Your Guide to Cable TV Cord-Cutting

[Jill Scharr]

Is it time to ditch cable or satellite TV? Follow this guide to figure out the best and cheapest ways to watch your favorite TV programs.

Your Guide to Cable TV Cord-Cutting : Read more

 

[stephenpate]

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[phatboe]

I cut the cord and instead of replacing the TV with alternatives like netflix, hulu and HBOgo I became more active. Started going to the gym doing volunteer work etc. Not only did I save money but I am a much better person than I used to be.

Thank you greedy Cable/media companies for helpinh me curb my addiction to the boobtube. I never would have gotten off the horse if it was not for your greed.

 

[techguy911]

I'm surprised they did not discuss XBMC all you need is a device that can stream like laptop,raspbery pi,apple tv ver 2 jail broken,any apple ipad,any android device,any desktop or mini pc.
I bought a mini pc lenovo q190 with multimedia remote and installed XBMC problem with dedicated streamers is the mfg drops support after 2 years like boxee box i use to have one but now they are no longer supported XMBC is FREE open source home theater software the ultimate in cord cutting software.
Does everything from streaming netfilx,hulu,hulu plus any streaming website, will sort out your digital movie library and is skinable giving you the look you want.
Sad thing about cable now my provider has encrypted every channel making my computer pvr useless now you HAVE to rent their equipment.
I have not turned on a tv in over 10 years just can't imagine wasting my time watching commercials or paying for 100's of channels i don't watch.

 

[jack1982]

I mostly have cable for football on the weekends and just flipping through the channel guide has a certain, I dunno..."something" that flipping through my Netflix queue lacks. Plus the commercials give me a chance to close my eyes and take a nice long nap.

 

[ss202sl]

I went the last 5 years without cable TV(or satellite) service. I used Netflix, and used a digital converter(I have an older TV) to get about 8 local tv stations. I haven't felt the need for cable. I do have a high speed cable internet connection, and about 2 months ago Comcast offered a bundle price cheaper than I was paying for just the high speed internet. I now have good bandwidth (almost 40 Mbps) and about 100 cable channels.

 

[techguy911]

Another way to save money with a laptop/desktop home computer with xbmc and a usb ota/qam/clear tuner with an antenna you can get local channels for cost of a usb tv tuner.
Then you can install free pvr software like nextpvr and your all set.

 

[Dan Snappy]

I can't recommend getting a TV antenna more. I get 26 English language channels, including all the major networks and all the Denver Broncos games. No charge after I bought the antenna. I use a $40 iView 3500STB to record shows, and I don't even have to pay for an internet connection unless I want extra entertainment. I do have an internet connection, and use Playon to stream free Hulu to my Roku equipped TVs. And, I have Amazon Prime just because I can. I can hook the hard drive from the iView to my PC and stream to the Rokus also. I'm still only paying around $50 a month for entertainment (internet and Amazon Prime).

 

[Scott Evers]

Hulu plus is worthless, they still only have clips.

An antenna, XBMC, Xbox Video/amazon season pass and hulu desktop is all u need.

You won't miss paying all the cable tv taxes also!

 

[jtd871]

I've got cable (Standard Def), phone and internet from Comcast, and my bill is like $150/month. If I cut out the cable (we don't watch that much live tv, and could probably stream all or most of the content we want + local tv via antenna) the internet and phone price would probably clock in at about the same amount. That's how they get ya.

Now if we had a serious competitor to Comcast in my area, that might change.

 

[gnice3d]

You're missing your target audience with this piece. We are enthusiasts and IT professionals, yet you fail to mention any newer HTPC solutions, transcoders, ATSC antenna configurations or web interfaces for torrents clients.

 

[boogalooelectric]

You guys always leave out very important and viable solutions when you do these articles.

What about Silicondust Homerun dual?

http/www.silicondust.com/products/hdhomerun/hdhomerun-dual/

With one of these and an antenna you can have full DVR functionality and use XBMC, Myth, WMC, etc. Yet you never mention this.

You can also get the Homerun Prime if you want to keep your cable but not use the cable co.'s STB's.

You never mention ceton.

Never mention anything about what is going on with Google Fiber as they spread out from Kansas City to other cities. I know this is not cord cutting but its a cheap alternative with superior performance that is eventually going pto be nation wide, so why not discuss it?

In other words if your going to talk HTPC or anything regarding cord cutting you should do it right and give all the options, not just cherry pick.

 

[Rhinofart]

They are not missing the target audiences with the article. They just aren't showing you the dodgy, grey, or illegal ways. They are showing you the legit ways. Can't have Tom's be liable for someone downloading all of HBO's shows for free, and saying "I saw it on Tom's"

 

[techguy911]

@rhinofart what is so dodgy gey or illegal about xbmc and having a tv tuner to pick up ota tv with free pvr software and streaming netflix,hulu in xbmc?.
HTPC are the way to go for serious cord cutters with xbmc it is free open source software yet they don't talk about this option?.
Also all networks have tv shows on their website for viewing all legal which you can access though xbmc or a web browser.

