Don't know how your Cable Service operates, but I only have Internet for my Home. Cut the Cord over 2 years ago (Cable cost more than Electricity, bu-bye) and purchased Amazon Firestick as well as Amazon Prime for $99 a year. And to be honest, after 2 years, I'm finding myself using Prime TV less and less. Leaving home at 6:30am, returning at 6:30pm, cooking myself Supper, then sitting down, to flip through 130 channels of nothing but 'reality' tv and turning off my brand new 55" television, and watching a pre-recorded movie instead, means I don't even watch Network Television any longer.

And to be honest, those times you really want to watch current events, most are being broadcast on YouTube and Facebook on your Computer Screen. It's simply ridiculous the prices we've grown accustomed to paying just to watch television any longer.

CUT. THE. CORD.

In the windstorm last week, I didn't have cable or Internet for over 20 hours. My thought is that if cable thinks it is an indispensible utility, and worth more than electric and phone, then do more than raise the rates-keep my service on.

I watch my grandkids, mostly at their house, so I'm not home a lot. But when I am, I like background noise.

I've went to stay with my friend, who has a very small tv. So I know when I replace my 44" (that I got for my husband for Christmas in 2009) I know I want at least a 38" but probably bigger.

I'm most concerned with any network changes I'll have to make. I'm out of practice. My husband did all the hardware, and maintained our network, but he passed away, so I have to relearn the routine.

I have the tv on for company, because the cats don't talk much

I knew I'd have to pay for DTV.

I appreciate your advice. I'll act before the thread is archived!

In your area?

That is AT&T cable. It is all over my area except where I live because one small company is fighting.

Spectrum just raised my bundle &40 a month so I am trying to decide whether to just keep my Internet and start streaming. I just found Pluto, it is free, amazing how much is there.

Most of the computer savvy have gone to streaming. I am learning, thanks to the posters here.

I got busy babysitting, got sidetracked, again :/

No more freakin' Suddenlink for me! Yippee!

I have a newer TV going in one room AND a 20+ year old one in another room & I live in a rural area!

I pick-up 14 channels on the newer TV and 17 on the old one!

Saving me a bundle!

I live near Marietta. Not sure what I could pull out of the air. Probably wtap, no thanks. They are sinclair now.

I got me a converter box for it and plugged in this RABBIT EARS antenna I was told to get.

Wowza! It kicks suddenlink's arse OUT THE DOOR!

I get ABC 24/7, a great movie channel, METV (a comedy channel), CBS and a lot of other stuff.

Very few ads and VERY little news.

If I want news, I stream it on the link I posted.

It can be done!

Charter/Spectrum is the best internet in our area and they are the primary cable company as well. I was paying $179 a month for internet and their basic cable package which was garbage. We cancelled their cable and kept their internet. As a punishment, Spectrum raised our internet price from $54.99 to $65.99 a month which sucks but we were still ahead financially. I subscribe to Sling TV which is streamed through a Roku stick. We get more tv than we did with the cable and quite a bit of content that we didn’t get before. Sling has news, movie, cooking/home/garden, comedy, outdoor packages that can be added or subtracted for cheap...like $5. If you try it and don’t like it, just log on to their website and change it up. I have 3 tv’s and a Roku sticks/remotes for each of them and no bulky cumbersome cable box. There’s DVR service that is really great, imo. If I forget to record something and I’m away from home, I can use the Sling app on my phone to record it. I’ve been really happy with it and get more tv than we watch for $54.98 a month....and Sling offers packages for less than that. NBC is the only network Sling offers but CBS can be added for $5.98 a month. I don’t know about ABC etc. With the Roku stick, you can stream Prime, Showtime, HBO etc and a million other things too. I’m saving around $60 a month and other than the occasional network special program like the Oscars or Grammy’s, I don’t think we’re missing anything. Check it out. It’s working well for me.

Edited to add that you can get MSNBC and CNN with Sling.

I am feeling better about the options

increase the cost of just internet. I figured with that and the cost of Prime, fire stick etc I still would be paying too much. I can't figure out the best way without paying so much.

but only by $10 which I accepted. The service is fast and we can run tv’s and mobile devices without a blip. Spending $10 more to save $60+ was worth it.

