kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY
 ·T-Mobile US
| Exactly my plan...
...as well - I've had nough of TWCNYC's rate hikes and CONTINUOUSLY SHITTIER AND SHITTIER QUALITY, especially when it comes to these FAKE "HD" channels.
Seriously, I can save well over $100 per month - and the only thing I'll miss will be Olbermann's Countdown (Stewart and Colbert are available in full online and Bill Maher can be 'found' as well.)
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[BQUOTE=[user=bicker]]Waaaa waaaa waaaa. You just want what you want and don't care to factor in what is right or true. Your perspectives are un-American, and deserve far more ridicule than I'm prepared to pile on them.
[/BQUOTE] |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| I canceled DirecTV last summer.
Honestly the only thing I miss is NFL football. Most everything else can be found in some variety elsewhere.
Enjoying the Netflix streaming. It's the first service I've used that I feel is priced fairly and doesn't annoy me. Find I'm actually reading books. Go figure. |
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storm64007
Premium
join:2001-05-21
Freeport, NY
2 edits | Never had Cable nor do i find a need for it
I NEVER subscribed to cable or Sat. When i tell people this they look at me like i am from another planet- and i look at them like their crazy to pay 60 bucks a month and up for it.
Every thing i ever wanted to watch is on various websites through either streaming at decent quality or the occasional download.
My tv barely ever gets turned on for about 3 years now. |
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ArgMeMatey
join:2001-08-09
Milwaukee, WI
 ·AT&T Midwest
| reply to kamm
Re: Exactly my plan...
I saw a thread yesterday about the unadvertised $15 a month plan from Dish Network:
»[DISH] 14.99 for 20 channels and Locals+Local HD's?
Seems like a decent option to consider in the long run, if you don't want to go cold turkey.
Digital OTA on an HDTV is going to have a lot of cheap people scratching their heads about whether to keep cable.
Hopefully enough people will drop cable entirely to convince them to offer slimmer, more targeted packages if not actual a la carte.
--
USNG:
16TDN2870
Find your Lat-Long:
Geocoder |
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Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL | How are they getting 50+ high-definition TV channels OTA?
How are they getting 50+ high-definition TV channels OTA and
how they they get a pc with Blu-Ray/DVD player and TV tuner for $600? |
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Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO
| HDMI/DVI
With video cards coming with HDMI/DVI outputs, getting the computer to put video out to the tv is now a snap.
The only thing I miss out on(dropped cable 2 years ago?) is the start of new TV shows on cable channels. It took me a while to find new shows that I liked(Burn Notice, Saving Grace, Mad Men, Kingdom, etc). So it is a little harder to just browse (channel surf) to find what you want. If you look around you can find almost anything (sports, drama, scifi, etc). You can usually pick and choose which you want in HD and those that you really only need SD. Does one really need to watch House in HD? |
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Mizzat
Will post for thumbs
Premium
join:2003-05-03
Atlanta, GA
·AT&T Southeast
2 edits | reply to Karl Bode
Re: Exactly my plan...
Funny Article. I've been doing just that for 2 years. I've got a 46" LCD and no cable, friends think I'm absurd until they see now nice free HD OTA (over-the-air) is. Sure I don't get discovery or ESPN, but I get enough to get me by. I used Blockbuster because it is just as easy to run around the block and trade in my DVD I got in the mail and pick out another one I want to watch. $18 a month as well with tax. I also used my SkyMiles that I never used to get a few magazine subscriptions for free. I've plenty to do and with programs like Boxee coming out that make my HTPC even easier to view things like Hulu, online radio, and many other multimedia sites, I'm happy as a clam!
I make real decent money, and I'm not fearing a layoff, but with me in school for my MBA and plenty of other things to do. I don't miss cable a bit, once you become OTA, it starts to become somewhat of a hobby for me. That is, finding other things to do besides sitting in front of the TV. |
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Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO
1 edit | reply to Joe12345678
Re: How are they getting 50+ high-definition TV channels OTA?
Most of the people they are talking about already have a PC. USB external Blu-Ray players (burners?) are available at around $100. The HDHomerun($170?) is a dual digital tuner that attaches over Ethernet. Any PC in the house can watch the TV (only two channels at a time) using VLC(or anything capable of watching a stream).
Edit: I could not find the USB Blu-Ray player (burns DVD not Blu-Ray) I saw on sale, but I did find plenty of others.
»www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi···hInDesc=
Looks like the $170 including shipping.
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···DHOMERUN
Both Doctor Who and Torchwood are readily available online. |
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rgoulet
join:2000-10-27
Pittsburgh, PA
| Try The Library
Your local library has tons of movies and tv shows on DVD and even VHS.
Geuss what? They're completely free. And while you're their maybe grab a book too.
ps
Hey Kamm, quit using my avatar!  |
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RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
·AT&T Midwest
| reply to Karl Bode
Re: Exactly my plan...
She may be getting 50 digital TV channels OTA but I'd bet only 10-15 or so are the main HD stream. Nonetheless, the quality usually beats cable on either.
