Cable replacement?

orangehills · November 2015

So, we're moving, and we're thinking of giving up cable to save money since our utilities and mortgage will be going up. It's $45 a month for the internet we'd want (as opposed to $114 a month including cable). For those of you without cable, are you surviving?? Lol. I'm just scared! I watch tv a lot. And maybe that's why we should give it up, so we are a lot more productive and spend more time together. But I just think about times I'm at home sick, or super bored... Do you have a hd antenna that you use for local channels? And advice for the places that are the best for streaming shows and movies??

julieanne912 · November 2015

We still have satellite, mainly for sports because H is a huge sports geek. Other than during hockey season, I pretty much never watch regular TV except for PBS and Food Network. But, both of those have programming available online and most of the shows we like are available online. We have a Netflix streaming membership, and also there are tons of options on Amazon Prime video. We have the Amazon membership anyway, so the streaming there is just an extra perk. We use Apple TV to stream everything to our TV either from our phone/ipad for Amazon, or direct because Netflix is part of Apple TV.

dragonstarjk · November 2015

We have Apple TV and also Amazon Prime, which is how we watch a lot of our shows. I also use Hulu (the free version, not the paid version) to watch a lot of shows. You can create a queue that automatically saves your favorites each week to watch whenever you want. If all else fails, we will go to a website (such as CBS) and watch the shows directly on the website. We don't pay for any TV other than the occasional episode of something that we just can't wait for and rent through Amazon, and my H pays for MLB Access each year which he watches through Apple TV.

The only caveat to all this is, most shows are not available until the day after they air, and some of them are a week after they air. This is okay with us, but if you want to be able to watch shows as they air, that's definitely going to be harder.

PurpleBookmark · November 2015

We have Hulu which is perfect for us since we pretty much only watch ABC and Fox shows. My kids love PBS Kids and it does have some of those programs but not all. Currently we have a basic cable package that we are cutting next month. Originally we bought an antenna but couldn't get it to work so we figured we'd keep cable. A few months later though we really watch 90% Hulu so we're going to drop cable now.

dragonstarjk · November 2015

PurpleBookmark said:

We have Hulu which is perfect for us since we pretty much only watch ABC and Fox shows. My kids love PBS Kids and it does have some of those programs but not all. Currently we have a basic cable package that we are cutting next month. Originally we bought an antenna but couldn't get it to work so we figured we'd keep cable. A few months later though we really watch 90% Hulu so we're going to drop cable now.

SITB--I'm not 100% sure, but I think you can watch PBS shows on their website. Might be worth checking out for the kids.

cupcait927 · November 2015

H and I went for about a year and a half without cable and finally caved a couple of months ago. We used a combination of things to get a fairly large amount of channels before making the jump to cable

- We had both Netflix and Hulu+. H is a big movie person and I prefer TV shows so we kept both, since Netflix is better for movies and Hulu+ is better for TV (for what I want, anyway)

- We split our internet cable and ran a line to our TV. This gave us ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, CW and Discovery Channel without needing an antenna.

- We signed up for Sling TV. It's a service provided by DirecTV but it's internet based. It's a package of about 15 cable channels that's only $20 a month, no contract. You can watch it on your TV, computer, tablet, or smart phone.

- H streamed a lot of sports from internet streaming sites. Not always the best quality but it satisfied our need to watch baseball or football.

I finally got sick of trying to coordinate all of that and we decided to sign up for cable. We've got a great rate for the first two years (not much more than we were paying for everything plus internet) and we'll see what happens when it does go up.

als1982 · November 2015

We've lived without cable for two years now and will never go back (well, until they begin offering pay for only what you want options). We use Amazon Prime and Netflix. During the baseball playoffs, H used a free two week subscription to Sling Television but then canceled before the Super Bowl as it was available over the air. H's a total sports but and has even been happy with the decision to cut the cord.

