Clark Howard: It’s not so easy to cut cable or satellite TV

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January 24th, 2013
4:34 am

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Matt

January 24th, 2013
5:12 am

We ditched cable TV when we moved and learned that our new neighborhood was served by a single company that we don’t like. Now we pay $14/mo for Netflix and Hulu subscriptions, which gives us about 80% of what we like to watch. It’s been 5 months, so far, and we don’t miss cable – or the outrageous bills – at all. In fact, we haven’t even bothered to get an antenna for broadcast TV. I don’t think we’ll ever go back to cable.

John Powell

January 24th, 2013
6:56 am

Another factor in the migration away from cable — the
steep decline in programming content. The Discovery, History,
and Travel channels, as well as Animal Planet to name
a few, now offer mainly empty-headed crap. I simply
stopped paying when the credit card expired.

LC

January 24th, 2013
6:59 am

We ditched costly TV a year and a half ago and don’t miss it at all. We have an antenna for football games and occasional news and pay for Netflix and Hulu subscriptions also. We watch TV when we want and don’t feel like we are missing anything. We also watch programs on internet sites for free. We would never go back to paying for cable or satellite.

CW

January 24th, 2013
7:43 am

Ditching Satellite TV was the easiest decisioin that i’ve made in a long time. Was spending around $90 per month with Direct TV. Add a digital antenna and you get approx 15 free channels and a lot are broadcast in 1080p. Netflix and Hulu Plus(you get almost everthing on satellite but broadcast a day later than it originally aired)combined costs $15.98 per month. No brainer.

Bill

January 24th, 2013
7:52 am

We dumped cable two or three years ago. I felt like I was paying $60 a month to watch reruns of Law & Order. We get all we need with an antenna and Netflix.

WK week

January 24th, 2013
7:53 am

Here’s where we struggle: we currently have the very basic cable with comcast, and they also provide our internet. We tried to cancel our cable, but the cost to have internet alone would end up costing us something like $23 more a month than we currently pay for both internet and cable. We have to have fast reliable internet since my husband works from home. So for all of you who got rid of cable, what do you do about internet?

Pablo

January 24th, 2013
7:56 am

The only reason I have cable at the house is because my wife and kids. If you ask me, there is very few things worth watching anymore. I am going to have the conversation at the house to drop cable. Truth is, the channels that are (almost) worth watching are in the most expensive price tiers, while the basic package leaves you only with ash and trash.

Canman

January 24th, 2013
8:00 am

Ditching satellite is not so easy when you live in rural areas. Antenna will pick very little.

Atlanta Mom

January 24th, 2013
8:03 am

College football season ended and we dropped cable. May pick it up again next September for 4 months.
WK–I had that same experience. But what I discovered was I could live with a slower download speed. I don’t know the jargon, but we had been at 12 whatevers for download, now I’m at 6. That dropped my internet cost to $50 a month. We use netflix with no problems.

RH

January 24th, 2013
8:14 am

If your home or apt is wired for cable you dont always have to have an antenna (unless you do live in rural areas), however, just plug your tv into the wall as you normally would go to the menu/tuner and search for channels in the cable mode not antenna. I got over 40 channels this way. 1080HD for the network channels!

a_mom

January 24th, 2013
8:14 am

My husband works from home a few days a week and has to have high speed internet for work. We have the same problem where, if we drop cable, they’ll jack up the internet price. Clark, do you have any solutions for this?

bravometmasher

January 24th, 2013
8:14 am

You can watch a ton free stuff at cable providers websites. For instance USA shows theirs for free. And for sports often espn3.com is a fix or check out justin.tv or stream2watch. About 60% of the time I can watch the sporting event I want to. And it is all free.

Whatever

January 24th, 2013
8:24 am

We cut cable about 7 years ago and don’t have an antenna. For a long time it was just DVDs. Now we do Netflix which is a great way to provide appropriate content for the kids without having to worry about inappropriate shows and commercials.

I love how quiet our house is most of the time.

Astropig

January 24th, 2013
8:34 am

“College football season ended and we dropped cable. May pick it up again next September for 4 months.”

I haven’t had cable or dish for 6 years now and watch any college game that I want. JustinTV, The RTV and http://atdee.net/index.html/index2.php give me all of the free games that I can handle. It’s not unusual to watch 12 straight hours of CFB on Saturdays in the fall. I have a DSL line and the picture is good (but there is the occaisonal reboot or freeze,but hey…The price is right).The cable monopoly won’t sell me what I want to buy,so I’ve found a workaround. I’ll be glad,no, ecstatic,when they go out of business.

Aunt Pittypat

January 24th, 2013
8:41 am

I watch cable news, not fox, and espn most of the time. Is there any way to get those networks without cable or satellite?

louie

January 24th, 2013
8:46 am

for those who need high speed internet and do not want to pay for internet… Make your cell phone a hot spot and your husband will have it anywhere he goes… we do this thru our cell phone provider…

Bikerchick

January 24th, 2013
8:50 am

We dumped cable TV over two years ago and have not missed it. With an antenna, we pull in about 40 local channels, in true, uncompressed high definition, for free. Much,much better picture than cable! We kept our internet connection and purchased a Roku box for a one-time price of $59.00. Through the Roku, we get Netflix ($8.00 a month) and a host of other free movie channels like Crackle and Popcorn Flix, along with internet feeds for FoxTV, CNN and 100’s of other sports, home and garden, news, etc. shows. If you purchase Hulu Plus, ($7.00 a month), you can also watch most of the network and cable channel shows on your Roku as well. Just recently, the Hallmark Channel became available on the Roku for about $3.00 a month.

This is where I see cable TV going….cable networks will begin testing the “pay for channel” market, allowing customers to pay for one channel at a time, viewable over the internet through a set top box like Roku, Boxee, GoogleTV, etc. Finally, we will be able to watch the channels we like and not be forced to also purchase the ones we don’t like by the cable companies. Bottom line, is that we watch a little less TV than we used to (a good thing), but when we are ready to watch, there are a ton of movies, tv shows, sports and news options without the high cost of cable.

mystery poster

January 24th, 2013
8:53 am

Dropped cable 3 years ago. We made the decision 4 years ago, but when we called to cancel they said they’d hate to see us go and offered us $40 a month for a year with free HBO. So, we kept it for the year. I don’t think I’d mind paying $40, but I think ours was up to about $70 when we cut it. That was before everyone went to bundling.

As far as Internet, we have AT&T U-verse. I’m not sure what speed, but it costs $38 a month. We had regular DSL but switched about 18 mos ago. Since it’s u-verse and not over the phone line, there are no added fees like the FCC charge, line charge, taxes, etc. It was $24 a month for a year, but that ran out. It’s fast enough to do everything we need, which is pretty much just stream Netflix and surf the ‘net.

We have an antenna which is attached to the cable input on the house, then the TVs are plugged into the regular cable outlets.

I can’t believe we didn’t dump cable years earlier, we don’t miss it in the least.

We dropped the land line when AT&T started charging us $4 a month for NOT making long distance calls. How crazy is that?

Beth

January 24th, 2013
8:54 am

We ditched satellite last year. Have a ruku and subscribe to Netflix and also bought a lifetime membership to PlayOn. Also you would be surprised how many networks offer their own apps to watch TV on. ESPN has an app ESPN3 that my husband pulls up on his iPad and then connects the iPad to the TV via a dongle. Free ESPN live on the big screen!

Bikerchick

January 24th, 2013
8:56 am

By the way, the antenna we have is a $14.00 “bat wing” antenna that we picked up at Walmart. We hung it from one of the rafters in our attic and ran the coaxial cable line up there to connect it to our main TV downstairs. The kids each have a TV with the same type of antenna in their rooms. The signal is digital, uncompressed, high def and we get all of the networks, Peachtree TV, three ION TV channels, MeTV (classic television shows, kind of like Nick at Nite), a weather channel, UPN, four PBS channels, Bounce TV (black entertainment channel) and Antenna TV (classic TV shows and movies) among others. This is all free.

mystery poster

January 24th, 2013
9:00 am

@Bikerchik
I agree about the direction that pay for channels are going. People should be able to buy ala carte channels for the Roku without having a cable subscription. I predict more networks will begin testing that delivery model.

The advertising on television has gotten crazy. Not only is 1/3 of a network show ads, but there are popups when the content is on. You don’t get any of that on Netflix.

Clark Howard: It’s not so easy to cut cable or satellite TV | News Blogger Community

January 24th, 2013
9:01 am

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Kev Hayes

January 24th, 2013
9:05 am

I dropped cable, slapped a antenna on my HDTV and ordered Netflix (which I’m about to drop because of the poor offerings). Basic HULU is free and it helps fills the gaps. I also dropped the landline and rely solely on my iPhone. The only thing I use the cable company is internet services; otherwise I don’t need them.

Hmmmmmmm

January 24th, 2013
9:06 am

Dropped the land line years ago.. Haven’t looked back…. Clark doesn’t help much on the pay TV issue… Hopefully there will be more competition or better technology to make cutting the cable out easier…

mystery poster

January 24th, 2013
9:09 am

They say the first cut is the deepest. I recommend you just cut it. It’s not permanent, you can change your mind if you want to.

My experience is that people who cut the cord always wonder why they didn’t do it earlier.

mystery poster

January 24th, 2013
9:11 am

Oh, by the way, it’s illegal for any homeowner’s association to ban outdoor TV antennas.

Atlshopper

January 24th, 2013
9:11 am

@Bikerchick…I kinda did the same thing at my house. I have 4 roku box sets. Love most of the programming and am satisfied with the antenna channels. I love the new “Nowhere.tv” channel which provides 60 minutes and the latest episodes of 48 hours kinda like ID on cable. Love saving the $90 bucks every month.

Gary

January 24th, 2013
9:11 am

There are still a lot of shows on Hulu/Hulu +, Fox, ABC, etc. that are “Web Only” meaning through a PC only, i.e. not Roku, or smart TV or DVD player, etc. Hooking up PC (with a remote like a Firefly) to the TV solves that. If your PC has Windows Media Center, you have a free full fledged DVR built in (10 days of guide info), just need a usb TV tuner and an antenna for local channels and you are completely set.

BuckeyeInGa

January 24th, 2013
9:11 am

You can watch college games other ways as some suggest but the quality isn’t up to par. Also there are a lot of channels that you can’t get with a OTA such as NFL Network, Lifetime, etc..

Glenn

January 24th, 2013
9:13 am

And Directv is raising their rates 5 percent starting next month . The problem seems to be the communication company’s that own the stations . Viacom has no problem charging satellite & cable co.’s more even though their programming has gotten worse . I wish there was a system where you could just pick the twenty stations of your choice and just get charged for that .

Ursula

January 24th, 2013
9:24 am

How do you provide antennae service to more than 1 TV ? We have 6 TVs in different areas of the house — that’s why we’re stuck with the cable. Any suggestions?

