What are your alternatives to cable tv?

[Retired To Win]

No cable, no home internet, and find no need for it...

So, if no internet... what, you needed to go to the library to do your MMM "foruming"?

[tofuchampion]

Mostly Netflix (streaming only), and there are a few shows I keep up with on the networks' sites. We have Amazon Prime but rarely use the video streaming. We have a Chromecast to watch Netflix on the tv.

[YK-Phil]

No cable, no home internet, and find no need for it...

So, if no internet... what, you needed to go to the library to do your MMM "foruming"?

I have a great job :D

[Heywood57]

We are about to cut cable and use antenna and streaming services.

The HDHomeRun DVR now on KickStarter looks like its going to be a good DVR solution.
I have been using the HDHomeRun network attached HDTuners for a few years.

[geekette]

TWC is going all digital in our area, killing our old DVRs that worked with analog cable.  We cut the cord and went with Tablo for our DVR. 

[Retired To Win]

We spend $90 a month for satellite internet service.  I'm not sure right this minute how many GBs that gets us, but I don't think it's enough to be able to stream video cost effectively.  Sixty GBs would cost us $139 a month after spending $296 for some gizmo.  :(

Ninety dollars is crazy expensive for home Internet that you can't use effectively for fear of going over a limit. Have you looked into other options that might be in your area? I have DSL through my phone company, which is slower than cable internet but still fine for streaming Hulu and Amazon Prime and CrunchyRoll and PBS. It has trouble with videos in HD, so some of the commercials will slow it down or make it stall to load. But the main content for most of these can be set to a slightly lower quality for the sake of speed.

My wife has done a thorough search on what internet options might be available to us.  We don't have many because we're "almost rural."  But I'll pass along this info and see if she will search around again.

[pshawgs]

Setlers of Catan, Dominion, ticket to ride, cards...
Seriously, way better form of entertainment. We do use redbox, especially after googling for coupons, also hulu, as well as occasional use of the "family" netflix (father in law). 

[Rural]

We spend $90 a month for satellite internet service.  I'm not sure right this minute how many GBs that gets us, but I don't think it's enough to be able to stream video cost effectively.  Sixty GBs would cost us $139 a month after spending $296 for some gizmo.  :(

Ninety dollars is crazy expensive for home Internet that you can't use effectively for fear of going over a limit. Have you looked into other options that might be in your area? I have DSL through my phone company, which is slower than cable internet but still fine for streaming Hulu and Amazon Prime and CrunchyRoll and PBS. It has trouble with videos in HD, so some of the commercials will slow it down or make it stall to load. But the main content for most of these can be set to a slightly lower quality for the sake of speed.

My wife has done a thorough search on what internet options might be available to us.  We don't have many because we're "almost rural."  But I'll pass along this info and see if she will search around again.

We do all right and can stream Netflix as long as it's not HD, using DSL. It was our only option other than trying to get satellite, for which we probably would've had to cut trees (i.e.: not happening.)

[Riff]

I've had a dedicated PC hooked up to the TV for a few years now that has all of our movies ripped onto it, which has been conveniently awesome.  Since cutting the cable, we watch YouTube quite a bit now.  For new movies, we'll grab a couple from Redbox here and there.  They send coupon codes for free movies all the time. 

The biggest challenge for me was not having any live sports to watch.  My nephew showed me a website recently that streams pretty much everything (just have to close the online gambling pop up), so I'm set now.

Even without the sports, cutting the cable hasn't been an issue at all.  I went all winter without watching any football or hockey and I survived.  Survived quite well, actually.

[Faraday]

We get Over-The-Air HDTV using the Channel Master 4228 mounted in the attic rafters on a PVC pipe:
http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-4228HD-High-Antenna/dp/B000FVVKQM/

Gives us about 14 free High-Definition digital TV channels. We get the four "major" networks CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX, plus PBS.

