Cutting the COX Cable cord.....

[BBatesokc]

I've mentioned before that since the kiddo moved out to go to college we have reduced our COX Cable services. We now do the 'No Surprises Bundle' of HD Cable with DVR, High Speed Internet and telephone. I think its about $125.

We are considering cutting that down even more, but wondered if anyone else is using alternatives to cable. Sure, we could just stop the services and "live without it" but that will not meet our needs. We basically only watch local channels for entertainment and get our news online. We don't need a phone line (except for the alarm system) and we must have Internet.

I've unplugged our TV's from COX and tried a digital antenna and it picked up the stations very nicely. The problem is we really need a DVR.

I've considered cutting cox down to just high speed Internet (about $60/month). Putting digital antennas on all the TV's and then installing EyeTV on my 27" iMac. That would allow me to DVR all local over the air stations. We would then continue our NetFlix and Hulu+ subscriptions for movies and most TV series and stream them to our TV of choice via our PS3.

The EyeTV would not only let us record shows that are not available on Hulu+, but also makes it easy to load those recorded shows to our Laptops, iPad, Smart Phone, or iTouch devices and take the shows with us to the gym etc.

The initial investment for 4 antennas and the EyeTV would be $222

The monthly cost would go from $125 to about $75. It would take 5 months to recoup my investment and I would save $600/year.

Thoughts? Anyone done anything similar?

[CuatrodeMayo]

I'm thinking of pulling that trigger with a home theater PC/central home server setup.

However my LCD TV bit the dust so I need to replace that first.

[BBatesokc]

However my LCD TV bit the dust so I need to replace that first.

We get all our TV's from the returned section of Sam's Club. We've gotten TV's at 50% off that way - 2 36" LCD, 1 46" LCD and a 48". This time of year they always have a few that have been brought back. They usually put them up at about 20% off and the longer they sit the cheaper they get. The only problem is before Christmas they tend to get bought at the first markdown.

They will tell you you can't get an extended warranty on returned items and they are not covered by the manufacturer, but that is not true. I always call the manufacturer while at the store and give them the serial number. They have always told me it was covered and just to keep the receipt. Also, if your receipt does not say "Clearance item" for the TV (90% of the time it doesn't) then you can return to customer service within 15 days with the receipt and buy the extended warranty (best part is the warranty price is based on the price you paid which makes it very cheap).

Also, the returns often are marked "As-Is, No Return." Check with the store. The MWC location gives you 7 days to return the item anyway.

I bet we've bought thousands of dollars in the return area.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Thanks for the heads-up!

[Martin]

i'm probably going to do this next month. i will keep cox internet and landline phone and ditch television altogether. i have a home theatre pc and watch all television shows on my own schedule using that... so for me, no need for an antenna or for a dvr. next fall, i *may* subscribe to television just long enough to get college football... but other than that, cable tv is a waste of money for me. -M

[metro]

I think I'm going to try out the Roku, was hoping the Apple TV would fit the bill, but it sounds disappointing without offering the app store or Hulu support.

[Lord Helmet]

I think I'm going to try out the Roku, was hoping the Apple TV would fit the bill, but it sounds disappointing without offering the app store or Hulu support.

I wold imagine that's coming.

FWIW I run a Mac Mini as a HTPC. I use Plex as a front end. Works wonderfully, and I also have a full browser there for those streams that aren't supported by Plex (like NBA League Pass). I have an old Mac upstairs that is hooked to a Drobo with about 3tb of movies and TV shows that are streamed around the house.

[Kerry]

i'm probably going to do this next month. i will keep cox internet and landline phone and ditch television altogether. i have a home theatre pc and watch all television shows on my own schedule using that... so for me, no need for an antenna or for a dvr. next fall, i *may* subscribe to television just long enough to get college football... but other than that, cable tv is a waste of money for me. -M

Check out ESPN3.com for your college football/basketball needs.

[Martin]

check out espn3.com for your college football/basketball needs.

thanks for the heads up... i'll have to look into that! -M

[Double Edge]

I think I'm going to try out the Roku, was hoping the Apple TV would fit the bill, but it sounds disappointing without offering the app store or Hulu support.

I have a Roku and use it with netflix and occasional Amazon videos. It works fine for that.

[BBatesokc]

I've really considered the Roku XDS but not sure it will deliver much more than my PS3 already does.

[Double Edge]

I've got an older one, wireless and I think HD but maybe not. It's hooked up to a 52" and seems to be fine in that respect. No PS3 or DVR but a DVR is on my list to do something about.

[bluedogok]

Check out ESPN3.com for your college football/basketball needs.

