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Cord Cutting Solutions…Are You Ready? - Page 2

post #31 of 60
1/29/13 at 6:54am
I cut the cord completely from cable and satellite a couple years ago. Aside from the aggravation of paying for ~95% of yuk channels on either forwarder I couldn't care less about, mostly infomercials, many sports channels, useless SD channels, the endless repeats of endlessly boring reruns and repeating movies absolutely drove me insane. the cable boxes were slow, the satellite tiring to wade thu the endless channels. Beyond that the fun of the technical challenge of doing it was interesting and the end cost incredibly little compared to the yearly cost of all the above.

From $130/mo satellite and $130/mo standard cable/internet (no premium) or $3100/yr I went to a rooftop antenna (mounted on the now handy satellite dish mast) that was one time $60 ClearStream4 HDTV Antenna coupled with a mast mount amp for $50. The cable wiring for various rooms was already in place from the satellite and cable installations. Add Roku and/or Smart Blu-Ray/TVs connected to cable internet (now down to ~$65) for various TV locations, plus Netfix $8/mo and Amazon Prime $72/yr and the free over the air channels and I'm relatively happy although not completely satisfied. Why? The over the air signal quality is somewhat weather dependent at the distance I'm from most station's antennas.

Would I ever go back? - never ever in a million years would I ever consider re-funding those bundling, services-less leeches, that is, cable-TV and satellite providers, bless their cold money-grubbing hearts.
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post #32 of 60
1/29/13 at 7:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by noah katz View Post

I believe radio waves go through brick just fine.

I'll give it a go then! I had previously found some indication that it might not work.
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post #33 of 60
1/29/13 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GratefulBBQ View Post

Greetings! Longtime reader/lurker, but this topic REQUIRES me to speak up.

I cut the cable TV (Comcast, but still use their internet svc) over two years ago. Went through a mildly maddening process to achieve the results I was aiming for: perfect reception.

To cut to the chase, my problems of pixelating, low signals, missing channels, etc, all were solved when I purchased the "HD Stacker TV Antenna" for Denny's Antenna Service (online) a few months back. I use it with a Radio Shack signal amplifier, and am now getting 90+% signal!!! Before, with my old chimney mounted antenna and aforementioned amp, I never got more than 72% signal, typically 42-65. I also gained several "problem channels (CBS channel 2; note: I live in SW Chicago burbs, about 35 miles from transmitters), and many others I didn't receive before with old equipment.

Honestly, it's the best $130 I spent on my lowly home theater. I called them up, spoke with the owner, heck, he even told me what degrees on a compass I should aim the darn thing!

I also use many channels, Netflix included, on my Sony s580 blu-ray player, which I have hardwired with cat5. 50" Panasonic plasma looks great, and leaves me not longing for much other programming, and sure love the massive savings since cutting the cable. Practically pays for a nice vacation each year.

And yes, I did have some "channel-withdrawal" immediately after I ended Comcast. But honestly, in a week or so, I practically forgot about those channels. And when I hook the laptop up to the plasma, heck, there's so much to watch/listen to, I'm more than fine.

Thanks for listening, hope I didn't go on too long.