I accept paying for water, electric and phone. They are essential to life (water, heat, calling 911) but cable tv is not essential to living and I don't want to pay them what they think they are worth.

I don't mind paying more for Internet alone than I do for a bundle. I'll stay with Suddenlink if I can get just Internet. And keep checking my options.

I used to tell my husband that if he died before I did, the first thing I was dumping was Suddenlink. He passed away 2 years ago, and I have yet to get rid of anything. But these price hikes are ridiculous, and I have the incentive to act.

My cable is Spectrum, but I am sure they all offer all kind of deals - they are desperate. I get my movies on Netflix and my news on the internet.

and have a non-cable thing going. I like ATT, but that's up here. It all depends on your local service.

And - LOL! for tv, we have rabbit ears. Yep, back to the 60's! We're mostly WiFi.

Last edited Sun Mar 3, 2019, 09:36 AM - Edit history (1)

We lived near Woodsfield Ohio for years. We got 2 channels on rabbit ears, sometimes 3 if the wind was blowing the right way. lol We got a dish antenna, the giant one, and enjoyed a lot of programming until the cable companies won both sides of their argument: not enough people in rural areas to run cable to, but so many that having dish antennas would run them out of business, and they got to block access to most of the satellite transmissions. My husband called the local cable company every month for years, and finally we got cable, like 1000 feet of wire thru the woods to our house.

When we moved to near Marietta, we had cable, and Charter was installing Internet access. I got an online job, and was using a telephone modem, which was so slow. My husband called Charter every week wanting to know when we'd have cable Internet access. When we finally got it, Charter sent us a letter that since we are such good customers, we'd only have to pay the initial monthly fee for as long as we were customers, that we'd get no price increases. We held on to that letter like it was gold. Well, Charter sold out to Suddenlink and they did not honor that letter.

But hubby is an electrical/electronics geek!

One of the first things I ever did for my first computer was make sure everyone else in the neighborhood was okay with it (this was near Birmingham in 1988)…. what a PITA! My soon-to-be-ex insisted on it.

(fast enough for TV) then fire tv from Amazon can receive msnbc. https://flixed.io/watch-msnbc-live-amazon-fire-tv-without-cable/

My daughter offered to share her Amazon account with me, but I'm already sharing her Netflix. I don't need a lot of tv, just a few shows and netflix.

This is all really dependent upon a few (actually alot) considerations and I'll try and just outline some of them.


1- What do you like use your TV for?- this means your content concerns- like local news/movies/national news/comedies/ etc.
Create a list of those "channels" that you really want as opposed to what may be likeables.

2- With that list you have to match up to all the available options. This is where it gets complicated of course.

3 - In some simple cases just over the regular air digital channels may work and the only way you would know that is to make sure your TV does a good scan of those with a good old antenna. TV manuals should help here as to how to do that. These selections are pretty limited if you are used to "cable".

4- Available options are your local "cable" packages- be they via actual cable or in some areas Satellite -like Dish TV/ Direct TV/ or Hughes ( I have no experience with Hughes). You might have to sacrifice some channels to get a best match because they are so variable. These services usually can handle multiple TV's but they usually charge extra for each TV. This comparison should not be limited to cable/satellite. It is just a place to start.

5- The next option is for Internet based streaming. These options are where is gets real variable and expansive. Some are with devices that attach to your TV usually with HDMI ports. Roku/ AmazonFirestick/Google Chromecast are the most common. The channel selections and cost for each can be found on-line.

The other side to this is if you have a Smart TV that can take streaming directly. You need to understand what your TV can support. Some TV's take some "apps" that others may not. Examples of direct TV streaming apps are DirectTV Now or YouTubeTV. Again you can look on line to check their channels packages, cost, and compatibility to your TV. With your desired content list you can weed things in or out- along with cost. These all carry a usually forgotten concern.

6- That concern is with your own internet capabilities. Do you have sufficient download capability. For example. DirectTV Now wants about 13MBPS speed for its best performance. If your internet is from DSL giving only 1.5MBPs then it won't work to anything you would like. Again, Know your internet speed, match that to your "source choice". And if you depend upon Wifi, make sure it is reliable because if it is not you will be immediately frustrated and dissatisfied.

