Chris Albrecht has a post on NewTeeVee this morning asking for suggestions to help him break up with cable. Even though cable prices have gone up 77 percent since 1996, which according to the New York Times is nearly twice the rate of inflation, many people are having trouble kicking the habit. "I hate dealing with the cable company, but I just can't seem to break up with it," says Albrecht. There are plenty of options out there, how have you cut the cord?
With the rise of web video, some even rebroadcast from television (YouTube, Hulu, etc.), P2P online TV (Joost, Zattoo, LiveStation, etc.), BitTorrent, iTunes, Netflix, and a host of set top boxes all offering television content, how come ditching cable is so difficult? Albrecht lays out three reasons for why he can't give it up:
Despite my own hate-hate relationship with my cable TV provider, I too can't seem to walk away. Here are some of my own additional reasons:
But for everything there is to like about cable, there is an equal or greater number of reasons to cut the cord. The headaches I've gone through over the past few months dealing with my cable provider (Cox -- one of the few companies on the planet that can almost make Comcast start to sound good to me), from not showing up for scheduled service appoints to slipping things I didn't order onto my bill, should have been enough to make me cancel my contract, if not for television's addictive hold on me.
We've looked at the numerous Internet TV options on ReadWriteWeb in the past (see in depth reviews here and here), and on my computer right now I have Joost, Babelgum, Livestation, and Veoh installed. But none seem compelling or complete enough to grab my full attention away from cable.
Do you still watch cable television? If not, what made you give it up? Do you watch TV online? Let us know in the comments below, and vote in our poll. In the meantime, I'm going to check what's on.
Comments
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You either need an additional choice of Switched to Satellite or let us know if you are using cable and satellite interchangeably. I dumped cable for bad service and bad feelings. Happy with satellite.
Posted by: getsomehairapy.wordpress.com
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May 27, 2008 10:29 AM
Rabbit ears rule! Now that HD is being broadcast for free over the airwaves, the picture is better, the reception is better, and there are more channels. I get 3 PBS channels in HD, where I got just 1 via regular broadcast. 60 Minutes, NOW, and Bill Moyers come in on time, with perfect picture quality, and for free!
For stuff I don't get for free, there's always the Internet as a backup, but I hardly ever use it.
Now, the only question is, what should I do with the $77 I'm saving every month? Maybe a new kayak.
Posted by: foo | May 27, 2008 10:48 AM
Wait until your kids are old enough to participate in decision process. They also become addicted to cable TV and have their own preferred shows and channels. I've given up!
Good luck!
Posted by: georgete | May 27, 2008 10:50 AM
@#1: I suppose in my head I was using them interchangeably. I.e., "TV you pay to get delivered directly to your TV set (and isn't being downloaded or streamed via the web)"
Posted by: Josh Catone
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May 27, 2008 10:51 AM
My schizophrenic viewing:
Watch The Simpsons, home NHL hockey and Nova over the air ( OTH ) using "rabbit ears". But watch car racing from Europe and the BBC via P2P.
Called and turned Direct TV off after getting a $100 monthly bill for shows I never watch, and original programming is only 4 hours a day.
Weird huh?
Posted by: Todd | May 27, 2008 11:03 AM
I've never paid for cable tv. I watch it occasionally when I'm at my parents, but there's nothing on that's worth paying fifty bucks (or more) per month for.
I've just switched to digital broadcast tv. It's awful. Every station is completely unwatchable. The analog signal in my area is far superior, so the digital conversion box is going back into storage until the FCC gets it's shizzle together. And if they don't, I'll just chuck the whole tv out the window. I'm kinda looking forward to watching it explode into a million tiny pieces when it hits the cement!
Posted by: Marcello | May 27, 2008 11:14 AM
There wasn't an option on the poll for "my time is divided more-or-less equally between terrestrial TV, cable TV, cable On Demand services, watching TV online". I would have clicked that one.
Posted by: Slippy Lane | May 27, 2008 11:19 AM
I watched TV as a child, up until I moved out at age 18 and had to choose between paying for it or not watching TV anymore. That was an easy choice to make. :) There are so many better ways to use your time.
