Ditching cable/Sat TV - going OTA

[hoosier]

If we cold get that many channels, I would go OTA. We went for about six months, but we only got one station - a PBS channel from a nearby university.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I think I get around 50 channels OTA - but most of them are in Spanish, LOL. I find there isn't much to watch anyway. There are a couple shows I might watch if I bothered to find out when they aired. One channel I DO like is an oldies channel that plays TV from the 60s and 70s mostly. I used to watch the Cosby show daily OTA but I get so SICK of wasting my time watching 1/2 tv and 1/2 commercials for cooking school and nursing school. I do have Netflix (via Roku) and they put the whole Cosby series on instant streaming, so I can watch it whenever I want commercial-free now. What I find funny is I watch less than the two episodes that used to play daily OTA.

I've been off cable for 2 years now and I don't miss the expense at all, or the feeling that I was wasting my money on all those channels I never watched. All the Nick at Night stuff comes on Netflix DVD or streaming, and I have more animal documentaries in my queue than I will ever have time to watch.

The only thing I miss are the how-to type shows on HGTV and DIY -- home and crafting stuff. I haven't found a replacement for that.

Oh, and of course there are tons of shows on YouTube. Before I got Netflix I was watching Dr. Quinn and Star Trek TNG series on there.

 

[FarmerChick]

I do like having cable. I never have a couple hours to watch a movie. We have a bunch of DVD's and no time to watch them. Usually I need a little down time before going to bed and like to watch a little TV.

That was me. No time. As I got older I greedily took back my free time. Finally I got it accomplished LOL and I do have the 2 hrs. to kick back and watch a movie on TV during the DAY. It took me about 6 mos. to relax enough to sit down for 2 hrs straight because I never did it...LOL

YOU find some time for yourself to relax a bit. I know, been there...and believe me it feels good HA HA

 

[chrissum]

Wow! Thanks everyone! I bought the antenna, I went to the Radio Shack that is actually 25 miles further from the TV stations and talked to them about an antenna and bought one, I just need a good day to get it up. A few people in my area are getting 24-26 channels ota from Kansas City and we already have netflix. I will also look into Roku as well. I am tired for paying for sat tv. I work 2 jobs with different hours and it makes me mad when I get up early and I see infomercials on channels that I am paying for! Thanks again for the inputs! r/chris

 

[chandasue]

We dropped SAT awhile back and don't miss it or the bill. The only thing I ever watch is PBS anyway but we do have a dozen or so other channels.

 

[wooddustmaker]

Havent had sattelite tv for over 8 years. Don't miss it much, except for the music channels. I did find Pandora for music though. We do use hulu. I am not much of a movie watcher. G/F will always have a movie playing for the background noise. I will take my music. I don't even get OTA tv, since we have no converter box. The only time I really miss it is when I would take the time to watch the occasional NASCAR race. Too many other things to do these days to do even that, but we all need a bit of down time now and then.

 

[Marianne]

Going without sat/cable here is never going to happen. My husband lives and breathes KU sports. We even had to get a package update so he could get all the games. :/

AND of course we 'have' to have high speed internet as we both use our computers for work and 'wouldn't it be nice'.. :/

AND we have Netflix since there isn't much on TV...when KU isn't playing...

I could do without the tube. But he won't. For as hard as he works, and all the other things we do on the cheap, I'm sorta okay with this high bill.

The one thing I don't want to do without if I'm going to have TV? The DVR!! Life is too short for commercials!! Now we can record shows we like to watch without having to even think about it, and fast forward past all the commercials.

We didn't have TV for two years, and after the initial adjustment period, it was great. But that was many moons ago and it won't happen again.

 

[Mattemma]

Our cable ends on April 9th. We will watch dvd. Don't know if we can get anything without the cable.We were paying $59 for cable.I told the kids to read.

 

[Icu4dzs]

Back some many moons ago, the cable folks came to my house and asked if I wanted cable. I told them I did, but only wanted what I chose because most of it was useless and I wanted only what would be good for my children...Discovery, National Geographic, History, etc.
They told me I couldn't do that. I had to buy what they "told me to buy" i.e. their "package" which was 90% home shopping and whatever useless garbage. I told them no thanks. I simply refused to buy what they tell me to buy. It doesn't happen in any other area of business. Imagine going into a store and saying I want to buy a car and they say, you have to buy this car not the car you want to buy. You'd walk out too.
So, I've never ever had cable. I saw it a few times while visitng friends and cable has commercials too. What's the need for that?
I get 3 chanels on my digital TV from OTA antenna that was on the house when I bought it.
Given the very rare time I ever turn on a TV to watch TV (last night to hear the POTUS speak is such a time) I don't think it even pays to spend the money for any "service".
YMMV
Trim sends

 

[chicken girl]

I have not had Cable/Sat TV in over 6 years and do not miss it at all. I get maybe 8 OTA channels, but really only watch TV for the news. Other then that, if I really want to watch something I will go down to the RedBox. I spend more time outside or reading.