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You bought an AppleTV. You cancelled your cable. Now what?
- Thread starter fivepoint
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I didn't completely cancel cable. I canceled my digital package and returned my high def box. I kept the most basic cable package which is $14 per month. I basically get all the major networks. But with a atsc, qam tuner attached i also get high def networks and some on demand movies.
I don't regret it.
I feel comcast has made a lot off me the past few years. Even if i get the same content, its time to spread the wealth.
I don't regret it.
I feel comcast has made a lot off me the past few years. Even if i get the same content, its time to spread the wealth.
After I updated my 
TV to the "Take 2" firmware I soon canceled my cable tv. I dropped my bill from $150/month to $45 (cable internet). So far so good. I don't feel that I'm missing anything. All the shows I do watch are on iTunes and I'm in the process of converting my DVD collection, both movies and tv shows, a la Handbrake. I've got a few 1 TB My Books to store it all on. I get the NBC Nightly news via their podcast, so the news is covered too. I don't miss my old cable bill one bit! 
TV to the "Take 2" firmware I soon canceled my cable tv. I dropped my bill from $150/month to $45 (cable internet). So far so good. I don't feel that I'm missing anything. All the shows I do watch are on iTunes and I'm in the process of converting my DVD collection, both movies and tv shows, a la Handbrake. I've got a few 1 TB My Books to store it all on. I get the NBC Nightly news via their podcast, so the news is covered too. I don't miss my old cable bill one bit! 
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I haven't done the math but when I paid for cable my bill was $175 per month. Once I moved my landlordn paid basic and grumbled at even ordering a 2nd connection. I figured due to him not being tech savvy i would treat it with kid gloves. I was given ATV as a gift after mentioning how it could be a great alternative since I watch only certain shows. Two weeks in I am very pleased. I'm pretty sure if NBC came back this would be the end for me. NBC not playing nice with Apple truly does suck.
I haven't done the math but when I paid for cable my bill was $175 per month. Once I moved my landlordn paid basic and grumbled at even ordering a 2nd connection. I figured due to him not being tech savvy i would treat it with kid gloves. I was given ATV as a gift after mentioning how it could be a great alternative since I watch only certain shows. Two weeks in I am very pleased. I'm pretty sure if NBC came back this would be the end for me. NBC not playing nice with Apple truly does suck.
I'm taking baby steps. Cancelled HBO, left the rest of my package the same. I am in the process of converting my DVDs and putting them on an external hard drive, once that is done I may scale back the cable even more. As far as HBO goes I don't miss it a bit. Getting to watch movies that I know I want to watch, when I want to watch them is awesome. I mainly use it to watch movies I already owned, so I've put less than $10 into Itunes since I got my AppleTV.
I haven't cancelled my cable, but if you have something like an Elgato eyeTV Hybrid with an HD antenna then it would certainly be easier. My wife watches too many random movies on TV so I doubt we'd cancel anytime soon. I really only watch three shows on cable so it wouldn't be that hard if it was just me. Of course baseball season is about to start and I certainly can't miss my Atlanta Braves games. Though they do have the online option for watching those games.....hummmm. Maybe I need to see about doing a trial run with no cable?
Canceled my DirectTV, canceled my TiVo subscription, sold the HDTiVo.
MacMini on the main screen. HDHomeRun feeds EyeTV which auto-exports to AppleTV. 2TB of DVDs on HDs in a stack with the mini (the newertechnology boxes that are the same form factor).
ATV on the kitchen TV.
Gave up $100/month in DirecTV bills. Now subscribe to Daily Show and Colbert on iTunes, which I figure is going to run about $150/year. I subscribe to NetFlix which runs $120/year. EyeTV picks up all the kids shows and the PBS news hour and the Sunday morning talk shows for the wife.
I miss CNN and MSNBC, I figure they'll have to release an internet solution that goes beyond five minute clips at some point. We'll get HBO shows a year later when they get released to NetFlix.
Very happy all around.
MacMini on the main screen. HDHomeRun feeds EyeTV which auto-exports to AppleTV. 2TB of DVDs on HDs in a stack with the mini (the newertechnology boxes that are the same form factor).