John S.
Mokena, IL

Hey Comcast employee.. Tell us why companies like yours rip people off with such high fees?
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post #34 of 60
1/29/13 at 12:17pm
This post has been a good read. I too have considered it and if not for my mother in-law living with us we probably would have already done this. The money saved every month from cable/sat I could invest in better internet and then be able to stream everything. If being in school for 4 years for IT has taught me anything it is how to use the internet to suit me better. Now with the RoKu box and others like cable is becoming a non essential part of life. There are so many sites out there that most have already mentioned that allow you to find the shows you want and yeah, you watch them a day later but who watches shows the same night anymore. That is why most have a dvr. Now days when you can build a cheap HTPC with a tv tuner card and have some kind of attached storage to network, be it a 32Gb flash drive or a 3tb external hard drive you can have the HTPC act as your DVR. Definitely a fun topic to discuss with so many possibilities.
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post #35 of 60
1/29/13 at 1:52pm
Thread Starter 
I'm in Canada and I don't get access to much with Videotron and pay alot. In the US, Netflix offers so much more than ours. They keep adding content but still nothing like the US one. I'm gonna dive in either this week or next week and get myself an antenna to try it out. I think I can save easily 45$/month and stream the rest. I watch more movies than anything anyways.
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post #36 of 60
1/29/13 at 3:15pm
I finally cut the cord and love it. I have a HTPC for every tv in my house. I have a Synology NAS that host all my media to stream through my entire house. My old TV Antenna I put in my attic in the 90's for local channels with Direct TV works great for HD. I can watch free content over my internet connection. So far I watch almost everything I did before and I am saving $190 a month in the process. A great way to reuse your old PC's are to convert them into HTPC's.
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post #37 of 60
1/29/13 at 4:15pm
I cut the cord 2.5 years ago, and I'm thrilled with the results. Channel Master 4228 in the attic going throughout the house for ATSC channels + a nice setup with my HTPC as a DVR for them. Redbox/Netflix/Amazon for discs, and a couple of shows with Amazon video on demand (Breaking Bad, Mad Men). I've changed my viewing habits by not watching sports any more; talk about being bombarded with ads nonstop. I miss the sports a little bit, but I love avoiding the ads. There is no going back now.
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post #38 of 60
1/29/13 at 5:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevon27 View Post

Hey Comcast employee.. Tell us why companies like yours rip people off with such high fees?

Me? I'm not sure if you're being rhetorical, sarcastic, or if you're just new to capitalism. Companies charge whatever they want if they think someone will pay it.
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post #39 of 60
1/30/13 at 12:31am
Waiting for Aereo to come to my neighborhood in No. CA. They are in NYC only and under litigation from all the major broadcasters, but the court so far ruled in their favor, and announced 22 new markets. If they survive all the legal challenges this could be the future for many like me who won't benefit from a rooftop antenna. Too many redwood trees. smile.gif

https://aereo.com/
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post #40 of 60
1/30/13 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thehun View Post

Waiting for Aereo to come to my neighborhood in No. CA. They are in NYC only and under litigation from all the major broadcasters, but the court so far ruled in their favor, and announced 22 new markets. If they survive all the legal challenges this could be the future for many like me who won't benefit from a rooftop antenna. Too many redwood trees. smile.gif

https://aereo.com/

That is pretty sweet. It says coming soon to Tampa, I wonder how large the radius is for that. I'm about 40miles south of Tampa. Would be nice for some Android support.
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post #41 of 60
1/31/13 at 4:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GratefulBBQ View Post

Greetings! Longtime reader/lurker, but this topic REQUIRES me to speak up.

I cut the cable TV (Comcast, but still use their internet svc) over two years ago. Went through a mildly maddening process to achieve the results I was aiming for: perfect reception.

To cut to the chase, my problems of pixelating, low signals, missing channels, etc, all were solved when I purchased the "HD Stacker TV Antenna" for Denny's Antenna Service (online) a few months back. I use it with a Radio Shack signal amplifier, and am now getting 90+% signal!!! Before, with my old chimney mounted antenna and aforementioned amp, I never got more than 72% signal, typically 42-65. I also gained several "problem channels (CBS channel 2; note: I live in SW Chicago burbs, about 35 miles from transmitters), and many others I didn't receive before with old equipment.

Honestly, it's the best $130 I spent on my lowly home theater. I called them up, spoke with the owner, heck, he even told me what degrees on a compass I should aim the darn thing!

I also use many channels, Netflix included, on my Sony s580 blu-ray player, which I have hardwired with cat5. 50" Panasonic plasma looks great, and leaves me not longing for much other programming, and sure love the massive savings since cutting the cable. Practically pays for a nice vacation each year.

And yes, I did have some "channel-withdrawal" immediately after I ended Comcast. But honestly, in a week or so, I practically forgot about those channels. And when I hook the laptop up to the plasma, heck, there's so much to watch/listen to, I'm more than fine.

