How To Pull plug on paid/cable TV in 2021?

If you go to the big river site, you can do a search for something called a "leaf antenna." They might also be called "amplified HD Digital TV Antenna." Generally, those can be plugged into the "antenna" connection on your TV. A lot of the antennas are about the size of a sheet of paper and can be stuck on a wall or positioned near a window. You can go to a site like this:

https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

and you will see the strength of the signal you get in your area. If it's decent, you should be okay with a simpler antenna. If the signal is weak, you can get a slightly upgraded antenna. A setup like this will usually give you your local channels for free. Those are usually about the same channels that you get through basic cable. You could go through the channels using your remote like "the good ol' days" that way.

Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, and other "stick" type devices should let you access Netflix, YouTube, and other services. I've only ever used Roku. That's pretty easy to use and Roku offers a lot of different channels and services built in. These channels look like the icons on a smartphone.

For YouTube or Netflix, if you find searching for the things you want with a remote tedious, I believe you can also get universal TV remotes that have small keyboards built in. I have one of those on an older Vizio TV and it makes searching for things pretty easy.

I would definitely cancel the cable as long as you have good internet. If you didn't want to spend too much time figuring things out on your existing TV, you could even consider getting a TV with Roku built in. I just got a 55 inch TV with Roku, Netflix, etc built in for $200 and it connects wirelessly well enough to stream in HD. You could recoup those costs relatively quickly if you cancelled cable service.

Overall, the amount of stuff out there for free or lower cost than cable keeps me more than entertained. There might be a bit of an adjustment period, but the savings would make it worth it.
 
knarfeng said:
My cable TV provider announced another price hike. We think we're about done with cable TV. We think we just want to shut down the cable TV and keep the internet service, then find a cheaper way to feed a signal to the TV.
>We own our modem and router. They are in my work room upstairs. So, nothing needed there.
>I have an Ethernet cable running downstairs to a gigabit switch so that the cable from the modem can feed both a computer and the TV. (TV wants to phone home for software updates and it does not connect well to the WiFi, so that's why the Ethernet cable feed.)
>I have a Win 10 machine within HDMI cabling distance of the TV. I could switch the computer monitor to feed from the VGA port, then feed an HDMI cable from the computer to the TV.

But I suspect my age is showing. Is there something better and easier than to going to the computer to change the channel? What devices/services should I be investigating?
Click to expand...

I have a Non Powered Mud Flap antenna indoors that I receive 18 + channels on, I believe you're in a populated area so you should do well with this old school tech, like what I've seen in the Baltimore Washington DC area, where rabbit ears would pick up a lot.

I also run Roku Ultra's that work very well. And also have/use my own Modem and Routers that have a strong wifi signal.

I am also about to drop the TV service, for just Cable Broadband only, downloads up to 200 mbps are $80 a month vs 600 mbps is $100 a month.

My only decision at this point is download speed.

I know people who turn Roku apps on and off a month at a time saving them money in the process.

I don't use any of my computers etc for viewing TV or Movies other than YouTube.

Roku is wireless other than the cable going from the devise to the TV and are simple to set up.

Good luck with your choices.
 
I haven't had cable tv in years.
Just streaming.
I subscribe to Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime for most things and when there's something I want to watch on another service I wait for the end of the series season and subscribe on one of those free trials and then cancel so I get a month or more to burn through all of the good stuff before I'm shut out.
I pay about a hundred bucks a month for my internet and phone which is unlimited.
Still looking to go cheaper though....
 
The wife and I have debated cutting the cord, on and off, for years, and just haven’t for a few reasons...

1 - Around here you have two players, Comcast or Verizon. They also have a monopoly on internet service, so with the triple-play type offerings, it is often times only marginally more expensive than just internet. For example, we pay $130 for phone/cable/internet with the highest bandwidth possible, and expanded-basic cable (no premium channels, etc). To get just the internet, with the same bandwidth, would still cost us $80+ a month... the phone is just a bonus, but without it cable and internet would be more expensive since it wouldn’t be a package deal. If we paid for just the internet, then added in NF, D+, and Hulu, we get close to what we’re paying now.