I'm happy to pay for Netflix, and I don't hesitate to shell our $3-$5 to rent movies at the iTunes Store... but I can't imagine how anyone can stomach cable TV.
So, based on what I've observed of my TV-watching friends and relatives, this is how it works:
* it's >50% advertising,
* it's all heavily influenced by commerce (very little substance),
* someone else determines when and what you can watch (unless you use an unreliable DVR),
* even for low-expectation entertainment purposes, it mostly fails to deliver,
* and it's crazy expensive.
I'm sure there's a worse deal out there, but I can't think of one.
Some ideas:
* If you like sports, go attend a game in real life. Better yet, play with a group of friends. It's more fun, cheaper, and will enrich your life.
* If you like a particular TV show, rent it from Netflix or your local movie rental store. (No commercials!) Too impatient to wait? Watch it online on your own schedule.
* For the occasional (no more than once per week, IMO) show that you really can't get any other way than via TV, turn it into a social event. One person in your social network is bound to keep TV, so go to their house with a bunch of friends and watch the show. Each person should pitch in (bring food/drink/cash) to help make it easier on the host. This will make it easier for the rest of the group to cancel their TV service, and strengthen your friendships in the process.
Seriously, just cancel it. It's not worth it.
Posted by: Graham | May 27, 2008 11:48 AM
I have cut the cord, but for me it was satellite. I began to discover that I was watching 90% of my shows online due to my hectic schedule. Not only that, but I could find older shows on Hulu and other providers that I would never had gotten the opportunity to watch (Firefly rocks). Now I can watch what I want when I want. Some shows aren't online, so I have to miss some of my niche shows. However, it was worth it to drop the monthly cost. Next is the landline phone.
Posted by: Brandon | May 27, 2008 12:09 PM
I think what bothers me most about TV is that it is all there to trap my head into seeing commercials to buy things that I probably don't need. The digital recording/time shifting revolution only covers up the truth about our media envornment, it has done little to change it.
I haven't watched TV in 8 years, and I can't imagine where I would fit it in my life these days. There are so many more intersting and fulfilling things to do in the world than to have often meaningless information crammed into your mind.
see the world and talk to people about the real
Posted by: Tim Andonian | May 27, 2008 12:11 PM
I agree with Tim, above. I gave up cable TV 10 years ago when I moved back to my hometown. And about 8 years ago, I stopped watching most broadcast TV. I'm unwilling to pay the outrageous prices for cable or satellite TV-and those prices have risen a lot it real terms during those years. Given the number of hours I have available to watch it, and the lack of compelling programming provided, it just isn't worth the money. Oh, and now I need to rent a PVR and buy a $1000+ HDTV to be current? No thanks.
I'm kind of amazed at how many people gripe about TV quality and cable providers, but who also feel it is a necessity, just like water or electricity. I buy and rent movies, and sometimes I even go OUTSIDE.
Posted by: Shelly | May 27, 2008 12:23 PM
I gave up on cable about 6 months ago and couldn't be happier. I realized that about 95% of what I watched was on either the broadcast nets or ESPN and with broadcast available for free in HD, I couldn't stomach ~$1200/year for ESPN. I used my savings and bought a TiVoHD. I typically download the few non-broadcast shows I watch and move them to the TiVo, usually in HD.
The only thing I'm missing is live college football, but there tends to be enough on each weekend in the fall to keep me occupied, even if I don't get to see my team every week.
Posted by: Chris | May 27, 2008 12:27 PM
I just canceled TWC. Excellent choice, don't miss it at all. Saving the bulb on my DLP for DVDs. Cable TV is junk.
Posted by: rambn | May 27, 2008 12:34 PM
I watch cable. I'm close to canceling but not quite there yet. I still enjoy watching as-they-air broadcasts of some shows, like Lost, The Office, and Heroes, especially in HD. I like to participate in ongoing discussions of the episodes on forums/blogs/IRC/etc.
