Ellie Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We spent several days with dd and dsil (and the cutest baby boy in the entire known world. Just sayin'...). They have a dedicated laptop for their television and watch Internet (such as Hulu) and Netflix exclusively. Way less expensive than cable or satellite. Has anyone else done that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Mom Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 That is exactly what I would do if it wasn't for the sports and my guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 Actually, we were just discussing this ourselves. My family LOVES sports. It is proven by the HOURS we have just spent over the last couple of weeks parked in front of the World Cup and Wimbledon! However, I'm sick of paying for T.V.! Our satellite is rolled into our phone plan, it's actually *cheaper* to have it, in our package (weird), but I am trying to figure out if I can make out better just dumping my land line altogether and using cell phones. This means the satellite will go too...as well as internet. I can keep DSL with my phone company for a little over $50/month, but someone was just telling me they use a wireless card. I'm going to look into that and see if that will be less. We have netflix. I need to figure out how to hook up my laptop to the TV so we can watch Hulu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We have basic cable (24 channels) and Netflix (with the Wii). The dc do Hulu occassionally. It works fine for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanda7 Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We have been without satellite for over a year now. We do hulu.com and netflix, but we also have a digital converter card + computer to record over-the-air like a TIVO (with no subscription costs). It works out great for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommaOfThree Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We just when this route about two months ago. We ordered a ROKU and now stream anything we want to watch. Now instead of $40+, we are only paying $9.99 for Netflix and streaming all the other free channels ... Love It! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 One possible side-effect.... - can't watch any tv show with commercials! I have attention-deficient-tv-viewing-disorder! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We have been cable/satellite-free for over a year and a half. DH does miss the sports channels, especially around World Series time, but we are able to use some of the money we save on tickets to live sporting events so he doesn't complain too much. We have a Mac mini/TV setup. To be even more frugal we also do the 'lite' internet service ($20 a month, rather than $55). Occasionally video streams are slow or choppy, but most of the time we can watch Hulu or Netflix with no problems. The rare problems are worth the amount of $$ we save. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 I have zero channels and the only thing I miss is the local weather during storms (tornados). We had only those channels we could get through antenna, but when the stations changed last year, we never set it up to get the new type. We get lots of movies from the library. I watch tv shows online (hulu or the actual station's site, like abc.com). And we still manage to watch too much tv:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 One possible side-effect.... - can't watch any tv show with commercials! I have attention-deficient-tv-viewing-disorder! :D LOL! So true!! My attention span for all commercials is now about 20 seconds:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 No satellite, no cable for 18 months. We are in a pocket of no digital-TV-over-the-air reception. We haven't succumbed to Netflix yet. Dd15 watches some shows through hulu. We play a lot of Wii and get movies from the library. We also share movies throughout the family with my dad and my sister's family. We do not miss tv at all :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 www.TVPC.com Under "United States" Channels they even have a "Boogervision" channel for children! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We do this. We haven't missed "TV." btw - regarding storm coverage: I use my laptop, unplugged. Last storm, I watched the satellite rader as the storm passed over. LOL at TV ADD, but I HATE having commercials when my dc watch....LOATHE hearing "Mommy, I want...Mommy, can I have....". ds7 asked for that silly mulching tool after watching kids cartoons one day...."Dude, you are 4yo and you don't garden!!!":lol: Do it!!! You won't miss TV! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Goldwater Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 Cable was not available here when we moved here (too far into the sticks), Satellite is commonplace now. We used just broadcast TV - CBS, NBC, ABC & PBS - and video/dvd rentals. When the analog-to-digital conversion came in june 2009, we just said, 'na...we prefer not to' and the last broadcast I saw in my home was the Pittsburgh Penguins hoisting the Stanley Cup. We have internet over the DSL (phone line). Got Netflix subscription & instant-play on the TV via Roku (you can also use Nintendo WII and PS3, I think). The technology is seamless...no jittering or blank-out images, ever. I think in a year we had ONE 5 minute interruption in service...that's it...my in-laws DISH is DOA if it rains hard:001_huh: Now, a year later, the video store is out of business, we watch MORE TV than we used to, but it's a BETTER EXPERIENCE...I found out that the show LOST actually makes sense when you can watch 4 episodes in a row, on InstantPlay! I found out that it takes 43 min. to watch a 1 hr show. I found shows like 'Bill Cosby's FAT ALBERT' and Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' which I would NEVER find in a video store. ALSO - 100% agree with ZERO TOLERANCE for commercials. When