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Cutting the Cord on Cable

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Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#11

Post by ams6110 »

zobzu wrote: post #10

What the author means is "goodbye TV" Cause many have to use cable to get a decent internet in the US, still. Sadly its usually called Comcast (but it does offer Internet-only - even thus its very expensive and internet+tv isn't much more expensive)

I'm on Comcast and Internet-only costs MORE than Internet+TV. So I have the basic TV package as well as basic internet. I also call them every 6 months or so and threaten to quit and they will offer to put me on a "new subscriber" discount rate (lowered monthly rate for 6 months).

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#12

Post by ams6110 »

watty wrote: post #6

The author claims he cut cable yet pays $340/year to get NFL Sunday Ticket on his PS3 - really? The only reason I still have cable is for ESPN. They have live sports that are exclusive to ESPN and the only way to get ESPN is to have cable.

Yeah I cut the extended subscription last year and no longer have ESPN which I sorely miss but am living without. If I could have a-la carte channels I would definitely be back on board, as there are about half-a-dozen channels I would be willing to pay to get, without 150 other crap channels.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#13

Post by hieronymusN »

But where is the author getting his internet service from?

For instance, I live in Brooklyn, and the only reliable high-speed internet service is via Time Warner Cable. I currently get their WideBand service (50mbps down) bundled with basic cable and an VOIP phone I never use in a 12-month promotion. This costs me $118 p/mo. When that 12-month period was up I called to cancel stuff and they extended that promotion for another 12 months.

If I subscribed to just the internet service, it would cost me $95 p/mo and that's before the taxes and fees, so it would come to about the same I am paying now.

The only other player for internet service in my area is Clear 4G WiFi which is a joke when it comes to speed.

So basically, I'm stuck with cable for internet service, and through effective bundle pricing the missus can still watch Housewives of * on the big telly.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#14

Post by GuiA »

I barely watched TV as a kid/teenager living with my parents (it helped that cable isn't that popular in France, where I'm from- most people are content with the 5 free national channels, which are now completed by 15 or so more through the free TNT service); so when I moved out, I never missed it and as such I have never had TV since.

Semi-exception to that, an ex-girlfriend of mine moved at some point in an apartment with cable TV- the difference in the quality of our relationship with or without the TV was noticeable. Without TV, we'd go more out of our way to cook, find things to do, play games, etc.. With TV, a lot of evenings were spent just on the couch staring blankly at the screen (well, I would be programming on the couch while she would be watching TV).

It's a very subjective experience, of course, but all of that makes me feel that TV watching is inherently pernicious and to be avoided as much as possible.

I think a lot of the phenomenon is due to the fact that you can't watch TV in a discrete fashion- as soon as something ends, something else starts and you do not have to do any effort to keep watching. When you watch something like a movie, the activity is clearly defined in time, and as such you don't get sucked in like you do when watching TV.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#15

Post by rhplus »

MrFoof wrote: post #4

Personally I've found TV watching to be borne out of some sort of inertia. There was a point where I paid for all the pre-requisite packages for the privilege of being able to add The Speed Channel and watch my Formula 1, ALMS, etc. I watched a fair amount of TV, and already had some pricey packages, so what was a bit more? However, the time came along where I didn't have as much time to watch racing anymore. I had a…

since Internet service would cost $10/mo more without a bundled television package

I'm convinced that the only reason for them to do this is to whitewash the "myth" of cable-cutting. Comcast in my area has a similar deal - it's a couple of bucks cheaper per month to get Internet with "limited" cable rather than Internet on its own. To the networks and advertisers, I'm still a TV subscriber, even though the coax goes directly to my modem and nowhere near my TV.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#16

Post by ixnu »

zavulon wrote: post #9
ixnu wrote: post #5

I pay $40 month for ESPN in HD. I love football, and more importantly, the majority of my customers and important contacts love it more. $500 year for an easy and relevant conversation starter is a steal.

If you only do it for NFL, you might reconsider. All regular Sunday day games, Sunday night football and all ESPN/NFL network games with your local team are available for free in HD over the air. And all playoff games and Superbowl, too. The live sports was my main reason for holding on to cable for so long, but I finally made the switch two years ago and it's great. I can watch all NFL I want, once a week baseball a…

I would love to do this, but I live in an area where I can't get OTA broadcast of Fox or NBC.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#17

Post by pmorici »

hieronymusN wrote: post #13

But where is the author getting his internet service from? For instance, I live in Brooklyn, and the only reliable high-speed internet service is via Time Warner Cable. I currently get their WideBand service (50mbps down) bundled with basic cable and an VOIP phone I never use in a 12-month promotion. This costs me $118 p/mo. When that 12-month period was up I called to cancel stuff and they extended that promotion fo…

Clear 4G is a dream to setup though. No shady install guy and 4 to 8 hour window. You get a box in the mail next day and plug it in.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#18

Post by zavulon »

ixnu wrote: post #16
zavulon wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you only do it for NFL, you might reconsider. All regular Sunday day games, Sunday night football and all ESPN/NFL network games with your local team are available for free in HD over the air. And all playoff games and Superbowl, too. The live sports was my main reason for holding on to cable for so long, but I finally made the switch two years ago and it's great. I can watch all NFL I want, once a week baseball a…

I would love to do this, but I live in an area where I can't get OTA broadcast of Fox or NBC.

Try plugging in your TV into cable outlet directly, bypassing the cable box. I've found all network channels are available that way as well

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#19

Post by tareqak »

MrFoof wrote: post #4

Personally I've found TV watching to be borne out of some sort of inertia. There was a point where I paid for all the pre-requisite packages for the privilege of being able to add The Speed Channel and watch my Formula 1, ALMS, etc. I watched a fair amount of TV, and already had some pricey packages, so what was a bit more? However, the time came along where I didn't have as much time to watch racing anymore. I had a…

I completely agree with your inertia comment.

I stopped watching television once I got into university. Living in a dormitory-style residence, the TV was in the floor's lounge, and my room was furthest from it.

I am not exactly sure when, but I went home one weekend, and I remember thinking to myself, "Why is the TV so irritating?" It was then that I realized that I had been living without television - and I liked it.

To be fair, my viewing habits did change as well. Being a student, I looked for entertainment that fit within my schedule (on-demand). My friends introduced me to anime, Rome, and DC++. The rest is history.

I think a few people in residence did choose to get cable in their rooms in order to keep following sports. I might have continued to follow hockey myself, but the NHL lockout occurred the previous year, so it wasn't the same for me.

Re: Cutting the Cord on Cable

#20

Post by kbutler »

ams6110 wrote: post #11
zobzu wrote: post #10

What the author means is "goodbye TV" Cause many have to use cable to get a decent internet in the US, still. Sadly its usually called Comcast (but it does offer Internet-only - even thus its very expensive and internet+tv isn't much more expensive)

I'm on Comcast and Internet-only costs MORE than Internet+TV. So I have the basic TV package as well as basic internet. I also call them every 6 months or so and threaten to quit and they will offer to put me on a "new subscriber" discount rate (lowered monthly rate for 6 months).

I was on a Comcast phone/TV/Internet promotional rate for a year, and they wouldn't renew a reasonable rate at the end of the year ("promotional rates are only to acquire new customers" in spite of what they said when I signed up). I needed to port my phone number, so I canceled TV and internet in the interim - and paid more than I'd been paying for the three services combined package.

Then to complete the cancellation, I had to take the modem in to their office in person and wait in line to return it.

Comcast promotional deals: not worth the hassle.

Currently very happy with a community network cable provider internet-only service, against my "lassez-faire" inclinations.

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