Have you cut the cable?

[sqlbullet]

I am just curious how many of you have ditched broadcast/cable/satellite TV in favor of Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime content, or content that you host on your LAN?

I did this a couple years back.  Cancelled Dish, bought an Apple TV gen 2, rooted it and installed XBMC.  Today anything we watch we get from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon or from DVD's that I have ripped and stored on my local network.  News and weather we get from web browser.

Anyone else done anything similar?

[Intercooler]

Did you do that to save money or something else? I pay $67 a month for Dish since I switched from DirecTV... for everything! How do I do it? I call every 3 months to tell them the amazing deal DirecTV sent me in the mail 

[MCQUADE]

I ditched it all 10 years ago. All I have is an antenna. No computer either, just a phone that my job requires me to have.

[The_Shadow]

I cut cable TV several years back, always had an antenna for local stations for news mostly.  I do get Direct TV on an extra receiver that B-I-L has lent me.  I do need a better DSS antenna, the one I have is old original single LNA, so I'm missing some of the channels.

Heck I still watch on a 27" CRT type TV...

[NewShooter]

Bought an antenna, amplifier, $500 windows box, Hauppauge tuner card, and two 2-TB drives. Made a DVR for the wife. Made her happy.
Savings paid for the setup in 8 months.
Can't beat it.

[rw]

I cut cable TV several years back, always had an antenna for local stations for news mostly.  I do get Direct TV on an extra receiver that B-I-L has lent me.  I do need a better DSS antenna, the one I have is old original single LNA, so I'm missing some of the channels.

Heck I still watch on a 27" CRT type TV...

I should still have a brand new direct dish( it's one of the football shaped ones and is a dual lnb) and lnb in the attic, if you want it just pay shipping. Can try to look tomorrow.

Trivia.. Buddy of mine installed first direct tv system ever for the public, somehow a local chain got the first ones  out.

I did cut cable except for internet about 3 years ago. Everything I watch is streamed off amazon or YouTube.

[sqlbullet]

I ditched it all 10 years ago. All I have is an antenna. No computer either, just a phone that my job requires me to have.

We have no antenna either.  I haven't seen a commercial, except on youtube, for several years.:-)

Did you do that to save money or something else? I pay $67 a month for Dish since I switched from DirecTV... for everything! How do I do it? I call every 3 months to tell them the amazing deal DirecTV sent me in the mail 

Not money per se...Cost benefit would be a better term.  We were paying about $50/month for Dish when we killed it.  Netflix costs $10 per month.  I don't have Hulu Plus, so it is free. 

I do pay for Amazon Prime, but because I want the access to online content.  I pay for Prime to get the free shipping.  It paid for itself 3-4 times this month alone as I bought tires for two trucks and a range hood.  Shipping on those would have been over $100.

We probably still spend on average about $30 a month on home entertainment.  As mentioned, $10 is for Netflix.  We also have about 4-5 TV series that we buy each year.  And my wife is the queen of the $3 movie bin.

We have about 2 TB of movies and TV shows ripped an on the NAS drives. 

I rarely spend any time "surfing" like i used to on Dish.  If I am going to watch TV, I sit down, and watch something.  Overall we like it very much.  Don't miss "broadcast" at all, except during the olympics.

[rw]

I ditched it all 10 years ago. All I have is an antenna. No computer either, just a phone that my job requires me to have.

We have no antenna either.  I haven't seen a commercial, except on youtube, for several years.:-)

Did you do that to save money or something else? I pay $67 a month for Dish since I switched from DirecTV... for everything! How do I do it? I call every 3 months to tell them the amazing deal DirecTV sent me in the mail 

Not money per se...Cost benefit would be a better term.  We were paying about $50/month for Dish when we killed it.  Netflix costs $10 per month.  I don't have Hulu Plus, so it is free. 

I do pay for Amazon Prime, but because I want the access to online content.  I pay for Prime to get the free shipping.  It paid for itself 3-4 times this month alone as I bought tires for two trucks and a range hood.  Shipping on those would have been over $100.

We probably still spend on average about $30 a month on home entertainment.  As mentioned, $10 is for Netflix.  We also have about 4-5 TV series that we buy each year.  And my wife is the queen of the $3 movie bin.

We have about 2 TB of movies and TV shows ripped an on the NAS drives. 

I rarely spend any time "surfing" like i used to on Dish.  If I am going to watch TV, I sit down, and watch something.  Overall we like it very much.  Don't miss "broadcast" at all, except during the olympics.

use an adblock program on your web browser and you wont even see commercials on youtube..  it works on pandora too if you use that for music.

[The_Shadow]

rw, I appreciate the offer but will pass on that.  My nephew is supposed to have an extra dish...that reminds me! 

[harrygunner]

I dropped Direct TV years back. That loud mouthed, drug using bearded pitchman who OD'd, the pompous "J.G. Wentworth" and the "sham wow" (or whatever) guy were the last straws.

There are websites where I can watch shows in peace.   

[pacapcop]

Ahhh, I miss the good ole days. 12 at nite screen just made noise after the Million Dollar movie. And Pong.

[The_Shadow]

Back when the stations actually signed [off the air] with the "Star Spangle Banner", signed [on the air] with the TV test pattern and then the "Star Spangle Banner" to start a new day of broadcasting.  

Most people owned a black & white set, and the kids like me were the remotes!

[yankee2500]

Back when the stations actually signed [off the air] with the "Star Spangle Banner", signed [on the air] with the TV test pattern and then the "Star Spangle Banner" to start a new day of broadcasting.  

Most people owned a black & white set, and the kids like me were the remotes!

Unfortunately those days are gone forever and soon to be forgotten.

[harrygunner]

I've heard stories of early TV when stations broadcast a few hours a day with the test screen up most of the time. When they did, shows lasted fifteen minutes.
   
Many recall a "Indian", wearing a turban, who played the piano. Sometimes two pianos or a piano and an organ simultaneously.
   
I used that info to find him on the 'net.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korla_Pandit  Funny that he was, in fact, not from India, but St. Louis.

I've watched some early TV found on Internet. Westerns, "Arthur Godfrey", "I've Got a Secret", "Dragnet" and "Lights Out", complete with original commercials.  Sponsors and products long gone.  Brave risk taking.

Amazing how we've changed as a society. Those early shows would not keep today's audience interested for a minute.  At least their level of morality was high and story lines were often deeper.

[MacEntyre]

When my son was little, I didn't like him watching 2+ hours of TV, so I ditched cable and did not install an antennae. That was about 20 years ago...

We have a small HDTV and UHF antennae, but it only gets turned on two or three times a year, when wifey wants to watch a Thanksgiving or Christmas parade, and when my son comes home during basketball playoffs. We have a Blu-Ray with Netflix, and we watch a movie maybe once every two months.

It's great being free of TV. I highly recommend it!

Now, if I could only get rid of my cell phone...