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Weekend Open Forum: Time to cut the cable TV cord?
Granted, there are going to be trade-offs as not everything is available online -- at least not legally. But with cable and satellite bills going up every year, and the fact that a lot of people probably watch less than a dozen channels from their 150+ channel packs, something's gotta give. Then there's the fact that with the digital TV switchover last year, those in the U.S. can enjoy some pretty good quality over-the-air broadcast channels for free using HD antennas.
We don't expect people to cut the cord in droves just yet, as for the most part, 'normal' people simply can’t be bothered with setting things up or learning a new device. But being the tech-savvy folks you are, we want to ask you: are you ready to give up cable? Or if you've already done so, what is your current setup?
User Comments: 57
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I cut cable about 10 years ago and never really missed it. There have been a few things that I have wanted, so I recently set up an HTPC using some old hardware I had lying around and just purchased additional RAM for it and a graphics card that was compatible with my big screen TV.
Just using free services like Hulu, ESPN360 (free with my internet service, not everyone has this) and Crackle I can catch a good number of movies and TV shows without paying any extra for them. The one paid for service I'm looking at is some of the online sports viewing packages like MLB.tv. In this case my teams are not the local teams, so if I wanted to watch all of their games where I live I'd need to buy those services anyway.
In the end I don't miss live TV at all, never really did. But I'm enjoying seeing some TV using the online services and I'm saving over $40 a month doing it this way.
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After the cable company tried to raise price on my triple-play promotion after one year and swear to me that I had to pay the full price, I cut the cord and wen with hulu and netflix and I never looked back.
A couple weeks later a sales manager from the cable company called me back and offered me the triple-play for $69, I thanked him for giving me an opportunity to discover the world beyond what the cable company has to offer and hung up on him.
Boy that fell great after unleashed that cable tied around my neck.
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All the sports area available online, including the NFL if they play this season. Its amusing that everyone is arguing sports when the sports content is better online. The interaction is better, availability, play back options. The Nascar pass lets you sit in all the drivers cars and listen to them talk trash. You could spend a few hundred dollars a year on sports, cut the cord and get everything you get now for free. There is such a lack of education on Cord cutting, someone with some intelligence on the subject needs to start a blog or something.
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I would dump cable in a heartbeat, but I can't watch my team on MLB. If that ever happens, I am losing my $60/mo cable bill.
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For those of you who are dropping cable - how are you getting your internet access? DSL over the phone lines, or what?
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T77 said:
Gave up the cable tv a couple of years ago.I currently have a set top box/ direct to home using a satellite dish
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I use Hulu Plus. Only 8.50/month, I get to watch a ton of shows on my iPhone 4, laptop, PS3 or Blu-ray player. Well I dont get to watch on the PS3 but of course yall know why.
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