thinking of canning TV and home phone line

MazterCBlazter · Nov 20th, 2009, 04:25 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by SINC
	I agree that without TV you miss far too much material that you would find no where else. The current crop of the four HD channels, Oasis, Rush, Treasure and Equator have taught me more in the past year than I ever learned online. And they entertained me to boot. People who shun TV for their computer are missing more than they will ever know.

Provided that you have access to quality programming and have the discipline to avoid getting caught up in sitcoms and soaps.

SINC · Nov 20th, 2009, 04:29 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by MazterCBlazter
	Provided that you have access to quality programming and have the discipline to avoid getting caught up in sitcoms and soaps.

Those four channels comprise 75% of my viewing. The other 25% is a mix of CFL football on TSN HD, local news and the odd National Geographic or Discovery HD channel specials.

chas_m · Nov 20th, 2009, 04:44 PM

The basic problem with TV is that it's got WAY to high a signal-to-noise ratio. There are some damn fine programs out there, and of course as a lover of old movies I enjoy speciality channels like TCM and IFC etc.

If the cable companies would ever adopt "a la carte" programming, ie you pay let's say $5/month for only those channels you actually WATCH, I think a lot of the people who've cut the cord in this forum would come running back. The technology is there; they just won't implement it, guaranteeing the same eventual fate that the "land line" phone companies have suffered.

dona83 · Nov 20th, 2009, 04:46 PM

Over the Air HD quality is superior to cable. If you don't mind having just a few local stations and maybe a few US stations* if you're lucky, ditch the cable and get a good amplified antenna.

* Assuming you live in the COTU, Windsor, or Vamcouver.

Lichen Software · Nov 20th, 2009, 04:57 PM

I think we are up to about 13 years with no cable. We do have rabbit ears. That gets us two channels. We also watch some shows online. I really do not feel hard done by. My TV is so old (How Old Is It?) ... It is made in Prescott Ontario.

As for the cell phone - I like a land line better. I think there are going to be health issues showing up with hard case cell phone users. I haven't had one of those for over 10 years also :-) I haven't looked into the various internet based options. MY daughter is using Magic Jack. I have no idea how reliable it has been for her, but when she calls us on it, it is really clear.

MazterCBlazter · Nov 20th, 2009, 05:22 PM

Posted this in Sonal's I hate Bell thread

	Quote:
	I had a friend that lives downtown Vancouver. He canceled all his phone and media services across the board. No telephone, no internet, no TV. He has an unlisted cellphone that does not ring, in case of emergencies. If you want to reach him, you have to send him a written letter or hope to bump into him in person on an outing. He had a laptop that he used to for a while after he mapped out all the free wireless spots of use to him. He eventually gave up on that too. He is probably the least stressed person in the world.

If my lady wasn't such a media addict, I would have liked to try to go without all of the above for a while too.

jicon · Nov 20th, 2009, 07:26 PM

I've been cable TV and phone free for over 3 years now, and it wasn't a big adjustment.

Telus was charging somewhere in the neighborhood of $50/$60 a month for phone service, which was problematic to begin with. I've switched to Vonage for $20 a month... VERY small fees if there is an overage, which I've never come close to surpassing, plus I can check voicemail thru a website which is handy.

So, we are looking at around $400 a year saved on phone.

The only items of concern when cutting TV, is:

Sports
Local TV news

Justin.tv can offer many shows, and many different sports, though there are times where it gets a bit of a pain.

CBC broadcasts its games off their website.

The ironic bit, is that I can actually watch higher quality shows, commercial free via the Internet. Apple's prices for shows are still far too high for what you get, but they do have the convenience factor. Boxee, a USB HDD and AppleTV on the Plasma TV go a long, long way, and pay for themselves within a few months.

Saving close to $400 a year without basic cable.

Now I gotta get back to watching a bunch of shows in 720p...

Nov 20th, 2009, 04:44 PM	#23
chas_m Honourable Citizen Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Victoria BC Posts: 11,323	The basic problem with TV is that it's got WAY to high a signal-to-noise ratio. There are some damn fine programs out there, and of course as a lover of old movies I enjoy speciality channels like TCM and IFC etc. If the cable companies would ever adopt "a la carte" programming, ie you pay let's say $5/month for only those channels you actually WATCH, I think a lot of the people who've cut the cord in this forum would come running back. The technology is there; they just won't implement it, guaranteeing the same eventual fate that the "land line" phone companies have suffered. __________________ Cheers chas_m Evangelist, ACDSee Pro for Mac: Get the beta! Join the community! Help us build the next great Mac photo manager! Our life in Victoria BC • Music blog • My Podcast • Film blog Victoria Macintosh Users Group

Nov 20th, 2009, 04:46 PM	#24
dona83 Honourable Citizen Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Mission BC Posts: 5,244	Over the Air HD quality is superior to cable. If you don't mind having just a few local stations and maybe a few US stations* if you're lucky, ditch the cable and get a good amplified antenna. * Assuming you live in the COTU, Windsor, or Vamcouver. __________________ eMac G4 1.25Ghz (six years young) - Dell Vostro V13 Intel SU7300 - iPhone 3GS 16 GB Black Fido "There are only two great tragedies in life, one is to lose your heart's desire, the other is to gain it." -George Bernard Shaw.

Nov 20th, 2009, 04:57 PM	#25
Lichen Software Full Citizen Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Barrie Posts: 833	> 10 Years cable and cell phone free I think we are up to about 13 years with no cable. We do have rabbit ears. That gets us two channels. We also watch some shows online. I really do not feel hard done by. My TV is so old (How Old Is It?) ... It is made in Prescott Ontario. As for the cell phone - I like a land line better. I think there are going to be health issues showing up with hard case cell phone users. I haven't had one of those for over 10 years also :-) I haven't looked into the various internet based options. MY daughter is using Magic Jack. I have no idea how reliable it has been for her, but when she calls us on it, it is really clear.

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Nov 20th, 2009, 07:26 PM	#27
jicon Honourable Citizen Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Victoria, BC Posts: 1,147	I've been cable TV and phone free for over 3 years now, and it wasn't a big adjustment. Telus was charging somewhere in the neighborhood of $50/$60 a month for phone service, which was problematic to begin with. I've switched to Vonage for $20 a month... VERY small fees if there is an overage, which I've never come close to surpassing, plus I can check voicemail thru a website which is handy. So, we are looking at around $400 a year saved on phone. The only items of concern when cutting TV, is: Sports Local TV news Justin.tv can offer many shows, and many different sports, though there are times where it gets a bit of a pain. CBC broadcasts its games off their website. The ironic bit, is that I can actually watch higher quality shows, commercial free via the Internet. Apple's prices for shows are still far too high for what you get, but they do have the convenience factor. Boxee, a USB HDD and AppleTV on the Plasma TV go a long, long way, and pay for themselves within a few months. Saving close to $400 a year without basic cable. Now I gotta get back to watching a bunch of shows in 720p...