Cutting the Cable "cord"...what's the best alternative?

I have the ability to work from home just fine. We have employee's in other states and when we need a meeting they used to Skype (now use other secure video conferencing software). As already stated I'm in IT.

 

I did that a few months ago.. they did knock about 15 bucks off, but its still $140+ (basic cable, interwebs, one DVR/HD, one regular box). Sitting on the phone begging/bitching every 6 months is not my thang. I understand what our WRXatl cable rep is saying... I guess even with his points, I think it could be lower and Comcast could still come up with large profit. My Parents pay roughly $90 for the same exact setup I have thru a local provider in Michigan. They have Comcast in their area and the prices are the same as here, so its not a area/market thing....

 

Well I will say this.....in a competitive area the rates are MUCH lower. Is your area a competitive area? By our terms competitive does not include the satellite providers.

Here's an example. TW is the only cable provider I'm aware of in Columbia. Their rates are freaking high and nearly twice as much as the rates locally where they have to compete with other companies like my employer.

Many variables at play but yeah it's getting up there and we have seen this same trend. But we are at the mercy of the actual channels....if we could offer it lower trust me we would cause more customers = better.

 

Well, if they would offer more packages to better suit individuals, I think they could help stem this. Direct TV called me after I cancelled trying to get me back, I told them to look at my bill...I suspend service every year from March to August - there's no football being played. They require a mandatory 12 month contract to get the RedZone package. Well, I'm not paying $840 for basic cable a year that I NEVER use, just so i can pay another $300 for RedZone during football season. If they'd let me order just the package, I'd do it hands down.

The lady told me she's heard that more times than she can count, and they are looking at breaking out the packages and offering only those, but there's no telling if she's full of shit or not.

Companies that prosper the most are those that adapt with change. The telecommunications companies seem to be content with ripping off consumers (regardless of the reasoning behind it). With so much over the air broadcast available for free, along with streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, cable companies better start getting with it or they'll become as useful as home phone LAN lines

 

Hence why my company is still standing strong. Our cable lines are already run. The homes that have the availability are already set up. We would commodate you in a jiffy if that's the service you wanted. I feel for you guys and I agree it's absurd. We may charge a small fee for connection/disconnection (which I feel is justified as it pays for the labor/software time in doing so) but it's not that much. $25 iirc.

 

^^ Part of the reason I don't have much bargaining power. I live on the bottom floor in my apartment building and I'm surrounded by trees. Satelite is not an option. So, my only other choice is U-Verse which.. from my research, doesn't sound much better.

 

I think the bigger guys are taking this approach, too. DTV is leaving the dish on my roof, they said it's mine to keep in case we decide to change our minds down the road. I told them to let me know they day they break packaging out, I'd be their first customer. Hell, i'd pay $500 for the RedZone package if it had no contract terms to it; $100 / month for the only thing I watch on TV is reasonable to me

 

Pretty much this

I rarely watch TV anymore unless its sports. If I could get just the Sports Channels, Cooking Chanels, and Local Channels that would be perfect.

 

As fun as reading through all the cable bashing/defending was... back to Matt's original question - I've been doing the internet only thing through comcast for over a year now and have found ways to watch the shows I like, you just have to be willing to look. I have an antenna and a PS3 with netflix, plus I have found that most channels play entire episodes of their stuff on the website, History and most of the other discovery channels do this. I don't watch as much sports and am a fan of the local teams so that's not as much an issue. I've gotten away from the torrent thing cause it takes too much effort. At this point I only torrent F1 from the UK which is better anyway cause the US commentary is pitiful. I though that I would really miss a lot of the stuff I used to watch on cable but you just adapt to whats available. I pay $45 a month for decently quick internet and that's after the hike from the $20 a month intro fee. I still watch walking dead and pretty much all my favorite stuff. I doubt I'd ever go back to cable TV.

 

Matt, you saw my post in the other thread, but for those that didn't:

 

Apparently he took this advice and now is practicallt married

 

Now he has to find some form of entertainment while she is in the kitchen making his sammich.