Only if your internet provider is part of it. I have TimeWarner Cable Internet and we do not get ESPN3.

[OKCDrummer77]

There's also atdhe.net. They're a bit hit-and-miss, but for me, they've been more hit than miss.

[Lord Helmet]

There's also atdhe.net. They're a bit hit-and-miss, but for me, they've been more hit than miss.

The quality is also pretty crap usually. If you want near HD quality streams check out veetle.com...they usually have some quality streams of most popular events.

[Kerry]

Only if your internet provider is part of it. I have TimeWarner Cable Internet and we do not get ESPN3.

Oh yea, I forgot about that part. Yet another reason to ditch your cable company, even for internet. I have Clear, but I don't think it is available in OKC yet.

[bluedogok]

Nope, considering going to Clear here in Austin.

[BBatesokc]

FYI - I went to the Apple Store at Penn Square the other day and bought an EyeTV Hybrid to connect to my 27" iMac (works on Windows computers too). I bought this to replace my DVR if I cancel COX Cable. So far, so good. It picks up all the over the air local digital channels really well. Like a traditional DVR I can watch, pause or rewind live TV and I can record a show or an entire series.

Unlike by current COX DVR, with this I can send the recording to a TV in my house or even to my iPad or iTouch anywhere in the world! Also, I can edit the recordings to remove ads or select say a specific news story. I can then automatically have the show saved in an ideal format for Apple TV, DVD or idevice. Also, I can set recordings remotely from my idevice. Looks to be a DVR killer for me and my needs.

I will most likely return this though and buy the EyeTV 250 that is a bit better (hardware encoding as opposed to software encoding).

[t3h_wookiee]

We cut off our cable two months ago, and do not regret it one bit! We bought a Hauppage tv card for our PC and an HD antenna for a total of about $140. We pick up a lot of stations, and use Windows 7 as our DVR. The picture is super crisp and clean, way better than we ever had with Cox! We still use them for internet, so we get ESPN3, which we stream through our Xbox 360. The DVR works great. It's much more intelligently coded than Cox's crappy DVR box.

[Kerry]

For you cable cutters - check out www.channelsurfing.net Get all the sports (every NBA game) and network progams you can watch for free. I think you have to install the player (can't remember if I did or not) but I have never gotten any virus from it and Norton tested the site and shows it to be bug/virus free. When you start watching a program the picture is pretty small but if you right clink on it you can toggle to full screen (or sometimes there is full screen button on the bottom right). The picture gets a little fuzzy in full screen, but hey - its free.

Oh, there is an ad bar for 'singles in your area' but if you just clink the 'X' it goes away.

[Bunty]

For a nice HD DVR Sony used to make the DHG-HDD250 and for higher capacity DHG-HDD250. There's always a few used ones on ebay going for over $200. I suppose getting a HD tuner that hooks up to your computer would be better.

[MikeOKC]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Cox have a package of local stations only that is not advertised but they have to offer? It seems like it's subsidized some way and is dirt cheap. You have to ask for it though. If you're keeping Cox for internet, you might look into this if you don't want to go into all the antenna purchase, installation, etc. Makes cutting the cord a bit easier by snipping it rather than completely cutting it.

Ahh.....here it is....$11.75 a month....they throw in a few extras (WGN, CSPAN, etc.)

[Bunty]

But a little 'ol indoor antenna for $5 will get all the local digital stations. $11.75 a month adds up after a while and you may still be getting cable fare you're not interested in watching. Further, does Cox offer all the various sub digital channels from the terrestrial stations under any plan? Channel 14 KTBO has as many as 4 of them, but all religious. Now if all the digital terrestrial stations could be allowed to use all their sub channels for cabel channels, like putting on Fox, CNN and so on, that would be super cool. But darn, then I guess they couldn't be in HD, just SD.

[MikeOKC]

But a little 'ol indoor antenna for $5 will get all the local digital stations. $11.75 a month adds up after a while and you may still be getting cable fare you're not interested in watching. Further, does Cox offer the various sub digital channels? Channel 14 KTBO has as many as 4 of them, but all religious. Now if all the digital terrestrial stations could be allowed to use all their sub channels for cabel channels, like putting on Fox, CNN and so on, that would be super cool. But darn, then I guess they couldn't be in HD, just SD.

That's a good point about the sub-channels. Do any of our OKC stations have RetroTV or anything like it on a sub-channel? I love classic TV.

[CuatrodeMayo]

When I lived in Stillwater, I couldn't get the local channels very well over-the-air, so I did the $11.75 package. My wife was home alone when the tech came to install it. When I got home, we had full basic cable plus movie channels...