Posted on 02/09/2009 4:28:16 AM PST by Zakeet
Porter McConnell gave up on pay TV last summer after noticing that monthly rates kept creeping up.
Now with no satellite or cable TV, she watches her trusty old TV set with an antenna or she goes online to catch her favorite programs. Once in a while, she buys shows from Apple Inc.'s iTunes service. McConnell also upped her subscription to Netflix Inc.'s movies-by-mail service so she gets two DVDs at a time instead of one, for $15 a month.
"Part of it is, I've got to economize," said the 30-year-old Washington, D.C., resident who works at a nonprofit.
McConnell is the kind of consumer who makes cable and satellite TV operators lose sleep. While a weak economy invariably makes people pinch pennies, this is the first time that viewing shows online has become a viable competitor to pay TV, making cutting the cord easier.
Cable operators are starting to notice. Glenn Britt, chief executive of Time Warner Cable Inc., voiced his concern Wednesday in a quarterly earnings discussion with analysts.
"We are starting to see the beginning of cord cutting," he said. "People will choose not to buy subscription video if they can get the same stuff for free."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
The latest episode is there by the next morning, maybe sooner but I’ve never checked before then.
I would be interested in proposing a new form of media, similar to the old Newsreel clips we saw in the movie houses but using some new technology like Netflix.
A person can subscribe to a service that sends out a bi-weekly DVD of notable newsworthy items with minimal talking heads, like a USA Today on Blue Ray.
While many of us prefer local news we also have a hard time getting the big picture thats often obscured by the censuring of the MSM such as a rash of unique vanadalism in a specific part of the country, or a series of small events that are tied together like a patriotic dissent on a state by staet level.
There are ways to create a better more affordable approach to whats being shoved down our throats thats organized purely by the ad revenue conglomeration.
Most of the video stream sites do not allow actual downloading for later viewing.
iTunes and similar sites allow you to download (for a fee). But such downloads are time-sensitive; that is, they expire (erase themselves) after a certain time period.
I have been considering it the past two days with the analogue transition boxes or whatever they are called you get more channels and most of cabel is poor quality content anyway
We’re trying. I’ve got a ledger I keep track of major expenses in.
OK. Any NEW ideas? :)
Seriously, I was the oldest of five and we had very little. My dad’s job was decent enough but still, my mom had to work part time to make ends meet, so I’m pretty used to scrimping to get by.
The problem is two kids in college and one more on the way.
I don’t buy those eco-reusable bags in the stores. We get way too much mileage out of the plastic ones.
We use them in our trash cans and don’t even throw them out each week. We dump the can and leave the bag in.
I had dsl and phone from verizon and cable tv from comcast.
I recently switched all to comcast because I saved over $ 500/year but the straw that broke the camel's back was a billing I received from verizon.
Verizon charged me $ 6.60 SHORTFALL for NOT USING enough long distance service. I called to question this ridiculous charge and they told me I had to pay a minimum amount, even if I didn't use the service.
I would have switched even if the cost had been the same, but saving $ 45/ month was icing on the cake.
I will not willingly pay for Bud. I'm barely willing to consume it if it is provided to me at no cost, and there must be absolutely no alternative (I'll pay for better beer even if the Bud's free).
Oh I’m just thinking out loud - those are things I’m doing now.
My next projet this week is phone service. We are paying too much, and I’m going to weigh my options there and see what I come up with.
We also have changed withholding so we’ve got more money coming in.
College - we have one in college now and one in high school, 3 in elementary and 2 babies at home.
Our oldest spent her first year at community college.
She spent last semester at a state school in the dorms, and hated it, so now she’s back at community college this semester.
When she is done at the 2 yr. school she will most likely commute to a nearby state university.
I recently purchased a “box” that takes Netfliks movies from the Internet and displays them on my TV. For a $9 per month basic subscription I get unlimited movies. Compare that to $4-6 per movie for pay per view from my cable company or the added cost of premium movies channels like HBO and I have thousand of movies to watch. I am paring down my cable service to just basic stations and high speed Internet.
DSL does not suck, IMO. I find it far better than dial up ever was and with a fast computer I can watch movies on line with good quality video. I can also order DVDs through NetFlix and download up to 12,000 movies instantly. I am thinking about giving up on Direct TV since they increase their prices steadily and the quality of their programming does not improve. Cable and Satellite services need to offer tailored programming instead of forcing customers to take 100s of channels they don’t want for outrageous prices.
The converter boxes have been available in the past over the internet for $40. With the coupon, that is approximately free.
The converter boxes have limitted commercial viability. If you need them, you should get them sooner as opposed to later, I bought my first converter about 6-7 years ago.
You should recieve a better picture and some useful extra channels. 24 hour local weather is one of the bonuses that I really appreciate.
“I don’t own a TV nor do I see a need to own one.”
Mythbusters.
Or put Walmart bags in small garbage cans instead of buying regular garbage bags?
[I do, because I'm a Charter member of the Incredibly Cheap Club]
LOL!
Sweetheart, I didn't know you came to FR....aren't you supposed to be working?
;^)
ROFLMAO!
Touche!
I’ve been on Netflix and absolutely basic cable for years... and once I go digital even basic CABLE will be gone.
Telephone service is so archaic. I use cell phone for most stuff and Vonage for the rest.
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