ATV on the kitchen TV.
Gave up $100/month in DirecTV bills. Now subscribe to Daily Show and Colbert on iTunes, which I figure is going to run about $150/year. I subscribe to NetFlix which runs $120/year. EyeTV picks up all the kids shows and the PBS news hour and the Sunday morning talk shows for the wife.
I miss CNN and MSNBC, I figure they'll have to release an internet solution that goes beyond five minute clips at some point. We'll get HBO shows a year later when they get released to NetFlix.
Very happy all around.
I love it. Having an ATSC tuner(EyeTV) definately helps. I get all the network shows in HD. I haven't gone to the video store since Take 2 although I can see the limited selection and waiting period may make a store trip necessary at some point. Everything else I get from the internet or purchase with the money that was going to the cable company. I really like this setup better as I only purchased what I really want and get to keep it to watch whenever I want. Can't wait until my Time Capsule gets here so I can finish encoding my DVDs.
Thanks for this thread, OP. I'm still debating on getting the TV, and this has helped tremendously.
TV, and this has helped tremendously. 
I canceled my $70/month DirecTV HD service. I honestly wasn't watching it that much anymore, and it had gotten to the point where I could watch all of my favorite network shows for FREE on the web. I do subscribe to the MLB.TV Premium package, so I can watch my baseball!
For the way my family uses our DVR, it simply isn't cost effective to cancel my Verizon FIOS and go the ATV route. With 5 people, all of whom have some varying tastes in shows and movies, it would be FAR more expensive to buy movies and TV shows than what I pay for cable. I am in the process of ripping several hundred DVDs and using the ATV to stream the movies and music but it's not even close to being a cable replacement yet.
This is such an interesting topic...
I find these success stories very intriguing! For me, if I was single, I think it would be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it seems like every single one of my wife's shows aren't available on iTunes yet. Some of them I can get over HD Antenna now, but others (Food Network, HGTV, DIY) are frustratingly absent.
Until iTunes increases its content numbers on some of the more niche stations, I don't think we'll be able to make the switch.... buy boy do I look forward to that day! Then again, maybe we need to re-think how much TV we watch, just get a few subscriptions and live with it. I don't know. I think another hurdle to prepare for would be the massive influx of content taking up hard drive space. I think a fairly robus RAID Hard Drive solution would be in order for this type of thing... but many people aren't aware of these types of things.
Is there anyone out there who has cancelled their cable, and not been happy with the transition to AppleTV? Seems like all I've read so far is "good news!"
I find these success stories very intriguing! For me, if I was single, I think it would be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it seems like every single one of my wife's shows aren't available on iTunes yet. Some of them I can get over HD Antenna now, but others (Food Network, HGTV, DIY) are frustratingly absent.
Until iTunes increases its content numbers on some of the more niche stations, I don't think we'll be able to make the switch.... buy boy do I look forward to that day! Then again, maybe we need to re-think how much TV we watch, just get a few subscriptions and live with it. I don't know. I think another hurdle to prepare for would be the massive influx of content taking up hard drive space. I think a fairly robus RAID Hard Drive solution would be in order for this type of thing... but many people aren't aware of these types of things.
Is there anyone out there who has cancelled their cable, and not been happy with the transition to AppleTV? Seems like all I've read so far is "good news!"
Most of the shows I watch are all available online for free at abc.com, hulu.com, or fox.com. Plus, with Safari AdBlock it skips all the advertisements you are forced to watch. If only they could make a plug-in for the ATV for it...
If there were a way of getting extended basic channels like Sundance, etc without the box then I'll get rid of cable. I watch about 1-2 shows tops on a regular basis. Everything else I've downloaded from iTunes. Not having NBC definitely is a bummer because most of my shows were on Sci Fi channel. Also - anyone know of a cheaper cable modem service? $46/mo for internet to me is steep at this day and age.
I agree. If NBC came back I would consider the no cable/all
TV set up. But no NBC is kinda a deal breaker.MSNBC is the rough one for me. I imagine CNBC is tough for some. And the OTA solution doesn't fly for people replacing their cable box with
TV. Right now MSNBC can only come to my Mini in bite sized chunks and then only with a lot of browsing. But I just gotta believe that all the network families will soon offer some way of getting full shows to any computer, even if we have to pay a little.
