I cut the cord! (cable / dish)

[MountCleaners]

Well, lately I've been finding the hundreds of channels and the constant Trump talk on 24-hour news depressing. Most of my favorite TV shows are no longer around, and if they are, I can get them on Netflix or Amazon.

I finally worked up the nerve to call DirecTV and cancel my service.

I'm looking forward to the silence. I'm going to use the saved money to buy a second laptop - a 2-in-1 that I can use to hook up to my TV or draw on (I like to design things using graphics programs).

Have you stopped using cable or dish? Did you replace it with something such as Sling (I have no plans to do so - I have an HDTV antenna so that I can watch local news)?

Looking forward to this new zen chapter in my life. I spend much more time listening to music lately as I'm working, and the TV has just become a depressing distraction.

[dem4decades]

1. Good luck, I think many are interested in your success.

[Lotusflower70]

2. That's awesome

I cut the cord a couple of years ago. I do have sling and a roku stick. I also have a tv with Google chromecast built in. It's nice. I can watch YouTube on my television. I don't watch anywhere near as much tv. I am a huge sports fan but I have that covered.

I tuned out the 24 hour Trump talk a long time ago. I can get information about wants going on in the world a variety of ways. TV news and/or talking heads don't really do it for me. I had to get out of the vortex of lies and propaganda.

[Miles Archer]

3. I have Roku w/ Netflix, Hulu, & Sling

I have the commercial-free Hulu, and 3 add-ons for Sling: Movies, News, & DVR.

There are so many channels available from Roku alone...many of them free...that it would make your head spin.

Vudu has pay-per-view movies. Many of the older ones are $3.99, and they often run promos that give you a $2 rental credit if you watch one of their movies that includes commercials.

I posted something last week about Beta Max TV, which is a free channel that you can get via Roku. They have the whole 12 part "Crimson Ghost" serial, divided into two parts, hosted, commercial free, and each half includes several classic Fleisher Superman cartoons.

Tubi TV has a ton of the best MST3K episodes.

On and on and on. I do rely on the paid content, but about 1/4 of what I watch comes from the free channels.

[JCMach1]

15. I prefer Hulu Live over Sling

but there are lots of options out there...

[Miles Archer]

16. I had Hulu live, it buffered too much for me

There were a few other issues as well, but that's just my personal experience with my WiFi.

Haven't had the same issues with Sling...it will buffer on rare occasions...but I would not "not" recommend Hulu to anyone else.

[yellowdogintexas]

18. Free Speech TV is a free channel on ROKU.

My daughter figured out how to get it on her Firestick by going through the internet connection that is on the Fire stick.

[Eliot Rosewater]

26. Walmart owns VUDU, use

https://www.fandangonow.com/

instead or prime if you can

[avebury]

4. I cut the cord a few years back and wish that I had

done it sooner. I have Prime, Netflix and CBS All Access. I watch a lot of CBS shows. I use a Roku stick but recently got a Fire stick to try during amazon’s big sale. You would be surprised at what you can find for free on the Roku. I also got a reaaly good antennae at Walmart and was surprised at how many stations that I get over the air. If you like Sci-Fi there is Comet TV. ION TV has great re-runs as well.

I watch/listen to a lot on my phone, Apple Ipod Touch and IPad so I am not tied down to the TV. The same devices are also used for library books (ebooks and audio).

I often run errands while listening to MSNBC on my phone with ear buds. Of course when I retire that will stop. My work cell has unlimited data, my personal cell doesn’t.

If you like movies and there are a lot of AMC theaters where you live, the AMC Stubs membership is a great deal. For less than $22 you can see 3 movies a week. I have expanded my movie selections and now see movies that I would never have considered if I had to pay for every ticket.

Edit to add, I love the YouTube channel and watch it without a subscription. You would be amazed what you can find to watch on it. There is an ap that helps you to find old movies posted on YouTube. If I have a few minutes I can always find something to watch. I gave up Hulu because I could find what I watched on Hulu on YouTube so why pay if you don’t have to?