smetter04 · November 2015

Like @als1982, we will never go back to cable until we can pick and choose the channels. We use antenna plus Netflix and Hulu, and in my opinion, the quality of programming on channels over the antenna is much better than cable. There are drawbacks, such as losing connection when airplanes fly overhead (we live under a flight path), but it doesn't happen often enough or bad enough for us to consider going back to cable.

vlagrl29 · November 2015

we got rid of cable 4 years ago and really don't miss it. We have google fiber for our internet which is $70 per month. We also bought a HD antenna and put it on our roof. We are able to get around 20 channels thru the airwaves for free. The antenna cost but it was worth it.

orangehills · November 2015

Yah I'm guess I'm just scared of trying to coordinate everything as well. It's so much easier to just pay one lump sum, but it's so much pricier! We've never streamed anything to our tv so we have no idea how to even get started.. But we were thinking of just Prime, free hulu and my brother's Netflix account

lol. And then an antenna for the local channels. We don't watch sports or care about shows on the day of, so that wouldn't be an issue. It's all just so crazy expensive! Goodness.

vlagrl29 · November 2015

we don't do netflix or the paying hulu. We are completely content with antenna tv, free hulu and this app DH recently downloaded (popcorn). can't tell you the last time I rented a red box movie. The popcorn app is legal btw.

KatieCutie05 · November 2015

We canceled our cable a few months ago and signed up for netflix. We were baying 90/month for just satellite. But we barely watched TV. Honestly all we miss about it is sports and political debates. We do plan on getting an antenna to get local channels for that reason. But otherwise there are SOOO many shows on netflix now that we actually watch MORE tv now that we are paying 9/month then when we were paying 90! Its rediculous, and seriously not good. lol

orangehills · November 2015

vlagrl29 said:

we don't do netflix or the paying hulu. We are completely content with antenna tv, free hulu and this app DH recently downloaded (popcorn). can't tell you the last time I rented a red box movie. The popcorn app is legal btw.

how do you get free hulu??

PurpleBookmark · November 2015

PurpleBookmark said:

We have Hulu which is perfect for us since we pretty much only watch ABC and Fox shows. My kids love PBS Kids and it does have some of those programs but not all. Currently we have a basic cable package that we are cutting next month. Originally we bought an antenna but couldn't get it to work so we figured we'd keep cable. A few months later though we really watch 90% Hulu so we're going to drop cable now.

SITB--I'm not 100% sure, but I think you can watch PBS shows on their website. Might be worth checking out for the kids.

G

dragonstarjk said:

PurpleBookmark said:

We have Hulu which is perfect for us since we pretty much only watch ABC and Fox shows. My kids love PBS Kids and it does have some of those programs but not all. Currently we have a basic cable package that we are cutting next month. Originally we bought an antenna but couldn't get it to work so we figured we'd keep cable. A few months later though we really watch 90% Hulu so we're going to drop cable now.

SITB--I'm not 100% sure, but I think you can watch PBS shows on their website. Might be worth checking out for the kids.

Good point, I will need to try that! Curious George is really the only show that they love that isn't on Hulu and we do have a couple of DVDs with episodes as well. I'll have to try out their website, I'm sure they'll be happy with that too.

smerka · November 2015

The PBS Kids app has two episodes and then several clips. The app is free (or really cheap) and has a bunch of other shows too.

dragonstarjk · November 2015

orangehills said:

vlagrl29 said:

we don't do netflix or the paying hulu. We are completely content with antenna tv, free hulu and this app DH recently downloaded (popcorn). can't tell you the last time I rented a red box movie. The popcorn app is legal btw.

how do you get free hulu??

Regular Hulu is totally free, it's only Hulu Plus that you have to pay for. Hulu Plus purports to offer more shows than regular hulu, plus you can watch them sooner. However, I've used free Hulu for years and never feel like I'm missing out.

Nat009 · November 2015

We've never had cable, so I'm not exactly sure what I'm missing, but I still feel like I'm able to always watch something good on tv! We have Apple TV and also a subscription to Netflix. We just added Hulu because I'm obsessed with How to Get Away with Murder and they stream the day after airing

Still, both subscriptions are under $10/ea and we've been using the same Apple TV for at least 5 years, so really think the initial investment is worth it!