we visit family/friends that have the DISH NETWORK or whatever, I am SHOCKED at the number of commercials, AND THE 30 MINUTE INFO MERCIALS!!! No exageration, I flipped through 25 channels quickly (I'm a man:)) and there were 25 commercials on EVERY channel...and you pay $64.00 / month for this?????????????????? NOW SPORTS...I listen to the radio, if I really care. We watch the Superbowl at my inlaws, who have a dish. And I watch internet news for highlights if I want to 'see' something. IMHO, you will have no regrets if you ditch the dish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie in OR Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We've never had cable or satellite; only use Hulu (just recently discovered Lost :w00t:) or rent DVDs. The only things we miss are sports and news. But two good things have come from this: we get invited over to our friends' houses regularly to watch sports because they feel sorry for us and I actually get things done because I would watch Fox News 24/7 if we had it as I have zero self-control :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannatheshedevil Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We have Netflix and other than that, we just watch stuff on hulu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in AZ Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We bought a Roku this spring and love it! We use the $8.99 subscription to Netflix and can purchase television episodes and movies through amazon.com video on demand to watch on our tv. I also watch some things on hulu.com for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renabeth Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 Got rid of the satellite 5 yrs ago, it was the best thing i ever did! Now I just get ABC and PBS, but they are free and in hi-def. With all the stuff on tv now, two channels is enough for us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We got rid of satellite right after our daughter was born, so almost 2 years ago. We use netflix and hulu and a variety of other websites. We bought PlayOn for our Wii for $20 and now we can stream all of what we watch onto our television. It's a little more of a pain, but WAY cheaper, and for us, it was worth it. Plus, we watch a lot less tv now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 Dh grew up without television and I grew up with a Dad who watched too much television, so we planned to never have it ourselves. We've been married 7 years, and only had cable for 2 years because it was only $5 over our Internet cost. We still only watched 3 TV series, but we taped about 200 movies during those 2 years! We haven't had TV for 3 years now and love it. If we find out about a TV series we want to watch, we either watch it online or wait until it is on DVD and buy it. We are planning to get Netflix soon, as both of our local video stores just went out of business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 Go go go for it! We got rid of cable and installed a digital receiver antenna last summer. Saved $70 a month... We do most of our watching via streaming Netflix (through the PS3) or just right on the computer. Our digital receiver antenna receives all of the major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, a few independents and FIVE PBS stations - kids, create, world, VeMe (spanish-language) and standard PBS. We're in the process of moving to VA, and we are going to make an offer to the landlord of our new rental home if she'll pay for the dish, we'll pay for the installation. We marketed our "free TV" on the home we own here in the desert, and people were amazed and intrigued. We watch FAR LESS TV than we ever did with cable, but our viewing habits are much more focused. We decide to watch a show, not decide to watch TV...KWIM? Sitting here in the hotel, if we want to watch something, we click and click and click...there's so much "nothing" out there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 Yes and we do not miss it at all:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We did several months ago and it's so nice! We have several free local channels (all the major networks) and we bought a Roku box so we can stream Netflix and Amazon on Demand, as well as a lot of other stations (that I haven't even checked out, tbh). We also use our computer with a cord to the tv if we want to watch something not available from Netflix; some of the major networks have full episodes available online right after they air on tv. After a lot of research, primarily here, we made the decision. The only thing I really miss is the 24/7 cable news shows. But I can get that info pretty much anywhere else, so it's not worth going back to the monthly bill, really. One poster tagged a bunch of threads with words like "ditching cable" and "roku" and such. You might try a search of those tags - tons of really helpful info in those threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spradlin02 Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 DO IT. Kill the TV. Throw it out the window. I love to anytime I get a chance. My god I love this wonderfully prescient movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britomart Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 We don't get any TV channels over the air. Our TV is just for DVDs and Netflix. It's great! If we really want to watch something, we find it online or wait for it to come out on DVD. No commercials! No temptation to turn it on just to "see what's on." We keep up on the news with online news-sources and the radio. (I find if I switch between NPR and the local conservative talk radio, I get a good idea of what's going on - coverage from both sides. It's nice.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 I don't have cable or a satellite, just over-the-air channels. Generally it's enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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