2 - We have two TiVo boxes with lifetime service contracts. These replace the cable boxes (which we still have one) and quite frankly, the interface and menus are much better than using the Verizon or Comcast’s. Plus the DVR functionality is 10x better in my opinion. So anything we really want to watch, we record.

3 - We’re channel surfers. This is one thing people don’t think about when they cut the cord. Right now, I turn on the tv in the morning, put on a local station, and listen to the news while getting the kiddo ready for school, making breakfast, and letting the dog out. In the evening, I’ll turn it on, check a few channels for something non offensive, and let it play in the background while I take care of other things around the house, or flip through the mail, etc. You can’t do this with streaming services, where you have to actively find something to put on. Not to mention, sometimes, we’ll spend more time looking for something to watch than actually watching it.


We still consider it from time to time, but we just need to work out some details....
Both TiVo boxes also stream NF, Hulu, and some other services, but none of the smaller stuff (no one is writing apps for TiVo). But we also have a Roku, a PS4, and 3 or 4 iPads, so streaming apps isn’t really an issue.
I mounted a good antenna in the attic, and it is really easy to swap it into the coax in the house (did this by design). We get 2 of the 3 major networks on it, so I can easily get local news if nothing else... for us, everything else OTA is just junk... all shopping channels, or 30 y/o sitcoms.

Very few of the streaming services really woo us. We like Netflix enough, but we also use a family member’s account, so we’re not really paying for it. Hulu was mostly network TV stuff IIRC. Prime did nothing for us, and neither did D+. What we really liked, you needed to log in with your cable subscription to watch anyway: Discovery GO, NatGeo GO, the various sports channels (I’m a big racing fan.. F1, IMSA, MotoGP, etc). Now that Discovery has a pay app with a lot of the stuff we like, the prospect of cutting the cord seems a bit more feasible, I just need to figure out the live motorsports thing.


I only bring this all up as, if you are going to cut the cord, I recommend to everyone to look at what your viewing habits are, what you like to watch and how, and if you can still get the content you want at a price you’re willing to pay.
 
I have emby and my own hosted media server and netflix. I watch my media way more then netflix and local tv is garbage so i dont waste any time there personally.
 
jaseman said:
The wife and I have debated cutting the cord, on and off, for years, and just haven’t for a few reasons...

1 - Around here you have two players, Comcast or Verizon. They also have a monopoly on internet service, so with the triple-play type offerings, it is often times only marginally more expensive than just internet. For example, we pay $130 for phone/cable/internet with the highest bandwidth possible, and expanded-basic cable (no premium channels, etc). To get just the internet, with the same bandwidth, would still cost us $80+ a month... the phone is just a bonus, but without it cable and internet would be more expensive since it wouldn’t be a package deal. If we paid for just the internet, then added in NF, D+, and Hulu, we get close to what we’re paying now.

2 - We have two TiVo boxes with lifetime service contracts. These replace the cable boxes (which we still have one) and quite frankly, the interface and menus are much better than using the Verizon or Comcast’s. Plus the DVR functionality is 10x better in my opinion. So anything we really want to watch, we record.

3 - We’re channel surfers. This is one thing people don’t think about when they cut the cord. Right now, I turn on the tv in the morning, put on a local station, and listen to the news while getting the kiddo ready for school, making breakfast, and letting the dog out. In the evening, I’ll turn it on, check a few channels for something non offensive, and let it play in the background while I take care of other things around the house, or flip through the mail, etc. You can’t do this with streaming services, where you have to actively find something to put on. Not to mention, sometimes, we’ll spend more time looking for something to watch than actually watching it.


