I've been trying for over a year to convince my wife to let me cut the cord, and drop our cable TV.

I rarely watch television, preferring Netflix or Amazon Prime video since I detest commercials, but my wife likes to zone out in front of HGTV or Law and Order reruns during her downtime, and she insists on watching local news in the morning and evenings.

After yet another round of price hikes from the cable company this last month, I finally was able to convince my wife that her watching a few hours of TV a week wasn't worth $143 per month! Especially since she can still zone out with many of her favorite shows through Netflix or Amazon Prime video, both of which we already subscribed to.

We already had one Chromecast, and I just won another in a Karma (Thanks Jim!). I picked up some digital antennas so she can still watch local news. So now we have either Chromecasts or an Xbox on each TV in the house, for watching Netflix or Amazon Prime. And I got the digital antennas installed in the living room and bedroom, so the wife would still be able to watch local news, major networks, etc.

After running her through all of her options for home entertainment even without cable, she finally reluctantly agreed, and we just got back from dropping off our cable boxes and cancelling our TV service. My cable bill is going to drop from $229 per month to $86 per month (since we're keeping our cable internet).

Feels good. And I won't have to pay nearly $150 a month to watch TV that's 50+% commercials.

For comparison, Netflix costs me $10 per month. Amazon Prime costs ~$9 per month. All with no commercials.

(I'll also be temporarily picking up a HBO Now subscription, once Game of Thrones resumes, for another $15 per month for the couple months until GoT is done.)

I haven't found the selection on Netflix to be all that great, it's holding us back from cutting the cord. I'd love to kill the cable bill

We have Amazon prime and PlayStation Vue. We cut the cord months ago and only wish we had done it sooner.

If Comcast, look at the "Internet Plus" or "Performance Plus" package that also gives HBO and locals cheaper than just internet.

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
I haven't found the selection on Netflix to be all that great, it's holding us back from cutting the cord. I'd love to kill the cable bill

Netflix sucks a lot more than it used to, but Amazon is much better and if you add Hulu, etc., it's rather comprehensive.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
I haven't found the selection on Netflix to be all that great, it's holding us back from cutting the cord. I'd love to kill the cable bill

Try the Sony Vue TV. I have the premium plan that's HD, has ALL of the channels I had with comcast and is $55 a month ALL IN. They have plans as cheap as $35.

I cut the cord about 18 months ago. I have to agree that Netflix is not as good as it once was, but I also have Amazon Prime to watch. I live to far to get broadcast stations with an antenna.

My provider just upped their fees effective next month so I contacted them and cut the cable to bare minimum and reduced my internet from 75/8 to 25/3. Bill is going from 3 figures to a small two figure amount. I don't have any of the services folks normally cite either (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc ad naseum). Aside from commercials I'm simply flat out tired of the 98% bullshit crap being broadcast.

I don't stream nor am I a gamer which is why I'm thinking the 25/3 will work for me. If not $12 more and it'll be back to 75/8 mps again.

I would love to cut the cord, but I'm a college football fanatic and am unaware of a way to watch a buttload of BigTen and Top 20 football games live online. If anybody knows, I'm all ears.

Right now, I have:

mid-January to late August - the smallest cable package

college football season - the largest cable package plus sports adder. It' s damn expensive during football season.

Netflix - I originally signed up when I lived in Canada. I now have the US version, but my monthly bill seems to be indexed off the exhange rate as it varies from $6.90 to $7.66 per month.

Amaxon Prime - I have it for the free shipping and subscribe & save, and consider the movies a bonus.

I wouldn't mind catching the Detroit Tigers or Houston Astros games a few times a month, but it wouldn't be worth much to me (i.e it's gotta be cheap).

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

I cut out Directv and went with a Roku+Amazon Prime+Netflix+Hulu combination that is STILL cheaper than our satellite bill. Best thing I ever did.

Beside the whole marriage and kids thing.

For currently airing shows, Hulu is the best.

Get a Jail Broken Fire Stick and you'll probably dump Netflix, too...

If you spend 40 bucks a month on subscription services you'll save a hundred and have better shows.

Congrats. I have a plan ready to go. The only thing holding me back is a way to get MLB games. Can't stream local market games yet.

It's expensive. all right, but I could never cut the cord..

I would love to cut my DirecTV but I have to have the MLB and NHL packages so I can get the Red Sox and Penquins. I have the DirecTV Premier pack so that I can get the local broadcasters for those teams and the after game coverages. I could live without 95% of the remaining programming.

When I cut the cord, what, 6 years ago....my only regret was losing Fox news. Now that the Left is taking it down piece by piece and the two Lefty sons are positioned to take over, I have no regrets at all. We do the various streaming services (except HULU which makes me watch commercials even as a subscribed service)(knuckleheads) and save a tone of money and time.

Used to be a cable subscription bought you entertainment sans commercials. Those days are long gone. How much time did I wast sitting through commercials over the years before DVRs? Then there is the bundle mentality that makes me pay for programming I object to like Al Gore, Al Jazeera, MTV and the rest of the socially destructive channels. And the expense! Comcast wanted me at 200.00/mo and no matter how I tried to work the bill down to the original 150.00, they'd bump it back up over time.

We did it seven years ago and haven't regretted it. Between Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube, I'm entertained. And if those won't do it, I've got games. The only thing I find myself truly missing out on is current commercial references. Let that sink in.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
The only thing I find myself truly missing out on is current commercial references. Let that sink in.

Mine is what movies are coming out but I go to fandango for that now.

Cutting cable 3 years ago was a great decision. We were paying $189 a month plus Hulu, Netflix and amazon. Now we have only have Hulu, Netflix and amazon.

The only thing that keeps me from cutting the cord is that I can't get the live feed hockey games.
Other than that, a jailbroken fire stick is the way to go.

I have satellite and I haven't watched commercial television in almost 20 years. Some providers allow you to get movie channels and skimp out on the commercial stations. Mine averages $63-75 a month.