Ernie Johnston

January 24th, 2013
9:25 am

NFL Games are only on cable / satellite channels, not the regular broadcast channels, from September thru December. Same for the college football games thru the first week in January, because you are limited to ESPN. I get High Def during those months, but afterward, back it goes. Savings $20 per month. OK, I did get the box early this season for the Olympics, but that is rare.

Bought a new TV during Thanksgiving because it was almost a cheap as adding a High Def tuner. Going to experiment with cutting the cable TV entirely (but keeping Internet access) and hooking to an antenna in the attic soon before actually pulling the plug. If we do, when football season arrives in the fall, I’ll see what options I have. I suspect to get ESPN for 4+ months, it will be cheapest overall to pay an installation fee for cable that I can cut again in January.

ObtW: For those of you who don’t want sports at all, Verizon FiOS, in the Northeast and Tampa though not here, announced this week that they will offer a HD package without Sports except for what is on local broadcast channels (most NFL games) and TBS for $50, $15 less than with it. (from MultiChannel dot Com) That is quite a difference!

SZQ

January 24th, 2013
9:27 am

I have used the antenna for the last 6 years or so. If I want to see a football game that isn’t on the ‘regular’ stations, I’ll head to a bar. I must admit that when traveling, I soak up the Food Network, but other than that, Hulu and Amazon Prime give me more than enough.

Where's the Internet Service?

January 24th, 2013
9:28 am

Ok, how do you still get the internet once you drop the cable?

Ed

January 24th, 2013
9:32 am

Very insightful comments here. I was struggling with the cut/don’t cut decision but I think with the plethora of options i’ve found here i will go with the cut decision.

Like everyone else, i have ATT u-verse. Monthly bill is around $95 for internet and cable. My fiance and I work FT, which means on most days we dont watch TV after getting back from work and working out..If and when we do watch TV, its never more than 2-4 channels at the most.

Question I always find myself asking everynight is WHY am I paying $95/mth and oly find 5 watchable channels every night??

Luke

January 24th, 2013
9:32 am

I cut off cable about 4 years ago and haven’t looked back since. And it’s not that I replaced it with internet TV, I just decided to stop participating in the whole “stare blankly at a screen for hours a day” culture. Other than work or reading the news I just stopped using screentime as my primary leisure activity and slowly replaced it with other, more fulfilling activities and hobbies. I highly recommend it.

CDW

January 24th, 2013
9:33 am

We ditch cable 6 months of the year. I turn it on for the 6 months of football season (consider it an investment in marital harmony) and as soon as the Super Bowl is over, I turn it off. After 6 months, just in time for football again, Comcast considers me a “new” customer and I get the $20/mo introductory rate for….6 months! We really don’t miss it for the 6 months that it is off.

Hmmmmmmm

January 24th, 2013
9:41 am

@Ed

I agree 100 percent… If it weren’t for my wife who insists that my child needs to watch spongebob, I wouldn’t spend the 100/m ..

Gary

January 24th, 2013
9:43 am

Ursula,
The round coax cable that carries the cable TV signal can carry any TV signal. If you want just one antenna, you need to find where the cable TV coax cable come into your house, there you will find a splitter, that splits the TV signal to each TV/Room. On the splitter there will will be one connection labeled IN. Unscrew the current cable and hook up the antenna to it. Now you are sending your antenna signal to the different TVs/Rooms.

cord cutter

January 24th, 2013
9:45 am

Cut the cord 3-4 years ago. Best thing we ever did. Bought a computer and use it as a media server. This year ESPN360 required me to have a cable subscription. When I want to watch a game I go to a pizza place and watch it instead of at home. While it isn’t free, it is cheaper than the cost of regular cable. Between Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, TV.com and a large stack of DVD’s I can watch just about everything I did in the past. I don’t even pay for Hulu Plus.

Our college daughter said the best thing we ever taught her was how to find tv shows on the internet. With her class schedule she can watch what she wants, when she wants.

Sally

January 24th, 2013
9:45 am

Cut the cord 2.5 years ago. Have not looked back. I don’t regret it. I do however still have a landline and cellphone.

OK, it seems to me that the biggest issue for most people who might give up Pay TV is sports. If you like to watch alot of sports TV, you may be unhappy without Pay TV. And, it seems like they’ve figured that out and that’s how they are hanging onto people. When I first gave it up I thought, no big deal, all the big games are on a network. Which I get through an antennae. But, the Alabama / Notre Dame game was only on ESPN. I listened to some of it on the radio, but obviously it wasn’t a good game anyway. So I didn’t really miss anything.

The other thing I thought I would miss was 24 hour news. Oh my. What actually happened was that once I was off that cycle, I have found that I can hardly stomach the news anymore.

I don’t intend to go back. If there is a big game I want to watch and can’t get it at home I can find a place to watch. But, I was never a big sports TV watcher anyway.

Ernie Johnston

January 24th, 2013
9:51 am

Ursula, find where the cable comes into the house and follow it until you reach a splitter or amplifier. Disconnect the cable there and connect your external antenna (pointed at downtown Atlanta) to that open connection. Go to each of your TVs and scan for channels. You should be good to go.

ObtW: AntennaWeb dot Org will give you the best map of where the stations are. Just plug in your Zip Code, Most are downtown ATL but one is on top of Stone Mountain (8-GPB), one in Norcross (47-Spanish/Korean) and one east of Woodstock (41-WATC). If you point the antenna at ATL you may STILL receive these other stations, just not as strong, but possibly good enough.

mystery poster

January 24th, 2013
9:58 am

@Ursula
Another idea: Find where the cable enters your house. Unplug it and plug in your outdoor antenna. Connect the TVs in your house to the current cable outlets.

Trizzle

January 24th, 2013
10:07 am

Just a little hint, if you have Comcast and a digital tv (within the last 3 years) and you only have internet thru them, you can get a splitter and plug a cable into the tv and you will be basic channels for free. There isn’t anything they can do to filter out the tv signal out of the internet. I’ve been doing it for years. I get about 30 channels. The other thing is you can call them periodically and tell them you are thinking about discontinuing your service to go with someone cheaper. Ask them what they can do you for you. THey will come up with some special promotion that will last either 6 months or 12 months. Make sure you tell them that you DO NOT WANT a contract. After your “promotion” ends, wait a month and do it all over again. I switch between doing that and the “free” version. This is not illegal in any way. I’ve spoken to them, told them the signal was still going and they said there wasn’t anything they could do about it. I still subscribe to Netflix. So when I’m on the “free” version, I have more options. Plus, I like I can watch movies anywhere on my tablet. Good luck!

blackbird13

January 24th, 2013
10:08 am

We are 6 months into our no-cable experiment. We cut the cord not so much for the savings (though the extra 85 bucks a month is nice) but because we were spending too much time watching crap. We already had Netflix, so we added Hulu and now are more selective about our tv watching (no more stupid reality programs for my wife; no more endlessly bickering cable news pundits for me). The biggest issue for us has been the poor local channel reception we get (can’t do an outdoor antenna). We can’t get NBC or PBS at all, and WSB and FOX can be iffy. This mostly affects our football watching. Thankfully, most of the big SEC games are on CBS. We were very annoyed, however, that the national championship was only on ESPN. So far, that’s the one time we had to head out to a bar to watch a game.

justme

January 24th, 2013
10:10 am

I just now cancelled Dish. What a horrible experience!! Absolutely the RUDEST customer ’service’ I have encountered. I will NEVER do business with them again in the future.
I am already paying for NetFlix and Vudu..I will add Hulu Plus and be MUCH happier!

Praveen

January 24th, 2013
10:11 am

COMCAST and others have failed very badly at being gatekeepers for the programming delivered by their content suppliers. We have hundreds of channels. But lately, most of them have become reality show and old 80s movies channels. MTV has 6 or 7 music channels , each new one promising 24 hour music to get an entry point into the channel lineup, and then once they are secured a spot, they abandon the music and get a higher rated program like a movie or some reality show. Same with Discovery Channel’s many other sister channels or The Learning channel. Even the weatehr channel was showing movies. The HISTORY channel once showed a movie that had LITTLE to do with history.

One might say “well, if the replacement programming on these niche channels is higher rated, all the companies are doing is giving th econsumer what they want.”
NOT REALLY. Because it gives a small subset of consumers MORE programming to watch while depriving the other consumers of the VARIETY of programming they crave. Maybe a subset of the consumers will watch a lot more TV with the junk provided. But guess what, those losers will be subscribing to cable TV anyway because they are TV addicts. All the higher ratings go for individual cable channels is give them more leverage to charge the cable company higher rates but the average consumer for the cable company feels less satisfied because the variety of programming is down. Instead of having movies on a few channels, reality on some, music on some, real educational programming on some, you have reality and overplayed old movies on a bunch of channels. That is a bad deal for the cable consumer even if it is a good deal for individual niche channels that wouldnt have gotten a place in the lineup in the first place if they started off with higher rated reality shows. 5

Praveen

January 24th, 2013
10:11 am

COMCAST and others have failed very badly at being gatekeepers for the programming delivered by their content suppliers. We have hundreds of channels. But lately, most of them have become reality show and old 80s movies channels. MTV has 6 or 7 music channels , each new one promising 24 hour music to get an entry point into the channel lineup, and then once they are secured a spot, they abandon the music and get a higher rated program like a movie or some reality show. Same with Discovery Channel’s many other sister channels or The Learning channel. Even the weatehr channel was showing movies. The HISTORY channel once showed a movie that had LITTLE to do with history.

One might say “well, if the replacement programming on these niche channels is higher rated, all the companies are doing is giving th econsumer what they want.”
NOT REALLY. Because it gives a small subset of consumers MORE programming to watch while depriving the other consumers of the VARIETY of programming they crave. Maybe a subset of the consumers will watch a lot more TV with the junk provided. But guess what, those losers will be subscribing to cable TV anyway because they are TV addicts. All the higher ratings go for individual cable channels is give them more leverage to charge the cable company higher rates but the average consumer for the cable company feels less satisfied because the variety of programming is down. Instead of having movies on a few channels, reality on some, music on some, real educational programming on some, you have reality and overplayed old movies on a bunch of channels. That is a bad deal for the cable consumer even if it is a good deal for individual niche channels that wouldnt have gotten a place in the lineup in the first place if they started off with higher rated reality shows.

Gumby

January 24th, 2013
10:23 am

Two years ago my wife and I did away with not only Dish Network but also our home phone. We now use Clear which is a wireless interent provider (I believe their basic unlimited home plan is $50 a month), we had a wireless communicator hooked up to our alarm system, put an external antenna outside our house to get the basic local stations, and we us Netflix and Amazon for our streaming video. We already had the the Amazon since we subscribe to their Prime service to get free shipping.