Also, remember to account for multiple TV's or devices. Some services will only allow a couple of TV's. The other consideration is with monthly data download limits. Internet providers have their own rules here and if you run many devices (TV's/HDMI add ons) on streaming (and some things stream unless you specifically turn them off) then you may go beyond your basic monthly limits and you will be charged extra by your Internet provider.

7-The other thing is how many remote control devices you might want to deal with. The streaming devices usually have their own remotes and it can be a task to get your TV remote to serve both (or vice versa). If you don't mind switching between these things then it is a small consideration. In our house, simplicity is important.

8-Most of internet streaming sources give you free try periods. Use them if you think internet may be your choice.

9- Best of luck to you figuring this all out. It ain't simple.

I was faced with the TV decision. There were several parts. One was the cost. Which I honestly didn't think I could afford. There were various cable or satellite choices, but they all seemed expensive to me. Oh, and because I'd moved here, starting over after a divorce, if I wanted TV, I was going to need to purchase an actual TV. Which I really couldn't afford. Then there was where would I put the TV? The apartment I rented was no help. The cable hook up was on the wall directly in front of the only window in the living room of the apartment I rented. Shall I try to describe to you how strong the light is in northern New Mexico?

I knew that to put a TV there I'd be forced into closing the blinds all day long, just in case I wanted to watch anything on the TV. But I didn't want to live in a darkened apartment.

Although, really, the cost of a TV and a cable service really were the overriding decisions. So I did without. About four other times in my life I'd done without TV, and while I was more than okay with them, eventually I went back to conventional TV, and this time around I didn't think it was any different.

I moved here in 2008. I'm a bit of a political junky, and as you all know, that was a Presidential election year. I love watching the conventions. I learned very quickly that it was possible to watch the conventions via the internet, as the networks went to streaming them. Great! No TV and I still can watch what I want. Yes!

At the time, nearly 11 years ago, I honestly thought my no TV thing was an experiment, and that I'd go back to conventional TV (cable, satellite, whatever) soon enough. After all, those earlier no TV times had ended.

But this was different. I found I really liked not having a regular TV, even aside from the need to locate it in a place in the apartment that wasn't so great. I could watch what I wanted anyway.

I cannot imagine I will ever have regular TV (cable or satellite) again. Why bother? I can watch pretty much any show I'm interested in via the internet. Okay, so I'm not as up to date on current shows as you might be. But does that matter? There truly is so much to watch, we really are in the Golden Age of Television regardless of your personal tastes, or mine for that matter, that there's more to watch than any of us can keep up with.

Oh, when it comes to various forms of breaking news, such as an earthquake somewhere, or a mass shooting, or whatever, I can watch it as well as you. I just Google TV stations in that locality, and invariably at least one of them has gone to streaming. Which means I watch the local station's streaming, not one of the national networks. Far, far more interesting.

Yes, you will give up some things. And only you know what is so important to you that you might not be willing to give them up. And, trust me, I won't judge you. Just as if you tell me that your absolutely favorite TV show is something I consider total crap, I won't give you my opinion on that show. You like it. I have no business trying to tell you that you have lousy taste. Plus, if I tell you my favorite shows, well, we don't need to go there, do we?

Whatever you decide, it will work for you.

Tons of free tv. Movies, news, sports.
For $40/mo. I subscribed to YOUTUBE TV and get all the local channels plus every sports channel known to man. Some I didn't even know existed.
AND CNN, MSNBC, TCM, AMC, FX, FXX, BRAVO, SYFY, etc., etc.

My 'phone' bill ( Dish, phone, & DSL) went from $195 to $35/mo.

I already have a Firestick. I don't know why I hadn't thought about cutting the cord with my fire stick. I had only been using it with my Amazon acct for movies and old re runs l like, like Monk. I signed up for a 7 day trial of Sling TV. They have different packages but the $25 month package had all the channels I like. HGTV, Cooking Channel, History Channel, Discovery ID and some others. $5 extra per month for the news channels which does not include Fox, Yayyy! - They have 2 different news channel packages. They have a special on their website for 40% off for 3 months but I signed up on my Firestick so I want able to get that deal. I don't see local channels on Sling TV though so I may look at Youtube TV.

