mommycheryl Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 (This is not about the pros or cons of TV.) If you have cut cable or satellite, how do you still watch TV? I know we can get the digital converter and get our local networks, get netflicks and stream to the Wii and watch online. Is there a way to get online shows, like off the USA Network site, to your TV? (Much more comfortable seating facing the TV:)) Also, aside from the digital antenna, can you still utilize multiple TV? We have one on another level of the house. I'm not a techie person, but I want to cut the cable, more able $$ than principle, but I also want to decrease the screen time used here. Thanks for any help. Cheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeFe Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We have the digital antenna for local channels. We use Hulu and Netflix Streaming. There are some shows that we watch directly from the computer via the Network websites. We have Netflix through the Blu-ray and Xbox 360. You watch different movies on the different devices at the same time. We haven't missed cable at all. It did take a while to get used to - trying to figure out what we could watch and where but we've got it all figured out now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We have the digital antenna for local channels. We use Hulu and Netflix Streaming. There are some shows that we watch directly from the computer via the Network websites. We have Netflix through the Blu-ray and Xbox 360. You watch different movies on the different devices at the same time. We haven't missed cable at all. It did take a while to get used to - trying to figure out what we could watch and where but we've got it all figured out now. ditto except no xbox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Well, we never cut the cord.. we never had cable or satelite to begin with. We have 2 digital converter boxes. One in the master bedroom and one in the main living room. We have another T.V. in another family room/guest room that we never got one for when everything went digital. That T.V. has a DVD player and VCR still. Guests use it for movies when they stay over, or the kids use it for sleepovers. We sometimes watch T.V. shows on Hulu on the computer. We sometimes rent to watch a series on HBO we like. That's it here. The kids get edu videos from the library and have a good collection of kids movies. They mostly watch cartoons on Sat mornings and videos on the weekend. During the week their T.V. is limited to once or twice a week when there is a show we watch together as a family. Adults have more free reign after the kids are in bed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We have digital converter boxes on top of each television (we have two). We also use netflix and hulu. Netflix streams directly to our tv. For clips that are web-only, I plug my laptop into the tv via a HDMI cable. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripetetra Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We watch shows off the computer by hooking up the laptop to an HDMI cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We have netflix and hulu through our blue ray player. (We have Pandora, too, for music... highly recommended so far!) Anything that we want to watch that doesn't come from those, we hook a laptop up to the TV with some sort of thingie that DH does. ;-) I'm so not techy like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We just do netflix and we are only doing cd's right now until we get the internet set up at our new house. We get no digital reception here but I am ok with that I would watch endless sitcoms when I had digital reception at the old house. We are not big tv people so its not a huge deal to us. We do watch a lot of library dvd's and such too though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrshomework Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We do the same have not had cable in 4 years. We have our computer connected to our flat screen through an HDMI cord that is how we see Netflix. Some shows are available we still see some AMC and FX shows via Hulu, fancast, etc. Most shows you see after they have played like a week later but that doesn't bother me. In most cases you also get less commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We haven't cut the cord yet, but we're getting ready to. We had to make some changes to our budget due to an increase in our mortgage payment. When I called Directv to cancel, they gave us a deal we couldn't pass up. That deal is about to expire, so here's what we plan to do: We are going to get 2 Roku boxes (our bedroom and the family room are the only places anyone watches tv). We already have Netflix - the one dvd and unlimited streaming plan. We have Amazon Prime, which also gives us streaming, but we can't watch it on anything but our computers at this time. The Roku box will solve that problem. And we will probably sign up for Hulu plus. We have a blu-ray player and a Wii attached to one of the tv's, but it seems the $99 Roku box will give us more choices. We also have 2 digital converters we bought when they first came out, so we'll finally hook those up. I did the math, and the Roku boxes will pay for themselves in less than 3 months. After that, we'll be paying less than $25 a month for tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We never even set-up the digital antena. I think I'm going to ask DH about this. Although, I haven't missed network TV so I'm not sure it's needed. But we watch Netflix on the xbox and rent movies. Detox was a bit rough on everyone involved. It was hardest on me because I had an unhealthy relationship with my DVR. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zookeeperof3 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We gave up satellite a few years ago. We stream Netflix, hulu etc through a s video cable from the pc to the tv. We bought a antenna, we receive all of the network channels plus several pbs channels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mosaicmind Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We cut the cord almost 2yrs ago and just used the digital converter, unfortunately we could only get one channel. I got Sky Angel and we used it for almost a year, but still unhappy with spending $20/mo and only watching 2-3 of channels we were getting so we cut that too. Dh now has a great job and we got Direct TV, which is what he wanted. I would go back to no tv but he and the kids like having it and he is willing to spend the $29/mo. My son got netflix and I get Redbox movies every so often. I am on their text messaging list so I get a free redbox movie once a month. I have thought that maybe we could do something cheaper once this deal is up with direct tv but for now this is what we are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I pay $10/month to the cable company so I can get local channels (plus 2 tvs get OWN-the new Oprah Winfrey network, not sure why we get it but :001_smile:) We have a Roku box for watching Netflix and downloading videos from amazon.com. We also use Hulu to watch TV. TV watching has gone down at least 75% if not more. :D Plus the added benefit of not seeing commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommycheryl Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 Thank you for all the replies. I have one other question...is there a way to replace the dvr from the sat company? I really love the freedom of DVRing things and watching them later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Can I ask what deal you got? I am calling on Monday of next week (when our contract is up) to cancel our Directv.....I would like to know what to expect or hold out for. We will keep it as long as there is a fantastic deal, if not, we will let go! Thanks, Dawn We haven't cut the cord yet, but we're getting ready to. We had to make some changes to our budget due to an increase in our mortgage payment. When I called Directv to cancel, they gave us a deal we couldn't pass up. That deal is about to expire, so here's what we plan to do: We are going to get 2 Roku boxes (our bedroom and the family room are the only places anyone watches tv). We already have Netflix - the one dvd and unlimited streaming plan. We have Amazon Prime, which also gives us streaming, but we can't watch it on anything but our computers at this time. The Roku box will solve that problem. And we will probably sign up for Hulu plus. We have a blu-ray player and a Wii attached to one of the tv's, but it seems the $99 Roku box will give us more choices. We also have 2 digital converters we bought when they first came out, so we'll finally hook those up. I did the math, and the Roku boxes will pay for themselves in less than 3 months. After that, we'll be paying less than $25 a month for tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Tivo offers a paid subscription ($12/mo) for a DVR service. But you will have ot purchase the Tivo too. Tivo.com Dawn Thank you for all the replies. I have one other question...is there a way to replace the dvr from the sat company? I really love the freedom of DVRing things and watching them later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We cancelled DishNetwork today. It feels weird, but we've been planning this for months. We bought a computer that is dedicated to our big-screen TV, and a small, wireless keyboard. We have bookmarked all our favorite shows (the newest Explorer doesn't just add them to a list; it actually gives you the option to add them to your toolbar thingie, so that you can just click on their little icons), and we know where to find others if we want to. We also get NetFlix; between the DVDs for things that aren't instant-play, and the instant-play option, we're still going to be able to log enough TV time to keep us...well, me--Mr. Ellie doesn't watch as much as I do...going.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We dropped cable close to 6 years ago. Until this past Christmas, we had Netflix only (dropped from 3 videos to 2 videos at a time last year), and no way to stream to the TV. We did get the free converter when the government was offering them, primarily so that we could watch the inauguration. It's almost never used. My inlaws gave us a Roku for Christmas and it's opened a ton of options for us. We only have one tv, so multiple tvs aren't an issue. The Roku offers a lot of free channels. My daughter is ecstatic that we can get an anime channel (Crunchyroll) and a version of HGTV. We tried Amazon Prime videos for a month, but it's not worth it for us. We watch things that are streaming, get some TV shows that sound particularly interesting when they come out on DVD, etc. Honestly, we watch so much tv right now that I don't want to think about what we'd do if we had cable or satellite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We just got rid of our cable and DVR. We bought PlayOn which offers Hulu and CBS.com through the PS3. Between that and Netflix I am more than entertained for the bit that I watch TV and my kids are happy with the cartoon