This works for us because we are not big on sports or many of the current television shows but we aloways have something to watch and I believe that the Netflix content will only improve with time. We may end up waiting until a year after a season has ended, such as Army Wives (my wife likes that show) but we don’t need a DVR. We use our BluRay player for our streaming video. One suggestion would be to invest in a good wireless gateway router if you are going to connect your streaming device via a wireless home network. I put in a dual band router and it made a big difference for me.

gakNIGHT

January 24th, 2013
10:27 am

Clark: First, the NFL is not what I primarily watch on TV. The major networks, excepting CBS are worthless so why would I want over the air TV which is a stretch sometimes from 75 miles away. I also enjoy real football and MLS. I also have satellite radio since over the air radio is filled with right-wing talk shows, terrible music and religious dogma. I would rather have my satellite tv and radio than see a movie at the theater or eat more than one meal a day.

creaative

January 24th, 2013
10:33 am

Great blog. II ditched cable because it is pointless for me except for espn. I love college football and tennis so typically I get cable when Wimbeldon starts and get rid of it when college football ends. Otherwise we watch shows (In chronological order (big bonus)) on netflix. Braves are on Peachtree for roughly 30% of games and that is enough for me. Not having cable also gets you doing more things that expand your mind and body such as reading or working out. While it is not a perfect system, it works for us. Also, I work in the cable industry selling software to smaller cable companies and the programmers are the one’s who constantly go up on price. For instance ESPN charges 6$ per subscriber and then require the cable company to purchase classic, 2, and news at an additional .20 per sub. You can do the math and understand why the prices go up and up. Until we go to a system, which the top 20 cable companies are debating, where you can select say 20 of your favorite channels for less then people will continue with the “cord cutting”

Nixon

January 24th, 2013
10:35 am

I love TV, but I have to say it is impossible to watch US TV. It’s extremely repetitive and overloaded with commercials. I feel much better without cable.

jacketgrad

January 24th, 2013
10:46 am

I had Dish on both my house and vacation home. The vacation home was bundled through a regional telephone company. Last July, I cancelled the vacation home account and since it was bundled, Dish didn’t have my billing address. I gave it to them so they could ship me the box. I returned the box and received an email stating they received it. Last week I got a call from a collection agency trying to collect $18.27 for shipping from Dish. I asked why I was never contacted by Dish and the agency had no answer. I called Dish to find out they mailed the final bill which only included the shipping charge to the physical address where the vacation home was. I don’t receive mail there and the post office doesn’t deliver there. Needless to say, they credited the account for not mailing it to the billing address (which they claimed they didn’t know) but they would be reporting it on my credit report. I closed my home account with them immediately and went out this past weekend and bought an RCA ANT751 antenna for $40 along with a signal splitter/amplifier for $25. I can’t believe how clear the digital picture is. It is much better than what I was getting from Dish. We added a Roku box for $99 along with Netflix, Hulu, and others. I’m wondering why I didn’t do this earlier.

Trying to cut the cord

January 24th, 2013
11:02 am

There is one thing standing in the way of cutting the cord for me – ESPN. Many of the college sports – including the college BCS game – is only broadcast on ESPN. I feel like I’m paying $75 a month for this one channel.

Adam

January 24th, 2013
11:03 am

We ditched our cable ~3 months back. Spent $99.00 for an Apple TV and $16/month for Hulu Plus and Netflix streaming.

95% of what we want to watch @ 22% the cost of our previous cable service. AT&T U-Verse has been begging for us to come back ever since we cut our cable portion.

Kanarstead

January 24th, 2013
11:05 am

This subject seems to have hit a cord. I cut the cord 2 years ago, and have saved $2,400. I used some of the savings to invest in a Tivo which will end up costing $10 a month if it lasts 5 years, which it will since I bought an extended warranty for $20. I expect it to last longer, which will bring down that $10 a month cost.

I tried to just go over the air, but soon realized I still needed a dvr. I still come out way ahead. To tell you the truth I thought I would cave after 3 months without Directv, but I haven’t looked back at all.

Cable/satellite is a ripoff. It is rigged. No longer a value. I hate feeling like I’m being ripped off.

TJM

January 24th, 2013
11:13 am

Ditched DirecTV two years ago. No regrets. Got an antenna, Netflix subscription, and a great program called PalyOn for a one time $40 fee. All the TVs in the house are hooked to then antenna and either a game console or a Roku box. PlayOn lets you get regular Hulu without paying for Hulu Plus on most any device. The only two things I can’t get too good are live sports and live cable news. I didn’t watch too much of either one, not $60+ a month worth.

Brewer

January 24th, 2013
11:13 am

Cancelled DirecTV over a year ago. Bye Bye $100+ monthly bill.
I use an attic antenna to pickup 20+ Atlanta stations over 40 miles away. Apple TV, Roku + XBOX 360 to watch movies & TV shows thru ITunes, Netflix, Hulu + Vudu. I have Comcast Cable which allows me to watch ESPN3 via my Computer, IPAD or Xbox 360. So long pay TV!

redevil

January 24th, 2013
11:15 am

I cut the cord over a year ago.. don’t miss a thing.. bought a an hdtv over the air antenna installed in my attic..that picks up a all the local channels in better HD than Dish had .. plus many more channels that I would’ve had to pay extra on Dish.. Hulu+ and Netflix ($14 mnth)with Roku box and with the money I saved from the $90 month Dish bill I upped the DSL speed for another $10 for seamless video streaming and still save $60 … and for sports, there are plenty of live streaming online of every game of every sport…. plus I download all the latest movies to my PC from torrents so don’t have to spend money going to the movies.. all the latest movies streamed directly to my TV with Plexx thru Roku as well.. my own home movie collection with the latest movies that just came out on theaters !

Joseph

January 24th, 2013
11:22 am

We ditched Directv last month for an antenna. We get all broadcast channels and we live in rural south Georgia. You would be completely nuts not to do an antenna in Atlanta. You get somewhere between 30-40 channels over the air.

redevil

January 24th, 2013
11:23 am

@ trying to cut the cord 11:02 I thought the same thing.. but there are plenty of ways to catch every game with live streaming online for free.. just need to look a little harder on line.. but they are out there trust me, I watch every major game plus international soccer matches that I can’t get here locally.. with the $ I saved from cutting the cord I upped the DSL speed and the streaming is great even when the kids are on Netflix or online…

Phoenix

January 24th, 2013
11:26 am

It’s interesting that Clark did this story today. I just cut my cable with Comcast, but kept internet with an added promotion, yesterday. I called them numerous times to lower my bill and went as far as going to their corporate office to complaint. They only thing they did for me was lower the internet from $62.00 to $29.99/month with a $7.00 modem lease. When I told them I wanted to cancel the cable they gladly honored my request without hesitation which just goes to show you how much they care about their customers. I’m in an apartment complex so I plan to get an antenna and try Roku with PlayOn.tv. This also allows me to spend more time away from the tube doing things that I enjoy and studying. I have saved $120/month just buy cutting the cable!!

Trish

January 24th, 2013
11:27 am

Five years in ATL this month and I’ve never had cable, internet yes but no TV.

Phoenix

January 24th, 2013
11:29 am

Does anyone know where I can get a decent priced antenna for my HDTV??

mcmullen

January 24th, 2013
11:30 am

i read all the comments, and they were very helpful, i did not know there so many ways, to get around pay tv.!!!

k483`

January 24th, 2013
11:30 am

We all watch too much TV. Turn the stupid thing off and go for a walk. You’ll be happier.

Brewer

January 24th, 2013
11:37 am

Pheonix,
I purchased my Antenna (RCA ANT751R ) @ Amazon.com.

SARA

January 24th, 2013
11:39 am

Sold, will call AT&T and get the internet and drop old Comcast and their 150.00 per month tv and internet package. Will buy the Roku box and save me lots of money. Thanks all for your input.

redevil

January 24th, 2013
11:40 am

@k483 that is the point.. that most of us were paying way too much when we really don’t use the service that much.. meaning we are not glued to the tube to justify paying that outrageous monthly bills .. so we are happier!

Phoenix

January 24th, 2013
11:42 am

@Brewer…thanks for the info!

GEO

January 24th, 2013
11:43 am

Dropped cable 3 years ago. was paying $100/mo. I view all the content I want on my own schedule when I please on the interenet from a variety of websites and netflix. don’t miss it at all. Stop poisining your brain with all the empty content on tv!

Gael

January 24th, 2013
11:43 am

I use at&t U-verse and for now, quite satisfied. But having said that, and after reading these comments, I am seriously reconsidering to ‘cut service’. A word to the wise…I noticed someone mentioning the ruling of home associations not being able to stop one from installing an antennae. Although basically true, there are SOME restrictions such as size, common areas, etc. Here is a site which is pretty clear for the FCC ruling: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/over-air-reception-devices-rule

redevil

January 24th, 2013
11:44 am

@ Phoenix.. check out the Antennacraft HDX1000 from RadioShack.. I have it installed in my attic so it is out of sight and it works great.. at least for me..

ClydeFr0g

January 24th, 2013
11:46 am

I cut the cord a few years ago. When I got an HD TV all of my channels appeared with skewed proportions (circles looked like ovals). I contacted Comcast and they said I needed to upgrade to HD TV and pay even MORE money than they were already raping me for. I told them that was preposterous, that HD TV is now the standard, NBC didn’t charge a dime extra when they started transmitting in color, and I cut the cord that day.

Haven’t missed it one bit. Comcast can go to hell. I’ll never use them again. Really they are all crooks, they all have government-approved monopolies.

I don’t love AT&T but I get DSL for $25 a month which is sufficient for my streaming, downloading, surfing, and gaming needs.

Funny story…I went on a date with a much younger woman from work. She told me about the cable package she had with her roommates and how all they got was the major networks plus a few extra channels. I told her that I got those same channels but for free with an antenna. I kid you not…she said “What do you mean for free? How do you hook up an antenna? What’s that?”

I can’t say it enough: Comcast can go to hell.

Contemplating

January 24th, 2013
11:46 am

Phoenix:

You would be surprised that the $15 RCA antenna at Best Buy gets the best reviews. I am cutting the cord in about two months. I am so sick of paying for garbage!

The one thing I have noticed The Cable Company doing is charging $70 per month for internet after you cancel your cable.

ANYONE KNOW HOW TO GET AROUND THIS? What speed internet is required to use netflix and apple tv and your run of the mill surfing? Help!

Mark

January 24th, 2013
11:49 am

i dumped cable a year ago. i just plug an HDMI or video cable from my computer to the TV and stream EVERYTHING! lots of pirate sites provide every TV show free!

creaative

January 24th, 2013
11:51 am

Gael… The HOA is talking about an antenna on top of your house. The antenna we are talking about goes in your house behind the TV. It is very small and costs 40-60 bucks for a good one. The reception is great as well because the over the air stations do not compress the HD signal!!