ATV - Ditching Cable
I was considering the same move as I rarely watch TV in the first place with the exception of a few shows that I can purchase from iTunes. The only thing that has kept me from taking the plunge is news. I am somewhat of a news junkie & without access to MSNBC or CNN to get my fix, I'm not sure I can let go just yet.
What about this eyeTV? What exactly does this brig to the table with the absence of cable?
I was considering the same move as I rarely watch TV in the first place with the exception of a few shows that I can purchase from iTunes. The only thing that has kept me from taking the plunge is news. I am somewhat of a news junkie & without access to MSNBC or CNN to get my fix, I'm not sure I can let go just yet.
What about this eyeTV? What exactly does this brig to the table with the absence of cable?
Just one example: for fans of Battlestar Galactica, which is only on Sci Fi Channel, if you don't have cable or satellite then there's no way to see the eps unless you want to watch them on hulu.com on your computer. BSG is owned by NBC Universal and is no longer available on the iTunes store.
I for one am not going to give up my DirecTV Hi Def to watch my entertainment on my MBP. That's not why I have a Hi Def TV for.
Regards,
Michael
This thread actually surprises me a little. It seems to me that your cable box and Apple TV do two very different things.
I still watch news channels, On Demand content, and a show here and there when I'm bored.
I may actually rent movies with my Apple TV and watch video podcasts more than I watch cable, but I don't see Apple TV as a competitor to cable, I see it as more of a threat to Blockbuster/Netflix et al.
I still watch news channels, On Demand content, and a show here and there when I'm bored.
I may actually rent movies with my Apple TV and watch video podcasts more than I watch cable, but I don't see Apple TV as a competitor to cable, I see it as more of a threat to Blockbuster/Netflix et al.
Indeed.
For me myTV is not a replacement or competitor to my DirecTV service. It is a complement.
Regards,
Michael
For me my
TV is not a replacement or competitor to my DirecTV service. It is a complement. Regards,
Michael
Yeah -- if iTunes had HGTV and Bravo I could cut my satellite and just use over-the-air + iTunes. We have directv+tivo receiver and 75% of our shows are over-the-air right now. (I suspect I'd reaaaally miss ESPN... and can't think of a remedy).
As it IS -- I have lowered my netflix subscription to 2 a month. I fully expect THIS to drop to zero at some point. While cable/satellite and Apple TV are complementary, netflix is in jeopardy. I also will hold off on BluRay.
While we've only rented three movies... we've gone nuts with the podcast browsing. This was presented as an afterthought to the new "movie features" but is surprisingly useful (I hope I can add/remove subscriptions sometime in a 2.1 update).
As it IS -- I have lowered my netflix subscription to 2 a month. I fully expect THIS to drop to zero at some point. While cable/satellite and Apple TV are complementary, netflix is in jeopardy. I also will hold off on BluRay.
While we've only rented three movies... we've gone nuts with the podcast browsing. This was presented as an afterthought to the new "movie features" but is surprisingly useful (I hope I can add/remove subscriptions sometime in a 2.1 update).
Yup, especially if you're female or into some of those shows geared towards women.I agree. If NBC came back I would consider the no cable/all
Because not every one sits down every night and watches a show the second it comes on. When I had a DVR NOTHING was ever not recorded. I simply do not have that kind of time.
EyeTV is an ATSC tuner for your computer. It allows you to watch or record HD over the air signals on your computer. It can encode and send recorded shows to the AppleTV.
I bought the ATV at 1.0 and love it. With 2.0 it is even better. Rented 3 movies so far and converted a lot of what we have. However not into buying shows from iTunes, simply b/c they don't offer everything we like and we use the DVR on our Dish a lot. I watch far too much hockey and football a lot of which is HD and not on OTA. So the eyeTV/antenna thing seems like too much work at this point esp. since we can't get all the non-iTunes content we watch through that. Mostly Cable aired sports as well as it is nice with a 3 month old that we get 8 Encore movie channels to flip through during feedings.