Getting around Big Cable - what are some ways people have done this?

[Dorian Gray]

I have Time Warner Cable for my TV and internet, and AT&T for my phone, and Verizon for my cell. I've been driving myself crazy with all the options, cable, satellite, tuners, cards, devices, services, etc. I can't seem to get a good option together for this. We plan on moving in less than 2 years, so bundling isn't an option (plus we're not new customers). I looked at satellite, but they don't have all the channels we want until the higher (more expensive) tiers. Some of the other options are also not worth setting up given that we'll hopefully be moving (and in some cases, even if not).

A friend of mine is looking into the computer-as-TV-server option, using Netflix, Hulu, etc., but he and his wife don't have any kids, so he doesn't have to worry about half the stuff I do.

What non-cable options out there have people tried, and how effective have they been? How geeky did you have to be to use them, and what startup costs did they carry? How easy were they to use?

[Denver]

My last cable straw was a year ago when they raised the rate $3 a month, again, which they had been doing a couple times a year, AND took away a movie channel, AND told me if I wanted to get my local channels in HDTV, I'd have to pay extra (it's already coming over the wire: I need to pay extra to decode it).

I looked at options. I went through my cable viewing habits, and found there were less than a dozen shows I probably watched regularly. I found the local broadcast HDTV was most excellent, and they continue to add more channels. I found HULU had many of the shows I watch. In the end, I found just going broadcast and Hulu would save me my entire cable bill a month, and get me nearly everything I cared about. And the couple shows I could not get, I could buy from iTunes: still at a lot less than cable.

So I tried not watching cable for a month, just broadcast and Hulu. I was so happy with it, I dropped cable, and never looked back.

But then I discovered Netflix. And holy cow, now I have way way way more stuff than I ever had with cable, and my Netflix is only $10 a month!

Goodbye cable.

ETA: If you want to try Netflix, I have coupon codes around here someplace for a free month, that'd I'd be happy to pass on.

[Sherman Bay]

So I tried not watching cable for a month, just broadcast and Hulu. I was so happy with it, I dropped cable, and never looked back.

But then I discovered Netflix. And holy cow, now I have way way way more stuff than I ever had with cable, and my Netflix is only $10 a month!Just a word of warning. Cable companies never put a cap on how many hours of TV you watch, but they have caps on how much data you can send & receive over the Internet, and video over the Internet, especially if Hi-Def, uses a lot of bandwidth quickly. If you merely watched the same shows that you used to watch on TV now over the Internet -- and there are a lot of them -- you could bump up against the cap, then they will charge extra.

I know people who turn on their TV before breakfast and only turn it off when going to bed. If they used Internet TV, I'm pretty sure their cable bill would skyrocket even tho the actual bandwidth they use hasn't changed at all.

More and more people will be doing this, and their rates will go up, not down. It's just another way the cable companies gotcha.

[Denver]

I see. I don't have cable internet either: I get DSL over the phone line, and haven't run into such caps.

[Little 10 Toes]

AT&T now has caps.

[Sherman Bay]

Charter (cable) didn't have any caps until 2009 in my area, and they didn't start to hasstle residential customers until this year, when I got a call from the "security" department, saying I was using 3 times what I was allotted and to cut it out.

They don't call it a cap, they call it a threshold, presumably because above the threshold they begin to thresh you for violations.

[tesscaline]

The "threshold" on Comcast is 250Gb/month. I have a family of 3. We use a lot of netflix. So much netflix I turned off all my cable tv service except for the bare minimum basic cable plan because it gave me a $15/mo discount on my internet. We've hit the threshold once, so far as I know, but only went over it by 15Gb or so, so no hounding phone calls about it (there's a meter on the website in your account, so I can check). But we're awful close every month (generally only 35-40Gb under). We also work from home, and use VoIP phone service for our "landline" for our office phone.

As for phone service outside of work, we don't have a regular phone. We all just have cell phones. *shrugs*

[joobie]

I see. I don't have cable internet either: I get DSL over the phone line, and haven't run into such caps.

when i had dsl it was barely enough to stream netflix and never enough to get it in high def.

i am sort of bound to comcast anyway in that i want to watch phillies games. there is no other option.

