If you can stream content to your TV, have you cut the cable cord?

[Anonymous]

We haven't had cable for a decade, but we do have a set of digital rabbit ears ($50 at Best Buy). You can watch any sports that are on broadcast tv this way. We don't watch sports, but my DH wanted them so that we could watch election return coverage live. We have them in our basement TV room, so we only get NBC and Fox, which we don't really watch, but if your tv is not in an underground room, you should get more stations.

[Anonymous]

we cut the cord a few months ago. i think we will miss girls - everything else, we just watch on hulu, netflix and amazon.

i hate sports and my husband doesn't mind not watching sports at home. so that hasn't been an issue for us.

[Anonymous]

We have fios -- can anyone confirm the point made by an earlier poster that it's not worth it to drop the TV part of fios but keep it for internet and phone?

Also, another poster mentioned a new HBO streaming-only option -- does anybody know more about this?

[Anonymous]

We have Fios and cut cable back in December. Saving $100 a month and it's been great. Recently we dropped $200 for the NFL Network so we can see any game for the entire season.

HBO is going to release sometime in spring of 2015 a subscription based service. Most likely would be through the HBO GO app.

We have a Roku with every TV, and connect my laptop for iTunes since the apple tv broke. I don't think there's much we miss at this point. It's been a rather easy adjustment. We allow ourselves $20/month for TV shows that are not on Hulu (like the walking dead).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have Fios and cut cable back in December. Saving $100 a month and it's been great. Recently we dropped $200 for the NFL Network so we can see any game for the entire season.

HBO is going to release sometime in spring of 2015 a subscription based service. Most likely would be through the HBO GO app.

We have a Roku with every TV, and connect my laptop for iTunes since the apple tv broke. I don't think there's much we miss at this point. It's been a rather easy adjustment. We allow ourselves $20/month for TV shows that are not on Hulu (like the walking dead).

PP fios poster here - what was your fios cable package before because I do not see a 100 a month difference between cable+internet and internet only.

NFL network does not show every game - it shows the thursday night game (which is simulcast on cbs).

Sunday Ticket would show every game but that's not on FIOS - that's only through directv.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have fios -- can anyone confirm the point made by an earlier poster that it's not worth it to drop the TV part of fios but keep it for internet and phone?

Also, another poster mentioned a new HBO streaming-only option -- does anybody know more about this?

HBO streaming only will come online in 2015 but it'll be a minimum of 15, if not 20. They will not undercut the price of HBO via cable sub for the OTT service.

[Anonymous]

Did away with cable 4 years ago - I use Clear for internet and stream Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime via our TiVo. TiVo is also connected to our antenna which is a discreet white square, that's how we watch broadcast tv including NBC, ABC, CBS, CW, multiple PBS stations, and even 2 spanish language channels for my mom. I pay a total of $75 month and I'm happy with that. Comcast would cost me more.

This also limits my son's exposure to channels and shows I don't like - he's happy watching PBS kids and Netflix kids.

I miss HGTV, Bravo, and Food Network but not enough to pay for it.

[Anonymous]

I haven't had cable in 3 years. I use Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube, and the websites for the individual stations for 80% of the shows I used to watch.

I do miss The Food Network and HGTV, but those two aren't worth the money I was shelling out for cable. I love sports, but I love disposable income more. I watch the games that come on regular TV and the rest I've just had to learn to live without.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have Fios and cut cable back in December. Saving $100 a month and it's been great. Recently we dropped $200 for the NFL Network so we can see any game for the entire season.

HBO is going to release sometime in spring of 2015 a subscription based service. Most likely would be through the HBO GO app.

We have a Roku with every TV, and connect my laptop for iTunes since the apple tv broke. I don't think there's much we miss at this point. It's been a rather easy adjustment. We allow ourselves $20/month for TV shows that are not on Hulu (like the walking dead).

PP fios poster here - what was your fios cable package before because I do not see a 100 a month difference between cable+internet and internet only.

NFL network does not show every game - it shows the thursday night game (which is simulcast on cbs).

Sunday Ticket would show every game but that's not on FIOS - that's only through directv.

My apologies, it's Sunday ticket, and not just for DirectTV. We use it through my laptop (you can also use it through an Xbox). Our FIOS plan started 3+ years ago, so I'm not sure how the prices have changed, and we also had packages including Red Zone, HBO, Cinemax that were cancelled as well.

[Anonymous]

one of the previous PP who cut the cord. We finally started using the YouTube app with our TiVo and it turns out you can pair your TiVo youtube app to your YouTube account and then use your phone/laptop/tablet as a remote to control the YouTube content on the TV screen. It's great!

We watched some videos for DS last night and then some movie trailers and music videos. Whatever I wanted to find on youtube I just pulled it up on the youtube app on my iphone and it displayed on the TV.

We are more than fine not having cable. I still watch Redskins on network TV which I get with my digital antenna. I watch Saturday college games, watched the World Cup, etc.

Between Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Instant there's very little I can't get. YouTube adds another fun component.

Anyone can "cut the cord" in 3 steps.


1) Ensure you have a high-speed internet connection if you're going to be using Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Instant video

2) Buy/install digital antenna AND a streaming device (Roku, TiVo, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, etc) or have a smart TV with app connectivity built in

3) Connect streaming device to TV and antenna; set up connection to internet, set up apps/connections to streaming devices

Enjoy watching TV!

[Anonymous]

just 'shaved the cord'.

Kept fios voice (more of an emergency line and the call quality still beats cellphones when it comes to a landline) and internet.

Completely ditched the tv.

Savings will be about 50-60 a month.

We have to fight back on the distributors and firms lobbying to save the bundle by cutting off one household at a time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:one of the previous PP who cut the cord. We finally started using the YouTube app with our TiVo and it turns out you can pair your TiVo youtube app to your YouTube account and then use your phone/laptop/tablet as a remote to control the YouTube content on the TV screen. It's great!

We watched some videos for DS last night and then some movie trailers and music videos. Whatever I wanted to find on youtube I just pulled it up on the youtube app on my iphone and it displayed on the TV.

We are more than fine not having cable. I still watch Redskins on network TV which I get with my digital antenna. I watch Saturday college games, watched the World Cup, etc.

Between Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Instant there's very little I can't get. YouTube adds another fun component.

Anyone can "cut the cord" in 3 steps.


1) Ensure you have a high-speed internet connection if you're going to be using Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Instant video

2) Buy/install digital antenna AND a streaming device (Roku, TiVo, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, etc) or have a smart TV with app connectivity built in

3) Connect streaming device to TV and antenna; set up connection to internet, set up apps/connections to streaming devices

Enjoy watching TV!

If you watch live sports (ESPN, TNT, etc.), this doesn't help. That is why I don't think most people will cut the cord.

[Anonymous]

The only way is Kodi (aka XBMC) but it's not completely legitimate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only way is Kodi (aka XBMC) but it's not completely legitimate.

Piracy is acceptable in order to change how the market operates.

Without napster, the ability to buy the song you want without having the whole album forced upon you would've never happened when it happened.

Right now, the pay-tv bundle makes winners for everyone except consumers, who are pitted against each other by content producers and distributors alike (i.e. sports fans vs. non-sports fans, both which cross subsidize the other), though the sports fan gets a better deal out of it.

[Anonymous]

We went cableless about 6 months ago. I don't miss anything. (We are not sports fans) My husband, oddly enough, misses channel surfing.