Snooglechat

January 24th, 2013
11:52 am

We cut the cord a few months ago and have never looked back. Clear internet is a good alternative we have been able to stream Netflix and Hulu at the same time using a Roku player and the XBOX 360. Most of us have invested in the Xbox, Play Station 3 and Apple products. Once you try it I think you will realize you are able to watch television when you want and that you will be saving big, while getting full use of the home electronic you have invested alot of money in.

redevil

January 24th, 2013
11:52 am

@ Contamplating.. ATT is the only one that services my city.. Kennesaw.. and as much as I can’t stand ATT I’m stuck with them for internet… their DSL stand alone for 6Mbps ($29.99) of streaming does an excellent job for everyone in the family to be online and streaming of Hulu or Netflix all at the same time..

Matt321

January 24th, 2013
11:58 am

Cut the cord a long time ago, and I am very surprised that Clark, legendary for being a cheap skate, has not done so. We have U-Verse internet only + Netflix streaming only + an antenna in the living room for OTA. The OTA broadcast quality is great – even on my SD set, it’s still a significant upgrade from what I used to get from cable. Between free local channels and Netflix, there is more to watch than I ever could watch in ten lifetimes.

If you’re paying for cable or satellite, you’re wasting money. Cut the cord! I have never, ever met a cord cutter that regretted the move.

Carrie

January 24th, 2013
12:08 pm

I can’t cut cable because the apartment I live in mandates residents buy Comcast cable & internet. Is this even legal? What can one do but try to find another place to live once the lease is up. Really seems unfair.

Mark

January 24th, 2013
12:09 pm

Five years and counting, I don’t miss it!!

Dogvan

January 24th, 2013
12:18 pm

We ditched satellite TV in Jan 09, a few months before the transition to digital. We now receive over 50 channels but limit our access to 15 or so; the remaining 35 have no interest to us. We also have Netflix and Hulu Plus. Our land phone line was terminated that year also and we now rely solely on cell phone service. Our internet is provided by Clear at $40/month and is flawless. Total annual savings (including Netflix, Clear, and Hulu Plus bills now being paid) is a net @ $1300. If I want to watch the BCS Championship I can go to a sports bar. All service is 99.9% reliable. We were victims of the November 1992 tornado that hit Cobb. Our cable went out and we had no idea there were tornadoes in the area until two minutes before they hit. We have a UPS connected to the Clear network and wireless router. If we lose power during severe weather we have laptop and cell phone backup to keep us posted (if the towers don’t fail).

Shark Punch!

January 24th, 2013
12:20 pm

I went cable-free about a decade ago, well before the rise of streaming video, for the simple reason that I wasn’t going to pay for something I never had time to watch. I’ve picked up Netflix Instant + their basic DVD plan (less per month than a trip to the movies, let alone cable) and it’s more than enough.

My family still has DirectTV and Dish Network. It takes about fifteen minutes of me alone with their remote to remind myself why I’ve never regretted cutting the cord.

Trying to cut the cord

January 24th, 2013
12:33 pm

@ redevil – 11:23 am – Thanks for the idea of using online websites to supplement but then it becomes a quality issue. I do like the idea some have floated that they basically get cable during football and drop it again. I might do that as I do like to see those SEC games in HD.

CharlieATL

January 24th, 2013
12:35 pm

The cable & satellite providers offer 2 services – content & time-shifting. It seems a lot of folks have had success with OTA antennas and accept the content as offered by Hulu & Netflix as an alternative. As to time-shifting (watch a recorded show when you want, and fast forward past commercials), Boxee has come out with a new $99 set top box and a cloud storage offering. Currently it is limited to a hand full of cities (Atlanta being one of them), but for $10/month, you get the channel line up, the ability to record 2 programs simultaneously, and cloud storage.
If you use Boxee with either an OTA or basic cable, which is pretty cheap, you get by for the monthly $10 Boxee fee plus whatever other service you might buy, like Netflix.
I believe Boxee is available exclusively at Wal-Mart.

Streaming Only

January 24th, 2013
12:42 pm

We ditched satellite/cable 10 years ago. Figured we were paying something like $10 an hour to watch tv with the cost of satellite/cable. We spent some time just watching DVDs, then moved to streaming through Hulu and Netflix a few years back. We’re now toying with getting rid of Netflix since we can get everything they have – and more – with our Amazon Prime service. Amazon Prime is the best streaming option for both free, and rental or pay streaming. We can’t get a big enough antenna in the mountains for local signals but watch everything we want through streaming.

Mel

January 24th, 2013
12:48 pm

If we could figure out how to get sports – especially college football & basketball – we would quickly drop satellite.

Tony

January 24th, 2013
12:49 pm

I got rid of cable two years ago. I have Roku and due to Roku have Netflix and Hulu Plus subscriptions. The toughest part about getting rid of cable was losing the sports. It turns out that there are very trustworthy cable sites that show a lot of sports streamed for free. I connect my laptop to my tv and wala . . I have sports. Do a little research and check it out.

Sam I Am

January 24th, 2013
1:17 pm

Ditched cable 10+ years ago with their monopoly and high pricing in our neighborhood, switched to satellite. Ditched satellite when they started doing the same. Switched to digitial TV in ‘09 and have not regretted it one bit. High quality HDTV antenna plus online TV programming and Netflix. Did miss ESPN but my cellphone provides it with my data plan plus I have basic XM/SiRIUS radio. All these pay services cost but $20+ as opposed to almost $80+ with cable/satellite.

MeaneyMouse

January 24th, 2013
1:34 pm

I watch free TV. Never had SatLite. Dropped cable several years ago. Don’t miss cable one bit ^___^

Heather

January 24th, 2013
1:36 pm

My husband convinced me to have a trial cut the cord when we moved into our new house a few months ago. It was a tough battle for him to convince me that involved spreadsheets of shows I watched and what we could/couldn’t get through other online service providers. At first I thought I would hate it, but it’s actually been really great after the initial adjustment. Sure, there are times that the over the air channels don’t come through quiet as well as they should, or there may be some silly new reality show we don’t get, but I still find PLENTY of shows to watch (new and old) and can keep up with all the primetime shows that everyone at work talks about!

Wendy

January 24th, 2013
1:47 pm

I tried to ditch Comcast when they increased my bil by 20% and had DishTV ready to install when they said because of the way our house is positioned that they couldn’t deliver a reliable signal. Universe is not available where we live and I”m stuck with Comcast I cut back on their plan but still pay 2 arms and 2 legs for terrible reception and service. I wish there really was a reasonable alternative. I feel like a hostage! Dang I dislike this!!!!!

G'Vegas Dawg

January 24th, 2013
1:48 pm

What about for those of us out of the city? I live in northern Hall Co. (Gainesville) and from what I have been hearing, I may or may not be able to get over the air channels?

John

January 24th, 2013
1:53 pm

We ditched the dish over a year ago and have not regreted it. We have 4 tv in our home connected to an OTA antenna, a DVR on our main TV that I built myself, and augment with netflix.

Biff Kabob

January 24th, 2013
1:59 pm

I first ditched my land line a few years ago. Then decided to get right of my cellphone. I have skype on my machine, by I have yet to use it. I got rid of cable for satellite about 5 years ago. Then I gave up TV for lent one year and liked the peace and quiet so much that I got rid of satellite. Now I have no TV service, but instead I go to network websites, hulu, youtube, or netflix to catch shows I want to see on my computer. I also got rid of my car, since I only put 200 miles on it the last year I owned it. So I save a ton of money using MARTA for work, but everything else I need is within walking distance of my place. If I need a car I just use zipcar.

outspoken1

January 24th, 2013
2:01 pm

I cut cable one month ago…awesome…I actually feel free to watch what I want, when I want it. I do have Netflix and will prob get Hulu too soon. I was also SICK of always watching reruns or just flipping from channel to channel with nothing to really watch. My reception is MUCH greater with air tv than with Comcast Cable. No JOKE!

Biff Kabob

January 24th, 2013
2:12 pm

For internet, I have naked DSL with AT&T.

Rod

January 24th, 2013
2:16 pm

Sorry Clark I like sports and Hulu and Netflix show C minus more like D plus movies I’d rather cut my cell phone off then my cable sorry

Tim

January 24th, 2013
2:23 pm

I just installed the antennae last night and plan on dropping direct tv this weekend. Hulu, Netflix, and Roku is all I need.

Tim

January 24th, 2013
2:24 pm

*antenna

Jennifer

January 24th, 2013
2:32 pm

We did it 6 months ago. We just bought (on sale for $80 at costco) a Sony blu ray player with wifi internet streaming. We have hulu plus and netflix. We also have ATT DSL with no phone line, I just upgraded it to get more streaming since that’s about all we do now. I was paying $30/mo internet, $90/mo directv. Now it’s $16/mo for netflix and hulu and $48 for internet. Huge savings. You also get a lot of free content on the streaming devices, movies, pandora, etc.

The hardest thing was not having my tivo but hulu plus lets us watch most of our shows when we want and with the ability to pause (and yes limited commercials). Only thing, besides ESPN, is that you can’t get CBS shows. You can pay for them on amazon instant but I’d rather just catch them when they air live.

And if you want to watch a new movie that isn’t on netflix or in your local red box, you can stream them from Amazon instant for about $2. Like pay per view but MUCH cheaper!

Good Idea To A Point

January 24th, 2013
2:41 pm

First point – the cable industry is a monopoly and charges far more for tv and especially internet than their counterparts do in other countries (other countries also have much faster internet speeds than we do, at cheaper prices). This could change very quickly with alternatives in the market, but with the government’s support they enjoy a climate with little real competition as the old Ma Bell did for decades. Individual communities strike deals with the cable monopoly (in front and behind the scenes, I’m sure) and no other companies can justify coming in and duplicating the infrastructure to compete. Communities need to stop this practice, open up the markets and do what’s right for the consumer and not just big media or the politicians.

With the cable company so universally unpopular, it’s no wonder everyone wants to find a better alternative that will offer not only better customer service, but also the content desired. The problem arises when customers (most of us) want broadband internet and it comes with strings to take a tv package with it. Package deals from the media companies seem to make sense for many, but you need to pay attention to the details. After price point and content the big catch is length of time your discounted monthly fees will be good for. Don’t fall for a 6 month discount that reverts to “regular prices” and continues for another 6 months (or even 18 months) of obligation or suffer a big cancellation penalty. 12 months at a discounted rate with no obligation seems to be the best way to go. Just be ready to cancel at the end of the term unless they offer an equally good deal to continue. Have them transfer you to the retention department and see what they offer to keep you before walking. Just do your homework and be prepared to. Doing without tv for short periods isn’t the problem. Most of us are so tied to the internet, we simply can’t go without it for business, etc. and that’s were you need to coordinate any changes to eliminate or minimize downtime.

Key point to remember. You do not need the fastest internet speeds unless you’re streaming big movies and online content. Even Netflix suggests only 4-5mb/s for the best experience. So unless you’re a big streamer, the lower speeds are just fine for most browsing. Also, the speed at which your files download are determined as much by the upload speed of the server on the other end. It doesn’t matter how fast your connection is, if they transfer it to you at a slower speed.