Thanks for listening, hope I didn't go on too long.

John S.
Mokena, IL
Hey John, good to see someone else from Mokena on AVS! I'm also a fellow cord cutter, but only for my place down in Jacksonville FL. If I could only convince the family to give up the channels and make better use of all the online programming, Direct TV would be out the door....unless I get a Slingbox smile.gif
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post #42 of 60
1/31/13 at 4:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by j.t.k. View Post

I haven't had cable for about 2 years. I've been using a Roku (Netflix, sometimes Hulu, and Amazon mostly) combined with occasional Redbox rentals.

I've held off buying an antenna for one reason: I'm in a brick apartment building, basically ground level. I have a sliding glass door where I could put the Mohu. But, it's facing away from the antennas that are near me (approx. 20 miles away).

I've read differing things on whether or not I'll get anything at all using an antenna like the Mohu, so I haven't gotten one.

What do you guys think?
I'm using a Mohu in an apartment that does not face the Antennas, and it does pretty well. It's not a big investment to give it a try. I picked mine up at Costco for something like $29...can always return it....
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post #43 of 60
1/31/13 at 10:03am
I cut the cord back in Sept and couldn't be happier. I bought a Sony Blu Ray player that streams Netflix and Hulu and picked up a few independent Sony SNP n200 boxes (like Roku's) and love it.

Bill went from $130 to $50 (kept internet and Hulu/Netflix). Not a huge sports person and with Hulu, we are able to get all the shows we want 1 day later.

Besides the Blu Ray and (2) Sony Streamers I did have to pick up a new router as my last one was 7 yrs old.
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post #44 of 60
1/31/13 at 10:55am
When I moved into my house in 2011 I just got high speed internet and phone. I then put an antenna on my roof. I pick up about 30 digital stations. I have netflix, amazon prime and my bluray player. Thats all I need!! No way am I'm going to pay what the cable company's want for TV.
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post #45 of 60
1/31/13 at 3:10pm
Can't be done in my area. I get 3 OTA channels, one of them being an educational one. Services like Hulu, Amazon, etc. Are nonexistant here and Netflix is crippled at best content wise unless you use VPNs to access content from other countries. Big centers like Toronto have a lot of OTA content but if you are a sports nut, not so much. What would I use for an alternative to TCM or HBO for instance? Got to keep my STB and suck it up if I want to do everything above board...
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post #46 of 60
2/1/13 at 10:53am
So, for the heck of it, I called the cable company to see what my bill would be if I dropped the TV part of the package and just kept the internet.

She said: "same price"

I said "how is that possible?"

she explained that too many people were "cutting the cord", so they kept the price of the TV/internet bundle as it was before, but jacked up the "internet only" rates to be the same price as the TV/internet bundle....
My bill is already at bare minimums (basic cable, no premiums, no sports, cablecard, owned cable modem).

My only other internet source is 0.5 mbps down DSL from the local Bell company. No other speeds are offered in my area.

Dontcha just love telecoms? rolleyes.gif
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post #47 of 60
2/1/13 at 11:06am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by snappjay View Post

So, for the heck of it, I called the cable company to see what my bill would be if I dropped the TV part of the package and just kept the internet.

She said: "same price"

I said "how is that possible?"

she explained that too many people were "cutting the cord", so they kept the price of the TV/internet bundle as it was before, but jacked up the "internet only" rates to be the same price as the TV/internet bundle....
My bill is already at bare minimums (basic cable, no premiums, no sports, cablecard, owned cable modem).

My only other internet source is 0.5 mbps down DSL from the local Bell company. No other speeds are offered in my area.

Dontcha just love telecoms? rolleyes.gif


That interesting. Just goes to show a potential small glimpse into the future of cable...or the lack of. Soon cable companies will be selling bandwidth, that is all.

