I am just flat tired of paying $160+ a month for 40 religious channels 6 channels I watch and HBO, home phone is $40 of that (can go Vonage for more long distance and less money $18/m and my interenet.)
I am thinking of going and doing the Internet TV. No contracts (I hate contracts for stupid stuff like this) So my question is this.
Anyone had experience with this kind of thing?
(I have had satellite and do not care for them at all so no DirectTV or Dish)
Since I moved 4 months ago I dropped cable and now stream Netflix and hulu+ in conjunction with a regular tv antenna. I now spend under $60 for my tv and Internet.
Sure all the shows I like now show up a season late on Netflix but it saves me over a $100 a month. If there is anything that I must see iTunes rents most shows for .99 cents.
How many TVs?
This is what I do.
ATT U-Verse, 200 channels no HD, 6 meg internet all for around 120.00. I use a slingbox to watch my TV anywhere I have my phone with me. An Wifi connection helps. Apparently I'm paying less, and maybe this will help convince you towards or away from what I do.
I like it a lot, but there's not a lot of TV that I watch. I may have been the only one of my ALMS buddies that has no problem with the live races on ESPN3. There's kind of a twist to that, and I discovered Fox (I'm a "Bones" and "Family Guy" fan) is going to do something similar: They want to know your high-speed connection is owned by a cable company that also carries their networks. The only provider we get out here is Comcast, so we're covered. Most TV networks are beginning to take the hint about online delivery, so most of the higher-rated TV shows are offered online the day after they air on the network. Netflix is another source for "regular" shows, especially those from the premium cable networks (We like "Dexter", but are about a season behind). I do wish some other networks were better about providing online content (I used to watch the Indycars live on their homepage, but this year's deal with Versus put a stop to it).
Which brings up the question of "sources of questionable legality". I personally don't mind people re-streaming TV and cable broadcasts, because a simple repeat of the signal includes the commercials. Some folks say that you're cheating the network out of its' subscriber fee, but the major cabler I worked for didn't really make much money from the sub fee, when compared to the commercial load. My girlfriend is a lot younger than I am, and (like much of her generation) considers big companies as the destroyer of American life, and screwing them as social justice (aside to my right-wing buddies: Don't sweat it, she doesn't vote, either. Says that if it made any difference they'd make it illegal.)
Not to mention, using such sites allows you to see material from other countries. I've watched Le Mans coverage from Europe for the last 4-5yrs. Much better commentary, full coverage of the race, and often-video of the cars on course during the night instead of an endless series of pit interviews.
Another case in point..both of our "favorite shows" are from other countries! Hers is a Japanese anime named "Bleach". It is actually broadcast in the US on Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim", but they're about 100 episodes behind. IIRC, during the season, new episodes air in Japan on Tuesday nights, and by Friday she can find a streaming (that's right..no virus-filled download) copy with subtitles. My show is Top Gear, which of course, is already in English. It airs Sunday nights, and I can usually find a stream by Monday afternoon.
Only complaint I've heard from others who have "cut the cord" is that it can be difficult to find coverage of their favorite stickandball sports. I don't really care for any of that, so it's not been a problem for me.
In reply to FlightService:
I only run 2 tv's. The OTA (over the air) is hooked up to both. For the streaming part I use either a Apple TV or Roku box. These are devices that are made to stream Internet tv. The edge right now goes to the Roku as it will do both Netflix and hulu while the Apple will only do Netflix.
For video rentals the Apple uses iTunes and the Roku uses Amazons video on demand. Both services charge about the same for rentals and pretty much both have the same content.
If there is something that is online but isn't available from either of the big 2 services then I will just plug my laptop (it has a HDMI port) into my tv and use my iPhone as a wireless mouse to control it. This works for watching sites like xfinity (a hulu competitor that also has some free programing).
It does take some adjustment and isn't for everyone, but once you get used to it you'll kinda wonder why you didn't do it sooner.
The biggest adjustment for us was explaining to my 11yo son that we don't have cable anymore. He never realized that tv cost money and the difference between free tv and premium tv.
It's all good now though, we showed how many episodes
of phineas and ferb there is on Netflix. 
Netflix. Hulu Plus occasionally tempts me.
Dumped the sat. 100 channels of nothing on for $800/year. Screw that. Now I get 7 channels (over the air) of nothing on for free.
I cancelled cable about a year ago and went to streaming only. I do Netflix and Amazon most of the time (Netflix movies, and I purchase some shows, the few that I want to watch, from Amazon). I was getting Netflix discs also, but when they raised the price I went to streaming only, and I hit the Redbox once or twice a month too. I also get some shows on DVD through the Amazon Marketplace. I also have some credits from CinemaNow that I'm using up.
I use an LG blu-ray player for all this, through wifi hooked up to 6mb DSL. It's not enough for HD, but it's good enough for me.
I have a Mac Mini that I was using for iTunes, but the problem with iTunes is that the shows purchased through there are downloaded to your computer, and based on my (probably faulty) math the files end up using more bandwidth on my DSL cap than streaming shows.
