflix, MLB TV, then probably Sling (or hopefully Apple TV if they release that soon). BTN is the only thing that might bring me back in the Fall so that I can watch basketball.

 

If you get Internet through Comcast, can you use the ESPN apps? 

I've cut the cord in the past. I replaced uverse with comast internet and an apple tv. I subscribed to Hulu and Netflix. I was paying about $70 month, saving about $70 per month. For espn, nbc sports, and cbs I was using my Dad's comcast login. I agree with others, there is no straightforward way to access sports without a cable subscription.

I have since gone back to uverse due to poor cable wiring in my apartment building. The broadband signal coming into my apartment was extremely weak. After numerous calls to comcast and a missed appointment by comcast (the tech was a complete no show without a phone call), I canceled my comcast account. This last experience with comcast made me realize why I hated comcast. When the tech didn't show, comcast tried to blame me for failing to answering my phone (the tech never called me).

Unfortunately, I will be sticking with uverse until google fiber or another gigabit ISP comes to ann arbor.

I second getting rid of TV.

Did it last July fed up with the cable bill and fed up with my general inertia of life. I go to bars for Michigan games or chill and listen to Brando and Dan.

It became just as enjoyable. The radio announcers do a super  job of describing everything.

I started writing books and went from zero to a couple grand a month in income too. Took that TV time and made it writing time. Create rather than react to what others create.

The other thing is I notice I am a better listener because talking to people is actual entertainment, not just more noise.

And I exercise more....and... and.....

 

TV is a weight on progress in life. Never knew how much until I got rid of it.

I haven't done this yet, but my plan is to get the Uverse package that has basic channels, HBO, and 18mbps internet for $50 (plus another $10 for HD). I have Netflix and Amazon Prime, but I may drop Netflix if Prime has all of the same movies and TV shows and then sign up for Netflix when House of Cards and OITNB come out with new seasons. I'll do the same with Sling TV; I'll sign up for 4 months out of the year for football and march madness then cut it after that.

I do have OTA, but I can't find a good location to place the antenna in order to get good reception for all channels. Also, once HBO allows you to subscribe directly (they're halfway there), it'll make it much easier to cut the cord completely. Until then, though, these packages that have been popping up with Local, HBO, and Internet seem to be the way to go.

I've learned a lot from the comments.

I may be issuing Cox Communications in Southern Cal the Marcus Hall Twin Birds of Defiance afterall.

Isn't the MGoWife just Brian's wife?

 

But I'm going from direct to time warner and am buying all my own hardware. Only thing im going to rent is an m card to put in my network tuners. This will give me about $100/mo for Internet, phone, TV. When they want to raise the prices, I'll cut the cord. This gives a chance for iptv to mature a little.

I will say though that if you're not careful about it, you can very easily end up paying more than you would for cable + internet. I think one thing people sometimes overlook is the requirement of having internet speeds fast enough to be able to stream HD content. For me, I've got 15 mbps from Time Warner and that's worked well. You need to factor that into the total cost though, then evaluate whether everything else you pay for is cheaper than cable. Here's my setup:

• $50/month for internet (15 mbps from Time Warner)
• $20/month for SlingTV
• ~$11/month for MLB TV Premium package (I would still pay for this if I got cable)
• ~$9/month for Netflix
• $8.25/month for Prime (though this nearly pays for itself with free shipping)
• $0/month for local TV (Mohu Leaf OTA receiver)
• Also have a Chromecast 

The only thing missing in there is BTN (and I suppose HBO, but I wouldn't pay for HBO even if I got cable). A comparable cable and internet package would cost $89.99/month (before taxes and not including the monthly fee for renting the cable box). So I pay less than I would for internet + cable, and I have more control over what I watch.

The struggle always comes down to live sports (and I suppose HBO, but I've never been into HBO content so I don't care about that). As others have said, this can be mitigated by leveraging friendships (that sounds terrible) and local sports bars (though keep in mind this won't be free either, as you'll likely spend money on food/beer).

Another requirement is to have some sort of device to get the content on your TV. Thankfully, there is a plethora of options now, between Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV, Apple, etc, but that will be an up-front cost if you don't already have one.

Was the show that pushed me over the edge.  So fake.  Had been thinking of going w/o cable for a while and that show pushed me to finally get rid of cable TV entirely.

Over-the-air TV and Netflix are fine w/me.    Sports are an issue but there are several alternatives to paying $60 or more a month, especially when you just want to watch just one or two things a week.

Cut the cord and never look back.

Think of it this way - less TV - more time on MGoBlog!

 

 

I've been looking at this since last fall and I just don't think the providers are ready yet. The March Madness app has proved it to me since the picture quality is generally horrible. Often I can't even read the scores, and that's on multiple networks. I really don't watch TV much except Walking Dead, which I'm getting ready to dump, Bates and Saul. The rest of the week is spent reading or doing things around the house. As soon as it gets warmer I won't be inside until bed. Wife and kids are the hangup for now but I have 2 FireSticks and they are getting more and more used to the content on there.

I actually just cancelled my DirecTV account maybe 2ish weeks ago and am pretty sure I will never go back.  The only thing that sucks is not getting all of the live sports that I got before. (Fox Sports, BTN). 

I have SlingTV, Hulu+ and downloaded every other channels app which lets you watch after it has been aired (History, A&E, Discovery, etc).

My bill went from $180 to $20. I get HuluPlus free for 2 months and am not sure if Ill keep it. Even with it my bill is only $27.99 total. That extra $160 can go towards my meth addiction ... or, more likely, something for the kids.

Problems with SlingTV, it's internet so it can get choppy or freeze every now and then but it's not so bad, just an annoyance. Happens every now and then. Maybe once a tourney game? ... like a storm coming through and DirecTV going out, or not getting the deal you were told you were getting, or having the salesperson lie to you, or spend 2 hours trying to cancel your service.

During football season Im not sure what I'll do but I'll figure it out. I'm not sure how much football I'll be able to watch this year, things are getting busy.

I'd say go for it, I just did and don't have any RAGRETS. You can always go back if you hate it. Just make sure you have good internet.

I feel bad for everyone who is attached so much to TV.  How to cut the cord? Ditch the TV all together.

My advice: live for several years outside the country.  You'll be surprised how much you don't need TV, and how much more interesting life is once it's lived away from a TV.

Cut back the cable television. Happy to be rid of it altogether but my wife likes some shows. I'm going old school with Tiger's and it's the radio. I just have a good time listening to a baseball game on the porch with my favorite beverage. I like warm day's outside. Besides being up late is not an option for me due to my job. I catch the highlights on mlb.com. I have to say it's not a big deal losing btn. They don't have to many marquee game's when it comes to Michigan's football and basketball team's. The big games for the most part are on espn. I'll just listen to game's and watch highlights later if the boy's win. Go Blue!!! 

We cut cable a couple months ago, but kept high speed internet from Comcast because the wife and I frequently work from home. 2 days later I get a call offering basic cable plus Internet for $20 less that what I was paying for Internet alone.
Between that and a Roku 3 with espn go/HBO go/Netflix passwords borrowed from friends or family, I basically have everything I could want for about $80 less than what I was laying before. Only bummer is no BTN app on Roku, so I'm thinking of getting an apply TV to cast games from my phone.