After writing this article, I also called up my cable company. By me "cutting the cord", I can save easily roughly 65$/month which is huge. First thing I'm doing when the snow melts is installing that outdoor antenna and seeing how much I can catch. Then I will see how much my girlfriend actually misses her shows, or will be content with what's on.
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post #48 of 60
2/1/13 at 11:34am
I have the leaf I too live in an apartment. Attached to the wall I can only get the spanish stations. On the window which is about 8 feet to the right from my tv I get Fox and CBS. About 8 feet to the left of my TV I get ABC and NBC. I can't find a happy medium. I have it attached right now, behind the TV and only get the Spanish stations. We'll only be in the place another year so I'm not going to mess with it for now. I just wish the complex would supply everyone with an antenna like they did in the good old days. I think they are in cahoots with Time Warner as they are the only cable company allowed on premises.
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post #49 of 60
2/1/13 at 12:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by snappjay View Post

So, for the heck of it, I called the cable company to see what my bill would be if I dropped the TV part of the package and just kept the internet.

She said: "same price"

I said "how is that possible?"

she explained that too many people were "cutting the cord", so they kept the price of the TV/internet bundle as it was before, but jacked up the "internet only" rates to be the same price as the TV/internet bundle....
My bill is already at bare minimums (basic cable, no premiums, no sports, cablecard, owned cable modem).

My only other internet source is 0.5 mbps down DSL from the local Bell company. No other speeds are offered in my area.

Dontcha just love telecoms? rolleyes.gif

Yeah it's been like that as long back as I can remember with Comcast. I get a lot of customers who actually sign up for the triple play and don't even hook up a telphone because its cheaper than just tv and internet. Its crazy.
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post #50 of 60
2/3/13 at 11:33am
Suggestion -

A couple of years ago I also "cut the cable", bought a Winegard FV-30BB antenna, hung it against the balcony window of my apartment (behind the drape) and now I'm receiving over 160 digital channels from distances as far away as 60 miles, with no amplification. Earlier tried the ClearStream 2, but couldn't pull-in stations even 30 miles away.

Antenna design is one of the true "Black Arts", and very few manufacturers have both the knowledge and skill to design and build great antennas. Winegard is one of them, and a leader in that field. Another big plus for me, their made in the USA.


FV-30BB HDTV Antenna (6.2"D x 21"W x 13"H)
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post #51 of 60
2/3/13 at 1:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by snappjay View Post

So, for the heck of it, I called the cable company to see what my bill would be if I dropped the TV part of the package and just kept the internet.

She said: "same price"

I said "how is that possible?"

she explained that too many people were "cutting the cord", so they kept the price of the TV/internet bundle as it was before, but jacked up the "internet only" rates to be the same price as the TV/internet bundle....
My bill is already at bare minimums (basic cable, no premiums, no sports, cablecard, owned cable modem).

My only other internet source is 0.5 mbps down DSL from the local Bell company. No other speeds are offered in my area.

Dontcha just love telecoms? rolleyes.gif

Hillarious, I had Charter Bundle and called about dropping my phone, never used it. Bundled my bill was $125, without the phone it was $145......girl couldn't explain it either...
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post #52 of 60
2/3/13 at 6:58pm
I've been wanting to cut the cord for a long time. Unfortunately, other family members aren't as enthused as I am about the idea. That's my fault though, because I haven't researched how to best use the Internet for TV. I'm sure that would open up a wealth of options.

I'm glad the article acknowledges apartment complexes, because I currently live in one. I hooked up rabbit ears a few months ago and got about ten channels. I'd like to try it again with the Winegard FV-30BB and maybe an amplifier.
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post #53 of 60
2/4/13 at 6:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by stapler1234 View Post

Suggestion -

A couple of years ago I also "cut the cable", bought a Winegard FV-30BB antenna, hung it against the balcony window of my apartment (behind the drape) and now I'm receiving over 160 digital channels from distances as far away as 60 miles, with no amplification. Earlier tried the ClearStream 2, but couldn't pull-in stations even 30 miles away.

Antenna design is one of the true "Black Arts", and very few manufacturers have both the knowledge and skill to design and build great antennas. Winegard is one of them, and a leader in that field. Another big plus for me, their made in the USA.


