Posted on 12/21/2013 10:24:26 AM PST by OKSooner
This is a followup thread to another one that was posted yesterday on the same subject, particularly this one:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3103587/posts
To get straight to the point, I'd like someone to give me a straight answer about what a viable option would be for us to accomplish the following:
Continued internet access for our home.
Continued access to desirable TV programming - local channels, desirable cable programming such as sports events, both local and national, and [take my pick] of other stuff, also Fox News and CSPAN if it still exists.
Cost decreased significantly from what we're paying [ourlocalcableprovider]. (I don't want to mention which one because I'd have to say something about how arrogant they are but It ought to already be obvious from the lame commercials with the little man with the northeastern accent who always ends up saying "Cox Bund" - oops...)
Anyway, single, straight answers invited and appreciated.
What to do?
Lose them. Continued high-speed internet access, which to give credit they haven't done a bad job of...
Save money.
Keep watching the stuff I want to watch on TV, without a terribly complicated solution to that. No commercials would be nice...
Keep the land line or lose it? I don't much care either way. Lose it is fine with me if it saves money.
Oh yeah, Merry Christmas to all in advance.
We use Netflix and Amazon Prime to stream all kinds of television shows.
This is an inexpensive way to stream:
http://www.amazon.com/Google-Chromecast-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B00DR0PDNE
We’ve used Vonage for phone over internet for years for a flat rate of $32 a month. We’re going to switch to netTALK duo for free. Vonage let us keep our local exchange and local number, and we get police alerts just fine.
bfl. It’s time more people just walk away from the media machine. But many don’t know how.
Everyone should start looking at ways to get around the loss of their landlines. They’re fast headed for extinction.
Dump landline. Nobody has those anymore and they are a waste of money if you have a cell phone. Purchase a Google Chrome and hook up to your flat screen that will show your computer screen. You can look at all the networks and pick and chose which shows to watch (normally latest 5 episodes are on it. Purchase Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime (all for about 24 dollars a month). You will HAVE EVERYTHING you need and more. You will be thanking me within a month. lol.
I’ve been wanting to find alternatives, so I will follow this thread with interest.
My cable provider now makes me pay for Al Jazeera. Not gonna do it.
Normally you get the best deals financially when you bundle TV, phone and internet. That’s the bottom line.
You can get things for less as it’s mentioned in the thread you referenced, but you won’t get “full access” so to speak. It’s a trade.
But all bundles may not be the same — check around what’s available in your area.
The one thing I personally find important is to maintain one landline, you can keep it bare bones, in case of some disaster, because the phones via cable of satellite have only a few hours of battery life and you won’t have a phone when you need it most.
Also look at it on a per day basis — if you save $30/mo, that’s $1/day — is that worth the potential added inconvenience?
AT&T is absolutely not an option because they're even more arrogant than Cox.
How to get internet into the house if we recognize both of these for the arrogant @$$e$ that they are?
Keep high-speed internet
If you don’t care about TV that much just look for a very basic cable - around here I pay $7/month - good at least for local info during storms and such...(they don’t advertise it) local network channels and PBS stuff.(Or hook up an antenna if your area has decent close stations to pick up)
Hook any new tv up to your internet - watch movies and streaming videos. CSPAN streams - Fox loads many programs on their site.
Lose your home land-line, get an internet house phone hook-up - if you want....
Keep your cell phones - pay phones are nonexistent
(one of these days we’ll do this - lol - still have a Direct TV bundle with house-smart phones/internet/tv - it’s a stupid waste)
FR —> FMCDH
LOL, I still have a "digital" (pulse) land line. No TouchTone for me. It's so 60's.
Also a service providing local channels is spreading across the country called Aereo which costs about $8 per Mo.
https://aereo.com/about
Ooma for phone works well. About $3/month for tax & 911 fee. Or just use a cell phone.
Roku for tv. Do you really need tv? If there is a big story watch on internet. Watch c-span on internet. If you watch tv for entertainment, ween yourself. In a few months you won’t miss it at all and you’ll realize how much time is sunk in front of it. If you really need to see a movie, DVD.
In before the “I haven’t owned a TV in 20 years ‘cause I’m so morally pure” comments.
Got rid of the land line as I never used it and they kept adding on taxes and fees. Dumped TV during the OJ trial and never went back. (TV has changed since then and I can’t even turn one on now. Was trying to help my mother.) I’d say take up reading as nothing they call entertainment today is entertaining.
Here are some novels you’ll enjoy. ;)
NetTALK Duo is not free. IIRC, they charge a yearly fee of $29 for their service.
When you buy the NetTALK device, the first year is free (or included in cost of the device).
most local stations broadcast HDTV. If your tv is digital then you’re set, just get an hd antenna
We shutdown the Cable TV a couple of months ago and haven’t missed it. I just replaced my Roku HD with a Roku 3. WOW! Real HD on streaming channels. We subscribe to Netflix and get Amazon Prime for the free shipping. All the TV news channels excerpt their best segments and post them. You only have to watch a 30 second commercial before a segment. Glenn Beck and Alex Jones have great channels and the Nightly News with Alex Jones doesn’t cover the garbage out of Hollywood.
Roku 3 will shortly have a YouTube channel and the older ones will follow. The remote on the Roku 3 is a WiFi remote with an earphone, so you can plug a remote speaker into it and have iHeart radio anywhere in the house.
Well in my case it’s not moral purity put refusing to pay for it.
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