Getting rid of cable was the best ever!

I commend you on your decision to give up that which didn't benefit you. I've been cable free for 3+ years now, and I don't think much about it anymore. If TVs were like cars, I might find mine to fail to start, because I can go days without using it.

reply to post by Praetorius


Yea looked it up. It does have a few more options but it's like Apple TV.

I will probably stick with my Apple TV being the typical Apple snob I am...lol At least I can admit that

Originally posted by KingArthur
Take a look @ BOXEE is like others but a lot less expensive and browser based.

Wow that looks cool but it's kind of pricey....

I don't really need many of the extra's it offers. I use my Netflix a lot. I don't watch local news on TV i just read it online. It's boring lol

I watch or get most of my news online and the one show I do like I found free online via online streaming.

I will look at this but it isn't even out yet so not many reviews yet.

Thanks.

Originally posted by mblahnikluver
reply to post by Praetorius

 

Yea looked it up. It does have a few more options but it's like Apple TV.

I will probably stick with my Apple TV being the typical Apple snob I am...lol At least I can admit that

I give you a star for just admitting it. I really should take that back off due to the reality of what you're admitting, though...

Originally posted by volafox
If it were not for my son, I'd have ditched cable a long time ago as well. I have to admit I like watching my football games ( odd for a girl, I know) and Anthony Bourdain's shows too. Otherwise, I have either CNN which listening to those idiots in DC bicker, hacks me off or Science Chanel or the History Channels. Too much money for too few shows worth watching! I'm saving this thread for all the wonderful ideas you guys are using and have! Thank you in advance for saving me a ton of money! Now.... if only I can find something that plays power rangers and bugs bunny all day long for the kiddo... as well as the millitary channel...

You can watch football and Anthony's shows online, free.

I love the Science Channel and History Channel. I find better documentaries from them on Netflix lol They always seem to show the same stuff over and over and new shows are so rare. I also like getting a shows entire season and watching it but I also don't mind waiting til it's out. I dont have to watch it right when it comes on.

I use to be one who had to watch a show when it was on or I'd freak lol Then I had a DVR and it made it easier to watch shows I couldn't watch instantly. Then I moved and didn't have a DVR for three years and I got over it. I had cable recently and a DVR that was full and I barely watched anything I recorded. I watched it online already lol

I also like the Military channel!! Again I find many of their shows online lol.

My friend got her kids one of those TV's with a DVD player in it and got all their favorite shows to watch because they don't have cable anymore. Their daughter plays the learning games associated with the shows online on their sites. You can find many ways to watch your favorite shows online or other ways.

I grew up without cable and when I finally had it I didn't want to let it go! I lived in places where I just had rabbit ears lol and only got basic channels which were fine but now you can't do that.

Then the internet found it's way in my life lol and I have been hooked on it ever since. I havent really watched that much TV in the last few years. It was just something I was use to having on and being an option. I am always on my computer, everyone who knows me knows this lol. If Im not reading Im watching something online. The things I like to watch are more accessible online that on cable. I dont like what tv has become either so it's hard to watch anything on it now.

BTW you have good taste in programming!!

reply to post by Praetorius


Haha I get flack about it all the time but it's really the only thing I don't like to budge on. I always tell my bf it's like how he feels about his plasma tv's and blue ray discs lol.

Thanks

reply to post by rbnhd76


Sounds nice!

I love my internet. My bf teases me and says I'll go nuts if I lost it.

He is probably right but it's the only thing I enjoy because it lets me do what I like to do and that is read. I use to live at the library but it's so limited and books are expensive, but the internet has them for free! I love it lol

Also when I found ATS I found endless hours of reading material and I have yet to get through even 1/4 of it!

Originally posted by AzureSky
I used media tomb an on ubuntu server that i used for my media and torrents, i'de download what i wanted to watch on tv, and then it would stream from that computer to my laptop i had permanently there, connected via HDMI. Im working on getting a better set up now, so i can get rid of my cable again.

I dont like cable :/

Yea the one thing I have to do because I don't have a flat tv lol is get an HDMI converter cord and external speakers, which isn't a problem. Just more cords! I won't go buy a new tv when I can just do that and it will work. Speakers would actually be nice.

watching other people live life for you. epic.

internet is all you need for anything. for the little while that's it's uncensored, of course.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


There is no more point in cable especially when you can watch all of your television shows and movies online. It saves money and a headache. Nice on mblah!

Welcome to the club! I dropped our local cable provider almost a year ago. Like you, paying one hundred dollars a month to watch 3 or 4 channels was not worth it, and the programming on those channels was getting worse. Plus, my 4 year olds brain isn't being drilled with commercials anymore.
I've been a subscriber to Netflix for two years now and even though I find myself becoming frustrated from searching through the same old movies or shows all the time for something to watch, it's still the better choice than cable or buying dvd's or blue rays that you watch once and then it collects dust til who knows when.