You could goal yourselves to try it for 6 months and if you really are miserable, go back to cable?

vlagrl29 · November 2015

dragonstarjk said:

orangehills said:

vlagrl29 said:

we don't do netflix or the paying hulu. We are completely content with antenna tv, free hulu and this app DH recently downloaded (popcorn). can't tell you the last time I rented a red box movie. The popcorn app is legal btw.

how do you get free hulu??

Regular Hulu is totally free, it's only Hulu Plus that you have to pay for. Hulu Plus purports to offer more shows than regular hulu, plus you can watch them sooner. However, I've used free Hulu for years and never feel like I'm missing out.

Pretty much this. We did the trial and didn't feel like we were missing much.

MommyLiberty5013 · November 2015

We ditched cable about 6 years ago. Don't regret it at all. You will find other things to fill your time.

hoffse · November 2015

We were without cable for a couple years and then switched back to cable when we bought the house. I am happy without cable, but H really likes watching sports and the news.

We got a great deal on the package for a couple years, and we're thinking we might try Sling once the prices get jacked up again. Right now we wouldn't save much with Sling, but that will change when our rates go back to the normal price.

I will say that we have a DVR with our cable and THAT is what I'm afraid I will miss most. H and I don't usually watch regular TV together, but we do watch a lot of DVR recordings of shows I can't get elsewhere.

And yes, we also keep the Hulu and Netflix subscriptions for the on demand stuff. And we have Amazon Prime too. What can I say - these are all cheap, and TV is how we unwind from a busy day.

blondie42107 · November 2015

We're going on two years without cable. We purchased an antenna off Amazon and it's in our attic. We have a Roku for streaming Hulu, Netflix, Plex, PBS kids, PBS, etc. Roku has lots of free channels. Works great for us. H does miss some sports but he can stream some on his phone/tablet.

csuave · November 2015

@hoffse I could also do without cable but I agree the DVR is oh so nice.

Before I got married in 2013 I had never had cable. I used rabbit ears with a VCR, watched some things online and listened to hockey on the radio while multi-tasking. I was probably the only person in the world still using a VCR (H nicknamed my house "retro house") but hey it worked for me!

simplyelise · November 2015

We have cable right now because our apartment provides it for free, but DH and I both were without cable for 3-4 years before living here. I had an antenna, netflix, and usually bought a subscription to mlb.tv so I could watch baseball games live. But because I live within the blackout region of the Cardinals and wouldn't have been able to watch any of their games live on mlb.tv, I also bought an international proxy so that I could route my internet connection through the proxy, making it appear that I was logging in from Turkey, and watch the Cardinals games live.

I don't remember where you are geographically, but I would recommend asking around to friends and neighbors locally who are using an antenna. In my town, I could never get ABC and I spent far too long finding the one spot in my apartment where I could put the antenna to get Fox. If you're rural or in a valley, it may not be worth it to get the antenna if you're only going a couple channels.

orangehills · November 2015

ya it sounds like we are going to buy a Roku and then just stream stuff... I'm scared, but after how much time we wasted watching tv this weekend instead of getting stuff done, it'll be a good thing to not have that temptation!! i mean, temptation will still be there, but not quite as easy..

cbee817 · November 2015

We have a super basic cable plan (I don't think they even offer it anymore)- it's 23 channels and costs us $10/month and netflix ($7.99) that we stream through our old Nintendo wii. Works great for us- the girls don't watch a ton of TV, but it's nice to have all of the options on netflix (Daniel Tiger, Curious George, etc).

orangehills · November 2015

vlagrl29 said:

orangehills said:

vlagrl29 said:

we don't do netflix or the paying hulu. We are completely content with antenna tv, free hulu and this app DH recently downloaded (popcorn). can't tell you the last time I rented a red box movie. The popcorn app is legal btw.

how do you get free hulu??