For internet, we get DSL along with home phone for about $80/monthly. I've used "cellphone internet" before. It's cheaper than $80/month but doesn't perform anywhere near as good as DSL over the phone line. Because of that, we're able to stream NetFlix for $8/month to get our "premium content".

I can't say enough good about the Channel Master antenna and Over-The-Air HDTV. The picture quality is amazing. "Free TV" with commercials has less diverse and interesting content than cable TV, but it gets us local and national news, weather, sports and the three or four weekly TV shows we have the time to sit still for. Anything more than that and we don't really have the time to watch. We barely get our money's worth out of our NetFlix subscription because we just don't have time to watch.

From below post:

Books.

Strongly agreed. DW reads more now than she did 8 years ago when we got rid of cable.  It's been 8 years since we've paid for CATV. 

[Thegoblinchief]

Books.

[Bardo]

We get Over-The-Air HDTV using the Channel Master 4228 mounted in the attic rafters on a PVC pipe:
http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-4228HD-High-Antenna/dp/B000FVVKQM/

Gives us about 14 free High-Definition digital TV channels. We get the four "major" networks CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX, plus PBS.

For internet, we get DSL along with home phone for about $80/monthly. I've used "cellphone internet" before. It's cheaper than $80/month but doesn't perform anywhere near as good as DSL over the phone line. Because of that, we're able to stream NetFlix for $8/month to get our "premium content".

I can't say enough good about the Channel Master antenna and Over-The-Air HDTV. The picture quality is amazing. "Free TV" with commercials has less diverse and interesting content than cable TV, but it gets us local and national news, weather, sports and the three or four weekly TV shows we have the time to sit still for. Anything more than that and we don't really have the time to watch. We barely get our money's worth out of our NetFlix subscription because we just don't have time to watch.

(We aren't FIRE yet, we're both working full time jobs and socking away savings/investments at about 40-50% rate.)

There is absolutely no way I would watch anything with TV commercials, much less TV "news".  The benefit of not having linear TV isn't just saving money.  It is also, and perhaps more importantly, saving your brain from exposure to these kind of things.  You would probably be surprised at how much contented you would be without exposure to broadcast advertising.

[Psychstache]

From April through October September, it's mlb.tv  Go Cubs Go!!

Fixed that for ya...

I don't see how that was called for!  It's April dammit!  Have a heart!

Just trying to manage your expectations....

What are you talking about? This is the year to put some money on the Cubbies!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADXs2C4Vmho

[Faraday]

There is absolutely no way I would watch anything with TV commercials, much less TV "news".  The benefit of not having linear TV isn't just saving money.  It is also, and perhaps more importantly, saving your brain from exposure to these kind of things.  You would probably be surprised at how much contented you would be without exposure to broadcast advertising.

Don't worry, strongly agreed. 

You must be talking about national news on the "major networks". That's why I double-quoted "major networks". They are mostly full of pablum slanted one way or another. I quit caring about that stuff many years ago.

I was just pointing out the capabilities of a great TV antenna vs. the flat little indoor crap that gets sold. I don't actually sit around watching TV all that much and commercials are opportunities to get food or drink.

It IS Free TV, so we use it only when WE need it. Local weather, local news. It's great in a disaster.

[MoneyCat]

We have two flatscreen TVs that were both gifted to us: One in the dining room and one in the living room.  The one in the dining room is hooked up to a old Roku XDS box that was a wedding gift.  The living room TV is a Smart TV.  We subscribe to Netflix for $9/month and Major League Soccer Live for $69/year and stream those.  We also bought a refurbished Mohu Leaf antenna and a DVR box for a total of $75 and watch about twenty or so channels for free over-the-air, including the Spanish-language channel UniMas which just added English commentary via SAP for the Major League Soccer matches they broadcast for free.

Unfortunately, our public library charges $1/night to borrow movies, so we don't bother with that.  Once in a while, I will use Amazon gift cards I earn through Bing Rewards to purchase shows and movies that aren't available on Netflix, but that's rare.  We usually get some DVDs as Christmas and birthday gifts each year.