[Sherman Bay]

The "threshold" on Comcast is 250Gb/month. I can't speak for Comcast, but Charter's threshold is tied to the down/up speed. Increase the speed and you raise the cap.

[SumDood]

Its digital tv via rabbit ears and bit-torrents for about 10-15 shows me and my wife watch. I'm not proud of it, but not so ashamed to stop. If they ever get an affordable ala carte package where i can get HBO, Showtime, Starz, Comedy Central and a few other channels without all the crap I'd consider it.

[William Parcher]

What non-cable options out there have people tried, and how effective have they been? How geeky did you have to be to use them, and what startup costs did they carry? How easy were they to use?


Cut the Cord on Your Cable TV (http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/112642/cut-cable-tv-costs-moneywatch)

All you disgruntled cable customers out there — in other words, anyone who is not a cable executive — now is the time to rejoice. With the latest improvements in technology and growth in online content, you can disconnect the cable box without giving up TV. In fact, the number of cable TV and satellite subscriptions fell last year for the first time in the history of the business.

You should research all the different ISPs that are available in your area. There may be good alternatives to Time Warner that have high speeds and no caps.

Do you have a HDTV?

[KoihimeNakamura]

If you have the spare money, I think Comcast Business lets you buy larger caps.

[Tamarillicent]

We have a Boxee Box in our home and while it's promising, it doesn't quite fill the 'cable' gap just yet.

For one thing, I personally would miss the channel surfing. That may be just me, though.

Another thing is the subscriptions. We subscribe to Netflix which is awesome, but if we want hi-def movies we'd have go to Vudu which has a pay-per-movie system. Hulu is currently not on Boxee so if we want to watch TV shows, we'd have to connect a regular computer to the TV. When Hulu does become available to the Boxee, it will likely be Hulu Plus which is another subscription service. And there will still be commercials.

I hate to admit it, but I do torrent some TV shows to watch on the Boxee. The Boxee software is brilliant for that. It'll play just about any video file you ask it to.

I have a feeling that once hooking up your computer, or Roku, or Boxee, or whatever method you use to watch content from the internet on your TV becomes popular, this will be the way it works. Paying for subscriptions to every bit of content you'd like to watch. You'll eventually just be paying websites instead of your cable provider.

[Number Six]

I hate the cable company but I don't feel like I have an alternative. I'm not in a position to use a satellite dish. I don't want to get all my TV on the internet, first because I want to be able to do TV and internet at the same time, second because I don't want to have to sit in front of my computer monitor for everything I do and third because I like being able to surf channels rather than just buying what I like...surfing is a form of exploring and discovering for me.

So what do I do? I've heard of fiber optic, or something like that, but they don't yet have it in my state. Anyone have that or any thoughts on it?

I hate the fact that cable makes you buy an entire tier or nothing at all. I can't believe they're able to still get away with that in 2011.

[tesscaline]

I can't speak for Comcast, but Charter's threshold is tied to the down/up speed. Increase the speed and you raise the cap.Comcast's is not. It's a flat cap for all customers (residential anyway). With Comcast, you also cannot buy a higher threshold, or pay extra based on use (as a residential customer).

It's really rather ridiculous, especially with the way netflix and other streaming media are snowballing in popularity.

I'm hoping that Comcast will revisit their decisions on the matter sooner as opposed to later -- this "threshold" has been in place for 3-4 years now, and is vastly out of date. imo anyway.

[welshdean]

Any Brits here doing anything. I've just kicked SKY out of the house when I realised I was paying them £104 per mth.
I now pay £5 for 20meg internet (clocked at lowest 14meg and 22meg fastest) and the free channels on SKY inc limited HD channels.
I've seen satellite boxes that can pick up a lot of SKY's content and some euro channels too. Problem is I can't find them now.

ETA: My missus works for O2 and the internet package is a perk.