My best alternative the last few years has been to go to an independent reseller for a better deal than the actual cable company staff can offer you. If you’re in an area serviced by Comast, do a search for Comcast in the “services” section of Craigslist. The reseller you find there will have much better deals with no obligation for 6 and 12 month terms. They are better than current offerings directly through Comcast. It’s legitimate and in fact you will be patched through to Comcast to do the final setup. I’ve have many friends take advantage of it.

Tony in Johns Creek

January 24th, 2013
3:30 pm

A big variable is the antenna. If you decide to cut the cord, you first need to first install an antenna on each tv and check to see if you can in fact get over the air High def and receive every channel first, and have it not freeze up and pixelate on your screen before calling the cable company. I could not even receive WXIA 11/NBC at ALL on my big screen. I was very dejected. Lots of the channels froze up and i had to constantly move the antenna for a clear picture. If you get an antenna, try the one in the attic or one for the roof, or try more than one type of digital antenna for behind the tv.

G'Vegas Dawg

January 24th, 2013
3:30 pm

I have actually read 100% of the comments on this BLOG today. Very interesting and enlightening. I am currently paying about $130/month to direcTV. They have the WORST customer service on planet earth. I won’t bore all of you, but, trust me the commercial that says they have the #1 customer service is bull. I am now inspired to drop it and save some money! I do want to know the answer to my earlier question, if anyone knows, can I get OTA channels in north ga? Approx. 70 miles N of ATL.

EleanorsMom

January 24th, 2013
3:31 pm

WE don’t have cable and don’t miss it. There are other things to do with your time – read, craft, get outside. Yes, I love HGTV but I can get a fix when I go to the gym which has cable so I can watch it while I do the eliptical. Between the antenna in the attic and Netflix we get alot of content – Netflix has enough to keep me watching several hours a day if I wanted and with the antenna we get about 20 channels. How much TV can a person watch???

Bill

January 24th, 2013
3:37 pm

My problem is that our Internet (Windstream) service stinks. Always dropping or not connecting at all. Their service reps have come out (for a fee) and tried different things, upgraded modems, etc., and we still get dropped at least 2-3 times every use. The only other internet provider in our subdivision is Comcast … and i will NEVER use them again.

EleanorsMom

January 24th, 2013
3:42 pm

One of the channels we get with the antenna is ME TV – it shows all the oldies and our 12 year old is a huge fan of the Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart. Everything old is new again.

Bashwol Skomditchtikuup

January 24th, 2013
3:48 pm

I ditched my cable about two years ago. I have an amplified TV antenna and Netflix and I am delighted with my entertainment options. I’ve stopped spending $60/month for cable. That’s $720/year. Now I take more vacations, drink more alcohol, spend more time at strip clubs and hook up with more strippers!

Deanna

January 24th, 2013
3:48 pm

I have been thinking of cutting cable, internet, home phone etc but here are my issues. I have Comcast for all; phone, cable & internet. My problem is that I have an elderly parent so I really need a home phone. She doesn’t get around much & loves the western channel & Soapnet on Comcast. She watches news on the local channels and uses the internet a LOT and could not do without it. She has trouble using a cell phone. I have 10 TV’s and pay approx $175 per month and would like to know if anyone has any suggestions. I have 2 surround sound home theaters that pick up Netflix while connected to the Comcast internet service. I am drowning & need to cut expenses. Please anyone have any options for me? I live in Cobb county. Thanks.

Bashwol Skomditchtikuup

January 24th, 2013
3:49 pm

I get great reception, but I live in town on hill.

redevil

January 24th, 2013
3:51 pm

@ G’Vegas Dawg… check out antennaweb.org it’s the place to start.. and then do some research on which type of antenna will work best in your area…

@ Tony in Johns Creek… I’m about 30 miles away from Atlanta, where the main antennas are.. and I can tell you that I get perfect H.D signal for all the local channels, PBS, Spanish Channels, GPB, and more all in crystal clear H.D with no pix-elation.. including local radio stations right to the T.V
this is the antenna I have installed in my attic and I have a splitter running to every room of the house. Antennacraft XD1000. When family comes over they have no clue I have an over the air antenna and actually are impressed when I show them all the Hulu+ and Netflix content has to offer.

Another Voice

January 24th, 2013
3:54 pm

We have Comcast until the end of SEC basketball and NCAA tourney, and only because a family member plays SEC basketball. After that, it will be in-the-air free using an antenna, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, plus whatever we watch “online”. Comcast is a huge drain for the few hours of other programming we watch, it’s not worth the $$.

Btw, we have internet via CLEAR, and it’s great most of the year. The only time it seems to be slow is in summer, when leaves on nearby trees reduce the signal slightly. I’d recommend it highly, but if you are in a heavily wooded area, it may not work well for you.

Cliff

January 24th, 2013
3:55 pm

I haven’t dropped u-verse yet, but Hulu and Netflix do take care of most of my TV needs, plus you can order on demand from Amazon or itunes. I do watch sports on cable, so that would be an issue. Don’t forget if you have cable that you need to call periodically to persuade them to give you the current “introductory deal”. Ask for customer retention. Tell them you are going to switch to Cable or Dish or U-verse, depending on who you are using now. No one has to pay full freight. It just takes a 20 min phone call every year to get the best current deal.

Bashwol Skomditchtikuup

January 24th, 2013
3:55 pm

@Deanna, there are at least 3 oldies channels if you get an amplified antenna. Your mom can watch Lucy, Andy Griffith, Kojak, all sorts of old movies.

redevil

January 24th, 2013
3:56 pm

@ Ddeanna.. have you thought of a Voip phone service. It’s phone service thru the internet. works the same way as a home phone. Instead of plugging it to the phone jack you plug it to your pc. Vonage, Google Voice, Phone Jack. .etc.. the only downside is that if your internet service goes down, so does the phone :/

redcoat mom

January 24th, 2013
4:12 pm

I seem to be in the minority here but I am very upset with my husband for cutting cable. I actually only watched a few shows a week but the option to watch them on demand if I missed them was a great plus for me. I also miss being able to watch ESPN (college football) when I want. There are times it’s just not feasible to head to a bar to watch a football game (like Sunday or Monday night when I have to be at school by 7 the next morning). Most of the shows that I am missing now are either on USA which only shows them for a limited time and you may have to wait a week to see it, or Lifetime. None of them are available on HULU. I’m with Clark’s wife, I didn’t want to get rid of cable and 2 months later am still ticked off about it.

LydiasDad

January 24th, 2013
4:15 pm

I cut the landline last week, and I’m not going to miss it. I don’t think I’ll even notice. If FNC were over the air, I’d probably cut cable too. But the news you get over the air is way too dishonest.

Stuart

January 24th, 2013
4:32 pm

I dumped landline several years ago because it was when I was still in dialup internet mode that the phone was being used. With a cellphone I havent needed it. The only time I want cable is when the Braves or UGA plays. The cable system in Newnan is $65 for extended basic and I am tired of paying for the home shopping channels that I don’t watch, MTV, VH1, BET, CNN,MSNBC, etc.
Right now I watch the locals, ION, CSPAN, ESPN’s, Fox Sports SOuth and Sportsouth, TNT, USA, FOX News and on occasion I watch CNBC.

Ann

January 24th, 2013
4:36 pm

We dropped our cable about two years ago and it’s worked out great. I would say it took about six months for my husband to adjust to the differences in scrolling around the TV. Charter was horrible to us during the cancellation process, so we will never go back to that provider.

Here’s our setup, and our costs are about one-third to one-half of what we were paying before. We got two Roku boxes for our two TV’s, but if you have other devices, such as a Wii or playstation, you don’t need the Roku box. If you are considering Roku, note that there are different models depending on how you want to connect, wireless or ethernet. We wanted to do Ethernet hook-up, so we paid a little extra for the model that includes thatl. Our computer and router is not in the TV rooms, so we also have the adapters that you plug into any electrical outlet in your home to have ethernet connection to your router from anywhere. The Roku boxes and adapters that we have for ethernet access are one-time costs.

With Roku, you then have access to many channels, some free and some subscriber. An example of a free channel is Shutterfly; so, if you have your photos on Shutterfly, you can view them on your TV. As far as subscriptions, we have Netflix (streaming plus dvd) and Hulu Plus ($8 per month) and we have an Amazon Prime Account, which is $79/year (with Amazon prime, there is a fair amount of content that is no additional charge and also additional content (movies/shows) that have a rental fee per item). If you have an Amazon credit card that you use, points you earn can pretty much cover the entire cost each year. And, with the prime membership, you get free two day shipping on anything ordered directly from Amazon (but not from 3rd party providers). Roku has a nice, new search feature now that lets you put in the title you are looking for and it finds which of your channels have it available for streaming; so, you no longer have to check your various plans to find it.

We considered the streaming only Netflix subscription, but streaming content is fairly limited. If you have kids, I would suggest at least having a “one dvd out” option to have access to more movies. The cable companies are trying to keep a strangle-hold on streaming content with exclusive contracts with movie companies. Through Hulu Plus, you can access most current tv shows and quite a few past shows. You can really access better content through the combination of these providers (Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime). You can watch old episodes of Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Columbo and many other shows. And, my seven year old son is enjoying Gilligan’s Island and I Love Lucy. For the person who mentioned their child needing Sponge Bob, discovering these old shows are great. You have either no commercials or much fewer commercials. All episodes of Gilligan’s Island are available. The humor and characters are great, and they build a lot of neat structures on the island that kids will enjoy or try to build themselves.

We have Internet dsl through our AT&T landline plan. I think Earthlink also offers dsl options for those without cable. We do not have the higher speed plans. Oftentimes, I see marketing materials that mention needing the highest speed levels for streaming. We, however, very rarely have any hiccups streaming with our dsl plan, which is near the lower end of the spectrum, compared to cable speeds.

We have a $20 antenna from Wal Mart for accessing over the air channels. Our neighborhood has tons of tall trees and most of the time, we do not have any trouble getting ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, PBS and about 10 other channels. We get enough sports games on those channels on the weekends to meet our needs. Picture quality is great, better than cable, and it comes through fine about 95% of the time. Occasionally, it will flicker when the weather is not good.

If you are not sure what type of antenna you need or where to place it, Google “antenna atlanta”. You will find a link that provides useful information on antenna setups and channels in the metro area. They have some useful articles that give an introduction, and they can provide setup services if you choose that. I haven’t used their antenna setup services, but was considering it if we had reception issues.

Ted

January 24th, 2013
4:38 pm

Hey Bill, I am in the same boat with Windstream but I do not have any choice. Poorest excuse for a utility I have ever encountered. All of these ideas rely on good internet which leaves me out. It is to the point now that high speed internet is as important as power and water.

Ann

January 24th, 2013
4:46 pm

@ redcoat mom – Do you have the Hulu Plus subscription? Hulu Plus is different from Hulu. I have seen a lengthy list of Lifetime shows listed. Which ones are you not able to find?

