dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
1630

chlen
Ethically Challenged
Premium Member
join:2001-01-16
Saratoga, NY

1 edit

chlen

Premium Member

I am a cord cutter.

The few shows I watch like House can be seen OTA which is not even needed because I have Road Runner and if I plug my cable line into my TV I get all the OTA channels in great quality and HD.

I got rid of cable over two years ago. I am too busy between full time work and graduate education to watch TV. I can watch sports OTA.

I also never saw the need to get a phone line, aside from my cell. I have a direct line at work and a work cell, I dont need more.

The only thing I use and pay for is TW RR cable internet.

It is not a financial issue, but simply I do not use it. I am 27, well educated, and have a good income. I dont have time for cable.

I can catch Hulu once in a while.
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79

Premium Member

Cut my cord a year ago. I was paying Cablevision $54/month for a whopping 45 channels. F--- that!

And I'm:
• College educated
• Employed full time
• Make well over $50,000 / year

Unfortunately, I'm no longer under 40.
eco
Premium Member
join:2001-11-28
Wilmington, DE

eco

Premium Member

25 years old
College educated
Employed full time
Make about $75,000 a year

Got my first place on my own a year ago and I've never even had cable to cut. Signed up for a faster tier cable modem service from Comcast and have no desire to get cable, outside of it causing me to miss my beloved Phillies' games. However, I have an iPhone app that gives me highlight clips as they happen and 15 minute long condensed games when they're over which somewhat makes up for it.

I also have no landline phone service. I have my personal iPhone, a Blackberry from work and a landline at work.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine to chlen

Member

to chlen
What you describe (apart from Hulu) is theft of service. Yes, Time Warner really should put a trap on your line but it still doesn't make what you're doing any less illegal. Btw cablevision used the same argument to encrypt local signals in the Bronx. OTA with an antenna is free and legal.
meta
join:2004-12-27
00000

meta to eco

Member

to eco
26, male, bachelors, >100k.
I have internet service only, no landline, no cable tv. The things i do care to watch i can get via the internet.
Penny3000
join:2003-11-24
Oak Ridge, TN

1 edit

1 recommendation

Penny3000 to fifty nine

Member

to fifty nine
Allow me to correct you, it's not theft. Unless a cable company has gone all digital in the area, the signal is analog. Usually the first 13-16 channels are part of the basic tier. The basic tier needs to be open because the channel the cable company provides for internet service resides in this tier. So yes, you can get OTA channels for free if you connect your cable line.

And to go one step further, if you really want to take advantage of what you are paying for, you can hook up the cable line to your tv and get HD local channels in QAM.

Why do you think that internet only is about the same price as HSI with Basic?
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79

Premium Member

That may be true for your cable company, but it's not true for mine.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

2 edits

fifty nine to Penny3000

Member

to Penny3000
said by Penny3000:

Allow me to correct you, it's not theft. Unless a cable company has gone all digital in the area, the signal is analog. Usually the first 13-16 channels are part of the basic tier. The basic tier needs to be open because the channel the cable company provides for internet service resides in this tier.
Wrong. My cable company has the HSI channels up in the high 70s. There is no one standard. It's all over the map actually but they usually prefer higher frequencies due to noise.
So yes, you can get OTA channels for free if you connect your cable line.
Cable companies usually put a trap on the line to block out TV if you're a HSI only sub. They may have forgotten to put one in your case, but just as if someone leaves their keys in their car, it doesn't give you the right to jump in and drive off.
And to go one step further, if you really want to take advantage of what you are paying for, you can hook up the cable line to your tv and get HD local channels in QAM.
It's still theft. Cablevision used the argument that people were doing this to get an FCC waiver to encrypt local HD channels in the Bronx.
Why do you think that internet only is about the same price as HSI with Basic?
It isn't. One key difference in fact is that you don't pay the franchise tax if you have HSI only. The franchise fee is charged as a portion of basic video service.

koitsu
MVM
join:2002-07-16
Mountain View, CA
Humax BGW320-500

1 edit

koitsu to chlen

MVM

to chlen
This sounds like an AA meeting or something, but sure, I'll bite.

I too am a cord cutter. I haven't subscribed to cable television since 1995. My TV is a 13" Sony WEGA and the only thing hooked up to it is my Famicom, NES, SNES, or Genesis. I do pay for Comcast HSI (22mbit/5mbit) which I'm quite happy with for the price (US$80/month).

So why don't I subscribe to cable television (or DirecTV, etc.)? Because the cost for what I'd watch is absolutely preposterous. The only programmes I'm interested in are The History Channel, Discovery, Comedy Central, probably a sports channel so I could watch hockey, and a couple others which I can't even remember at this point. I'm a perfect candidate for à la carte programming, but I'm not holding my breath (read: it'll never arrive).