Like Marty! said, now that I'm used to it I can't imagine doing it any other way. Mainly because I don't see any commercials!
...you mention vonage... $20 a month...
if you already are running a cell phone you could bump up a plan then use google talk on your computer for free... used it a lot while I was out of the country last year and it was great.... pick up a decent headset and you're good to go.
we're thinking of dumping the cable also... kids know how to use netflix on the wii, use the xbox on the main tv for netflix (can also do hulu) and stream about anything you want from your computer with tversity.... OTA is reasonable in my area... but only 1 tv has a digital tunner :-/...
We dumped DirectTV about two months ago. Everything we watch is OTA or streaming using Netflix or Hulu. I don't miss it. Our TV consumption has dropped 50% and the bill has dropped 90%. It's also amazing how much more you get done without the idiot box on.
Now I just need to stop coming here. 
I'm planning to not have TV at my new place. I'm thinking about getting Clear since Baltimore has pretty good 4g coverage already and/or just tethering my phone to my laptop to get my internets.
Just dropped cable tv. We use Netflix streaming and DVDs. Can't say that I miss it too much, but I'll probably be sad come football season (although I'm not getting much of the Saints in Detroit, anyway)
I did this about 3 months back and wouldn't change it. I kept my cable internet service and lowered my bill by $100/month.
Neflix - main entertainment source, you can always find something to watch.
Hulu - haven't found much I'm interested in, but haven't looked that hard
Live sports - I bought a full access pass from ABC for streaming the Tour de France for $30 and it was great. that's about the only sports I'm interested in.
iTunes - I can purchase entire seasons of the shows I just can't miss for less then $20 each - the episodes download the night they're aired, the pic quality is better than digital cable, and there are no commercials
air broadcast - I made a homebuilt antenna and put it in the attic - I get 10-12 channels that are better pic quality than the cable I was paying for.
So, yeah, don't miss it at all.
One question for fellow streamers -- does anyone have a good source for College football? might want to catch some this year...
Cool, We currently have 3 tv's which can quickly get trimmed to 2.
I was looking at the Amazon vs Hulu debate. The Mac Mini inticed me but I have a Pc box I could upgrade and get server capability pretty quick.
Speed, BBC America, and HBO is pretty much my rounds. The kids do Nick Sprout and Disney. Wife does HGTV and a few others.
Marty! wrote: If there is anything that I must see iTunes rents most shows for .99 cents.
Sweet! Rentals for less than a penny!
I only have Cable internet too.. basic basic cable (cheaper than just internet) and that's it
netflix @ $8.99 or whatever per month for me and that's it. Sure beats the huge bill and I don't miss TV at all.
ultraclyde wrote: One question for fellow streamers -- does anyone have a good source for College football? might want to catch some this year...
Take another look at ESPN3. Like I said, they'll want to know the folks that supply your cable internet also offers cable TV, but if they do, you're in. I watched most of the World Cup over there (and it's the only way to see ALMS live this season).
And of course...(looks both ways) COUGH!justin.tvCOUGH!
I'm one of those that would have a problem w/out cable ( though I can't stand the cost or the service ) I watch a lot of, what's referred to as stick and ball sports + racing of all kinds ( even the occasional NASCAR event ) ...
add in the fact that I'm not what anyone would call computer literate... I can barely handle this...
guess I'm stuck ... at least for the time being 
wbjones wrote: I'm one of those that would have a problem w/out cable ( though I can't stand the cost or the service ) I watch a lot of, what's referred to as stick and ball sports + racing of all kinds ( even the occasional NASCAR event ) ... add in the fact that I'm not what anyone would call computer literate... I can barely handle this... guess I'm stuck ... at least for the time being
Sports: Check out some of the pay channels on Roku
My house has a weird TV hookup. It's done through this thing that looks like a dead christmas tree. It's up on the roof. Someone told me it looks like Aunt Enna, but never had an Aunt Enna, so that just doesn't make sense.
Anyway, it's really cool, I never get a bill! Awesome! And my local news? It's like, really local!. You'd think thye channels are coming from near my house or something!
And now that we got this box so we can enter-the-net, my wife watches TV on the computer. From cooking shows to weird British sitcoms. Seems like all you have to do is type in a name and you can find it. My son just loves watching all the various Star Trek shows and movies for example.
In all sincerity, we don't use cable. We can find virtually anything online. Between Hulu, Youtube and a few others, we can find more than enough to keep us occupied.
^funny
My wife is on board now, just trying to determine the set up we can afford now.
I Have a server grade PC I just need to up the memory and get a new hard drive for that would work just fine.
Hulu or Amazon is the question...
I have a Wii downstairs with Netflix and a Roku upstairs with Netflix, Hulu, and about 20 other interesting on-demand channels. Crackle has been great too. Then I have a digital antenna which picks up about 12 channels (5 of which are spanish) but I get all the major networks.
After I ditched satellite I realized that TV is just stupid... not only is the programming just horrible, but its on THEIR schedule. Now I just come home, select a show or movie I want to watch and watch it on MY time.
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