[WePurrsevere]

5. We cut the satellite long ago. Most of the time...

I don't miss it at all but when I occasionally need a fix or there's something really interesting that I want to watch, we pick up Sling temporarily. The price, selection and service are decent and I really like how easy it is to turn the service off and on.

We also have a Firestick & Amazon Prime and hubby who loves movies can watch those, documentaries and old TV episodes when he feels so inclined. He really wants to watch the next Star Trek 'Picard', as do I, so we'll probably add CBS All Access while that's on.

We bought a window mount digital antenna to try but it wasn't worth it. Unfortunately this area has always been bad for getting local channels, digital isn't any better.

My eldest daughter has Netflix ATM and has us on so we can use that too if we choose (mostly that's when the grands come to visit). She recently finally cut the cord and has been surprised how much she's saving even with subscribing to online alternatives, mostly for her children to watch a few shows they really enjoy.

[Flo Mingo]

6. 4 years for me

And I can't think of a single thing of value I've missed. I have Netflix & Prime for entertainment on MY schedule.
I have a digital antenna but my local station is Sinclair so I don't really watch much local news but keep up via community FB groups, etc.

Don't be afraid people, it's not that critical to life.

[Sherman A1]

7. I very much want to do just as you, however

the wife is somewhat set in her TV watching ways and I have to be sure to have lots of westerns and CBS so that she can catch her favorites along with recording them.

[flamin lib]

11. CBS!

I subscribe to CBS All Access. $6 a month or $11 to skip commercials. Not only does it have every episode of every popular show --season 1 episode 1 of NCIS--but it has original content not broadcast. Star Trek fan? They own the entire franchise and are producing a whole new series and a new movie, Picard, that features the original cast!

Current episodes delayed 24 hours but are available forever.

[yellowdogintexas]

19. if you use a ROKU or Firestick,

there is a subscription service to CBS that is something like $5 monthly.
Westerns abound on Netflix, Prime, Hulu and ROKU free channels.

We have the ROKU on one TV and Firestick on the other. We subscribe to Netflix, Prime and Hulu. I also have HBO - you can set it up to be billed through your Prime, Hulu or ROKU accounts as an attachment. No cable subscription needed.

We have the cheapest versions of Netflix and Hulu, and since I would have a Prime subscription for free shipping etc. anyway Prime Video is essentially free. Nice Perk!

El cheapo antenna for local stations.

We should have done this ages ago. I believe we did it immediately after the HBO extension became available through ROKU (it was only available on AppleStick for a long time) SO Netflix is like $13, Hulu is $8 and HBO is 15. Prime averages out at $8 per month. Way cheaper than cable.

I like HULU because it offers a number of programs that I really like on the next day after an episode is broadcast. There are tons of old shows on all 3 streaming services, and HBO's entire library is on their channel.

Not to mention the Netflix, Prime and Hulu Originals which are amazing.

If you love British TV, check out Britbox or ACORN. We haven't done that yet but are thinking about it

[Lochloosa]

22. We have ACORN and love it. Great programming.

[Lochloosa]

8. I would recommend a Roku box. One time charge.

The easy navigation makes it worth it.

[yellowdogintexas]

20. The newest one has TV volume control

and a few other features which essentially allow you to do everything with the ROKU control.

[Lochloosa]

21. Really? Time to upgrade.

[yellowdogintexas]

37. yes It is tempting indeed

Every morning when I turn on Free Speech TV I get a short ROKU ad. Not on any other channel just FSTV . So I have learned a lot lately about new ROKU updates.

[in2herbs]

9. Never had cable or dish, always just antenna. Good enuf for me. nt

[Tech]

10. We cut a while ago, got a cheaper dvr type machine that fits our needs for recording,

Antenna and streaming is fine. And a lot cheaper. Already talking about dropping some of the streaming. Works for us.

We do have firesticks on 2 tvs.