I lost my interest in television in the early 90s. There isn't anything good on any more; the majority of things were crap, and still are crap. Advertising has gotten to the point where it's literally being shoved down our throats. I have old VHS tapes of TV shows I recorded as a young teen, and I was happily reminded of how short and unobtrusive they were (with some exceptions depending on the show).

If I had to subscribe to a TV service, who would I choose? DirecTV. The quality is astounding, and there are some foreign channels I'd probably watch too. But the number of channels is overwhelming -- again, I'd watch at most 10 of them, so it would be wasted money (circling back to the whole à la carte thing).

I don't watch TV online either; Hulu pisses me off (not interested in the ads). I do have a Netflix subscription, but very rarely do I stream movies (the quality of the Silverlight streams is horrible). Most of my "TV-esque" habits are watching rented DVDs.

As for telephone service, I'm a very strong opponent of mobile/cell phones. I happily have a landline. It will be a cold day in hell before I switch to a mobile phone. Those reasons can be discussed elsewhere, but believe me, they're well-established and I'm not budging. This comment comes from someone who grew up with rotary phones.

Finally, my own stats: I'm 34, dropped out of high school + never went to college, and have been working in the IT industry as a UNIX system administrator since about 1994 (I volunteered at Oregon State from 1990-1994). I work full-time for Tellme (Microsoft) and (this is not ego speaking, I'm stating it because such demographics are relevant to the topic at hand) make low-end 6 digits. I live in Silicon Valley.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536 to Penny3000

Premium Member

to Penny3000
said by Penny3000:

Allow me to correct you, it's not theft. Unless a cable company has gone all digital in the area, the signal is analog. Usually the first 13-16 channels are part of the basic tier. The basic tier needs to be open because the channel the cable company provides for internet service resides in this tier. So yes, you can get OTA channels for free if you connect your cable line.

And to go one step further, if you really want to take advantage of what you are paying for, you can hook up the cable line to your tv and get HD local channels in QAM.

Why do you think that internet only is about the same price as HSI with Basic?
Because they haven't figured out how to know you're receiving the video portion.
from the FWIW dept: cox is using channel 87 for HSI in this area which would entail paying for expanded basic @ ~$50/mo. hardly anywhere near free.

SandShark5
Long may you run
Premium Member
join:2000-05-23
Santa Fe, TX

SandShark5 to chlen

Premium Member

to chlen
Being a sports junkie, it's going to be difficult to finally cut the cord. As soon as the World Series is over, I'm making the call. My present bill, including taxes and fees, is around $90/month.

FWIW, I'm gainfully employed, some college, and along with my wife we make well over $50K a year.

chlen
Ethically Challenged
Premium Member
join:2001-01-16
Saratoga, NY

chlen to fifty nine

Premium Member

to fifty nine
said by fifty nine:

What you describe (apart from Hulu) is theft of service. Yes, Time Warner really should put a trap on your line but it still doesn't make what you're doing any less illegal. Btw cablevision used the same argument to encrypt local signals in the Bronx. OTA with an antenna is free and legal.
No, it is not theft, if you have TW internet around here you get OTA channels. Some times in certain areas you can get up to channel 77 because they forget to block when activating RR. That is theft. The idea to hook up my cable line to the TV instead of buying an antenna was bestowed upon my by the TW tech that set up my service.

rebus9
join:2002-03-26
Tampa Bay

rebus9 to chlen

Member

to chlen
30+ over the air stations come in crystal clear, many in 720 or 1080 HD, using a large antenna (hidden in the attic). Netflix streaming gives us more entertainment choices than we can possibly watch in a month.

Total cost: $9.62 per month.

The cable company can kiss my butt.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

KrK to chlen

Premium Member

to chlen
Cut the Cord in Dec 07. No Payola TV for me since then.

Guess what.... I'm not sitting around bored. Honestly, I'm having no problems dealing without.

Netflix and OTA are just fine.
cance440
join:2010-04-05
Jenkintown, PA

cance440 to chlen

Member

to chlen
I'm 49.
College Educated.
Household income: Just under $100K
Employed.

I cut the cord almost two years ago. Have a Mac Mini attached to a 47 inch flat screen. Bought an antenna, and receive crystal clear HD signals via the airwaves and over the internet. We are Netflix subscribers and watch shows via Hulu as well. Comcast wanted $90 for a subscription that included the bare minimum of HD offerings. No thank you.

I only miss sports, but I have (ahem) other means of watching baseball.