We still consider it from time to time, but we just need to work out some details....
Both TiVo boxes also stream NF, Hulu, and some other services, but none of the smaller stuff (no one is writing apps for TiVo). But we also have a Roku, a PS4, and 3 or 4 iPads, so streaming apps isn’t really an issue.
I mounted a good antenna in the attic, and it is really easy to swap it into the coax in the house (did this by design). We get 2 of the 3 major networks on it, so I can easily get local news if nothing else... for us, everything else OTA is just junk... all shopping channels, or 30 y/o sitcoms.

Very few of the streaming services really woo us. We like Netflix enough, but we also use a family member’s account, so we’re not really paying for it. Hulu was mostly network TV stuff IIRC. Prime did nothing for us, and neither did D+. What we really liked, you needed to log in with your cable subscription to watch anyway: Discovery GO, NatGeo GO, the various sports channels (I’m a big racing fan.. F1, IMSA, MotoGP, etc). Now that Discovery has a pay app with a lot of the stuff we like, the prospect of cutting the cord seems a bit more feasible, I just need to figure out the live motorsports thing.


I only bring this all up as, if you are going to cut the cord, I recommend to everyone to look at what your viewing habits are, what you like to watch and how, and if you can still get the content you want at a price you’re willing to pay.
Click to expand...

Basically in the same boat, and have been watching this thread hoping for an "easy button".
 
Sorta off topic, but does anyone else think that with all the streaming services popping up, we’re due for a collapse in the bubble? Kinda like the Dot Com boom of the late 90’s?

I’m convinced we’re gonna see a lot of them either combine or collapse. There are just too many, especially smaller ones, offering little content for what you pay. Sure, big players like Netflix and Amazon, will be around a long time, but Peacock, Paramount, Disney, Discovery, and the other mid-tier players are all gonna need to figure out a way to either differentiate themselves, combine, or face obsolescence. And this doesn’t count all the various special interest streamers, who at least can count on a very specific audience, but may have very limited content, or rely on live events.

I think Apple TV is headed in the right direction. They’re app will allow you to access your other subscriptions right through it, seamlessly. You still have to pay separately for the other content, but I could foresee a ‘package model’ similar to cable, where you pay one price, pick a set number of ‘channels’ of your choice, and go from there. Instead of buying a sports, or movie, or kids package (like on many of the cable plans) you bundle your own.

This is the one advantage cable has, that streaming services have to overcome... commonality of programming. Comcast, Verizon, Cox... all have the same networks, showing the same content. With streaming, you have to have Netflix to watch certain things, Hulu to watch something else, and Amazon for yet another.
 
Randomly came across this while searching for a gun sub-forum (need recommendations on a rifle purchase)

We cut the cord back in September. Its incredibly easy. So much so that I am annoyed at myself for not doing it sooner.

Here's my set up:
High speed internet (1GigaBit)
"Smart" TV that runs android + throw-away google account (e.g. not mine)
Apps: Amazon (free since we're prime members), Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN+

Amazon as mentioned is free with prime though I will likely cancel that at some point as well (haven't REALLY needed it since my kids are out of diapers)
Disney / Hulu / ESPN came as a bundle and my internet provider is picking up the bill. The cool thing is you can create up to five accounts to share with friends and family.
Amex, if you've got it, was also picking up the bill for most streaming services so, if you wanted "live" tv, you can subscribe to YouTube TV and it works exactly like your ordinary channel selection (with a different interface, obviously.)

To be honest, the above took me about an hour to set up including signing up for the various accounts and doing the installs.

This saves us about $150/mo after all is said and done.

ADDENDUM: Do not, under any circumstances, get dish or directTV. They were crap for years now (my parents have it) and with the upcoming sale of the company it'll only get worse.

Almost forgot, if your phone service comes from your cable company (ours did) then you can port the number over to google voice to ensure you're still getting calls. Sometimes, google voice doesn't like to port landlines (this happened to us) so you may have to buy a throw-away prepaid plan, port to that, THEN port to google voice. This is what I did and it worked very nicely. Only cost $20 to retain the landline my wife's had for 20 years.