[DavidJames]

I dumped Directv 3 and 1/2 month ago and haven't missed it. There is no perfect solution. How close you can meet your entertainment needs depends on what you watch and how flexible you are relative to options and quality.

The link in my sig provides some background on my journey.

[gnome]

For those who like the idea of internet-based media but don't want to watch it on your computer screen... besides known solutions like having Netflix for a game console, there is the general solution of running an output from your video card to the input of a TV. Most video cards have a component out that gets reasonably high definition, and some a DVI or even HDMI that will be high-def.

Combine that with either standard audio cables from your sound card out to the inputs of your TV, and you have sound and video running directly from your computer to the TV. If you want to get really fancy you can run an optical sound cable out from the sound card into a stereo receiver for better quality sound.

Doesn't solve the problem of using TV and computer at the same time, but you can run basic operations and internet tasks on the computer while full screen in VLC player on the TV. If it's streaming, avoid the internet but you can still perform basic operations. You might need another computer if you want processor-intensive tasks while watching TV.

[Snow Phoenix]

For those who like the idea of internet-based media but don't want to watch it on your computer screen... besides known solutions like having Netflix for a game console, there is the general solution of running an output from your video card to the input of a TV. Most video cards have a component out that gets reasonably high definition, and some a DVI or even HDMI that will be high-def.

Combine that with either standard audio cables from your sound card out to the inputs of your TV, and you have sound and video running directly from your computer to the TV. If you want to get really fancy you can run an optical sound cable out from the sound card into a stereo receiver for better quality sound.

Doesn't solve the problem of using TV and computer at the same time, but you can run basic operations and internet tasks on the computer while full screen in VLC player on the TV. If it's streaming, avoid the internet but you can still perform basic operations. You might need another computer if you want processor-intensive tasks while watching TV.

While I do have my computer hooked up to my plasma big-screen, I much prefer streaming media I've previously downloaded on to my computer through my PS3. Another perk is that it plays games and blu-rays as well, eliminating an extra device.

So I throw my vote for streaming downloaded media, (or using the netflix app on the ps3) to get stuff to your TV.

[gnome]

Interesting. Can an XBOX stream media from your PC as well?

[Corsair 115]

Can an XBOX stream media from your PC as well?


According to the Xbox 360 manual on Windows Media Center:

Your Xbox 360 console can deliver the ultimate integration of gaming and room-to-room entertainment—including watching or recording TV shows, viewing your digital photos, and listening to your digital music library—from a Windows Media Center-based PC to any TV in your home. When you connect your console to the same network as your Windows Media Center-based PC, the experience is delivered to your Xbox 360 video and entertainment system. (You can connect up to five consoles to a Windows Media Center-based PC.)


So the answer to your question appears to be yes.

[sadhatter]

The problem is not as simple as it would seem.

More people downloading or going to other services means less money to the cable companies, which means they will raise the rates. This may be all well and good now, but...

The internet is not always going to be the wild west it is now. Eventually there is going to come a day where illegal activities that most of use do online will be able to be if not stopped, at least prosecuted with some kind of regularity. Making pirated movies and television again the realm of those with somewhat special skills.

But when this day comes, and people don't really have the choice to steal with impunity ( no judgments, almost all of us have done it. ) , they are now going to be forced to pay rates which are inflated due to people taking advantage of the ability to steal with impunity, and the cable companies are not going to suddenly drop these prices as it is what the majority of customers will be used to paying by then.

The best solution, like many best solutions is to go somewhere in the middle. Downgrade your cable package, and replace the high cost shows ( the hbo, showtime, etc.) stuff , with getting it from the net.

Trying to go rogue now, is a lot like starting cocaine right before it became illegal. It might be fun in the short run, but it is going to cause problems for you fairly soon.

[JWideman]

TV? You mean that thing I watch Netflix and DVDs on?

[tesscaline]

The problem is not as simple as it would seem.

More people downloading or going to other services means less money to the cable companies, which means they will raise the rates. This may be all well and good now, but...

The internet is not always going to be the wild west it is now. Eventually there is going to come a day where illegal activities that most of use do online will be able to be if not stopped, at least prosecuted with some kind of regularity. Making pirated movies and television again the realm of those with somewhat special skills.