I've been wanting to do this for some time, I have the technology, alas, the other half still resists.

I don't mind some stuff on cable TV - some good stuff occasionally on History, Discovery etc..

What really 'grinds my gears' (to quote a certain animated character) is the relentless advertising - when the commercials are sooo over the top it's almost a let down to go back to the show. I mean do we need a full blown 3D CGI of epic proportions for a razor or dogfood or some other mundane item?

And the frequency of them is mind-numbing. Last I checked at least 17 minutes of primetime TV is just commercials!

Perhaps TV is more about advertising, branding, manipulation and the like rather than entertainment. My .02.

X

Getting rid of TV was a milestone in my life timeline.

It actually did CHANGE many aspects of me, it was like going through a detox, and seeing the world with a new lens, everyday after the detox.

I did the same thing, and now I watch movies and music for free online.

Awesome. Same here a few months ago (due to price) but now I don't think that I'll ever go back.

I ended up buying a WD media streaming box for $100 CDN and it streams from a USB hard drive, Netflix, Youtube, and from a Windows Media Server all in 1080p. I don't miss cable at all, most of it was garbage and what I do miss I stream or download. Also now I don't get propaganda shoved down my throat from the MSM!

110% recommend getting rid of cable to everyone.

Originally posted by explorer14


Perhaps TV is more about advertising, branding, manipulation and the like rather than entertainment. My .02.

X

For sure! LOL!

I cant stand commercials, they are always much louder than the show so you have to go back and forth. They also advertise during the show at the bottom for other shows on their network. It's all about advertising and putting crap in your face!

The one thing I liked about a DVR was I could FF commercials, well Brighthouse now is starting to limit what shows you can FF! Isn't that the point of a DVR, so you can FF?!


I am watching my news show online and they also have a few others I like so it's nice.

Think I'm taking the plunge tomorrow. I'm paying ~$279 USD month for all channels and I can't find anything to watch the few times that I have a couple of hours to sit around, since we have a 5 year old who could care less about TV. The amount of commercials is highly annoying and I can't take any more reality shows. In addition there VOD service has disabled the option to fast forward through many of there shows. That VOD change was the last straw for me. I'm paying almost 300 bucks a month and not only has the amount of commercials increased but now I'm forced to watch them. Scr3w that, I'm out.


I got Amazon prime and netflix stream, tried Hulu plus but dropped it since it really didn't compare to either netflix or Amazon. Also Hulu + came across to me as a little deceptive on how you can search for your favorite shows and it returns a result every time as if it offers it. Then as a prime member when you click on a search result just about every show returns with a message saying that they are working to bring the show to you but they don't have it at this time.

I'm even considering getting rid of netflix and keeping just Amazon prime. Prime offers just about the same amount of content as Netflix if not more. However the nice thing about prime is that you can also buy current episodes for 1.99 each or buy the whole season 30-50 bucks. In addition Amazon Prime offers current new dvd releases as well ,where netflix doesn't.

Then it dawned on me that i can still watch all my favorite shows by purchasing each episode or season from Amazon Prime and still be below 200 a month. I believe that once you buy them you actually own them and can watch it anywhere. For us that is a huge plus because I can't count the number of dvd we have lost or ruined. As an additional bonus I don't get any commercials and I get HD content with dolby surround sound. I use the Sony hd stream player which true 1080P with hdmi out and digital audio out along with component output and usb connection for external hardrives or keyboard, etc.

I must say I'm pretty happy to tell comcast to stick it (partly / I still have to use them as an ISP) because of there monopolistic involvement in the industry.

I only wish I could get google fiber (fiber.google.com...). I hope some day the entertainment industries monopolized business model gets broken up. The cable providers are no longer needed and I don't think anyone will miss them.

The only negatives I see leaving cable are:
1. The ease of switching channels. That is nice.
2. local channels, can be fixed by hd antenna
3. news, Doesn't matter to me since I don't watch the MSM and there are plenty of news sources online

Pros of using Amazon Prime:
1. 74 bucks a year for unlimited use of their prime content library.
2. discount amazon shipping.
3. VOD service. I can still get the newest shows and movies as they come out.
4. Pay only for what you want to watch, no bundle cr@p that makes you get and pay for 600 channels when you only watch 10 or 20 at most.


Note I don't work for Amazon Prime , but I must say I have been happy with the service and I hope this help others realize that cutting the cable doesn't mean that you have to wait years to watch your latest episodes. In addition I think cable providers have outlasted their welcome and use.

Vudu is another good source for new movie releases in 1080p.

Any other services that you might suggest to make it easier to ditch cable?
Any good apps ,sites, or utilities that make it easy to cut the cord?
Any good sites to find free content, _llegal ofcourse