Cord cutting

Bryancd · April 25, 2013, 05:13:48 PM

We have Direct TV, it's a little less $100/month for the basic HD channels, no HBO. We only have the most basic movie channels. We also need our college and pro football...

billybob476 · April 25, 2013, 09:02:55 PM

I don't watch much in the way of sports, really just some occasional hockey. With an HD antenna I should be able to pick up Hockey Night in Canada on the CBC.

Dangelus · April 25, 2013, 09:32:37 PM

Quote from: billybob476 on April 25, 2013, 08:11:43 AM
Also interested in maybe getting my hands on a Raspberry Pi and see how that works as a media center "PC". I think Dangelus has that up and running.

Joe, it works OK, the menus on XBMC can run a little laggy. Saying that I've got the original model that had less RAM and I'm told it works a lot better with the double RAM version.

I actually use Atom / Ion2 based 'net boxes' as my HTPCs which work really great. Low power consumption and they handle 1080p video very nicely.

Feathers · April 26, 2013, 02:14:39 AM

Wow, I'm behind the times for this group :)

When we moved, we kept up the almost basic Sky subscription and they threw in Phone and Broadband for free for a year so we had the lot for a year for £21 per month. That's just gone up to about £45 now that the deals ended but I can't see too much by way of a cheaper alternative.

We don't have any streaming services at all but I've yet o be convinced that there are really any of any value over here.

I have no use for a land line at all but as its always tied in with broadband pricing, I don't see too much incentive to ditch it just yet. (Besides, if I did that, the mother-in-law wouldn't be able to get hold of us. Hmmmm...) ;)

Jobydrone · April 26, 2013, 04:23:32 AM

One of the happiest times in my life was during college, where for a two or three year period I watched almost no TV at all in fact for two years we had no TV in our house, and there was no such thing as laptop computers, cell phones, and tablets. Going out to the movies was a an extremely enjoyable treat because of this and we did it a lot. Of course I spent almost all of my time either socializing or traveling, and my life was rich and full without the tube and I didn't miss it at all. Things are pretty different now, but I feel like if I went a few months without I would pretty quickly stop missing it. Of course I'd have to stop coming here or I'd feel bad about all the cool stuff I was missing.

Bromptonboy · April 26, 2013, 05:56:24 AM

You are spot on! Although I love it, TV is a huge sink-hole for your time. Having all this great stuff is a double edged sword.

Praxis · April 26, 2013, 08:05:29 AM

Quote from: Jobydrone on April 26, 2013, 04:23:32 AM
One of the happiest times in my life was during college, where for a two or three year period I watched almost no TV at all in fact for two years we had no TV in our house, and there was no such thing as laptop computers, cell phones, and tablets. Going out to the movies was a an extremely enjoyable treat because of this and we did it a lot. Of course I spent almost all of my time either socializing or traveling, and my life was rich and full without the tube and I didn't miss it at all. Things are pretty different now, but I feel like if I went a few months without I would pretty quickly stop missing it. Of course I'd have to stop coming here or I'd feel bad about all the cool stuff I was missing.

I hear you on this. I had a similar experience.
On a related note, sometimes I have a tech detox day during which I don't touch a computer and I treat my cell like a land line. These are very peaceful, mentally regenerative days.

billybob476 · April 26, 2013, 09:35:18 AM

Yeah, I'm planning a camping trip or two this summer where the iPhone will stay wherever we leave the car.

Jobydrone · April 26, 2013, 12:59:56 PM

We did have a regular weekly get together in the common room when TNG was first airing. It was pretty awesome watching that shows first run with a big group of nerdy college kids all of like mind, a memory I'll always treasure and probably a big reason why I'll always hold that show so close to my heart.

Rico · April 26, 2013, 03:22:07 PM

Cable is expensive but I like to keep up to date on current shows so I live with it. I watch a fair amount on the cable networks like AMC, USA & SyFy and we can't get those over the air.

jedijeff · April 26, 2013, 07:02:19 PM

Quote from: Bryancd on April 25, 2013, 04:54:41 PM
Quote from: jedijeff on April 25, 2013, 04:42:28 PM
Maybe I am a minority here, but what do you do regarding sports? Is there other methods to get that if you would want? I trimmed back my cable bill quite a bit as I was paying more then you were Joe, but I don't think I could ever drop it all together.

Yeah, no F1?!

Over here in North America F1 is pretty much an all cable affair, not going to see any races without it, and then I would not get my Lewis Hamilton fix. I seem to have out grown being a fan of a particular athlete, but for some reason I am a fan of his. Joe Mentioned he can watch Hockey over there air waves, but for me, most of our NHL teams games are on cable, but the way they have played the last 5 years or so, I might be better off missing them...

WillEagle · April 27, 2013, 05:51:59 AM

We dropped all the way down to basic cable and we even had thoughts of dropping that except for I like some sports also MLB, NFL, college football. Not much into basketball or hockey though. I get 22 channels so I can watch football except for ESPN and Big 10 network games. And baseball is limited to a Fox game on Sat. and a TBS game on Sunday. So I do miss my local teams on tv. I do catch the free game of the day on MLB tv alot too. Never local teams on MLB tv but you can listen to them if its the free game. I can listen to the Indians on the radio but dont pick up the Reds station very well. As far as tv shows the only one I watch regularly is Big Bang and most others I watch on Hulu. Or I wait for them to show up on Netflix. I watch Arrow, Revolution and a couple others on Hulu because it's in HD where basic cable is not. We do pay for Netflix, Netflix DVD's and Hulu Plus so we are saving alot from our old cable bill and still have plenty to watch. Yes, I do miss shows on SYFY and such but I have found that I really don't miss it much. $$$$$ I was missing. But with everything else going up I'm not having as much left over as I had hoped when we dropped down to basic. Just my 2 cents worth.

ricdude · April 27, 2013, 11:15:56 AM

We're a "no cable" household here. Still keep a land line phone, mainly so the kids' school can call us without having to call long distance to our cell phones, but I can't remember the last time we made an outgoing call on it. Internet access is via DSL, although there are wireless internet companies in the area, if we really want to cut the cords. Primary "TV" is via Netflix, with Hulu for a few "as they are broadcast" shows. For The Big Bang Theory, you can go straight to CBS's site, and watch the last 5 episodes. If we're really desperate for something else as it airs, we'll buy it on amazon (e.g. Walking Dead).

Now, we're not a big sports household, or even a little sports household, so our need for "live" events is practically non-existent. We don't appear to be big "last night around the water cooler" folks, either. We're ok with waiting for most shows to hit Netflix, and for those that we can't there are other options.

It's certainly doable. Good luck in your quest!

Bryancd · April 27, 2013, 11:59:45 AM

Quote from: ricdude on April 27, 2013, 11:15:56 AM
We're ok with waiting for most shows to hit Netflix, and for those that we can't there are other options.

As long as that's on the up and up....

ricdude · April 27, 2013, 04:23:57 PM

Quote from: Bryancd on April 27, 2013, 11:59:45 AM
Quote from: ricdude on April 27, 2013, 11:15:56 AM
We're ok with waiting for most shows to hit Netflix, and for those that we can't there are other options.

As long as that's on the up and up....

Between Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, and direct from the network websites, there's not a lot you'll miss out on while staying legit...

We figure a season of something on DVD, or a season of something on iTunes or Amazon every few months is way cheaper than the additional cable outlay. Been working so far...