I've been liberated!

[RiverRider]

We just told DirecTV to take a flyin leap at a rollin donut. Their rates just went up to $93 per month for the fairly modest package we've kept for years. For cryin out loud, there was no more than maybe four or five channels we ever used, and that would have been the better half that ever used it. Myself, I probably spend two hours per month looking at what the crappyass stuff they made available.

Over the last few months I've been converting to 21st century entertainment. I bought a pair of BluRay players with internet capability and hooked them up to our home network. We have subscribed to Amazon Prime and Netflix, and I think we're getting both for around $15 per month. The BluRay players will pay for themselves within 60 days. My next move is to hook an antenna system that will receive the new digital broadcasts. I resisted that for years, but you can't live in the 20th century forever. And what the heck, it was too expensive anyway.

If you're still not taking advantage of what's available on-line, I'd encourage you to take a good look at all this. We're going to save about $75 per month. That can buy a few components.

[Hellrazor]

Actually Directv is cheap compared to our local cable packages. "Triple Play" is anywhere from $160-200/month around here.

[DrHenley]

For years I've been able to pick up ClearQAM channels on my extended cable package, which are mostly HD programming. Besides a few TVs, I have a TV tuner on my computer and it makes it simple to record whatever I'm interested in and watch it whenever convenient. With a set top box that you have to use with digital cable that would be impossible. Plus I would need a set top box for every TV which is a throwback to the early days of Cable DECADES AGO.

A couple of months ago the ClearQAM channels stopped working and I when I called the cable company the guy first acted like he didn't know what I was talking about.

Then when I pushed him he said "those channels aren't coming from us, they are coming from local stations." So I asked "You are telling me that I was picking up OVER THE AIR broadcasts of the SyFy Channel from a local station through my CABLE? REALLY? WHICH STATION?"

After pushing him on the impossibility of that scenario, he finally admitted that the cable company had been providing the ClearQAM channels but that now if I wanted to watch those channels in HD, I had to buy a set top box.

I told him that this kind of crap is going to put the cable companies out of business and everyone will eventually just watch Netflix or some other online service.

[Hellrazor]

I scan for clearqam channels too. My cable provider has the channels scattered all over the place in 6? digit format which is a PITA. But they are aren't total jerks since they publish a listing of those channels.

[BBerguson]

We haven't had any tv signal for the past 20 years. The last three times we've been in Sams Club a Direct TV guy has tried to sell us a "package". He doesn't know what to say when we tell we don't have tv and aren't interested in getting it. I think he wants to say "then who's brainwashing you and hour kids?"

[DrHenley]

Even though we still have cable, and one TV that has an antennae, I never watch live TV anymore. There are only two shows on I'm interested in and I record those and watch when I get around to it. So I'm down to two hours of recorded TV per week, if I remember to watch them. Some weeks I plumb forget about them and have to get caught up later.

There is not a single current TV show my wife is interested in, so not only does she not ever watch live TV, she doesn't even watch any recorded TV. She watches old British detective shows on Netflix - she's watching A Touch of Frost right now.

My son only watches Fox News.

[j1]

I like tv. We have dishnetwork. There are many really
great shows on. Sometimes there is absolutely nothing good on. It is my choice.

[elkhunter77]

We have cable here and it is the only game around. If I go to Direct or a satellite provider we will not get the local channels because of blackout. I think it is all a communist plot set up just to piss me off. I am with River Rider, I hate the way they hold you hostage.

[30-40 Kraig]

We just resigned with Direct. If had went to Dish I would of lost some very important channels for the kids. The are 9 and 4. My wife also watches a lot of trash on there. We do get the locals because we are miles from an metro area. My kids still cant believe I grew up with 3 channels on tv and one of them was half snow. God I would love to go back to those days. With the Digital signal now you can pick up 10 or 12 channels, but 4 of them are PBS.

[elkhunter77]

I do remember the basic three channels LOL I remember an old Admiral Black and white with a remote that made a loud click sound and had a small screen with a red light that blinked when you hit the remote. In fact we watched that TV the day JFK was killed. I think it took two strong men and a team of horses to lift that old TV.