Anyone considering Hulu subscriptions needs to know there is Hulu (with free content) and Hulu Plus ($8 per month) additional content. They are not the same. There are a lot of tv shows available on Hulu plus, both current and past shows that you can watch on demand, soon after the show airs.

Political Mongrel

January 24th, 2013
4:51 pm

For those of us on the edge of the boonies, satellite is our only choice. There is neither cable nor usable off-air service where I live. My major irritation is that the science, history, and cultural channels that are my staple are only offered in their more expensive packages. I’d gladly dump all the several dozen useless sports channels I get if it would drop the price, but there’s no way DirecTV is going to agree to that.

I’m also stuck with AT&T for internet. Phone company cellular data service and satellite internet are way too expensive. Comcast has one leg of cable ending a mile west of me and a different leg ending 2-1/2 miles east of me, and they will not bother their sorry selves to run cable to the 23 houses in the gap where I live. Since AT&T absorbed BellSouth, internet customer service has gone down the tubes. Meh.

UGA ECONOMICS MAJOR

January 24th, 2013
4:53 pm

very interesting and very smart suggestions here…making me think….we have windstream..and they have been awful and very expensive

Suburbia

January 24th, 2013
5:05 pm

I’m also on the edge of the boonies, and have very little options regarding cable and internet (i ditched landline years ago, and have never looked back). If i wasn’t locked into DirecTV for another year, I would just subscribe to Netflix and Hulu, and maybe obtain an antenna for sports and local news.

My issue is trying to find affordable internet service. I bundled ATT DSL with DirecTV, and my bundle special ends in a couple of weeks, which will increase my DSL by 19 dollars. I’m looking into other internet services in my area, but Clear doesn’t cover my area, and I use data way too much to get a mobile hotspot. Any suggestions on affordable internet services for those who live in the boonies?

lovelyliz

January 24th, 2013
5:17 pm

As soon as my room-mate is gone, so is my cable. I watch as much TV in a week now as I used to watch in a month just 5 or 6 years ago. I won’t miss it

Karen

January 24th, 2013
5:34 pm

Now if can somebody tell me how to pay less than $48 for high speed internet, it would be much appreciated.

redevil

January 24th, 2013
5:46 pm

@karen.. I actually signed up for ATT, since they are the only ones that service my city, for 29.99 a month for a year for their 6Mbps. pkg.. this was about 6 months ago.. it goes to $49 after that.But 6Mbps is very good for streaming.

Ariel

January 24th, 2013
5:51 pm

We cut cable because Comcast was pulling some shenanigans with our fluctuating monthly bills. We got an HD antenna which we use and pick up most of the local and major network channels. Once you adjust, it’s no biggie! It is actually nice to see what you can do to entertain yourself without it- like explore the outdoors, play board games like old times, etc. Also, our TV has a wireless receiver and we use Netflix to catch other shows and movies. The antenna was $35 at Radioshack and it paid for itself in half a month! TV for $7.99 a month via Netflix isn’t a bad gig at all. Peace out Cable!

Ariel

January 24th, 2013
5:53 pm

We make phone calls via gmail (for free) and have AT&T 32 gig Internet for $30 a month to cover the other communication needs.

redcoat mom

January 24th, 2013
7:06 pm

@Ann Hulu Plus

CheapSk8

January 24th, 2013
7:50 pm

I dropped cable and went with a $49 one time fee for Satellite Direct on my computer. I get over 100 channels to choose from in realtime. It’s not perfect, but works well.

Tim McGraw

January 24th, 2013
8:08 pm

I refuse to pay to watch my own tv that I bought and paid for. Dropped cable in 2006.
I have an iPad with the watchespn app for sports.
Go Gators !
I use my sister’s log in and password from her cable provider and can get most all cable content online.
There’s a study out that proves the more hours of television watched in a household,the bigger the idiot you are.
Needless to say,I don’t watch much tv .
I prefer to read,listen to great music.
TV turns my brains to oatmeal.

Don in Jax

January 24th, 2013
8:22 pm

Dropped Dish 3 1/2 years ago, and don’t miss it at all. I was spending $75 a month for a modest lineup of 150 channels of nothing worth watching. Now I pay $16 a month total for Hulu Plus and Netflix, have an outside antenna for local channels, and watch pretty much anything I want on my Roku box.

Cable/Dish is an overpriced poor quality product. So glad I’m done with it.

JD in Marietta

January 24th, 2013
8:28 pm

I too ditched cable..what a ripoff. I have an internet connection and NETFLIX at $8/mo and paid $30 one time only purchase for an HDTV antenna and watch about 20 local channels in HD for free. My life is no different.

bn

January 24th, 2013
8:32 pm

I ditched cable and Satalite 6..no make that 7 years ago..and I worked from home..to the person wondering how …you pick your poison, I did Qwest out of state and now AT & T here..sometimes you have to play the game and change providers or quit to get the good rate…my hole card if the price shoots up is maybe one of those wireless providers like Sprint you plug into USB port but I swear one day I will walk away from internet as I think it is TV x 1000 way more dangerous

I also totally agree with other poster..you get a much better picture with a HD antenna, sound is way better too, last year I had a weak moment and tried Uverse for 30 days…huge mistake, I could not get rid of it fast enough

Anyway I get 30 something channels with antenna, half of which are worth watching, I am unable to get NBC without losing most of the other channels but no biggie got over it, I use the library a lot for DVD’s and have the DVD plan with Netflix..I do NOT have Netflix streaming it is sub par in my book..I did it through Wii and the picture, interface and selection were all sorely lacking…

I do have Amazon prime that is another way to catch shows, better quality than Netflix for me,
Interesting to hear about Rouku box,,debated that as I am on my lap top too much as it is and just can not get into watching tv or movies on it..when I do Amazon prime I plug into TV with HDMI cable..I am curious about Hulu plus but happy how things are now with out it..\

But go to the library get a movie and a book..its free

Gus

January 24th, 2013
8:34 pm

We have a ROKU and pay $8.00 per month for Netflix. I read recently that HBO is working a similar to Netflix, plus they won the contract for all the Universal movies. Anyone still paying for cable is just plain ol’ getting ripped off.

C.J.

January 24th, 2013
9:07 pm

I dropped sorry Comcast in August. We have live in the same house for 4 years and never had a problem until February of 2012. The bill was always $130.00 every month which was high any way for Cable/Phone/Internet. Until February and the bill started to change to $167, $238, $174, $293 and than the big one for $336 and that when I was done. You can’t get anyone on the phone who knows what the hell they’re doing. So I had to go to the Comcast office in Atlanta to speak with someone. I spoke with everyone I could. At the end when I dropped Comcast they send the right bill. No thanks! I go to the library and get all the new and old movies, T.V. Shows, and workout videos for free. You can request any movie or whatever with no problem. My 10 year son loves it and is happy without Cable. We need to spend more time with our family than watching that mess on T.V. My money look and feels better in my pockets than theirs.

Internet Service from Cellphone

January 24th, 2013
10:02 pm

Use your cellphone as an internet hotspot. Make sure that you password protect it. Your provider should be able to walk you through the process of setting up your phone and turning on/off the hotspot or try settings, wireless & networks, tethering & portable hotspot. Once the phone is set up, make sure the hotspot is on. Then search for wireless connections on your computer (if windows, open the internet, double click on signal status bar in lower right corner to search for wireless networks), find hotspot and click connect, enter the name & password that you used to set up the hotspot on the phone and then surf away. I too work from home and use my phone to provide internet access. Only downside is if I take a call on the phone, it drops the internet. I have T-Mo. and a LG phone – its works brilliantly. Dropped the land line a few years ago. Next on list is to cut the cable cord.

DawgNole

January 24th, 2013
10:49 pm

Ernie Johnston
January 24th, 2013
9:25 am

NFL Games are only on cable / satellite channels, not the regular broadcast channels, from September thru December. Same for the college football games thru the first week in January, because you are limited to ESPN.
_________________

Don’t know where you’re getting your info from, but you’re dead wrong about this. There are college and NFL games on network TV (ABC, CBS, NBC, and/or FOX) every weekend during the football season. Those are in addition to the cable/satellite games.

Ann

January 24th, 2013
11:02 pm

The customer service we have gotten with Amazon Prime streaming has been awesome. Twice during the past year, we had issues streaming. In one instance, a movie came through with Spanish sub-titles, which Amazon doesn’t usually provide in movies. And, in the other instance, we had purchased a streaming movie on another family member’s account, instead of the account we have linked to the Roku (you can only have one Amazon Prime account linked to one Roku box at a time). To get customer service with Amazon, you can go to the website and request a phone call. Within 30 seconds, our phone rang, and an actual person was on the other end of the phone within another 30 seconds. Within a couple of minutes, we had a refund confirmation sent to our email and we were able to reorder the streaming movie. They have told me they don’t normally provide refunds of streaming movies, but depending on the situation, the person on the phone has the authority to do so at their discretion. And, each time they did so without pushing them. Awesome customer service experience with them, so far.

Atlanta Mom

January 24th, 2013
11:19 pm

Someone was asking,
Our Comcast internet with no cable was $70 per month for 12 whatever download. I had researched and netflix says you only need 3 whatevers, but most folks recommend 5 whatevers. Anyway, you can get 6 whatevers from Comcast for $50 a month. It works for us.

Atlanta Mom

January 24th, 2013
11:20 pm

Clark,
Great blog. Lots of good ideas here. Thanks

Steve-USA

January 24th, 2013
11:43 pm

I live at the top of Forsyth County and I have tried Clark’s antenna idea’s but I get zero reception where I am at. I even went to antennaweb.org and it gave results that I wouldn’t get any antenna reception where I live.

david

January 25th, 2013
12:04 am

I haven’t paid for television since 1995 and I watch a lot. Antenna reception has always been decent in metro Atl, and now with the internet and digital telivision, I have more than I can possibly consume. I have no nettfix or similar … still plenty.

FenderMan

January 25th, 2013
1:24 am

There are not a lot of music fans participating in this discussion. The lack of music programming via other sources keeps me tied to DirectTV. Other than Austin City Limits on PBS there is not a lot of music available through non-traditional sources. The Smithsonian channel (music documentaries) Palladia, VH1 Classic, Ovation, AXStv, DirectTV’s Audience network, CMT and GAC(which suck most of the time playing modern country music) are only available via cable or satellite. I could drop to the next package which is $15 bucks cheaper and lose VH1 Classic. I’m thinking about that. $65 for reliable HD and DVR services are worth it to me. And I get all the football games too. I’m staying old school for now.

woodrow

January 25th, 2013
5:06 am

I save massive dollars by NOT having a cell phone. Cell phones are more expensive than a landline. I just wait till I get home or to work to talk on the phone. While I agree that money can be saved by dropping cable, I would be hard pressed to find something to watch without it. I am very picky about what I waste my time watching.