Also, the HD content on Discovery, Food Network, Science Channel, Nat'l Geographic, etc. is nice.
Posted by: Jeff Brewster | May 27, 2008 1:20 PM
I use a combination of "rabbit ears" to get digital signals and watching online, mostly through hulu.com (for BSG and The Office - the NBC digital signal in my area is nonexistent).
So really, I felt like the poll didn't have an answer for me to choose.
Posted by: Eric J. Gruber | May 27, 2008 1:39 PM
Despite the increasing array of video viewing options online I actually find myself enjoying traditional TV/cable/satellite even more these days. And I'm not just talking about the convenience of DVR'd programs.
I agree 110% with the laziness, convenience, discovery and sports attributes mentioned above. I love the lean-back nature of being able to browse until I find something I like.
Like a good geek I still watch my fair share of stuff via Hulu, podcasts, Netflix, etc. But (for me anyway) traditional TV viewing isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Posted by: RS | May 27, 2008 2:49 PM
Comcast has a great Triple Pay here in San Jose, CA. It is called Triple Play, but it is a complete rip. We canceled service after just two months. Back to Direct TV. Don't even know why I left.
Posted by: Rob | May 27, 2008 3:14 PM
@ Graham (8)
you completely captured my feelings on this issue. cable tv, heck american tv in general is a waste of time and has become more irrelevant not only due to the incredibly wack programming out there, but also due to increased streaming media technology and the alternate avenues that provide much better and "democratic" content.
aside from not even having enough time these days to veg out in front on a tv screen, my focus has been transformed to other things. at first it may be difficult -- kinda like giving up aol back in '96 was for me, but it was a huge monkey off my back, as was giving up my landline phone in preference of my laptop and cell.
sure i'd lke to see the nba playoffs every night and occasional pbs doc/nature program, but there's ways. just gotta know where to look.
by the way, eff cablevision!
Posted by: ultrasur1 | May 27, 2008 3:59 PM
I dont watch TV. I get my entertainment from the interweb.
Posted by: Malcolm Tyson | May 27, 2008 4:13 PM
Like some other commenters, I have never had cable. Rabbit ears with a side of Hulu and some other online nibbling is quite enough.
Posted by: Andrew | May 27, 2008 8:19 PM
Here is a good site to watch free online tv. It's easy to use with lots of channels (over 1000) and you don't have to download anything.
http://www.tvweb360.com
Posted by: Star | May 27, 2008 9:06 PM
I haven't watched cable tv for about 2 years just don't have time but when i am online at work or late at home for work i tend to watch some online shows or movies before sleeping. So no i don't watch cable tv.
Posted by: Sesli Sohbet | May 27, 2008 11:48 PM
yup i still watch cable TV and i actually love it esp some programs of starworld and espn and so.and here we actually don't have fast internet connections like in US or any other countries.so we have to depend of cable.
Posted by: deepak | May 28, 2008 1:10 AM
I have and will have cable because the intahweb doesn't provide me content in my native language. (Yeah, surprisingly, there is still life outside of the anglo-saxon world :))
I have to wait some days while sby packs, encodes and uploads these programs onto torrent.
Furthermore, the amount of data required by watching online TV would definitely breaks my ISP's 150GB/mo barrier.
Posted by: someonefromthefarside :) | May 28, 2008 4:01 AM
I use Slingbox located at someone else's house to watch any live events (sports) that I need. Other than that, you can pretty much get most of the TV shows online now. DVDs and Blu-Ray for movies and past seasons of TV shows. I'm pretty much all set as far as removing myself from cable/satellite's iron grasp.
Posted by: tomknocker | May 29, 2008 1:59 PM
TV is nothing more than a brain washing machine to keep the masses docile and stupid. It's two main purpose is to make you buy shit you don't need and believe lies necessary for a few rich white guys to get richer.
The reason you can't quit is because you've been brainwashed.
I haven't owned a TV in 15 years, whenever I get a glimpse of it at the gym, I almost get nauseous...
Posted by: wack | May 29, 2008 4:07 PM