Getting rid of cable at home? (to buy, movies, live) - Pittsburgh - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

sz89128 · 02-07-2011, 03:26 PM

Is anyone else tired of the high Comcast or Verizon Fios bills? It may be cheap for a few months, but we are past all of the introductory prices.

I have heard that a lot of people in other cities have gotten rid of cable and are using things like Netflix and Hulu to watch TV. Has anyone tried this?

We mainly watch family TV and channels like Disney and Nick. I am just tired of the high bills and can use that money for more important bills.

Pitt Chick · 02-07-2011, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sz89128

I have heard that a lot of people in other cities have gotten rid of cable and are using things like Netflix and Hulu to watch TV. Has anyone tried this?

Many people here (not just in other cities) have done the same.

Try Hulu and Netflix for a while and see if it works for you....

Geeo · 02-07-2011, 03:36 PM

We've been considering it. Hate to lose Turner Classic Movies, but when you weigh everything: ever escalating bills, repetitive channels and programming, and many times awful shows, it's something to consider. With digital broadcasting, you can get about 17 channels FREE and over the air with better high-definition quality. Or you could go for the basic package with just local channels, CNN, Weather, etc. We watch mostly PBS, so that would be free (but we of course support public TV through our nominal membership to the station).

XRiteMA98 · 02-07-2011, 03:42 PM

Yes, I've done it and don't regret it. Now I have more free time. I also ditched the land line that kept ringing at dinner time.

And anyway you can watch your favorites shows on line, if you must, before they come out on DVD.

I have only one regret and this is the "Namaste yoga" on FitTv chanel that I used to record on the dvr. That was an excellent show and I can't find it anywhere on dvd to buy it.

jay5835 · 02-07-2011, 03:51 PM

I've done it. Do I regret it? Not really, though I wish TNT would air Southland online the day after it airs. And USA hasn't run last week's episode of White Collar on its website yet.

But would I want to spend all the money to get unbasic basic back? Nah.

squarian · 02-07-2011, 04:31 PM

I fired the cable five years ago and barely remember what "regular" TV is like - is that Mayberry show still on?

If I want to watch a game, I have plenty of sports bars to choose from. Anything else I can find somehow, but Netflix & Hulu are my best friends. Maybe I have to wait awhile for the DVD - I've trained my friends not to tell me how a series comes out before I get the discs. Big deal.

I really can't say I miss cable TV, in fact, I can't say I even remember missing cable. When I occasionally see TV commercials, they seem like messages beamed from a distant, strange and cretinous planet.

greg42 · 02-07-2011, 04:51 PM

I haven't technically gotten rid of it, but it's not usually even plugged into the TV. I only have it because with the internet service from Comcast it's cheaper than not having it. ($12 to have economy basic TV, $15 to have no TV!)

I use the antenna for stuff like live football in season. Up here I can't get ABC. Oh, well.

Almost anything that isn't necessary to watch live can be watched online the next day from that TV network's own site.

We have Netflix, but mainly use it to get a DVD every week. Sometimes we watch things online. We're not a great example because we'd never be huge TV watchers even with a lot of channels.

I don't know how you'd do getting Disney and Nick shows from online sources. This is something you'd have to investigate. They may well provide a decent watch online library but I'm just not familiar with what they do.

Also, it will help if you have an easy way to display them on the regular TV, unless the kids have their own computer they can watch on. Many plug-in boxes or even Blu-Ray players or TVs themselves support Netflix streaming, but fewer support Hulu and very few support anything else. Google TV is facing pushback from the content sources. Boxee Box (about $200) could be an option, it can get most anything, but it could also eventually be a target for blocking. Having a computer plugged into the TV is the surest way to get everything, but it's expensive and you have to navigate the typical computer interface to get things started.

Benzman66 · 02-07-2011, 05:23 PM

WOW! I don't think I could do without it.
Most of my favorites are on CMT, USA, SYFY, FEARNET, NICK, and so on, plus all the movies on the movie package.
I have the tv on at least 20 hours per day, even while I am working at home, cooking, on the internet, etc, so to me it is worth every penny I spend. It's even on while I sleep.

Hopes · 02-07-2011, 05:40 PM

I've been so tempted. I'm already using Netflix. I just don't think my husband would be able to adjust to not having regular TV. He's one of those guys who likes to flip through the channels.

I'm paying almost $200 a month to comcast and $200 to verizon for cell phones. It's an insane waste of money, but I don't see any viable alternatives for my household.

PeterRabbit · 02-08-2011, 01:22 AM

I have to keep Comcast because there's no other high-speed Internet provider where I live. If I dropped the cable my $25 economy Internet would cost over $40 so it's cheaper to pay them the $25 + $13 for Tv which I don't use.

I subscribed to Dish for $25 a month last summer and get over 125 stations. They recently gave STARZ to subscribers free for a year (I don't know what that is), 10 ESPN and 15 are home shopping but otherwise it's a good selection having stations that were mentioned in this thread plus many others.

My land phone is always under $20 and I'm going to drop that soon and go with Trac.