I'm thinking about going no TV at all on my house. Who's on board?

Discussion in Phone, Internet & TV started by Colebra • Aug 15, 2014.

  1. Colebra

    ColebraActive Member

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    Of course I'll still own a TV set, but I'm thinking of cancelling the cable service.
    At this point all I need is the internet. Cable is a waste of time, money, and brain matter.
    I'll keep the TV for some DVD's and some videogames and I'm all set.

    Has anyone did this? Who's with me on this one?
     
  2. mariee

    marieeActive Member

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    I have no tv. Our lcd broke and we can't replace it right now. It's not so bad because there are free places to watch tv online (legally), like Hulu, or the different networks websites. Or you could subscribe to Netflix or Amazon, Hulu plus or another online tv service, or buy shows of iTunes, etc
     
  3. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    I haven't had service in a long time now. Best decision ever. Such a money saver and we were tired of the content anyway. There were few things we found worthy enough to sit down for and if we want to see it that badly now, we'll get it online. As you said, it's a waste of brain matter.. life is to be lived, not sat in front of a tv and if you're not sitting in front of a tv, why spend the money on it?
     
  4. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I lived 6 years without cable and just watched shows on Hulu, Crackle and tons of other sites. You don't really need TV if you have internet access. The only reason I have cable right now is because it's part of a cheap bundle with my internet, phone, etc. But I lived happily for 6 years with nothing but internet TV and saw every show that came out, so it can be done.
     
  5. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I still have mine because there are a handful of channels I refuse to give up and it's still a bit more reliable than internet. I do hope to do so someday but unfortunately tv channels in my country aren't too eager to make the jump to the online market yet. I honestly don't watch tv as much anymore these days though. There's just so much other things to watch on YouTube,
     
  6. Thejamal

    ThejamalActive Member

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    Really, the only thing having a cable/satellite service is good for is to have Sports. Everything else you can find online pretty easily. Especially if you combo a few sites like Netflix and Hulu, not having the cable bill really helps with saving a few dollars every month. Even then, you can still find ways around that by ordering things like MLB pass where you can stream games on your computer or tablet.
     
  7. PhilA

    PhilAMember

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    This will certainly be possible in the future. I have a 152 Meg internet connection and can stream all day long with no problems so I could make the switch for sure. Most channels have a website that is much more convenient to use and pick what you want when you want anyway.
     
  8. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    Stopping watching TV is probably the best decision anyone can ever make. I'd been struggling with making decision because there was this one show . . . but then when they started messing up the story it annoyed me and making that decision became easier. I no longer watch TV and don't think I will again because honestly there's nothing worth watching on TV anymore.

    It will be a little bit hard to adjust to the change at first but once you get used to it and fill TV time with other activities you'll realize that life without TV isn't so bad.
     
  9. JessiFox

    JessiFoxActive Member

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    We did this for a while. Cable is included in our rent here, though, with no opt out...so I do take advantage of the fact that we have it, but I honestly didn't miss too much when we didn't. I'm fine with netflix, our DVD collection and occasionally going to the movies, for the most part. I feel like a lot of people are skipping the cable these days.
     
  10. Jake

    JakeActive Member

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    I have been unsubscribed from cable service for a few years now. A simple internet package takes care of all my entertainment needs and it's really great knowing that I have saved a lot of money. Most of the sport content I watch is now easily available through "antenna" t.v - I watch the Premier League hassle free on nbc. And movies, now there is an endless pool of entertainment available to watch through a number of competing streaming services. You really will not be missing anything special, and who really has the time to enjoy a premium subscription t.v service?
     
  11. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    My roommate and I gave up cable 8 months ago. We just have high speed internet. We use Roku on the TV which gives up access to Netflix, Hulu, Crackle and others that I haven't explored. We also have access to HBO which has its downside because I have become addicted to Game of Thrones.

    I can watch just about everything else on my computer. I have stopped watching a couple of shows and I didn't die. I'm with Denis. I have been thinking of giving up TV altogether....except for Game of Thrones.
     
  12. johnnear

    johnnearActive Member

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    I never watch TV anymore. All I can say is that's the best idea I've come up with in a long time, I realized that I became more productive and active when I removed my TV in the equation. You should try it out for a week.
     