2nd ADDENDUM: If you don't have a smart tv and have no plans to buy ones anytime soon then I recommend avoiding the Roku. I didn't like the interface on mine and you cannot install / swap the apps easily. So if you want to watch a movie and its in a format unsupported by Rokus default player, you're out of luck. Its better to get a fire stick instead.
 
Last edited:
I was paying $200/month for cable TV. I watched a few shows on CBS and A&E. I have no interest in sports or any of the other crapola. I canceled it and increased my speed* and bandwidth. $65/month plus Netflix and Paramount+. I also have Philo, but will probably cancel that . I might try Hulu. There is a lot of free stuff.




* I can now wait for slow feeds from BF at 229mbps instead of 100mbps.:rolleyes::D
 
We cut the cord mid November 2020. Saving over $100 a month now. Between netflix, Amazon prime, disney+, over the air broadcasts (digital antenna or locast), and DVDs from the library, we haven't missed cable at all. I can still get all the local channels for the NFL either over the air or with locast. Amazon fire TV makes it all fit together nicely and when we bought during black Friday sale, the TV was less than one cable bill!
 
There is an easy button and it's called "stick with cable/satellite." That's as easy as it gets.

Unfortunately, that's also as expensive as it gets. Less work for you = more money for them.

Once you decide to save money by leaving that safe cocoon the cable companies built for you, you're going to have to do some (not a lot I think) work for those savings. That's because, for one thing, preferences for programming and how much folks are willing to spend vary so wildly. Just look at this thead - we have folks whose local news is one of their top things, and someone else who calls local news crap. One size if not going to fit all.

So you really have to find what fits your preferences and your budget.

The Amazon Fire TV "stick" connected to a high speed Internet router works well for me, and probably a lot of folks who don't already have a smart TV that can do what the Amazon Fire TV dongle does for you. Once you buy that little dongle ($49 I think - cheaper on sale), then you can get pretty much any streaming service you want through that device and your Internet connection. Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, SlingTV, Fobu, Locast (if available in your market), YouTube TV, Pluto, ESPN+, Disney+, HBOMax and literally dozens of others. You just have to choose what you want. BTW, my Amazon Fire TV stick works great wirelessly, but if you don't have a good have a good WiFi signal at your TV, you're either going to have to get a signal booster, or use a wired connection or one of those transceivers that send a high speed Internet signal through your electrical wiring. There are options - again, one size does not fit all. For example, my TV is connected into my entertainment room receiver and speakers, and I probably "watch" SiriusXM via my Amazon Fire TV stick (yes, they even have an app for that, too) more than anything else, as background music.

My own experience is that we dumped cable TV in late 2019 and have not looked back. My Internet service (about 200 Meg speed) is $45/month, and I would need that anyway for work. I was paying Verizon about $180/month for TV and Internet. That included a TON of cash-grab state and local taxes that I no longer pay on my streaming services, as well as ridiculous upcharges for HD channels, three set-top box rentals, etc. It did NOT include being able to record shows, for which they charged extra.

Now, in addition to the Internet service, I pay $50/month for Sling TV and about $7/month for Disney+. I can record 200 hours on Sling, which also carries some of my local stations (and I can get them all on Locast, or via my rooftop antenna, for free). During football season, I pause Sling and instead pay $70/month for FuBo which has more sports (an amazing amount of sports, in fact). I get more channnels (especially ones I like) with either Fubo or Sling than I got at the cable "tier" I was on before, and for a lot less money each month.

My setup will NOT work for everyone (especially if watching all your local stations is real important to you and you are not in a Locast area and do not have a good antenna). One more time, after you leave expensive cable one size does not fit all and you just have to figure out what works for your situation - I don't think anyone can give you a cookie cutter recipe.

I hope this helps someone who is considering cutting the cord and venturing into the wild world of streaming video service.
 