 

33
I live in an apartment with a balcony. I
want to install a satellite dish. Can I?
The Federal Communications Commission adopt
ed the Over-the-Air Reception Devices
Rule, which permits tenants to place antennas that
meet size limitations on
property they rent and
that is within their exclusive
use or control, such as a balc
ony or patio. The rule prohibits
restrictions that impair a tenant’s ability to in
stall, maintain, or use an antenna covered by the
rule. The rule does allow landlords to enforce
restrictions needed for safety or historic
preservation. The rule covers "d
ish" antenna that are one meter or less in diameter and designed
to receive direct broadcast satellite service,
including direct-to-home sate
llite service, or to
receive or transmit fixed wireless signals via satellite. For more information on this rule, go to
www.fcc.gov
Not sure how this applies to the previously stated issue.Just information.

 

I think Ped has this antenna (ClearStream 2v) and is getting around 30 channels OTA. I am going to try this next. All the Antennas at Frys are crap. Couldn't get more than 5 channels with any of them.

 

I just bought this: http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-Leaf-Paper-Thin-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004QK7HI8

I get around 30 channels at my house, though half of those are extreme bible thumpers and a few are the old school non-digital shows. However, I get all the major networks from my place in Marietta. They make an upgraded version of that, but from what I've read the only difference is they add a signal booster in the line and give you a longer coax cable (both of which you can source for much cheaper).

It's not lying when it says it's paper thin. It's about the size of a 8.5x11 sheet of paper, you can actually mount it behind your tv on the wall if you want

 

Matt, i'm in the same boat as you. I want to fire Comcast because 3 techs have come out and they can't figure out why the outlet in my living room is not active.

So I bitched at them for not being able to get cable tv working for the last 2 weeks so they discounted my monthly bill so it's below $50 now. But still, I can't get internet only because that's about $75 and for like $15 more, you can get their 1 year promo for cable+HBO and it's $90.

 

You know how far he lives from Atl? As previously mentioned, I'm 30 miles south plus I'm one of the lower, if not the lowest, houses in the neighborhood and have trees within the direct site line of the antenna. I could probably get more if I didn't have these things going against me.

 

I do have that exact ClearStream antenna. Very happy with it, btw.
I'm probably 25 miles north of the 285 top end. I have trees in the way- but I'm pretty high on the hill.
I get plenty of channels, but like Drew says, half of them are bible-thumpers, or MexiTV, so those all got deleted. I get all the major networks. I do have some trouble with Fox when the weather is bad- but I don't really care because I'm rarely have time to watch TV.

 

You sound just like me, never any time to watch, but having the local channels is nice when I do. Guess those extra channels I'm missing out on aren't worth it anyways.

 

What are the most important features to you in a DVR?

I've been using the I-view tuner with an external drive connected to it for almost 6 months and I'm pretty happy. I have to manually enter my times to record so it might be more work than you're willing to deal with. The tuner is about $50 then you can use whatever type and size drive you want. Anything from a thumb drive to a 2 TB external drive.

amazon has them for $40:
http://www.amazon.com/iView-3500STB-DTV-Converter-Box/dp/B00BFIJQ10



oh, and what antenna/s did you end up going with?
How many channels are you getting?

 

did you check tvfool for tower locations? What's your average distance?

 

Matt,

They have the simple.tv available at Woot right now. It's a woot off, so you'd better hurry!
http://www.woot.com/offers/simple-tv-the-ultimate-dvr

 

I actually have a generic RCA rabbit ear on one TV and the Leaf antenna as linked above on another and I can say from experience, they both pull same amount of channels in HD and Analog. They both pulled 30+ channels and I went and disabled the 20 useless ones. They both pulled the HD radio streams but they never played music.

So if you can, save the money and get a good rabbit ear. The HD clarity is very good and I can't tell the difference from the Leaf antenna.

 

Update

Received the Clearstream 2V Antenna, mounted on my storage closet roof, run directly to my Sony Bravia TV = 5 channels. Run to a Channel Master tuner, getting 54 channels. All major networks are coming in, Fox audio is a bit choppy. Probably need to aim my antenna slightly.

 

Nice, glad it worked out man! Let us know how it plays out for you.

 

not sure if you guys are still searching, but check out tech woot today, they're doing a special on Roku's

http://tech.woot.com/

Roku2 w/ extra remote for $50