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So tired of cable

Q

Quarksbar

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 15, 2014
37
10
My kids watch Disney junior hd all the time. It's seriously the only channel we watch period. Nothing else on all three 60" LEDs in the house... So.., we pay like $225 for att tv and internet package. No way to lower it since our address / account been in use for a long time and the channel we need is in the premium package only (300 package I believe). Called att and ... Got $20 off for 6 months :((. Tried xfinity - user experience much worse could not stand it. Any suggestions? Seems outrageous to pay $200+ for one kids channel and hs internet.
 
Cancel the tv package. You can make a lot of great memories with your kids for $225 a month. Memories that will last a lifetime!
 
Drop TV, keep internet, score (if you don’t already own) an AppleTV and/or other streamers (or use the services on your TV directly if they have them).

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and you’ll have a catalog of stuff to watch for _years_, otherwise, play a game or something :D

We’re about ready to bail on cable/sat, i.e., “cut the cord”, we have several shows we want to keep up with, but I think in the next 6-12 months, they’re be available through direct pay services (like HBOGO), or via a decent antennae for network.

:cool:
 
We have Apple tv Netflix and Amazon. I just don't know if we'll be able to come even close to the variety and keep it fresh and non repetitive. They have Mickey, jake, Sofia, agent oso, handymanny, and about 4-6 more they constantly keep fresh and new episodes not to mention seasonal / holiday episodes. So I guess for me it is not the answer to cut it all together or try to manually mix and match. If there was only a way to have that channel digitally / through some streaming, or by it self.
 
Your kids will love any other tv shows. You can get Disney DVDs from your local library, pay for iTunes videos and do many more things with $100 per month or more that you will save.

Cut the cable.
 
AustinIllini said:
Sports are keeping me plugged in, but once fiber gets to my neighborhood (SOON) I will consider cutting the cable.
Click to expand...

Do it! I got fiber, and the only thing keeping me from cutting the cord are the 4 months left on my contract with Dish. Once that's up...BAM! I'm gone. The only thing they'll see of me after that is the cloud I leave behind me as my feet hit that old dusty trail.

What's really nice is that by the time I'm ready to take that plunge, HBO is going to be offering up their streaming service. I'll be golden.
 
AustinIllini said:
Sports are keeping me plugged in, but once fiber gets to my neighborhood (SOON) I will consider cutting the cable.
Click to expand...

Know anybody that has cable that would give you their account info? You could log in to the WatchESPN app on whatever device and get your fix there. Add an antenna to that and you'll be able to pretty much get everything you need, sports-wise I think.
 
I have DirectTV, I think they provide a better product at a cheaper price. I cut the cable, and I've been happy since.
 
smallcoffee said:
I think they came up with a great series of commercials.
Click to expand...

They do seem to have a great marketing team :D

As for the OP, is hard to cut the cord when you have kids. I don't think its feasible in this day and age, to take the money and create memories that will last a life time. My kids are not glued to the TV, by a long shot, but it does serve a purpose.
 
Cut TV and keep Internet. Currently I only have Internet and Fios Hardly ever watch tv, but dvr is nice when I want to watch things. That fiber optic Internet sure is nice though...
 
I suppose at least you don't live in the UK with Sky TV. What an absolute load of expensive tripe that is. We do have better and cheaper options though even if people seem to think Sky is as important as a monthly utility bill lol.
 
Renzatic said:
Do it! I got fiber, and the only thing keeping me from cutting the cord are the 4 months left on my contract with Dish. Once that's up...BAM! I'm gone. The only thing they'll see of me after that is the cloud I leave behind me as my feet hit that old dusty trail.

What's really nice is that by the time I'm ready to take that plunge, HBO is going to be offering up their streaming service. I'll be golden.
Click to expand...

A good portion of Austin has Google Fiber, but I'm up north of them. It's coming, but not for a little while.

I won't have any trouble convincing my wife to drop it, but damn shows like the Affair will be tough to lose.
 
D.T. said:
Drop TV, keep internet, score (if you don’t already own) an AppleTV and/or other streamers (or use the services on your TV directly if they have them).

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and you’ll have a catalog of stuff to watch for _years_, otherwise, play a game or something :D

We’re about ready to bail on cable/sat, i.e., “cut the cord”, we have several shows we want to keep up with, but I think in the next 6-12 months, they’re be available through direct pay services (like HBOGO), or via a decent antennae for network.

:cool:
Click to expand...