[secondwind]

12. You are tempting me to do the same.

[MountCleaners]

33. I can't tell you how relieved I feel now that I have done it!

My local library has a fantastic video selection of every critically-acclaimed TV program, and at this point, I no longer mind waiting for the DVD to come out or for the show to show up on streaming services.

I used to watch "Walking Dead" religiously, but my favorite characters are mostly gone, and I no longer care.

Mainly, I am interested in criminology and cold cases, and I can get that stuff on YouTube or Amazon Prime. Most of the stuff on Discovery ID bores me to tears. I'm switching to podcasts, and with the money I save, I'm getting a newspapers.com subscription so that I can read up on old cold case stories from years ago. With all I'm doing, I just don't have time for fiction shows, and as far as the news - I want NEWS, not endless Trump. He's garbage - I'll find out what garbage thing he did today from DU or Twitter. I already have a local HDTV and because I live in the Chicago area, there are plenty of channels. There is even a cool one that has a lot of Japanese TV...in English. I think one channel has cold case and crime stuff, too.

Britbox I may consider, though - since I find the British crime shows to be much better.

I love baseball but next year, I'll just pay for the games on my computer.

[hunter]

13. My wife and I quit traditional television more than a decade ago.

We disconnected the broadcast antenna too.

We only had DVDs and video cassettes for a time, but then one of our adult children set us up with Netflix.

Never seeing any television news or commercials is a peaceful way to live. I have zero tolerance of "traditional" television anymore; it's just noise. If I'm in a waiting room with a television on I'll ask if I can turn it off. My wife and I don't even touch the television or remote control in motel rooms.

We watch Netflix, DVDs we rent from Redbox, and DVDs I find in thrift stores. That's plenty of television.

Our children, having grown up and moved away, use Chromecast exclusively on their televisions. They don't even have DVD players or remote controls; they use their phones to control their televisions. This has confused their grandparents when they visit. My wife's mom and my dad are television news junkies, not Fox News, thank God, mostly MSNBC. I personally know nothing about MSNBC but what I read here on DU.

Our children are basketball fanatics so I know they have some kind of subscription to watch that in addition to Netflix.

The $8.99 a month we spend on Netflix is about as much as I want to pay for television. The Netflix "Standard Definition" option works fine on our inexpensive unlimited DSL internet service. It never drops out. With or without television my wife and I would have internet anyways because we both need it for work.

My wife and I are Trekkies to some extent, but we haven't subscribed to CBS. We probably won't see the new series Picard until it's available elsewhere.

[JCMach1]

14. Amazon Fire Stick/Cube, or ROKU

Both are good... IF you have Prime, you already have a video channel

I use HULU with Live TV. I prefer the interface and speed to other services I have tried.

[OnDoutside]

34. You can put Mobdro and Kodi on the firestick too.

[Autumn]

17. Good for you. I dropped Direct and now have Hulu and free TV. I've had Netflix for years

and may add streaming AMC for a couple of shows I enjoy. Saving over 140 a month. I will never go back.

[llmart]

23. Seven years without cable.

Never miss it. It truly does make for a more stress free, peaceful existence. I have a Roku box that my grown children bought me about six years ago and subscribe to Netflix for $8.99 per month (just went up from $7.99 it's been since I've had it). I use an antenna for local channels. Those two things are plenty for TV watching. Life's too short to be sitting on a couch watching TV. I listen to lots of music and have the internet.

Why anyone would pay for cable as much as they charge is beyond me.

[UTUSN]

24. "the saved money" - that is the crux, not paying for crud not even viewed

It took me years to take the leap to finding alternatives, and what stymied me was overcoming the BAD alternatives that consisted of substituting OTHER paid outlets (HBO, whatever they are).

About six months ago I stumbled upon my solution (for me) : Roku Stick plus a very cut down Dish package (for MSNBC), the Locals via air antenna, and what has been best of all (that was always available) YouTube.

At this late date I discovered YouTube packed with documentaries, classic t.v. stuff, how-to stuff, whatever and ever.

