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Cable tv alternatives?

Total Heckler

Total Heckler

Beer and Bike Enthusiast
Apr 28, 2005
8,171
189
Santa Cruz, CA
My wife and I are fed up with all of Xfinity/Comcast's BS.

Is there some sort of system that gets (major networks / local) tv programs from the net on demand and has DVR capabilities (record, play, rewind, pause, etc)?

And no, I am not getting rid of my tv so don't waste your time suggesting that to me. :D
 
buildyourown

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
Not if you want sports. Just about everything else is available online.
If you want football or olympics you have to pay for cable or satellite.

If I'm wrong, clue me in. I bought cable for 3 months last year just for NFL.
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,590
7,236
Colorado
I tried to cut back to just internet from Comcast and my rate actually went UP from the triple-pack with HD and premium channels. Monopolies lead to better pricing my ass.
 
CBJ

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,874
4,214
Copenhagen, Denmark
With Time Warner you get the basic cables for free if you have Internet. Just plug the cable directly into the TV and let the TV tuner find the channels. Even works for HD if you have a HD tuner. Works for Comcast?
 
dante

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
Or rabbit ears? We get decent signal with just a small amplified antenna (no dvr capabilities, though), and internet for everything else. Saves us about $85 per month, and we still have high speed internet (U-VERSE) for $40 per month. Best decision we've made in a long time. If OTA isn't available, most cable companies offer just local channels for around $10 month.
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,604
12,676
In a van.... down by the river
dante said:
Or rabbit ears? We get decent signal with just a small amplified antenna (no dvr capabilities, though), and internet for everything else. Saves us about $85 per month, and we still have high speed internet (U-VERSE) for $40 per month. Best decision we've made in a long time. If OTA isn't available, most cable companies offer just local channels for around $10 month.
Click to expand...
This.
 
rockofullr

rockofullr

confused
Jun 11, 2009
7,342
924
East Bay, Cali
Do you still plan on paying for internet?

I will tell you a secret. With Comcast if you pay for digital cable then plug a router in it will work. Whether you pay for it or not.

If you guys somehow spill the beans and screw up my free internet I will kill you.
 
C.P.

C.P.

Monkey
Jan 18, 2004
547
8
SouthEastern Massachusetts
SkaredShtles said:
This.
Click to expand...
Yup. here's a good resource about getting HDTV broadcasts over the air (so you can watch HD sports broadcasts):nerd: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611957

Over 2 years ago, after getting tired of the $150/month+ bill from Comast for dvr, a ton of useless channels, and their "bundled" internet, we changed everything around.

1st, I found my local Comcast office, and went to speak with someone IN PERSON, where I asked them if I could get just basic cable (major network tv etc) and high speed internet. Done, now it's only $50/month. I supplement the basic cable with over the air HDTV to get the local Fox affiliate (when they block it on cable) so I can get NFL.

2nd, got a $7/month Netflix account, and a Rokuso we could watch Netflix as well as other content using the internet. There are even premium subscription channels on the Roku including MLB, NHL, NBA as well as TV stuff from HULU.

3rd, (we've had this for a long time) we also get our house phone via Vonage, over the internet. (roughly $25/month)

All told, we only spend a hair under 85/month, and other then cell phones, we're saving over $75/month.
 
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Craw

Craw

Monkey
Mar 17, 2002
715
-1
As others have mentioned the HD Antenna is a good way to go. I'm currently getting great HD broadcasts over the air using an amplified antenna. I found a good spot in my apt that gets great signal, and it's out of sight.

I get DVR functionality through EYE TV and my mac mini. Basically, I have the antenna, hooked up to the eye tv unit, which is hooked into my mac. I get a program guide, and can schedule recordings etc.

I get Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC all that stuff, plus all the weird antenna only channels. All the Armenian variety shows I can stomach, as well as Bollywood stations dubbed in Spanish. So...yeah.

Everything else I get via Hulu, and the internets.

**Forgot to add that with the EYE TV program, You can stream tv to an iPad (or other devices) for toilet tv viewing, and you can log in and watch tv remotely on other computers. TV EVERYWHERE YAAGHHHHHH!**
 
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stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,590
7,236
Colorado
I'm assuming everyone using these setups have a dedicated entertainment PC?
 
IH8Rice

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
Craw said:
As others have mentioned the HD Antenna is a good way to go. I'm currently getting great HD broadcasts over the air using an amplified antenna. I found a good spot in my apt that gets great signal, and it's out of sight.
Click to expand...
off air antennas work great if you have a good line of site to where the tower is. hills/mountains or tall buildings greatly effect your ability to catch a signal.



Pesqueeb said:
Don't forget the astonishingly sh*tty service. :mad:
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of all the services ive had, Comcast has been the best in terms of picture quality, guide speed and channel selection.
the only reason we are going to be ditching Comcast soon is because of the price. DishNetwork's new customer prices are a lot cheaper and they have 1080p movies too. when their introductory rate is up, we'll switch back to Comcast
 
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