selection on Netflix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Can I ask what deal you got? I am calling on Monday of next week (when our contract is up) to cancel our Directv.....I would like to know what to expect or hold out for. We will keep it as long as there is a fantastic deal, if not, we will let go! Thanks, Dawn When I called them, it was with the intent to cancel, not get a deal. Bright House was going to give us a deal we could live with until we figured out what we wanted to do, so that was our plan. Also, the deal didn't start out so good, but it got better as I stood my ground. The Bright House deal would have cost around $45 a month for one year. We got a $150 credit, which amounted to 2 months free. After that we have 4 months at just over $33 a month when you add in all fees and taxes. We have Total Choice Plus, no premium movie channels. We have older tv's so we aren't paying for any HD service. We use an old dvd recorder, so no dvr subscription either. And of course, we aren't under contract for any equipment. I asked him if this deal would put us under a contract, and he said only equipment does that, not service (I checked to make sure that was true - it is). We've had Directv since 1998. I let the guy know that we were in no way unhappy with the service but that we had to cut expenses. He kept trying different things to get me to not cancel, and I kept telling him "I'm sorry but this isn't a choice". Finally he came to the deal above. He said since we're long time customers and they didn't want to lose us. I felt bad (but not too bad) knowing that we will cancel when the deal is up. Honestly, I think the way we watch tv - the way it's delivered to us - will change dramatically in the next 5 years or less. Cable and satellite companies haven't kept up with the change. They've continued to charge high prices and refused to offer a la carte. They will be left behind as streaming becomes more common in households. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 We tried Amazon Prime videos for a month, but it's not worth it for us. Yeah, I looked and there isn't big difference between what Netflix and Amazon offer. If we didn't already have Prime for other reasons, I wouldn't get it just for video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Netflix through our wii. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Yeah, I looked and there isn't big difference between what Netflix and Amazon offer. If we didn't already have Prime for other reasons, I wouldn't get it just for video. I think there's actually a lot more available on Netflix than I saw at least for the free videos on Amazon Prime. I had had hopes we could switch and save money in the long run, but it didn't look like it would work out that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Well, we were with them for 9 years, then left for a year, and now have been with them two years this time. I fully intend to cancel, the deal would have to be under $50/month for me to stay with no loss of service. We have total choice plus also with DVR service, total of 3 receivers, and HD. Although DH is free with this package. Cable offered me $33 for service for a year, plus $10 per DVR. HD is included with that. But I fully agree with you about TV changing soon. I have noticed more and more people dropping cable and heading to streaming, which makes sense. Dawn When I called them, it was with the intent to cancel, not get a deal. Bright House was going to give us a deal we could live with until we figured out what we wanted to do, so that was our plan. Also, the deal didn't start out so good, but it got better as I stood my ground. The Bright House deal would have cost around $45 a month for one year. We got a $150 credit, which amounted to 2 months free. After that we have 4 months at just over $33 a month when you add in all fees and taxes. We have Total Choice Plus, no premium movie channels. We have older tv's so we aren't paying for any HD service. We use an old dvd recorder, so no dvr subscription either. And of course, we aren't under contract for any equipment. I asked him if this deal would put us under a contract, and he said only equipment does that, not service (I checked to make sure that was true - it is). We've had Directv since 1998. I let the guy know that we were in no way unhappy with the service but that we had to cut expenses. He kept trying different things to get me to not cancel, and I kept telling him "I'm sorry but this isn't a choice". Finally he came to the deal above. He said since we're long time customers and they didn't want to lose us. I felt bad (but not too bad) knowing that we will cancel when the deal is up. Honestly, I think the way we watch tv - the way it's delivered to us - will change dramatically in the next 5 years or less. Cable and satellite companies haven't kept up with the change. They've continued to charge high prices and refused to offer a la carte. They will be left behind as streaming becomes more common in households. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 We don't have local channels where we are. We have one tv that is hooked up to the internet and we can watch netflix or hulu. We also have wireless internet in the house and several computers that we use to watch netflix or hulu or some shows right from the network websites. I think we are spoiled now, we get to pick what to watch when we want instead of checking to see what is being broadcast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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