I am taking on the challenge to join the cable cutters that is continually growing. I am not switching to anyone else. I am not renewing my service or keeping it month to month. My family and I have found something strange about our TV shows. We can watch almost any of our shows through other mediums that are either free or require a nominal monthly payment with no commitment. The savings could be up to $900/yr for us.
Stay tuned as the time closes in and I make the call to cut our paid TV service. We will pay for Netflix and Hulu Plus access, have an HDTV antenna for local stations, and use a computer or mobile phone to access web sites of content providers to watch our other favorite shows. We may also pay for individual movie rentals from our local rental store or even watch a show or two on iTunes. I don't think we can stop watching The Walking Dead cold turkey.
Why are we doing this, you might ask? Well, first of all we pay around $80/month for our TV subscription. We can probably go with another provider for less for a year, then switch again. I really don't enjoy switching every year just keep my cost down. I don't like having to find a provider, find a package, wait for installation, take off work for installation, deal with the problems after installation, and deal with customer service during the whole process. It's annoying, inconvenient, and pointless to have to wait at home between the hours of 8 to noon or noon to 4 to get setup and installed. Then, after all that go through the process of learning the new channel line up and finding the shows I like to watch. It's just a complete multi week long beating.
The average person over 15 years old watched 2.8 hours of television per day in 2011 according to a Bureau of Labor and Statistics study ( http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm/). People pay an average of $73.35/mo of cable or satellite charges according to the Benton Foundation (http://benton.org/node/79458). Include Internet and a phone and the average home entertainment and communications bill is about $200 or higher! That's at least $2400/yr. With prices continuing to rise for each of these services, something is going to have to give between the consumers and the providers.
To prepare ourselves for the transition we have started to write down the shows we must have, shows we like, shows we sort of like, and shows we can live without. We have located these shows on various outlets. Some are free, some not, some can be had OTA, and others on DVD. A new trend the major networks have started is requiring some sort of Cable or Satellite account to watch shows on their sites. Some shows have an 8 day waiting period, while others have even a 30-day waiting period, if you don't have such an account. I think this will ultimately hurt the networks, since they are broadcasting OTA for free, yet making people suffer for trying to watch on their web site. The good news is that Hulu Plus, for example, is allowing the shows to be aired the next day like always. But you must have a paid Hulu Plus account. That's a small price to pay and acceptable.
We would like to create a lifestyle out of doing this. I have been researching and there is a movement, albeit, small at this time, but as the media players start to come of age and become more advanced, I believe there will be a battle between the networks, satellite and cable providers, and online content providers, with the consumer holding the power to force change in any direction. Without our money, they cannot survive. I may be dating myself a little here, but I can remember a time when TV was primarily watched OTA, and cable channels were an after thought. I can remember when my family had dinner in the living room and watched the Cosby Show. No recording, no fast forwarding, no pausing. Just watching it live at Prime Time.
I already have a Western Digital Live TV Media Player that does several streaming sources, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, and MLB TV, among many others. I also have a hard drive attached with all my movies. I will be buying a Mohu HD antenna for my OTA channels. It gets really high reviews and is less than $50. I live within 12 miles of all of the stations in my area. This antenna has a range of 30 miles and has a better Db rating than a lot of others. My next post will be the testing of OTA reception and ease of use. Stay tuned.
Provide your feedback on how you might do this or have done it.
Stay tuned as the time closes in and I make the call to cut our paid TV service. We will pay for Netflix and Hulu Plus access, have an HDTV antenna for local stations, and use a computer or mobile phone to access web sites of content providers to watch our other favorite shows. We may also pay for individual movie rentals from our local rental store or even watch a show or two on iTunes. I don't think we can stop watching The Walking Dead cold turkey.
Why are we doing this, you might ask? Well, first of all we pay around $80/month for our TV subscription. We can probably go with another provider for less for a year, then switch again. I really don't enjoy switching every year just keep my cost down. I don't like having to find a provider, find a package, wait for installation, take off work for installation, deal with the problems after installation, and deal with customer service during the whole process. It's annoying, inconvenient, and pointless to have to wait at home between the hours of 8 to noon or noon to 4 to get setup and installed. Then, after all that go through the process of learning the new channel line up and finding the shows I like to watch. It's just a complete multi week long beating.
The average person over 15 years old watched 2.8 hours of television per day in 2011 according to a Bureau of Labor and Statistics study ( http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm/). People pay an average of $73.35/mo of cable or satellite charges according to the Benton Foundation (http://benton.org/node/79458). Include Internet and a phone and the average home entertainment and communications bill is about $200 or higher! That's at least $2400/yr. With prices continuing to rise for each of these services, something is going to have to give between the consumers and the providers.
To prepare ourselves for the transition we have started to write down the shows we must have, shows we like, shows we sort of like, and shows we can live without. We have located these shows on various outlets. Some are free, some not, some can be had OTA, and others on DVD. A new trend the major networks have started is requiring some sort of Cable or Satellite account to watch shows on their sites. Some shows have an 8 day waiting period, while others have even a 30-day waiting period, if you don't have such an account. I think this will ultimately hurt the networks, since they are broadcasting OTA for free, yet making people suffer for trying to watch on their web site. The good news is that Hulu Plus, for example, is allowing the shows to be aired the next day like always. But you must have a paid Hulu Plus account. That's a small price to pay and acceptable.
We would like to create a lifestyle out of doing this. I have been researching and there is a movement, albeit, small at this time, but as the media players start to come of age and become more advanced, I believe there will be a battle between the networks, satellite and cable providers, and online content providers, with the consumer holding the power to force change in any direction. Without our money, they cannot survive. I may be dating myself a little here, but I can remember a time when TV was primarily watched OTA, and cable channels were an after thought. I can remember when my family had dinner in the living room and watched the Cosby Show. No recording, no fast forwarding, no pausing. Just watching it live at Prime Time.
I already have a Western Digital Live TV Media Player that does several streaming sources, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, and MLB TV, among many others. I also have a hard drive attached with all my movies. I will be buying a Mohu HD antenna for my OTA channels. It gets really high reviews and is less than $50. I live within 12 miles of all of the stations in my area. This antenna has a range of 30 miles and has a better Db rating than a lot of others. My next post will be the testing of OTA reception and ease of use. Stay tuned.
Provide your feedback on how you might do this or have done it.
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