  13. Verity Darkwaters

    Verity DarkwatersActive Member

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    I don't have TV (as in cable or satellite) in my home and haven't for nearly 4 years. It is a waste of money too me. I have DvD's, games, my art, other things to keep me busy. Are there times I miss TV, yeah, I like watching The Weather Channel, but there are many websites you can stream, after you pay a few bucks, if you wanted to watch it that bad.
     
  14. Athenagdlyt

    AthenagdlytActive Member

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    Our family has been TV free for the past 7 solid years. We have two boys aged 12 and 14, and they don't miss them at all. We channeled our budget to a faster internet instead. They have their own laptop and we have prescribed time spent on them. It's really liberating, especially for the kids since they are not brainwashed that McDonalds is the best restaurant ever.
     
  15. beccagreen

    beccagreenActive Member

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    I've never touched a TV since, well since I was 10 years old and I'm now 20. I think having no TV at all is probably the best thing to do if you want to liberate yourself from laziness and procrastination. As for me, having no TV gives me the time to think of more productive things rather than just being distracted and steering me away from my goals. Also, I've read somewhere that watching TV can actually lower your IQ so it's best to just get rid of it, also you'll get a huge amount of savings on the electricity.
     
  16. daimashin

    daimashinActive Member

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    I'm more or less the same as you TC since I don't even use my TV anymore. My house has a TV only because my father uses it everyday. Nowadays, I do all my stuff with the computer. I watch movies and game with my PC monitor since it's a lot better than my TV. I think not having a TV is a great way of saving space especially in the room.
     
  17. Nickchick

    NickchickWell-Known Member

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    I still have TV service but it's mostly my mom that watches. There are very few current shows that I'm interested in so I watch it while I'm eating to relax or for background noise. If I could get all shows safely on the internet and be able to get them on the PS3 easily then I would quit in a hot second but that's the thing. If you are able to find shows, you often have to deal with pop up ads because Hulu and the like doesn't have a lot of what I watch.
     
  18. MindyT

    MindyTActive Member

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    We just got rid of our cable a month ago. It was the best decision! It is saving us $60 a month not having cable. We are trying a free trial for Hulu and Netflix right now, but I don't know if we will keep those going after our free trial is over. If we do decide to keep them, they won't be as expensive as cable.
     
  19. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    We have cable, and I don't think my dad is going to have it cut, he loves watching tv. As for me, I really don't watch tv anymore, so if ever our cable disappears then I wouldn't even notice it, lol. He did have the landline cut a few months ago since no one is using it anymore.
     
  20. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    You really don't need Cable. One you ween yourself off of it, you will be surprised at how much time you wasted watching the same programs, the same re-runs of those programs and subjected yourself to the same commercials over and over and over again for no good reason. Seriously, a majority of Cable programming is just mindless drivel and endless commercials. It's gotten to the point now where the commercial time is just as long as the actual programming time. I used to like having my TV's on in the background while I did other chores around the house, so it is a little weird getting used to the newfound silence, but now I appreciate it much more. I can concentrate on emails and other work I am doing my desk now, instead of getting distracted and annoyed by what was on TV.

    Sites like Project Free TV and Videobull have all the latest shows usually within a day of them airing. Just make sure you have AdBlocking extensions installed and be careful not to click any of the click bait disguised to look like links to download or play the show. Once you visit those sites frequently enough, you will know what to look out for. Torrents are another option, but be extra careful with them, I've gotten two notices from HBO so far for downloading Torrents.

    The other thing you need to be extra careful with is your monthly data caps that your cable company likely has in place. Many of them are charging you overage fees if you go over 250gb per month in transfers, these are commonly around $10 for every 50GB you go over, so think twice before backing up your hard drives to some cloud service, or leaving Netflix or Hulu running all day in the background, because you can hit 250GB very very easily. Think of it this way, if you tried to back up your 1TB drive to a cloud service you were paying for, you would go over on your cable bill so much that you could have just purchased a new 1TB backup drive every month with what you would be paying for overage fees.

    Some other ways to combat this, is to opt for lower quality streams when watching Hulu or Netflix or Youtube. The lower quality streams are just fine imo, especially for stuff like a daily talk show, which isn't that important.