But when this day comes, and people don't really have the choice to steal with impunity ( no judgments, almost all of us have done it. ) , they are now going to be forced to pay rates which are inflated due to people taking advantage of the ability to steal with impunity, and the cable companies are not going to suddenly drop these prices as it is what the majority of customers will be used to paying by then.

The best solution, like many best solutions is to go somewhere in the middle. Downgrade your cable package, and replace the high cost shows ( the hbo, showtime, etc.) stuff , with getting it from the net.

Trying to go rogue now, is a lot like starting cocaine right before it became illegal. It might be fun in the short run, but it is going to cause problems for you fairly soon.Are you attempting to say that netflix and hulu will become illegal? o.O

[excaza]

The problem is not as simple as it would seem.

More people downloading or going to other services means less money to the cable companies, which means they will raise the rates. This may be all well and good now, but...

The internet is not always going to be the wild west it is now. Eventually there is going to come a day where illegal activities that most of use do online will be able to be if not stopped, at least prosecuted with some kind of regularity. Making pirated movies and television again the realm of those with somewhat special skills.

But when this day comes, and people don't really have the choice to steal with impunity ( no judgments, almost all of us have done it. ) , they are now going to be forced to pay rates which are inflated due to people taking advantage of the ability to steal with impunity, and the cable companies are not going to suddenly drop these prices as it is what the majority of customers will be used to paying by then.

The best solution, like many best solutions is to go somewhere in the middle. Downgrade your cable package, and replace the high cost shows ( the hbo, showtime, etc.) stuff , with getting it from the net.

Trying to go rogue now, is a lot like starting cocaine right before it became illegal. It might be fun in the short run, but it is going to cause problems for you fairly soon.

The problem is exactly as simple as it seems, and you don't even need to use bit torrent for it. Most network stations are broadcast over the air (in HD) for free, so you can get your news that way. Hulu, iTunes, and Netflix are all completely legal, and you can get the majority of the TV shows and movies you would ever want from those, and other similar services. No piracy needed.

[DavidJames]

More people downloading or going to other services means less money to the cable companies, which means they will raise the rates. This may be all well and good now...Now is when I live. Now is when I'm saving $115 per month and I continue to save that until the model changes.

The internet is not always going to be the wild west it is now. Eventually there is going to come a day where illegal activities that most of use do online will be able to be if not stopped, at least prosecuted with some kind of regularity. Making pirated movies and television again the realm of those with somewhat special skills....But when this day comes, and people don't really have the choice to steal with impunity ( no judgments, almost all of us have done it. )I'm one of those that abhors the process of pirating movies/music/etc. I don't and I challenge those who do. Don't lump us together.

they are now going to be forced to pay rates which are inflated due to people taking advantage of the ability to steal with impunity, and the cable companies are not going to suddenly drop these prices as it is what the majority of customers will be used to paying by then. Take the number of months between now and when that happens and we can do the math. I'll take my savings now.
The best solution, like many best solutions is to go somewhere in the middle. Downgrade your cable package, and replace the high cost shows ( the hbo, showtime, etc.) stuff , with getting it from the net.ummm no, that may be the best solution for you, but not necessarily for others and certainly not me.

Trying to go rogue now, is a lot like starting cocaine right before it became illegal. It might be fun in the short run, but it is going to cause problems for you fairly soon.Again, please don't tar others with your broad brush.

The problem is simple. The solution, I agree, is not.

[Corsair 115]

More people downloading or going to other services means less money to the cable companies, which means they will raise the rates.


Cable companies are losing subscribers and they're going to get them back by raising rates? If you're losing customers to the competition shouldn't you be thinking about lowering your prices?

[jnelso99]

And the cable companies will raise their rates anyway regardless of the number of customers they have.

[excaza]

Personally, I got rid of my cable subscription not because it cost an arm and a leg, but because the majority of the time the channels were filled with crap I didn't want to watch.