 

[zedon]

For those of you who cut the cord. how do you handle sports. I'm a big football fan, is there a way to stream games live?

 

[dan p]

I agree, what about Sports? I currently have uVerse u200 and 12mbps internet. My son loves to watch NBA and some cartoons and my wife and I barely watch the tube other than some shows and news. What options would we have? I tried a Mohu Leaf antenna, but when the weather is bad the signal is horrible. We watch tv in our rec room, but downstairs the signal isn't that good.

 

[Mike9000]

What am I missing here? Why do people write these articles, or brag about "cutting the cord and saving sooo much money' like it's possible unless you only want to watch the half dozen OTA stations in your area on a clear day. All the streaming services, all the network websites with shows mentioned require broadband. If you want to watch anything but CSI on your local CBS affiliate, that cable line or something similar is still going to be coming into your house and it's going to cost a lot of money. There will be a surcharge for Internet only from your cable/telcom provider.
All these articles act like Roku and your Smart TV are gonna just magically grab shows out of the ether!
Even if you use your Android phone to cast Netflix to your TV, you're going to have to pay your mobile phone company more money for all the bandwidth you are using.
You might end up saving $20 or more at the end of the day, but you're still going to be paying a lot of money if you want to watch TV. If you don't want to watch TV that's awesome. But this idea of "Free TV" when you're paying for broadband Internet access is just delusional.
Tell me I'm missing something here?

 

[notatechguyatall]

This article is relatively worthless without mentioning digital antennas, how to check for available channels, and what devices will allow you to record and playback those recorded shows. Also, people should keep an eye out for Aereo, a company getting a lot of press because it's battle with the networks is coming to the supreme court this year. Aereo does the digital antenna and recorder in the cloud, allowing you to live stream your TV shows on your computer.

 

[Slowhandgroupie]

I have a nice big Toshiba TV that's about a year old and a brand new little blue ray DVD player that has all these Netflix, Hulu, Roku thingy apps on it. I pay $40 a month for very crappy uverse internet with ATT (3 mbs) and $120 a month for even worse Dish satellite for 250 channels, of which we watch 25. I am sick of it. I just want to go back to the old fashioned TV of getting the channels that we watch. I am a complete tech idiot, so all this xbmc and such means nothing to me. I want to get an antenna to watch the local networks and news (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, CW). With the exception of The Walking Dead, there isn't a show that I absolutely can't wait a day or two to watch. I reallly don't want to wait 8 days, like many of the network websites do with showing new episodes. My son has xbox 1 (which runs just about 24/7), we use ipad, kindle, and laptop. So....to all your knowledgeable folks...what do I need besides my tv, blue ray player, and some cables to hook me up and cut my monthly expense. I am going to double my internet speed for $5 a month more and cut my satellite completely. What do I need to be able watch A&E, AMC, USA, TNT, and Syfy with my local networks? Those are the ones we watch the most.

 

[Vintage Princess]

Hello- I am a bit confused at this point. Probably to much research and to many articles. I had a recent change in my life-that I will have to cut most every extra bill out now. I need to get rid of my cox bundle. I want to find out the cheapest set up for watching my live regular channel shows and what I would need to tape them...maybe a DVR/ Tivo? I have read that I can get these basic channels with a good antenna. Does anyone know if I will be able to get Bravo or TLC with an antenna? I did read something about someone getting these cable channels with his clear stream 4 antenna set up. Would I need the Roku boxes for all three of my TV's or will one work for all three? Would it be cheaper in the long run to buy a smart TV with a DVR set up? I did read a tiny bit about the Tivo Roamio set up...seemed pricey for the monthly fee and the Tivo Box. I don't really get the WiFi internet set up with all of these devices? I do have an older computer that is my Fathers it is an AMD Athlon 64...it's really bad. I have a single router now...do I need a newer computer and a dual band router to be able to use the Roku or possibly use the amazon fire stick with the box? I know that all of my questions sound so so dumb- I am learning as I go- Sorry ((
I will have to still pay for high speed...does anyone know of a good company for that in the Vegas area they may be cheaper than Cox? Cox wants to much just for the high speed. My 84 yr old Father has been with Cox for 17 years - he has been paying them $278 per month...no sports channels or anything extra. Sadly my Father has moved to live with my Brother in Colorado. I got Cox down to $200 per month but with my change in circumstances I will need to cut the cord somehow. It's times like this that I wish I had a good techie in my life. If anyone can give me the simple easiest way to do this...I would be so very grateful. Thank You for your time and Smarts!!! I hope that everyone has a Great New Year!!!