Dragon_Man said:
If you haven't already consider replacing existing patch cords to Cat 6e.
https://www.cablematters.com/blog/Networking/cat5e-vs-cat6
Click to expand...

Modem and router are upstairs East side of the house. Entertainment system is Downstairs West Side. For personal reasons, I only use WiFi for phones. No computer in my house runs off of WiFi except my wife's Chromebook.

Therefore, the cable run goes into the wall, up into the attic, across the house, down into an upstairs bedroom, around two of its walls, down through its floor and into the living room through the ceiling. I had to put my own connector on the cable after running the cable through the holes.
I ran Cat5e.
It'll stay Cat5e for the foreseeable future.
 
I am also in San Diego's North County with Spectrum as my ISP and "cable" TV provider. Which company is your provider if you don't mind sharing? Spectrum offered a fantastic streaming deal to me good for 24 months which alas is going to run out in the next two months so even I've been shopping. Their streaming App offered me 10 channels to choose from a list of like 30 (a la carte menu as they called it) and then you will get all the local ones for free the same as having an OTA antenna but without the hideous PITA antenna.

I have had them all before, Disney streaming, You Tube streaming, blah, blah... Basically you will have to constantly switch streaming services for live TV to get the best deals which becomes very tedious to keep switching between different platforms and familiarizing yourself with each interactive menu, some being better and some lousy (admittedly the Spectrum App one isn't the greatest but for the price it made a lot of sense to STFU and to just put up with it).

Check out to see if your current provider or any other one competing in your locale offers streaming service App with their Internet package so that you can also lock yourself into a sweet long term deal.
 
To add to the above if you can score a streaming App along with the Internet service which you will need, you can just cut the proverbial cable cord, use the Internet to your modem, set up your router and if you live in a bigger house, go to Costco and buy a decent package of mesh network type of router pods / satellites to set up from upstairs where your main operation seems to be all the way downstairs. I live in a 3200 sqf house and I only needed 2 by Orbi-Netgear; the main one connects to my modem and becomes the router and the satellite pod is upstairs and I have no freezing issues with this set up which is like over 2 years old. I don't live in an area where signals are weak or suppressed so there is that sorta beneficial situation for me. I have scouted Costco recently to see if I wanted to upgrade my router and pods but the prices were likes YIKES! I hope that I'm making sense :)

ETA: I am using Apple TV for a so-called smart Samsung TV (I hate the interface so opted for the Apple device) and Roku sticks for the other so-called smart Samsungs because I personally hate their inane, laggy and buggy Android crappola.
 
Last edited:
I have not had regular cable service in several years.

- If you have a digital TV, then attach an antenna to get some local channels. If you don’t have a digital TV you can get a converter box.
- A Roku or Amazon Fire stick can allow getting different streaming channels on your TV or you can just use your computer. If using the TV you would either need wifi or to connect TV to internet. If you like older TV and movies, check out PlutoTV.
- If you want cable channels, check out a streaming service like Sling. Many of these are cheaper and allow activating and suspending as desired. An example is I get Sling for March/April to watch March Madness, then suspend. Sling also allows some channels for free once you have and account.
 
Casinostocks said:
I am also in San Diego's North County with Spectrum as my ISP and "cable" TV provider. Which company is your provider if you don't mind sharing?

router pods
Click to expand...

Cox.

Don't need pods. Like I said, we don't use WiFi much except for cell phones. They don't have a problem connecting anywhere on the property.
I have a gigabit switch downstairs. (Switches are cheap.) Ethernet cable from upstairs feeds the switch. The switch feeds the downstairs computer, the TV's internal system, and the solar panel reporting unit.

We've decided to try Roku. We'll keep the Cox internet and ditch the Cox land line phone and cable TV feed. We already have a subscription to Netflix. We think we don't mind if Roku reports to it's database subscribers what we watch. It's built into their system. Netflix does it anyway and we watch a lot of that already.
Due to work schedules, we'll make the changes this summer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top