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Cancelled Cable Today

E

electronboy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 27, 2005
274
0
Tired of infomercials and poor programming. I used to enjoy watching Discovery Channel until it was overrun with motorcycles, cars, and crab fishermen. :( Then I watched the Science Channel and now I have to watch Les eat insects and drink rainwater. :mad: Oh the excitement! :rolleyes:

I'm saving for a HD tuner (Samsung or LG) and an indoor HD antenna. If you're not satisfied you might do the same? The networks will not improve programming unless the cable operators put pressure on them. Maybe I have got that all wrong. Oh well, at least I'm $60 richer and more likely to pick up Brian Greene's latest book or an interesting science article.

Thanks for letting me vent.
 
woah woah woah

the crab fisherman show is awesome.

And i seem to have gotten a liking to the motorcycle building shows, no idea why

and where would i be without NESN for my red sox games, or CN for Teen Titans and JLU (RIP both of you)
 
clayj said:
What are you using for Internet service? Dialup, or DSL?
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I kept Road Runner service with Time Warner. I am currently on promotion for $35.00/month for their 5Mbps service. Because I remote desktop to my PowerMac G5 and Xserve G5 at work I like the performance.

My cable bill was $95/month without any premium channels. I will miss Comedy Central, Spike, and Golden Girls reruns the most--don't make fun of me! :D
 
eva01 said:
woah woah woah

the crab fisherman show is awesome.
Click to expand...

ONE season was OK. I tend to like science documentary programs. The last two good shows I saw on the Discovery Network were the shows on Killer Waves and the Killer Lake in Africa. Excellent and well produced.

There seems not to be much of an interest in producing or airing type of programming any longer. That is why the Science Channel was created. All the old documentary programs from Discovery moved over to the Science Channel, so I got digital cable. Now I have to watch Survivor Man. Without debating the merits of the show it belongs on TLC or Discovery. Leave the science programming alone.
 
I cancelled cable yesterday... it was running $100 a month with HD, HBO, Starz, Encore, and 300ish channels that I never watched. I realized I only watched about 4 shows total and they all come out on DVD. So... $50 per season of TV = $200 instead of the $1200 a year I was paying... I'll be "behind" on TV but whatever.
 
eva01 said:
And i seem to have gotten a liking to the motorcycle building shows, no idea why
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I loved Top Gear! Did you ever see that show? From the UK I believe.
 
I haven't had cable for almost 2 years now... I don't miss it at all, and my DSL service is good enough.

Anything on cable that's worth watching can be found through other means - plus the money saved can be used toward's buying DVD's of the good shows.
 
SilentPanda said:
I cancelled cable yesterday... it was running $100 a month with HD, HBO, Starz, Encore, and 300ish channels that I never watched. I realized I only watched about 4 shows total and they all come out on DVD. So... $50 per season of TV = $200 instead of the $1200 a year I was paying... I'll be "behind" on TV but whatever.
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Oh no you did NOT get rid of Starz and Encore! How are you going to watch crappy movies now?
 
Mr. Durden said:
Oh no you did NOT get rid of Starz and Encore! How are you going to watch crappy movies now?
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There were some alright movies on Starz and Encore... not the newest blockbuster but some decent older movies. Heck I had about 8 variations of both channels. But the reality is I never watched them anyway...
 
Haven't had cable in 6 years now... I can't justify the amount it cost vs the amount i actually watch... money better speant on a new mc or vacation.
 
Cable TV/Internet is rolled in with my condo assessments so I don't get a cancellation choice. I don't watch much TV but my wife is an addict. Tivo sure helps to pair down the crap out there and gets rid of the commercials.
 
electronboy said:
I don't have a land line and I think Tivo requires one. I refused to pay Time Warner $8/month ad infinitum for a DVR.
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Tivo Series 2 does not require a land line so long as you can plug it into the internet via Ethernet. You may need a USB to Ethernet cable though (I know I did for my Series 2 but they may have updated the Series 2 since I got mine a few years back).
 
I wouldn't mind not having cable since there's just so much crap on TV these days that's really not worth watching. The exceptions are House, Malcom in the Middle (which will soon be cancelled) and Simpsons. There are probably a few other programs that I enjoy (reruns), but don't watch on a regular basis (i.e., Mash, Law and Order, etc.). In any case, we have cable because our overall cable/internet bill is cheaper than just getting internet alone. :p
 
We switched to satellite last year and so far have been pretty happy. More channels but less money than cable. Add in the free DVR, free gift certificates and DSL cheaper than my old dial-up (I used work for all my high speed needs), it was a no-brainer.
 
SilentPanda said:
Tivo Series 2 does not require a land line so long as you can plug it into the internet via Ethernet. You may need a USB to Ethernet cable though (I know I did for my Series 2 but they may have updated the Series 2 since I got mine a few years back).
Click to expand...

TiVo Series 2 still needs a landline to do the initial setup, for some reason they force you to do that on a landline still. I had to use my neighbors phone line to setup my series 2 TiVo. Once the initial setup is done you can use a external USB wifi or Lan adapter.

I wouldnt give up cable, i dont watch a whole lot of TV but i like the convinience of knowing its there if i wanted to. I think i pay around $145/mo for HD/HD-DVR/Starz/Encore/HBO/digital cable and Internet service. My TiVo is on a lifetime sub which they dont offer anymore. Usually i let the TV idle on Food Network, i still like the Discovery and history Channel specials. Discovery HD is fun to watch in all its 1080i glory :p I mainly have HBO for the boxing, sopranos, and entourage. but lately i have seen a few good movies between my premium channels. On demand is nice too, if you missed a movie on one of your premium channels you can watch it anytime, plus they have a ton of free movies and shows.

Ed
 
The only thing that makes TV (satellite in my case) worth having is paying the extra for the DVR so I can watch the few shows that interest me on my time - not theirs.

It wouldn't be the weekend if I can't watch the New Yankee Workshop...
 
Black&Tan said:
We switched to satellite last year and so far have been pretty happy. More channels but less money than cable. Add in the free DVR, free gift certificates and DSL cheaper than my old dial-up (I used work for all my high speed needs), it was a no-brainer.
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Yeah, My wife and I are on Dish Network... Free DVR equipment upgrade. It runs us about $40 per month, which isn't too bad. Anyway, it's either DirecTV or Dish or over the air... we have no cable providers out at the house.
 
electronboy said:
I will miss Comedy Central, Spike, and Golden Girls reruns the most--don't make fun of me! :D
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Hey, don't be ashamed! Golden girls is an AMAZING show! I own all seasons on DVD. :D
 
SilentPanda said:
There were some alright movies on Starz and Encore... not the newest blockbuster but some decent older movies. Heck I had about 8 variations of both channels. But the reality is I never watched them anyway...
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Your right. I was just being a little sarcastic. Actually Starz and Encore have some pretty awesome movies. In fact, if movies are your thing, you gotta go with Starz over HBO anyday.

I applaud your decision. I'm curious to hear how it goes. I've thought of ditching the cable or even tv altogether but havent able to pull the trigger. With a couple kids it darn near impossible now. They would freak without their cartoons. I think mom and dad would, too.;)
 
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