Regular Hulu is totally free, it's only Hulu Plus that you have to pay for. Hulu Plus purports to offer more shows than regular hulu, plus you can watch them sooner. However, I've used free Hulu for years and never feel like I'm missing out.
Pretty much this. We did the trial and didn't feel like we were missing much.

ok so i go to hulu.com and it's only paying options. what website is the free one at? i'm clueless...

simplyelise · November 2015

orangehills said:

vlagrl29 said:

orangehills said:

vlagrl29 said:

we don't do netflix or the paying hulu. We are completely content with antenna tv, free hulu and this app DH recently downloaded (popcorn). can't tell you the last time I rented a red box movie. The popcorn app is legal btw.

how do you get free hulu??

Regular Hulu is totally free, it's only Hulu Plus that you have to pay for. Hulu Plus purports to offer more shows than regular hulu, plus you can watch them sooner. However, I've used free Hulu for years and never feel like I'm missing out.
Pretty much this. We did the trial and didn't feel like we were missing much.

ok so i go to hulu.com and it's only paying options. what website is the free one at? i'm clueless...

They just changed the home screen so it looks like you can't get in without paying. Just click the hulu logo in the upper left corner and you will be taken to the old home screen. then you can search for shows.

short+sassy · November 2015

simplyelise said:

orangehills said:

vlagrl29 said:

orangehills said:

vlagrl29 said:

we don't do netflix or the paying hulu. We are completely content with antenna tv, free hulu and this app DH recently downloaded (popcorn). can't tell you the last time I rented a red box movie. The popcorn app is legal btw.

how do you get free hulu??

Regular Hulu is totally free, it's only Hulu Plus that you have to pay for. Hulu Plus purports to offer more shows than regular hulu, plus you can watch them sooner. However, I've used free Hulu for years and never feel like I'm missing out.
Pretty much this. We did the trial and didn't feel like we were missing much.

ok so i go to hulu.com and it's only paying options. what website is the free one at? i'm clueless...

They just changed the home screen so it looks like you can't get in without paying. Just click the hulu logo in the upper left corner and you will be taken to the old home screen. then you can search for shows.

I'm with you @orangehills, I had no idea there was a free option. I had just started thinking about getting a Hulu subscription again. Now I'll try the free version first

. It sounds like it will be just fine. Woo hoo!

formerlyGDaisy09 · November 2015

we went without cable for a long time, we've since added back in $10/month basic cable, I like being able to get the news and big games. but honestly, we go weeks without turning it on (now that some of our regular shows are back (once upon a time and The big bang theory) it's on once or twice a week, but I don't think we turned cable on more than once throughout the summer.

We do netflix and amazon prime, and there is plenty to watch in the event of illness or a much needed lazy day on the couch!

you can look into an HD antenna, the FCC website has a tool where you can see what channels you would get and if a wall-mounted unit would work for you or if you needed a roof or attic mount to get signal. our house was listed as low/no reception for all channels for a roof-mounted unit, so that was not an option for us.

brij2006 · November 2015

We got rid of cable over a year ago, and have never looked back. My H is a big TV guy, and he was so against it. We will never get it back.

We use Netflix and an antenna for local channels. Even then, we don't watch much TV. It's crazy how much more productive we are, and how we now sit at the dinner table together every night and actually have conversation.

Xstatic3333 · November 2015

We haven't had cable for five years, but still watch a ton of TV. We have Hulu Plus and Netflix that we stream through the Apple TV. In addition, we use H's mom's cable password to get HBO Go, Showtime, Starz, FX, ESPN, WGBH, etc. We can watch live HGTV and Comedy Central through our iPhones streamed to the Apple TV, although it is quite buggy. We can also watch Celtics basketball through Comcast SportsNet, streamed to the Apple TV through my computer (a Mac). We use an antenna for football, so the only things we really miss out on are hockey and baseball and CNN (which I only care about for Parts Unknown).

@KatieCutie just as an FYI, for all of the debates so far whatever channel is hosting them has streamed it free online. The only one I didn't try to watch was the recent CNBC debate, but Fox News and CNN put it all online live for free.

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