So it's nuts to cable TV for my family.

[leeroysphitz]

2 years ago we switched from Comcast cable to a company called Wide Open West (we have a choice in Detroit) we did so because of price. However, we just received notice from W.O.W. of a price increase taking our bill for Internet and BASIC no frills analog cable to 99 MF'ing dollars a month. When I say no frills I mean it. No extras. We didn't even take the cable box so as to avoid the $3.50 box lease.

I called EVERYONE, Comcast, Dish, Direct and these price fixing bastards were all within ten dollars a month of each other. I began to be frustrated. In fact my left eye began to twitch.

Well at that point enough was ENOUGH. I dug out an old pair of 5 dollar rabbit ears and plugged them into our TV. It looked like shit, nearly unwatchable on every station but PBS. I began to fall into an inky black well of despair.

It was at that exact moment that I remembered that this TV of ours (bought last year) had a built in digital (HD) tuner. I also, at this particular moment, remembered reading about how most over the air TV stations were already simulcasting an HD signal. My head hurt from all the remembering but still it gave me an idea.

I plugged the cheap, 5 dollar rabbit ears into the digital coax port on the TV, changed the source setting of my TV to digital and then set that for "antenna" instead of "cable" and promptly wet myself.

It was beautiful, this digital signal we were receiving. wondrous. Like a caterpillar to a butterfly my TV was metamorphosized from an ugly lump of video coal into a glittering rectangular diamond! 37 inches of JOY. The digital signal was PERFECT. No static. No distortion. Nothing but one thousand and eighty interlaced lines of fabulousness. My family gathered around to witness. We stared in wonder and incredulity.

My wife and I looked at each other. We said not a word but she brought me the phone and i gleefully canceled my criminally overpriced cable TV subscription. I did it with a smile. My nipples were hard as I severed those ugly, misbegotten ties and burnt that rickety bridge.

We've since spent 50 dollars (an ironic number in that this is what we are now saving PER MONTH) on a nice Terk amplified antenna. It's more stylish than the rabbit ears and increases the number of stations available to us.

We have access to fewer channels no but so what? we now get 3 PBS streams and most other stations have 2 separate streams. The only draw back I can see is that without the Sci-Fi chanel I'll have to download BSG but I've been doing that anyhow. Also no CSPAN. but I'll live.

So to sum it all up I'm now getting full HD for free and I got a chance to stick it, at least a little , to the man.

I LOVE it too much.

[Schema Thing]

1. Now that my friend, is a well written rant

my nipples got a little hard in sympathetic frugalism.

[leeroysphitz]

3. Thank you. It pleases me that you and your nipples understand.

:)

[lildreamer316]

2. That. Is the shit.

Immensely satisfying to read, much less to experience, I would imagine.
Enjoy!!!

[leeroysphitz]

8. Thanks lildreamer316. It does feel good! N/T

[Skittles]

4. I hear you, leeroy

I'm twitching too - I'm sick of it.......I'm not in dire financial straits but I'm considering dumping cable too - it's 50 plus a month for Standard for me - and when I think of how often I cannot find anything to watch - and I don't even watch that much TV. It's a HUGE f***ing ripoff *GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*

[leeroysphitz]

5. Skittles. You're the COOL one right?

I'm not hurting too bad money wise right now either so I guess it was the principal of the whole thing. 50 dollars just to watch TV? I think not. :) I guess these people think that we are all just cash cows ready to be milked at the first of every month...

[Skittles]

6. I hear you on that principle thing!

I think nothing of sending $50 worth of shoes and toys for soldiers in Iraq to give to local children but I go nuts if I get gouged for two bucks at an ATM - I AM SICK OF BEING NICKLED AND DIMED! I swear the next time cable raises their rates (always in the near future) I will cancel it.

I GUESS I'm pretty cool - :rofl: :hi:

[leeroysphitz]

7. Yes. The ATM, cellphone plans, cable... They just keep tacking it on. n/t

[halobeam]

9. purely inspirational post!