The only thing I miss is the ability to watch live sports, otherwise I've had no problems getting access to the shows I want to watch.

[ZirconBlue]

I use dish network for tv, AT&T dsl for internet, Verizon for cell.

I've moved twice with dish network (last time from VT to NC) and it's a piece of cake. Leave the old dish, take the receiver with you and they install a new dish at your new location.

[The Fallen Serpent]

I use netflix, dvd/blu-rays and internet broadcasts for the most part. Adult Swim internet streams the Venture Bros. so I'm good for that channel. I am moving soon so this time I intend to follow through on hooking up my old computer to my tv (which newer TVs are really just large computer monitors). Of course children throw a wrench into the mix that I thankfully lack :p

Once sporting events find a way to make decent money through a customer friendly internet method I think cable tv will be in serious trouble. Hulu and Netflix style services are really the future of the market. Less money per individual customer, but customers everywher.

As for internet caps and such, keep in mind the companies have different rules for different markets. I can confirm that in my area comcast grants 250 GB. I have yet to hit it though. Even on months I have had multiple GB downloads and watched Netflix a lot. I also share a line with a roommate who is a computer graphics student that engages in large downloads/uploads and has his own Netflix account. I do not see where they let you track your usage so have no idea how close we get to it, but I estimate about 200GB/month when we are both home the entire month.

[DallasDad]

The only time our family watches TV is when we're travelling and get a hotel room. We do watch a lot of DVDs at home, including TV series, but it's on our schedule, without adverts. I remember quite clearly how baffled my kids were at their first hotel when they couldn't figure out how to pause a show or skip ahead.

I get my news off the web, mostly. News and weather were the very last things tethering me to TV, and I can now get the information more quickly, more conveniently, and on my own schedule. I ditched cable decades ago and haven't looked back since. Although I miss some shows that I think I would find interesting, I figure all of them will come to DVD or NetFlix eventually -- is there really a rush to watch an episode of House? Should anyone organize his evening around when a show is on? Urg, there are so many things to do in life, almost all of them more important than a TV show.

[The Fallen Serpent]

Exactly DallasDad! I remember actually setting up plans around specific shows I "had to see." The modern convenience is vastly superior.

BTW, how is TimeWarner internet down there? The apartment I am moving in to suggests that.

[DallasDad]

BTW, how is TimeWarner internet down there? The apartment I am moving in to suggests that.

I don't know. I have Verizon FIOS, which is incredibly good. I doubt TimeWarner can even approach the reliability and throughput of fibre. I have 35x35 now, and could go up to 50 (but I don't think they have symmetrical at 50 yet, although they've announced the schedule for going to 100x100).

[The Fallen Serpent]

I'll take a look at Fios as well then. Up here I have heard less than spectacular things about them but I imagine the markets are different enough to make a difference.

[gnome]

FiOS: superior internet, crappy TV.

[Dorian Gray]

I think it's more where I live than anything, but options are thin. Two satellites, Time Warner and over the air.

[Grizzly Bear]

I have ATT's DSL connection under the recently introduce 150 GB cap. I get most of my entertainment from there but I'm usually so busy dealing with my college work or my personal art projects that I don't really have a need for the cable myself. I did cut down on my streaming though to avoid bumping into the fee based cap, but it's nothing like the nightmare overage crap in Canada or some other places.

My sister got DirectTV recently after we cut the cord for about 2 and a half years and frankly there's not much of anything on other than the occasional evening I try to follow the news. Alot of the channels I used to watch as a kid, and later as a teen (cartton network, adult swim, etc) have gone down the toilet since we dropped the cord the first time

[Babbylonian]

I'm on Qwest DSL (fiber, 10 Mbps; haven't heard from them about bandwidth cap issues) with no cable, satellite, or broadcast. I use Netflix, Hulu+, Xbox Live, and Amazon for my TV needs. The latter two require buying by the show, but I buy relatively few shows like that and the bottom line is that I don't spend even close to what I would have to spend on cable/satellite to get the shows I want to watch. Heck, both Netflix and Hulu+ could double their prices and I'd still be ahead of the game.