FV-30BB HDTV Antenna (6.2"D x 21"W x 13"H)

Thanks for the suggestion Stapler1234. Looks like a great unit. Amazon.ca sells it, I think I'm going to give it a try as well smile.gif
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post #54 of 60
2/5/13 at 9:12am
Nice Thread I "cut the cord" several years ago and will add my 2cents.

Things I think you will need:
  1. Good Over the Air (OTA) reception.
  2. A good OTA DVR preferably one for each TV. I have a HTPC using HD Home Run network tuners, a TiVo Series 3 HD, a TiVo HD, & a TiVo Premiere. Used TiVo Series3 HD or TiVo HD DVRs with lifetime service are very good and fairly cheep.
  3. High speed Internet access.
  4. Some way to play DVDs & blu-ray disks again preferably one for each TV, could be a stand alone player or HTPC. I prefer stand alone players
  5. Some way to stream Internet content at each TV - could be a HTPC, TiVo, Roku, Apple TV, a blue-ray player, the TV itself, etc. I prefer a HTPC but also have a Roku which is very good. The TiVos are not as good for streaming, but do have some advantages in that some content can be downloaded instead of streamed so you can compensate for slow/poor Internet access.

If your internet provider is going to be the cable company before cutting the cord verify that you will actually be saving money by paying for Internet access only versus Internet plus the least costly cable package.

My setup:
  1. OTA recorded by TiVo DVRs
  2. Various Pod Casts downloaded to my TiVo DVRs (Free).
  3. Hulu (free version) and other Internet sites streamed by my HTPC.
  4. Blu-ray or DVD rentals from Redbox played via a stand alone player.

Regarding the various Internet rental and streaming options:
  1. I have tried Hulu+ and don't think it is worth the $8/mo
  2. I have tried Vudu rentals and find them over priced (compared to Redbox) and have problems streaming anything in high quality (I only have DSL).
  3. I have tried Amazon rentals they work well with TiVo because they are downloaded but rentals are over priced compared to Redbox.
  4. I am testing Redbox's new streaming service now (free month) I get some buffering (using my HTPC & again only have DSL) and find the service hard to find stuff with. The Price is going to be $9/mo with 4 blu-ray rentals. Will not likely continue with the service past the free month.
  5. I have not used Netflix
  6. I have not used the Amazon Prime Streaming Service.

I have spent lots of money for hardware (guessing close to $2000): roof top antenna, HTPC, 3 TIVos with lifetime, blu-ray player, Roku, etc., but I have no monthly service fees at this time and only rent a few movies per month from Redbox so basically I have no on going costs. But then I would still have purchased much of the same stuff even if I still had Satellite (I live in an area without access to cable).
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post #55 of 60
2/5/13 at 9:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by atmusky View Post

Nice Thread I "cut the cord" several years ago and will add my 2cents.
..........Things I think you will need:
  1. Good Over the Air (OTA) reception.
  2. A good OTA DVR preferably one for each TV....................

Suggestion -
Members looking for a reasonably priced DVR, one without a monthly or "lifetime" fee, should check out the Magnavox MDR 53x series of HDD/DVD units with either a 360GB, 500GB or 1TB hard drive and built in DVD recorder/player.

Detailed information and support can be found in the following AVS forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/940657/magnavox-537-535-533-515-513-2160a-2160-2080-philips-3576-3575
________________________

P.S. Those unfamiliar with TiVO, should be aware that, in addition to the cost of the machine itself, there is an addition monthly subscription fee of $12.99 to $14.99, or you can purchase a "Product Lifetime Service" (PLS) for between $399.99 and $499.00, depending upon how many TiVO units you own. The important thing to remember, is use of the word "Lifetime" in these PLS plans. To quote from TiVO's "Terms & Conditions" (#14) "A "Product Lifetime Subscription" to the TiVo service covers the life of the TiVo DVR you buy – not the life of the subscriber."