Atlanta Nate

January 25th, 2013
5:18 am

You can watch every sporting match in the world via this website: http://www.thefirstrow.eu/. Connect your laptop/pc to your TV. The down side is there is a lot of pop-up advertising that can be “graphical” if you know what I mean. To get around this, click on an icon in the viewer that changes the view to full screen and no more pop ups. I have been getting my “sports fix” this way for the past year for FREE! I was able to see any NFL game from any market.

Mom in the suburbs

January 25th, 2013
7:31 am

Cable was cancelled 2 years ago, and my 3 kids’ grades improved considerably. More time is spent at the local library. We do use NetFlix and each child gets to watch 2 movies each week as long as their grades stay up, and time on the Internet is strictly monitored. I wish I had all that money back I wasted on cable TV !

Z747

January 25th, 2013
7:40 am

@Carrie… I am in the same situation that you are in… my apt complex includes the cable and internet with the rent… they started doing it last year with Comcast… so I am forced to pay $100 a month for cable and internet in addition to my rent….. I would like to know if it legal for to take place. I have talked to management over and over again… everyone in my complex is upset about it.. but no one will give us a straight answer….. I have noticed that ALOT of apt complexes in Atl are doing that … for example… they will say that the apt is $850 but then when they include the cable and internet(that they stress is required in order to live there) the total is $950…. so unfair…. WHAT CAN WE DO!

Stan

January 25th, 2013
7:43 am

Feels like a big step at first, but you can do without. And let’s be honest, TV programming is a wasteland. MAYBE 5% of the shows feed your mind. The rest is an opiate for the masses.

you are a coward

January 25th, 2013
8:27 am

Are you concerned how legislators can shut down a legal matter with a simple letter to the court? Imagine a legislator representing a mentally ill person such as some of the people that pose a physical threat to society. If requested, these people will never have to go to court for a simple legal fee!!! In light of all of the shootings around this country we need to expose the legal abuse of family/probate court by legislators. We are profiling a case in which a state legislator filed stays for 2 years on 2 probate matters in Union County.,Georgia ( he practices law 7 hrs away?? hmmm). One being a competency hearing in which his client ( that he delayed the hearing for) was found in his driveway in Blairsville this past weekend after his part time wife (long term mistress) left him Saturday morning. The man spent THE NIGHT LAYING IN HIS DRIVEWAY UNTIL HE WAS FOUND THE NEXT DAY. The wife did not contact family for 48 HOURS to let them know what had happened while he lay in th hospital. Neurologists had warned the courts that this could happen yet the courts were rendered powerless by OCGA 9-10-150. We need to abolish OCGA 9-10-150 at the lease when it comes to competency hearings and probate matters involving children. With all of the recent shootings I would think this society be best served with some changes in OCGA 9-10-150 also known as legislative stays. Will be posting all stay letters in regards to this case as well as correspondence from the Decatur office attorney in coming days. Stay tuned. Thanks to everyone including the family members for all of the support. It’s over 125 page so be patient. we are exploring different apps that can post such large documents.

Lt Col Razorback

January 25th, 2013
8:41 am

Being the unconventional type that I am, I approached my cable TV bill problem backwards. Whereas Comcast advertises to “Ditch the dish”, I chose to “Ditch the cable” in favor of the dish. I was paying over $200 per month for cable TV and high-speed internet service. Admittedly, I had the most expensive “basic” service and ALL of the premium movie channels (HBO, Cinemax, Encore, Stars, and TMC, etc.). I also used Dish Network because it has 2 foreign language (Russian) channels and I have a Russian-only speaker in my household. I subscribed to all of the premium movie channels because everyone in my family is a “movie junky”. I opted to replace Comcast TV AND Dish Network with DirectTV satellite. But I kept Comcast high-speed internet because they have the fastest internet service available (according to BestBuy’s Geek Squad). With DirectTV, I still have the most expensive “basic service but I also get 7 Russian language channels instead of only 2. It’s still too soon to tell how much my monthly TV expenses will be reduced, but I expect to save between $50 and $100 per month. The one down-side to Direct TV I’ve noticed is that their touted “Direct Demand with over 10,000 movies and shows” are almost 98% pay-per-view (PPV). So, if I overdo watching the PPV movies I love, my savings will be very little. The other down side is the 2 year contract required by Direct TV.

DawgNole

January 25th, 2013
8:45 am

SARA
January 24th, 2013
11:39 am

Sold, will call AT&T and get the internet and drop old Comcast and their 150.00 per month tv and internet package. Will buy the Roku box and save me lots of money. Thanks all for your input.
______________________

Smart move to drop Comcast. Not so sure AT&T is a better alternative; haven’t you heard all the horror stories about them relative to this recent lengthy AT&T/Uverse outage covering multiple states?

MarkSmith1

January 25th, 2013
8:45 am

Howard, to get the most out of over the air TV, you need a DVR of some kind. Until recently, there were a number of models made around 2005 that you could buy that got schedules using TVGOS. Last Novemeber, Rovi stopped broadcasting TVGOS nationally and now these units are useless. Everyone has been scrambling to get DVRs that get their scheduling from the internet. TIVO units work, but charge a monthly fee for scheduling. The best alternative is a dedicated Win7 PC running Windows Media Center (comes with Win7 free) and a receiver such as SilconDust. You need a great antenna too such as quad bow tie DB4E /w preamp such as CM-7777. With PC you can watch hulu.com too (most DVD,Roku only pickup hulu plus for $).

PM

January 25th, 2013
8:48 am

Most of my weekend TV watching is done via Roku. Twit.tv is hard to beat. But most of my weeknight TV is on cable channels you can’t get with an OTA antenna. History, H2, TruTV, sometimes A&E. I never watch anything on any broadcast channel. I’ve tried. My OTA antenna picks up about 60 channels. No kidding. But nothing I want to actually watch. So I stay with DirecTV at close to $90 a month just to get the handful of channels I want. It’s not a situation I like -and should some sort of financial mess hit me, the DirecTV is going to be the first cost I cut, that is a promise.

Tommy

January 25th, 2013
8:52 am

Stay away from ComCast.Worst corporation I have ever had to deal with.

Bikerchick

January 25th, 2013
8:58 am

@Fenderman – Roku is the answer to your music needs, that and a $10 a month subscription to MOG. MOG allows you to search for albums, artists, etc. and play and download all the music you want for free. You can play it through your television with the Roku, download unlimited music to your phone and you will rarely find a song or artist that isn’t on MOG. Palladia is also on the Roku. The Roku also has a lot of music channels that stream live performances. Go to Roku.com and check out all of the music channels available for free.

MarkSmith1

January 25th, 2013
9:01 am

With my outside antenna and preamp in Lilburn, I pickup 84 channels. Recently 5 new encrypted channels popped up. Starz is running a trial with over the air encrypted transmission. Wonder what it costs. To see what stations you can pickup and what direction they are relative to your house, go to http://www.antennaweb.org/ Get a quad bow tie DB4E or or similiar channel master /w preamp then point it downtown Atlanta. I like WANN’s subchannel THIS 32.9.

Cammi317

January 25th, 2013
9:22 am

We ditched cable/satellite going on 4 years ago. At the time, we only had Netflix. Now we have monthly subscriptions to Netflix and Hulu Plus. Additionally, I pay $79 annually for Amazon Prime (which averages to about $6.25/mo). A couple of months ago, I almost signed up for one of Comcast’s holiday deals, because there are a few shows that I would like to be able to watch live such as The Walking Dead and Mad Men. I made at least 4 appointments between November and December to have service cut on and cancelled everytime because I would get sick to my stomach when I thought about paying for cable. In the end, I believe that I made the right decision to continue without it.

Cammi317

January 25th, 2013
9:23 am

Forgot to add we watch it all via Roku or directly from our computers.

R

January 25th, 2013
9:38 am

When I moved from Kennesaw into Atlanta in 2009, I decided to cut the cord and strictly go the antenna route since most Atlanta channels come in pretty clear in the city (except when planes/helicopters fly overhead). When I moved to Decatur in 2011, I was turned on to the Roku. All of my needs are satisfied through antenna television, Netflix and Hulu Plus. Never going back unless I move somewhere where broadcast reception is terrible, and even then …

Ann

January 25th, 2013
9:44 am

@ Marksmith1 – We haven’t found a need yet for a DVR, since we can find enough tv shows of interest via Roku and Hulu Plus. We are not tv junkies, though, as we do lots of other things in our free time.

@ DawgNole – We have dsl via AT&T (Bellsouth formerly) and are in metro Atlanta. We did not have any outages during the recent issue that involved Uverse. As far as sports access, it seems like most or perhaps all Sundays, there were usually 2 NFL games on over the air antenna. All or the majority of Falcons games were on a local station, usually followed by another NFL game on one of the local stations. There were only a couple of times during the past few years that we were not able to watch sports of interest (during part of the London Olympics, in regards to less prominent sports that were not being shown on the local NBC station, and a particular Major League Baseball playoff game). Neither issue was worth paying extra for. There are options for subscribing to baseball playoff watching; however, you need to read the fine print about restrictions, blackouts and time delay, etc., as that can vary depending on what geographic area you are in. There were a lot of complaints online during the London Olympics about the lack of alternative viewing access (in the U.S.) to the Olympics. I think, eventually, they will figure out a way to tap into the alternative market and pair it up with the advertising, but for now, they are sticking with the traditional delivery method. If you were “out of the U.S.”, you could watch the Olympics on mobile and other alternative devices. Inside the U.S., you could not.

j

January 25th, 2013
10:05 am

What was the point of this article? Complete waste of time . . .

DirecTV for 15 years and love it

January 25th, 2013
11:22 am

I love high definition, have 7 TVs and HD receivers. Daughter records all her programs on her TV, wife all her stuff on her TV and I record all my sports and documentaries on mine. TV is a source of great entertainment for all of us and worth the $140 I pay a month for that. I love Encore to watch older movies in great clarity without commercials. I love classic sports and watched my team play in a game in 1999 which I loved. We are not couch potatoes, all have busy productive lives but when it’s time for sports, I get it all. When it’s time for a classic movie for the family, we huddle around and watch that. I don’t have time for the machinations and digging up programming when it’s all there with DirecTV. We rarely go to movies but when we do it’s a movie we all can watch and maybe go to dinner afterwards. So we made the decision that getting DirecTV was a small price to pay so we all can choose what we want to watch when we want to watch it either individually or together. I am very cost conscious, but I didn’t want to take away a great way to take advantage of all the great programming available. I grew up with three TV stations that gave you no option but that irritating, over the top Milton Berle. I did love Superman and the Lone Ranger, though. But now I can still watch Superman, The Lone Ranger, every kind of sports, the whole world of documentaries, movies, even the Andy Williams Christmas collection which was the best. By the way, I live in Athens, GA and there is no local broadcast.