If HBOGO does make it without having to have cable, I am done with cable! Between HBOGO, Netflix and Hulu, I have pretty much all the shows I watch covered.
 
rhett7660 said:
If HBOGO does make it without having to have cable, I am done with cable! Between HBOGO, Netflix and Hulu, I have pretty much all the shows I watch covered.
Click to expand...

They say they are! Of course, the question is the cost, but I don’t believe it’ll be over $20. I actually out together a spreadsheet of the shows we watch, their channels, and what service makes that content available. Also factored in things like buying “season pass” for shows like Walking Dead, so it can be seen in real-time (and it’s not available through an AMC app as of yet).

When you normalize the costs over a year and compare that to a year of premium cable, it’s definitely cheaper. There’s just some logistics I haven’t worked out like a DVR solution, antennae (and signal distribution), etc.

If things pan out like I suspect, I’ll be “cut” before the end of next year. I’m technically on DirecTV but it’s the same thing, too costly vs. the actual content consumed and just a generally mediocre experience (their DVRs are poop).
 
D.T. said:
They say they are! Of course, the question is the cost, but I don’t believe it’ll be over $20. I actually out together a spreadsheet of the shows we watch, their channels, and what service makes that content available. Also factored in things like buying “season pass” for shows like Walking Dead, so it can be seen in real-time (and it’s not available through an AMC app as of yet).

When you normalize the costs over a year and compare that to a year of premium cable, it’s definitely cheaper. There’s just some logistics I haven’t worked out like a DVR solution, antennae (and signal distribution), etc.

If things pan out like I suspect, I’ll be “cut” before the end of next year. I’m technically on DirecTV but it’s the same thing, too costly vs. the actual content consumed and just a generally mediocre experience (their DVRs are poop).
Click to expand...

That is what I am hoping for and I am hoping it will be 10-20 bucks a month. If it is in the 50 dollar price range, well, I will still be dropping cable and just waiting for the shows I like to hit blu-ray.

If I have the other stuff, I won't mind dropping my DVR, because in essence, the content would be on demand.
 
maflynn said:
I have DirectTV, I think they provide a better product at a cheaper price. I cut the cable, and I've been happy since.
Click to expand...

I always took the meaning of cutting the cable to mean going without cable TV and satellite. That's what they mean when they talk about it on my local news.

They talk about people getting by on just services such as iTunes and Netflix. I did this for two years and never missed DirecTV or cable. I have Comcast now but I'm cancelling it again after New Years. The only thing I ever watch are Bronco games and local news. Not worth $44 per month when I can download the games on the net and watch my local news on my iPhone/iPad using their app and airplay it to my ATV2.
 
JackieInCo said:
I always took the meaning of cutting the cable to mean going without cable TV and satellite. That's what they mean when they talk about it on my local news.

They talk about people getting by on just services such as iTunes and Netflix. I did this for two years and never missed DirecTV or cable. I have Comcast now but I'm cancelling it again after New Years. The only thing I ever watch are Bronco games and local news. Not worth $44 per month when I can download the games on the net and watch my local news on my iPhone/iPad using their app and airplay it to my ATV2.
Click to expand...

That is what I take from it also. I am waiting for HBOGO to go paid, and I will be cutting cable out. I think I will miss my DVR and the amount of shows, but hey who knows, maybe I will find time to do other things! :)
 
rhett7660 said:
That is what I take from it also. I am waiting for HBOGO to go paid, and I will be cutting cable out. I think I will miss my DVR and the amount of shows, but hey who knows, maybe I will find time to do other things! :)
Click to expand...

A few weeks after getting my cable installed, I decided to add on HBO. I watched maybe two movies and then never watched anything on it again. I was getting it free for a year and called last month to cancel HBO. Even if it is free for a year, I didn't want to forget that I even had the channel and start getting charged for it after the one year. I did get HBO just for HBOGo and used it for a few days as well.

As I said though, I'll likely be cancelling my cable sub anyways in January.
 
Last edited:
Quarksbar said:
We have Apple tv Netflix and Amazon. I just don't know if we'll be able to come even close to the variety and keep it fresh and non repetitive. They have Mickey, jake, Sofia, agent oso, handymanny, and about 4-6 more they constantly keep fresh and new episodes not to mention seasonal / holiday episodes. So I guess for me it is not the answer to cut it all together or try to manually mix and match. If there was only a way to have that channel digitally / through some streaming, or by it self.
Click to expand...

Your kids seem to watch too much TV.

If Netflix and Hulu is not enough, God help your soul.

-t
 
It's been over a year without cable at my house. Apple TV and Amazon Prime introduce lots of interesting fare. The PBS app puts a lot at our fingertips. I disliked cable's monopoly and bundling of so many useless channels.
 
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