Caveat Emptor smile.gif
Edited by stapler1234 - 2/5/13 at 2:48pm
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post #56 of 60
2/5/13 at 8:50pm
Well, I recently cut the cord to my Directv service, but I have not bothered to install any antenna for OTA reception, and really have no plans to, because I realized that I didn't watch much TV anyway. Way too many trash-heap reality shows and all the blatently-biased news reporting - I'm just not missing much. Any TV series I'm interested in I just wait until it is released on Blu-ray or DVD, so I can watch it when I want, for as long as I want, and don't have to suffer through eons of commercials OR those irritating onscreen channel watermarks OR the severely intruding in-show advertising at the bottom of the screen.

My internet service is through a 12Mb DSL connection, so instead, I use a Grace internet radio to listen to AM talk radio and AM news channels in crystal clear clarity, from all over the country, and that pretty much keeps me up-to-date with current affairs... smile.gif

So anyway, for a short time I was saving myself $100 per month without the satellite bill... Unfortunately, now with that 2% increase in Social Security deductions from everyone's paycheck starting the first of this year, I just lost that $100 per month savings and then some... frown.gif
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post #57 of 60
2/6/13 at 1:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by snappjay View Post

So, for the heck of it, I called the cable company to see what my bill would be if I dropped the TV part of the package and just kept the internet.

She said: "same price"

I said "how is that possible?"

she explained that too many people were "cutting the cord", so they kept the price of the TV/internet bundle as it was before, but jacked up the "internet only" rates to be the same price as the TV/internet bundle....
My bill is already at bare minimums (basic cable, no premiums, no sports, cablecard, owned cable modem).

My only other internet source is 0.5 mbps down DSL from the local Bell company. No other speeds are offered in my area.

Dontcha just love telecoms? rolleyes.gif

They want to keep you on the TV package because they make more on the equipment (boxes/DVR) and On-Demand purchases.
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post #58 of 60
5/16/13 at 1:10pm
My remaining hangup in 'cutting the cord' is DVR. I admit that I am addicted to my uverse 'any room' access DVR. I am even thinking of getting further addicted to it with the addition of a sling unit to have my access from anywhere I travel!! (Lord help me!! ;-)

I have been looking and following announcements on Tivo, and trying to find the right solution. It seems that the best 'whole home' DVR technology, as far as capacity, ease of use, and price, is still a monopoly of the cable/satelite companies. Any suggestions?
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post #59 of 60
5/17/13 at 3:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by agthorn View Post

My remaining hangup in 'cutting the cord' is DVR. I admit that I am addicted to my uverse 'any room' access DVR. I am even thinking of getting further addicted to it with the addition of a sling unit to have my access from anywhere I travel!! (Lord help me!! ;-)

I have been looking and following announcements on Tivo, and trying to find the right solution. It seems that the best 'whole home' DVR technology, as far as capacity, ease of use, and price, is still a monopoly of the cable/satelite companies. Any suggestions?

As 'live' broadcasts are virtually nonexistent on the internet, DVR time shifting the internet is redundant, the whole system is one big DVR itself. "Live" TV is just a day away from being in that DVR by default, except for local broadcasts. And for that case, what good is yesterday's weather and such anyway? With a judicious subscription to services (Hulu, netflix, Amazon, Vudu, etc.), you can watch almost anything anytime just streaming it and still save a bundle over the 'boxes', no DVR needed. Anything else on-air, well, set aside the time to watch it live. I've (almost) stopped doing that - except for the weather.
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post #60 of 60
5/18/13 at 7:17am
Excellent points. I prefer cable news over local but that alone is not worthy of the $50-70 portion of my u-verse bill. You provide some great points of reflection and I agree that a DVR serves no real purpose for internet content And I already use Vudu, Netflix & Amazon Prime so with you there as well.

I guess then the only real positive for a DVR in such an environment is to capture the current HD television broadcasts as well as provide a good channel managing TV guide like tool.

But you provide a good reflection and are convincing me that MY DVR addiction might best be handled by just cutting the cord and joining a 12 step program! ;-) Good feedback!

That
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