Brad

January 25th, 2013
11:31 am

I hate that I can’t choose the channels a la carte. Cause i get like 200 but only have like 5-6 turned on a given week. It’s like buying a cd back in the 90’s cause of one song on it that you really wanted. Of course now i can buy it for pennies.

George

January 25th, 2013
11:33 am

Since I live 40 miles south of Atlanta,I couldn’t get very good reception.I had to go with satelite.But recently I bought an antenna capable of picking up 90 miles in all directions.It is mounted on the chimney (highest point on the house).Now I can pick up Atlanta,Macon and Columbus So long sateliite after contract ! !

Ann

January 25th, 2013
11:38 am

@j – The point of the article was in the first sentence “Have you cut the cord from pay tv yet?” In other words, Clark asking readers if they have done it, how they did it, how’s it going, pros and cons, etc. Then, readers can learn and get ideas from others’ experience. If the topic doesn’t interest you or you are not considering cutting the cord, then don’t read the article.

Kristen

January 25th, 2013
11:48 am

This may be a niave question…but, if the switch is made to HULU or Netflix, what do you do with your TV? Is it streamed to the TV?

Ann

January 25th, 2013
11:50 am

@ Brad – Your comparison to buying songs is exactly right. Eventually, cable companies will have to alter their structure to be more like I-Tunes, where you can just purchase the channels you want. Right now, people are paying for a lot of waste to get the few channels they desire. These companies are like dinosaurs fighting off extinction as hard as they can. But, for now, they have enough wealth and power within their media conglomerates to control some of the available content. When we reach the “tipping point” of enough subscribers canceling and defecting, then you will start to see some a la carte choices.

Ann

January 25th, 2013
11:56 am

Yes, it is streamed to the TV, if that is where you want to watch or you can watch on your computer or both. If you go to hulu.com, they have information on what devices/equipment you need to stream to the TV. Our setup uses a Roku device, which is a very small box, about the size of a cell phone, and a cable that connects it to the TV. You can also use other devices, such as play stations, blu-ray devices, etc. And some of the newest tv’s have built-in streaming capabilities. Setup was very easy for the Roku. We got ours at Fry’s and the worker was helpful in explaining what we needed. There are some initial one-time costs, but the setup totaled about two months worth of cable bills.

Ann

January 25th, 2013
11:58 am

@ Kristen – forgot to include your name, but my previous post at 11:56 was in answer to your question.

Ann

January 25th, 2013
11:58 am

@ Kristen – forgot to include your name, but my previous post at 11:56 was in answer to your question.

Kristen

January 25th, 2013
12:03 pm

Ann—-Thanks for your answer. So I can hook the computer up to the TV via the Roku device and then select away? Will the sitting on the sofa and channel sufing stop then? Can you select multiple shows and have htem come on back to back? I’m very curious about this and would love to save money, but before this article, I didn’t have too many details. I’m on the computer all day at work and it’s the last thing I want to look at when I get home in the evening, so I’m hoping this change isn’t really a big deal to do. Thanks.

Nicole Pittman

January 25th, 2013
12:06 pm

The best internet is Clearwire. best ever since I been using internet service I need it for my home school. cable now thats a brainer because we have dish its pretty good.

tm

January 25th, 2013
1:04 pm

i ditched cable last year and it was the best thing i have ever done! i purchased a roku and pay monthly for netflix (i don’t really need) and hulu plus (which i love). bye bye $90 hello $15.

Ann

January 25th, 2013
1:06 pm

@ Kristen – I’m not an expert yet in all the Roku features, but it comes with a remote, so you can still sit on your sofa and channel surf. The Roku uses your Internet connection, but you don’t technically connect your computer to the Roku. Roku can either access your in-home internet connection wireless or with Ethernet cable. Personally, we do an Ethernet connection, but our router is in another part of the house and we don’t want to run cables that far. So, we have one of those adapter devices that you plug into any electrical outlet in your home that uses the home wiring to then connect to your router. Once you plug that device in, which you can buy for $30 or 40, you just plug an Ethernet cable into it and then into the Roku and you have Internet access. Of course, many people who have “wireless” internet in their home don’t need this Ethernet connection. We prefer Ethernet cable, as some think it is faster.

If you have wireless set up in your home, then you just need the Roku box and whatever cable is needed to connect to your tv from the Roku (the store you get the Roku from should be able to help you with that). It may vary depending on how old your tv is and what kinds of connections you have on your tv for video/audio (hdmi, etc.). I would check your TV first and see what cable connection labels you have on the back of it and take that information to the store with you (or take the manual that came with your tv).

Also, please note that there are different models of Roku, so you need to know whether you want to set it up wireless, ethernet, or be able to do both, and get the model that includes what you want.

As far as channel surfing, with Roku, there is a long list of potential channels. Once you have a Roku, you can log in on your computer and “pick” which channels you want to display on your Roku. So, that will sort of structure your scrolling, and you can add and delete channels. Once you have your menu of channels, you use the remote to scroll around and pick Hulu, Netflix, Facebook, Shutterfly, news channels, etc. There is a list of channels available on the Roku website. I don’t know about picking “back to back” shows specifically, but you can add things to your instant watching queue, when logged into services like Netflix or Amazon Prime, for example, and those que items show up in specific menu areas you access with your remote. And, there is a Search feature with the Roku that finds shows/movies if you don’t know which service offers it. You can search for movies with the Roku remote or you can log in on your computer and go to netflix or whatever site and search for them that way. Once you add it to your queue on your computer, it also appears on the roku.

Also, when you watch a tv show that is an ongoing series, for example, with Hulu Plus, when you finish one episode, it automatically brings up the next one in the series for you to watch if desired. Sometimes it remembers where I left off a day or two later, but sometimes it doesn’t and you have to go back and select the proper episode.

With the Roku, you do have to link up your pay services to the box with an initial simple login/code setup that connects your pay services like Netflix to the Roku.

Erin

January 25th, 2013
1:07 pm

We recently ditched cable and are using an HD antenna for broadcast channels. Reception is great and we use Netflix for any shows we can’t “live” without. We also changed providers for our internet which dropped our cost. Now our internet bill is less than $30 a month vs. the $150 we payed before for (slower) internet/cable. Shop around if you can- switching providers does save you money. When college football starts, use the money use save to watch in a restaurant/bar!

Ann

January 25th, 2013
1:19 pm

@ Kristen – A couple of other things. If you are used to using the “Source” button on your tv remote to switch from dvd player to your cable tv, the Roku is just another Source level. So, with our tv remote, we have the “over the air” antenna channels, then hit source until we see the Roku. Once there, you use the Roku remote.

Also, if you have Amazon Prime linked to your Roku, some movies and tv shows are “free” and some have rental fees. When you search for a movie on the Roku and it finds it with Amazon, it will tell you up front if it is free or a fee. And, if it is a fee, you have to put in a password or code with the Roku remote to purchase it. It is just a simple password of a few digits.

It was all pretty simple to setup and to use. We had to reset the box settings once during the past two years.

If your tv has an hdmi cable input to hook up the roku, that can give you better quality, but it is not necessary, as component cables will also work. You don’t have to buy an expensive hdmi cable. And, we only needed a short one as the Roku box sits right by the tv.

Nomoretvantenna

January 25th, 2013
1:23 pm

Rocku and Hulu is the new wave. I first learned of airnet when visiting my mother in the hospital.

Jed

January 25th, 2013
2:20 pm

Cut the cable years ago. Was getting Internet through Comcast, but they’re a TERRIBLE company.

CLEAR WiMax is the best way to go for Internet if you’re in the coverage area. Google them for more. I pay $45 a month for fast wireless connection and it came right out of the box … never had a problem with it (which is less than I can say for Comcast).

So $45 for high-speed Internet with Clear + $8 Netflix streaming + antenna picking up 30-plus channels in digital high-def = one happy media consumer.

I only miss ESPN and Food Network … but my life doesn’t really revolve around TV.

Jenna@Powder Springs

January 25th, 2013
2:43 pm

Ditched cable 5 years ago. Haven’t missed it once. We watch football over the air with an antenna in 1080p HD. If it’s not on a local over the air channel, we don’t watch it. No netflix or hulu subscriptions either. We pay Zero per month for TV. We use AT&T stand alone internet high speed for about $29 plus tax, etc. and can stream lots of content very nicely straight to our Ginormous tv’s.

Ann

January 25th, 2013
2:55 pm

@ jenna@powder springs – Are you streaming from particular sites? If so, which ones?

jim

January 25th, 2013
2:57 pm

Cut the cable last year. The only thing I miss is the golf channel. For college football I watch espn3, or if it is blacked out go to the local bar and watch it there. For Internet it is ATT 32 meg connection (fasssssssssssssssst Hulu is good for Lifetime movies and Crackle is good for Seinfeld. There’s always Piratebay if you feel like downloading the newest movie (takes about 4 minutes on mine)

Tiffany Carmen

January 25th, 2013
2:58 pm

I do not have cable. I have a Clear mi-fi for wireless. It works really well.

Andy

January 25th, 2013
3:11 pm

One of the things that has made cutting the cord possible is the Watch ESPN app either on IPad, IPhone, or XBox 360. If you have a friend or family member who does have actual cable tv access through a major carrier, you can use their password to access all ESPN network programming. This eliminates the ESPN problem for anyone looking to drop cable.

Kim

January 26th, 2013
6:33 pm

Just dropped DISH and now have Netflix. My DISH bill had gone up to $60 a month and now I am paying $8 a month for Netflix. Couldn’t be happier.

Tee Yung

January 28th, 2013
12:47 am

Apple TV is another great option that I am looking into now. It is only 99 dollars and you have the capability of streaming netflix and hulu Plus content and anything else from your Itunes account. Please google it. This is a great way to save money. You will require subscriptions to NBA, MLB, NHL, and netflix, but it is way cheaper than paying 100 dollars per month in taxes and fees to a cable company. Plus you can watch TV shows off of Netflix without commercials. Thank you Mr. Howard for bringing this to my attention. I told the kids, for 1000 plus dollars a year, we can travel and do more than pay a cable company. They are teens and have no problem because they can access their favorite shows online via Apple TV.

Clark Howard: It’s not so easy to cut cable or satellite TV

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Clark Howard: It’s not so easy to cut cable or satellite TV

189 comments Add your comment

We’ve Moved!

About Atlanta Bargain Hunter

One Subscription. Total Access.

Search this blog

Recent Posts

Archives

From the AJC

Quick Guide to Deals, Saving & Your Money

Rewatch Our Live Video Chats

Catch Our Popular Weekday Specials

Back-to-school: Deals and savings tips

Travel Deals From Clara Bosonetto Maerz

Plan the Ideal Wedding, Without Overspending

Categories

A few other AJC blogs you'll like

Fresh Deals, Bargains & Special Finds

Sites & Blogs with Advice, Help, Wisdom

Two great e-books, from the Atlanta experts

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Subscribe »

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Advertising

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