Cutting the cord on cable

JAS104 · 02-19-2013, 10:59

Hey guys, i know techtalk is reserved for computers, but wondering if y'all could help me out.

I just moved, and got rid of cable. I had Dish, and they kept increasing my monthly service. I didnt watch PPV or anything like that, just their basic package. Ended up being something like $55 a month, so it's gone now. However, now that I moved i realized i miss it. However, I'm not home enough to justify getting another cable service.

Did some research online, and figured out I could get a TV antenna and just hook that up to my Westinghouse LED flatscreen (it does accept it). However, is there anything else I'm going to need? My fiance likes watching CBS.. I pretty much will watch a little of whatever's on. So school me on cable alternatives please

JAS

***HerrGlock*** · 02-19-2013, 11:55

It takes a different way of thinking but most of the broadcast stations have streaming media on their pages.

I've got a Mac Mini connected to my home theater and that into the big TV as a monitor. CBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, available for college football games, in any case. I've never much cared about other stuff really.

Another thing to consider is a Roku. Hulu, Netflix, SECOndemand (yeah, did I mention I like college football?) are all available as channels and you can watch a goodly chunk of programming on one of those or the other.

railfancwb · 02-19-2013, 12:22

I use an outside antenna (actually it is in my attic) to watch broadcast TV. I am fifty to sixty miles from the various broadcast facilities in Nashville, and only have trouble with the station farthest away - which happens to be a CBS affiliate. Get all the other network stations fine, as well as a shopping channel and a bunch of religious channels. Added small inline amplifiers for each set, which helped with that CBS station. Most of the broadcasters now offer multiple "channels" in this brave new digital world so you may he giving up less than you think. The terrain is gently rolling between here and Nashville. If you are in a valley with mountains between you and your stations you may have difficulties and/or need a mast and a true outside antenna.

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Stang_Man · 02-19-2013, 12:53

I got a $30 antenna and it works great, over-air HD looks really good on our Vizio TV.

I get CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, WB, and ion and some other channels. We use RedBox a lot, but I think we'll just get Netflix to see our movies and cable TV series.

It's sure nice not paying that $55+ per month, thats for sure!

wvtarheel · 02-19-2013, 13:12

I wish I could get internet without cable in my area. No DSL service and no other high speed providers. I would love to drop cable like a bad habit.

Adjuster · 02-19-2013, 14:11

Free television is easy and great as its always in HiDef. Its this stupid $79.00 Comcast internet that I would like to figure out and get around or at least a much better deal on.

By the way I live in the Ft Lauderdale area. A simple set of 1970/80's rabbit ears on the top of my tv gets me well over 30 HiDef channels. I will admit that around 10 of them are in Spanish but hey I consider it a cultural experience.

/

billn · 02-19-2013, 14:15

I have been on an antenna for years. In my area I get around 30 stations.

My antenna is in the attic.

billn · 02-19-2013, 14:20

Check this website with your address to get an idea of how many stations you can see with an antenna.

http://www.tvfool.com/

IndyGunFreak · 02-19-2013, 14:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by HerrGlock

It takes a different way of thinking but most of the broadcast stations have streaming media on their pages.

I've got a Mac Mini connected to my home theater and that into the big TV as a monitor. CBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, available for college football games, in any case. I've never much cared about other stuff really.

Another thing to consider is a Roku. Hulu, Netflix, SECOndemand (yeah, did I mention I like college football?) are all available as channels and you can watch a goodly chunk of programming on one of those or the other.

Pretty much totally agree. If it were just me, cable would be gone, and I'd just go Hulu and maybe Netflix.

billn · 02-19-2013, 14:32

Here is the TV guide for free TV. It covers the major stations. I get plenty of free football.

You will need to put in your zip in Titan Tv to see you local station stuff.

md2lgyk · 02-21-2013, 07:02

We recently dumped DirecTV (thereby saving almost $90 a month). My wife subscribed to Netflix (something like $8 a month) and we access it through her Wii console. I'm in heaven - the Military Channel anytime I want, with no commercials. A caution though: if your internet service has any sort of cap on it, you'll quickly incur overage charges. A typical one-hour show is around 1GB.

I do have an antenna but it's too cold right now to install it. Attic probably won't work since our house has a metal roof.

sbhaven · 02-21-2013, 07:41

Dumped Comcast a few months ago. Got tired of the yearly price increases. Was paying $78 a month for thier digital starter service. So long as you have an internet connection there are many alternatives. Many of the shows that are on broadcast networks are now available for streaming either through Hulu/Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, or from the content provider's website. The use of an OTA antenna may be hit or miss depending on your location.

When I looked at what I watched I realized I could watch 95% of the Commcast content on my Roku (with Hulu Plus and Netflix subscription). The bad thing is OTA in my area only yields a few channels (not CBS, NBC or Fox). I found that the only thing I miss with Comcast is live news from Fox News and some live sporting events. Once I added a media server (Plex Media Server) that was compatible with my Roku things got even better. With the Plex server and the use of several channel apps on it, I am debating dropping the Hulu Plus subscription.

Am now looking into possibly adding a RaspberryPI with XBMC to the mix.