I'm not into movies and sports, so there are still tons of stuff on Roku for me, especially Pluto t.v.

Take the jump!1

[lunatica]

25. I get DirectNOW which I'm quite happy with

No dish or cable necessary other than getting WiFi. I have Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Prime, and a bunch of free movie and tv series. Some of them have ads but these are usually very short versions and limited which doesn’t bother me. I’m a real movie buff and the availability of movies, old and new ones is immense and keep me happy. A real plus is the ability to binge watch entire seasons of programs. I can also get free news stations plus MSNBC. I’m a happy woman.

[Eliot Rosewater]

27. curious about it...had DTV for a decade, moved, have xfinity now

Do you also have a dvr built into it, how does it all work?

do you get hgtv and all networks and local channels?

[lunatica]

31. You don't need to record anything because everything is

available when you want it. You get everything streamed through your internet connection and with WiFi you can have the service on more than one tv, computers, iPads and iPhones. It’s the same as having Netflix where everything they have is available whenever you want it, including entire seasons on programs. It’s like you have everything recorded already and all you do is choose what you want to watch. They have programs separated into genres so if you want to watch drama movies you can pick that genre. Then the screen fills up with pictures of drama movies you can peruse and pick to watch. Most will tell you what the movie is about, who stars in it, sometimes what year it was filmed, and have short previews to watch.

I hope I understood your question and that this helps. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than cable or Dish or Directv. (It’s called DirectNOW, the same company as Directv, because you stream it through your internet connection.)

[Eliot Rosewater]

32. Thanks, network shows are available all the time?

Commercials on network shows?

A network show on the night it plays , if I am not there at that time are you saying it is all available all the time, are there commercials if you watch it later?

[lunatica]

35. The network tv the way we are used to isn't always available

I’m not technically savvy enough to go into the kind of details you probably want. What convinced me to get it was when I went a Directv store and I told them I had to drop their service because the condo I was moving into didn’t allow the dishes. They immediately told me about their WiFi service that didn’t require cable or a dish. I could just stream it directly from the internet. What they charge is a lot less than xfinity and you basically stream the channels you want. After asking them many many questions I decided to get it. You can get a lot free but you can also get premium channels if you want for a bit a fee. So you pay for what you want.

My suggestion so you get all the information you want is to visit their website first. Then go to their store and sit with a salesperson and ask them questions. Here is a site. I’m simply not technical enough to explain it.

https://www.directvnow.com/

[samnsara]

28. ROKU is great and check out PLUTO TV..its a FREE station with tons of channels...

[snacker]

29. We have never had cable tv

Raised 4 kids and they all turned out just fine. That being said, we do have a Roku now with a YouTube TV subscription along with Netflix.

[iscooterliberally]

30. I just did the same thing last month.

We had to find a new place to rent and our rent went way up, so they cable bill went way out. I did get an HD antenna for the living room, but I don't use it that much. We kept the internet and boosted the speed. I have an xbox one so I use that for Netflix and Hulu. Hulu also carries live TV. I got a Roku for the TV in our bedroom since that wasn't a smart tv. I don't miss the cable bill at all.

[Marthe48]

36. I cancelled cable tv in March 2019

In DU topics, there is a computers and Internet section. I go there when I have questions and got a lot of good advice before, during and after I cancelled the cable. I didn't watch much except old shows and MSNBC. I miss the weather channel, and Perry Mason I am rediscovering other forms of entertainment and learning about new ones.

I got a Roku stick, which my grand kids enjoy using. My daughter and son-in-law let me use their Netflix account. I listen to a local classic rock radio station, free entertainment And I watch more dvds than I have for a long time. Not exactly Zen, but I am saving at least $100.00 on that bill (I kept cable Internet) and cut my electric bill way down.

I stream MSNBC shows on my computer. I do have a cap on broadband use, so I avoid binge watching. I get 5 gigs a month on my phone service, so I have been shutting my wi-fi off at home and using that for my phone usage. So far, so good.

Have fun.