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Cutting the Cord (Ditching TV, not having a baby)

RaleighDeacon

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So here's the deal. I have read several articles and have a lot of disparate pieces available to me, but I want some feedback from folks that have actually ditched cable/Dish/DirecTV.

RDToy and I are moving in roughly a month and we are considering just buying out the rest of our DirecTV contract and using other options to save money. Here's the deal:

1. I have to pay for high speed internet and the only thing fast enough here in Charlotte is to go through Time Warner. Not happy about it, but I don't have other options with enough speed for me to use video, etc. from home for work.

2. I have to have a landline phone for work. I am open to any and all suggestions that make it cheap and reliable, otherwise, I'll just go through TWC for that too.

3. Being that we'll have highspeed Internet and I have an Xbox with apps we can use, plus I have a pretty beefy laptop with an HDMI out, how hard is it for me to get the TV we want through streaming services. I know we can get the majority of shows via on-demand or Netflix or Amazon services, albeit maybe a day late. That's not a big deal as we DVR everything right now anyway. What do we do about sports though? I know I can get an HDTV antenna for local channels, but what about getting sports on ESPN? Can I get those through my Xbox, or is that only the crappy ESPN3 stuff?

Here's what I would like to do:
- Have an HDTV antenna for the ability to just flip through network stuff
- Have my Xbox hooked up to the main TV for streaming services

Can someone who has done this give me some feedback on living with it? Does our other TV just become worthless, or is there any way to share services with it too? What's the best setup here?
 
What do you do on Sundays? This sounds like a terrible idea.
 
What do you do on Sundays? This sounds like a terrible idea.

Well there is the problem. We have no issues with any of it except sports. If someone can show me an easy and mostly legal way to watch NFL, NCAA football and basketball games, we're golden. Otherwise, we'll be going to the bar three or four times a week and we'll end up spending more money than we do on cable and I'll be fatter than I already am.
 
firstrow and vipbox are less than legal and not HD, but that covers all your bases
 
Well there is the problem. We have no issues with any of it except sports. If someone can show me an easy and mostly legal way to watch NFL, NCAA football and basketball games, we're golden. Otherwise, we'll be going to the bar three or four times a week and we'll end up spending more money than we do on cable and I'll be fatter than I already am.

I don't think there's a mostly legal, good way to get sports without cable. Sorry bro.
 
Yep. You need an antenna, an Ooma or a Google Voice account with an OBiHAI, some sort of streaming device (I use Roku first and then a PC), and as for sports, to man up, grow some balls, and not be a slave to TWC. The only legal ways to get sports are using the antenna, borrowing a buddy's WatchESPN login, being social by going to a friend's house or sports bar, or (gasp) going to the game.

Would you rather your money go to a friends house and/or a local business/sports bar and get drunk in the process, or giving it all to TWC who has you by the balls? The good news is, Ron Wellman is making it easier than ever to not miss (certain) sports when you cut the cord.
 
I don't think there's a mostly legal, good way to get sports without cable. Sorry bro.

Right now there is not a way to get sports but I read last week ABC ie, ESPN is in negotiations with Apple, Google etc. to begin delivering their content via the web. Even Comcast and T/W are interested in delivering content via the web. Will be interested to see how this pans out...

http://www.imore.com/apple-said-be-negotiating-content-providers-possible-tv-delivery-service
 
Yep. You need an antenna, an Ooma or a Google Voice account with an OBiHAI, some sort of streaming device (I use Roku first and then a PC), and as for sports, to man up, grow some balls, and not be a slave to TWC. The only legal ways to get sports are using the antenna, borrowing a buddy's WatchESPN login, being social by going to a friend's house or sports bar, or (gasp) going to the game.

Would you rather your money go to a friends house and/or a local business/sports bar and get drunk in the process, or giving it all to TWC who has you by the balls? The good news is, Ron Wellman is making it easier than ever to not miss (certain) sports when you cut the cord.

This. The only thing I miss is Monday night football. Otherwise the networks have enough sports for me.

If wake ever claws back to relevance in FB or BB it might be worth it for me to get cable again, until then no thanks.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4
 
Oh, and to answer your question about the other TVs:

There's no such thing as an HDTV antenna; any antenna will work. I've gotten an HDTV signal by literally jamming a paper clip into the coax input on the TV. The only thing that matters is if your TV is digital-ready, otherwise your TV is super old and needs a digital converter box. And for streaming to the other TVs, buy yourself a Roku for each TV. You can get them for anywhere between $40-$100 each, which pays for itself in 1 to 3 months of telling TWC to fuck off.
 
What do you do on Sundays? This sounds like a terrible idea.

sundays are the only day where you are set, CBS FOX and NBC all in crystal clear, free HD.

but yeah I've done it three years now. I toss my mom a few dollars each month for her cable log-in for watchespn, and my siblings all split hbogo, netflix and hulu plus.

the only thing i miss are shows on History or HGTV that you would normally enjoy for an hour or so but would never look up and watch online
 
Thanks for the feedback. I would be perfectly happy to ditch it and only have over the air programming, but we'll see what happens.
 
Plenty of time to think about it. Moving to a new spot will land you one of those dirt cheap package deals with TWC. The answer is needed twelve months down the road. I have considered doing the same, but I have not talked to anyone that seems to have an answer to the Sports viewing issue. ESPN is the bomb, and streaming games is the pits unless it is the only option.
 
Plenty of time to think about it. Moving to a new spot will land you one of those dirt cheap package deals with TWC. The answer is needed twelve months down the road. I have considered doing the same, but I have not talked to anyone that seems to have an answer to the Sports viewing issue. ESPN is the bomb, and streaming games is the pits unless it is the only option.

Most of you guys are in a different life situation. When I was childless in my 20s and WFU was good at sports, giving up ESPN would have been unthinkable. Now with 2 kids and all kinds of weekend kid activities, plus WFU sucking at everything/never on TV anyway, I don't miss it at all.
 
I guess it depends the age of your kids. My son (11) would be none too happy if we yanked the best sports on T.V. I too have two kids, and in the winter months college hoops 9 o'clock games are the bomb after the kids have gone up to shower and finish their homework.
Most of you guys are in a different life situation. When I was childless in my 20s and WFU was good at sports, giving up ESPN would have been unthinkable. Now with 2 kids and all kinds of weekend kid activities, plus WFU sucking at everything/never on TV anyway, I don't miss it at all.
 
You have to figure the cable companies will pay ESPN & Fox whatever they want because they know that w/o them, their is no reason for them to exist. Their time however is coming.
 
Most of you guys are in a different life situation. When I was childless in my 20s and WFU was good at sports, giving up ESPN would have been unthinkable. Now with 2 kids and all kinds of weekend kid activities, plus WFU sucking at everything/never on TV anyway, I don't miss it at all.

Yeah, to be honest, I really don't watch Wake anymore anyway, even though I have access to it. I think the last basketball game I watched was the Iowa Big Ten challenge game where JTT hit the game winner.

However, my wife's family are huge Michigan fans so we do follow them. That's why I was hoping I could follow all there games through the ESPN app on my Xbox, but it doesn't work that way, yet.
 
I guess it depends the age of your kids. My son (11) would be none too happy if we yanked the best sports on T.V. I too have two kids, and in the winter months college hoops 9 o'clock games are the bomb after the kids have gone up to shower and finish their homework.

yeah my kid is 8 and doesn't care about watching sports on TV yet. He'd much rather steal my phone and go play video games.
 
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