I haven't cut the cord yet. I want to do so before the next bill cycle.

Really like it has everything we want for $40 a month. Our old bill was $230 a month, crazy. I cut it down to internet and phone for $69. With a smart TV or Roku you can really save some money.

It's irrational, but that's her position.

But I have the tune in App on my phone so I can listen to MSNBC in the car, and although its buggy at times I can listen to MSNBC on my phone so do I really need cable? I'm gonna make the jump and dump cable ! I am paying $178! for cable and internet

What do you do when you have agreed to a contract ( I have Comcast, which is the Devil). I am paying way too much money every month but I have a cable, land line and internet bundle and a contract for two years.

I am not sure how to get out from under the contract. When I asked them about cutting cable and just holding on to my land line and internet, the deal they offered was definitely a punishment. Much slower internet and no more voice mail on the phone. I don't care about call waiting or any of those things, but voice mail is a must and my internet is already on the slower end of the spectrum.. still doable, but just barely.

There are so many ways to get the stations I want without cable so I can figure that out for sure..I just can't figure out how to have a landline and internet without cable and get out from under the contract. They will make me pay if I cancel.

I didn't tell them I had a cel phone because they kept trying to make me buy one and use their service. The whole point of my phone call to them was to lower my bill, not expand and raise it. But I need my land line because I have a lot of business connected to that phone number, otherwise I would just dump it.

Any suggestions? I feel trapped and the monthly bill with Comcast is really a struggle.

Thanks

Till it is time to renew?
Suddenlink doesn't have a contract, the only thing in the plus column.

Thank you for responding

seems like a lot of people want to stop buying cable.

I will pay 77.50/month + tax for Internet 50 bps download, 250 g limit, which is what I had.

I talked to an Indian person who said the cost would be 54-69/month, then was transferred to someone with a southern accent who tried her darnedest to scare me into paying for what I didn't want (If you stream, you'll go over yr limit! If you use yr phone, you'll go over yr limit! Pay more!) I want to question someone why I was quoted a price range lower than what I'll pay. The 2nd woman said if I cancelled the old acct. I'd have to start new and named a bunch of fees, so I'm added to the old acct. as an authorized user. I did get the cart before the horse, because I need to get a new tv, a stick, etc and see about other providers and their cost.

Thanks for all the help. I'll keep checking in.

I am still exploring my options.

My daughter and son-in-law got my new tv hooked up and set up. I have apps for PlutoTV, Netflix, Roku (and the Roku stick) , Amazon Fire,and a bunch of other sources for television and movies. The tv came with Alexa. I can say a title, or an actor, or shop. The connection is faster. I can also type in or say internet addresses, so I cane use the livenewsmag.com link and documentaryheaven.com
for example. Bill and Julie played around with the various apps and before we knew it, 2 hours had passed. It is so easy to get where you're going. Just wanted to say we are having a terrific result. I have more tv than I ever wanted, which will be good for company I am still planning to stop watching tv as I did. But it is nice to know I have options if I have company.

I really, really appreciate all of the good advice and encouragement to take this step. Some of the things I was worried about didn't even happen. I learned a lot about options that I wouldn't have known about if those of you who offered information hadn't taken the time. Many thanks! Happy weekend

I canceled cable tv and I'm set up with a Toshiba fire tv and a Roku stick. I remembered that I liked to listen to old radio shows (otr.net has a huge library of shows you can download for free)

I'm using Real Player installed on my laptop to listen to shows I downloaded. Except for the little bit of time it takes to download a show, am I using streaming when I listen to the shows?

I think I mentioned that Suddenlink has a 250 g cap on its Internet usage. Even watching 2-3 hours of tv a day, I'm using about 2-3g each day. I have used about 15% of my 250g so far and I think I'll be ok. It is kind of a drawback, but after a month or so, it'll be like counting calories.

I don't know if I mentioned but I have had trouble on some days tuning in to TRMS right at 9 est. It might be high demand, because it has happened on Fridays.