I've bookmarked it; one day I will have had it, too!!

[leeroysphitz]

11. Thamks halobeam. Stick it to 'em! n/t

[Madrone]

10. Ahhh... The joys of small town living, when the ISP you work for is also the telco AND Cable Co.

DSL @ the fastest my line can physically sync up at (over 8Mb down, around 1.5 up) --- FREE

Landline phone w/ ALL the bells and whistles (Call fowarding, 3-way, ID, waiting, waiting ID, etc, etc) --- FREE *+tax = approx $10 / mo.

Digital cable with ALL premium channels w/ the exception of free PPV --- a flat $15 / month


I am SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIL-ED! :D


But I wholeheartedly appreciated your rant. Well written, AND I can understand your pain. I wouldn't pay it either.

[leeroysphitz]

12. You are SPOILED. :)

:) But I'd put up with it for, what was it 16 mb p/s? Something crazy like that you were talking about the other night.

I don't mind paying for what I get but at some point (5o dollars a month to be specific) I just have to cut them off. Should have done it at thirty...

[Madrone]

16. Well, in fairness that was at work.

My phone line isn't capable of pulling down those kinds of speeds. Yeah, I think it was something like 16Mb / sec ... but I'm not really sure. My boss said that's what he thought I was pulling - when I told him I was downloading at an AVERAGE of 2500 Kb / sec! Pure, unadulterated awesomeness, that.

B-)

[FloridaJudy]

13. Wonderful!

My TV is over ten years old, so I doubt I can adapt it, but as soon as I can afford a new one, I'm going to try that.

All I get now is very fuzzy PBS, and the local CBS channel, but since I haven't watched TV in over a year, that's fine.

Now explain to me again how you get the Sci-Fi channel? I've figured out how to download Olbermann and TDS - which is probably why I don't miss television a lot - but I love SF, and that would be great to have.

[leeroysphitz]

20. You can get any show you want from usenet, P2P or torrent.

Usually within hours after it airs.

[MrScorpio]

14. You want CSPAN?

Here you go

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?node=home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv&cid=OAS-US-KWG-iTV-US&aosid=p202&esvt=GOUSE4904911&esvadt=999999-0-56222-1&esvid=2096



http://www.c-span.org/watch/cspan_rm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS

[Fire Walk With Me]

15. "My nipples were hard as I severed those ugly, misbegotten ties and burnt that rickety bridge."

Beautiful! And congrats!

[mike_c]

17. set the damned thing out on the curb altogether....

Seriously. Life gets much better when you don't have television in it.

[leeroysphitz]

19. It has its uses. It is a tool.

Would you forsake all hammers if you smashed your thumb with one, once?
Me neither.

[mike_c]

21. if hammers beamed bad 20th century sitcoms into my living room....

Yes. And journalism substitute? Without hesitation. I watch TV occasionally, mostly when I travel and can't find a hotel room without one, so I know what sort of tool it is, and who really benefits when that tool is wielded. When will people wake up and realize that they are the resource being exploited by the "entertainment industry?"

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

18. Dude! That's great!

We live in the country and the TV we bought has 2 antennas jacks, since we still have a big FM/VHS combo antenna on the roof (I never got around to taking it down) I hooked it up to the DTV jack and left the cable on the other one, I was shocked like you the picture I was getting. Only five digital and some other fuzzy stations.

The only reason we still have cable/internet tv is my S.O. works at here at home via VPN, and of course the cable company, only one in town, doesn't offer internet bye itself...if someone wants internet they have to buy basic cable package.

Someday...

[ThomCat]

22. Very cool!

It would be wonderful if more people could starve the cable companies. :)

Good job!

[BreweryYardRat]

23. Nice. I'll have to remember that.

Of course, I'd rather just pay for a cable internet connection and download everything I want to watch.

BitTorrent power!