One thing you missed: The February transition to all digital won't result in less digital coverage. That makes no sense. If anything, the OTA coverage will increase as stations move their transition signals to their final, full-power transmission facilities.
I've weaned my wife off of cable and onto a HD TiVo connected to an antenna in the attic. We get all of the Chicago OTA digital channels and don't miss Comcast's overpriced, poor-quality offerings at all. |
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Corydon
Cultivant son jardin
Premium
join:2008-02-18
Denver, CO
clubs:
 ·Comcast
| reply to Joe12345678
Re: How are they getting 50+ high-definition TV channels OTA?
Yeah, a lot of the details in that article don't seem right to me either.
That being said, if I did have to drop TV service from Comcast, I probably wouldn't miss it too much. I think it would basically come down to just a handful of things:
1) Turner Classic Movies (which Netflix could make up for to a certain extent)
2) Doctor Who (only on Sci Fi and BBC America)
and...and...hmm. Well I guess that's about it. Everything else I watch is available OTA. But Doctor Who is a big one....
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"2 Strangers + 1 20 minute ceremony + $50 + 10 shots of tequila = Holy Matrimony and 1st Class Protections Under the Law… now that’s crazy!" |
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Rexxriot
join:2004-05-29
Danvers, MA
1 edit | Oops
Delete. |
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Dogfather
Premium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA | reply to Joe12345678
Re: How are they getting 50+ high-definition TV channels OTA?
50 isn't too far off in the Los Angeles market. Many channels have multiple decimal offerings. Our PBS channels for example offer between 3 and 7 feeds. |
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Rexxriot
join:2004-05-29
Danvers, MA
| reply to rgoulet
Re: Try The Library
Yeah, I started borrowing DVDs from my library this year. The downside is, your local library, and the libraries in their borrowing network, might have a lousy selection. I found that I can pretty much get anything though, although it may take a while to get it. |
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Anonymous
Premium
join:2004-06-01
IA
·Mediacom
| Don't do it!
Not because I'm a cable guy. Don't do it because if enough people start canceling, ISPs will start implementing caps and start jacking prices up every year. If this continues you'll end up paying more for capped internet access and soon we'll be whining about yearly price increases for high speed services...
Also I would not be surprised if content providers start charging for online access and adding even more commercials. |
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Corydon
Cultivant son jardin
Premium
join:2008-02-18
Denver, CO
clubs:
·Comcast
| reply to Dogfather
Re: How are they getting 50+ high-definition TV channels OTA?
On the other hand, how many of these channels offer programming that duplicates others? For example, the lineup on two different CBS affiliates is going to look very similar, especially in the evening.
Even on channels like PBS, which can vary their programming widely, many of them show the same shows, just at different times or on different days of the week, an advantage that disappears quickly if you have a Tivo, Media Center PC or DVR.
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"2 Strangers + 1 20 minute ceremony + $50 + 10 shots of tequila = Holy Matrimony and 1st Class Protections Under the Law… now that’s crazy!" |
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russotto
join:2000-10-05
Collegeville, PA
| Drop cable, yes, but know what to expect.
You're not going to get 50 hi-def channels over the air. You'll get maybe 6 high def channels -- ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW, PBS. Most of the smaller networks and local stations aren't HD, and the big ones only have one hi-def channel per feed; any subchannels will not be high-def. |
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mobbo
join:2005-04-13
Denton, TX | reply to ArgMeMatey
Re: Exactly my plan...
Bullseye. I would gladly pay $15 - $20 to pick a dozen or so of my favorite channels in HD. If I could get OTA on my own, plus ESPN, Comedy Central, TBS, FX, and a few others, it would be worth it totally. |
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Aozora
join:2008-11-28
·Comcast
1 edit | Nothing new to me
I get free HSI and Cable TV essentially inc my dorm fee which really is free after you consider how little you pay for your room but at home you get a decent amount of channels with an antenna and a Digital converter box if needed.
Also Netflix has 2 movies out at a time with Blu-Ray included for $15 a month plus any free online movies you can find on their site.
Shipping time for Netflix is one day each way so you can get 4-6 movies a week without much trouble. Most people don't watch 50 movies a week and if you really like movies you can get 3 out at a time for not much more.
$25 for Digital plus voice plus $43 a month for my HSI plus modem rental fee plus taxes and everything comes close to $90 a month which is not much considering how much things cost nowadays or you can get unlimited voice for a similar price total(about $10 more).
Beats paying $50 for basic cable with more crap channels than decent channels. |
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viperpa33s
Why Me?
Premium
join:2002-12-20
Bradenton, FL
·Bright House
| Is considering it
I am really considering dropping cable tv. Most times there is nothing to watch or it's just repeats. How many of the sames shows of Law and Order have you watched on TNT?. Your local news and weather you can get online. I have the Forecastfox plug-in for my Firefox browser. I use to like watching the Sci-Fi channel but NBC ruined it. My family don't get into reality shows.
About 90% of the time in my household watching regular TV is just to kill some time. If there is nothing on then the TV goes off. Since TV shows are offered on DVD now, I can just rent it. So what if I have to wait for the new shows to come out on DVD, it's no big deal. Having regular TV is getting to be a waste of money. |
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