How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable"?

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reneeh63
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How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable"?

Post by reneeh63 »

Piggybacking on a current thread about cutting the cable TV cord (or satellite, etc.)....

I'm used to turning on the tv for background noise while I'm online and doing other stuff around the house. I guess "casual" tv watching would be out and you have to be very "mindful" if you want to watch something after cutting cable?

Do you find yourself watching less TV or did you already watch less and that made it an easy decision to get rid of cable?
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jhfenton
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by jhfenton »

It's a mix. I never watched too much TV, but it has decreased slightly. I spend more time (like right now) online surfing instead of watching a random basketball game that I don't really care about.

But...we have a small TV in the kitchen, and it's still almost always on as background noise when we're in there. We can get every major and minor OTA network and several secondary channels with a $15 digital antenna. So we can still throw on the news or The Voice (if my wife is in there on almost any week night). I also run a home media server (Plex) with a large library of recorded TV shows and movies. (Blu-ray movies are purchased, ripped, encoded, thrown in the closet, and watched through Plex whenever we want. TV shows are recorded on a PC with a TV tuner and then Plex'd.) Between Plex and Netflix and Hulu and an NBA League Pass subscription, we have stuff to watch when we want. We just watch TV at random times on a variety of different devices (iPads, computers, Roku boxes).

The biggest change is that our kids (10 and 12) watch a lot less TV. Instead they play Minecraft on the Mac attached to the main family television. That TV is 90% computer monitor, 10% television.
am
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by am »

Unfortunately more tv because With Netflix, I actually find stuff I like to watch without annoying commercials. I have gotten hooked on multiple series like Breaking bad, prison break, dexter, etc. I occasionally watch documentaries and movies which if I am not into as much are casual watching and I read or surf on Bogleheads at the same time.
Mudpuppy
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by Mudpuppy »

I spend less time channel surfing (although I did find an episode of the original Addams Family on one of the OTA channels when channel surfing last night). I spend more time watching online episodes though, so I'm not sure the overall consumption of TV content has decreased much. It's just shifted from watching when it airs to watching the streaming media online.

I also tend to use the radio more for background noise instead of the TV. I'm sure that saves a bit of electricity. A music player or a streaming music app like Pandora would accomplish the same task.
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Toons
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by Toons »

I find myself really enjoying the "Me" channel,,Memorable Enterainment,when not watching,Netflix,Youtube.etc
Some shows on tonite
Man From U.N.C.L.E
Columbo
Get Smart
Mission Impossible
:happy
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
LeeMKE
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by LeeMKE »

Same here. We watch more deliberately, binge watching series and finding movies to stream.

We use Apple TV and have Netflix and Amazon Prime. Mostly only news and football games are watched with the antenna for the TV.
The mightiest Oak is just a nut who stayed the course.
ShiftF5
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by ShiftF5 »

I have never had cable TV at home, only the Occassional hotel cable shows during business and personal travel.

I use the iPad to Internet surf, read, research, explore and watch very little TV.
patrick
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by patrick »

I stopped subscribing to cable a bit over 3 years ago. I watch Netflix far more often than I ever watched cable, and I almost never watch broadcast TV now. As for the background noise, I never missed it.
island
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by island »

Do you cable cutters still watch on TV or just on IPad, computer, etc?
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jhfenton
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by jhfenton »

island wrote:Do you cable cutters still watch on TV or just on IPad, computer, etc?
My rough personal estimate: 10% family TV, 10% iPad, 10% TV in front of my treadmill, 15% kitchen TV while doing dishes or cooking dinner, 50% 28" computer monitor. Those are the only three true TVs we have in the house: 42" living room, 23" kitchen, 28" treadmill. We have no TVs or computers in the kids' bedrooms, but they do have two-year-old iPad minis.
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blueblock
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by blueblock »

I cut cable five years ago and haven't missed it at all.

Netflix is my main go to, though I have Amazon Prime, too. In my experience, there are always live feeds of major news events; just google the subject plus "live stream."

Do you cable cutters still watch on TV or just on IPad, computer, etc?

All three, whichever is my preference at the moment, thanks to home wifi and an internet-compatible tv.

I will say that we binge-watch a fair amount, but this is a plus as far as I'm concerned. We watched Season Three of House of Cards in three days. It was terrific, like settling in with a good novel except with terrific visuals and surround sound.
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by Mudpuppy »

island wrote:Do you cable cutters still watch on TV or just on IPad, computer, etc?
I have an over-the-air (OTA) antenna which gets me most of the major and minor OTA networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, CW, PBS, MyNetworkTV, Telemundo, Univision, etc.). Several of the local network affiliates also use the higher bandwidth of digital OTA TV to put in sub-channels for special interest OTA network content like This, Create, Me, Grit, V-Me, and so on.

I used to be able to get France24 and NHK World, but I haven't been able to lock in on that provider for a while. It was a rebroadcast of another OTA station based out of range, so maybe some business partnership fell apart or they had technical issues with the relay.

For cable network shows, I use their websites or Hulu or wait until the show hits Amazon Prime. For example, I've got Thursday's Daily Show from Comedy Central up on the second monitor right now.

I'm still debating whether to cancel Amazon Prime since I don't use the shipping often enough and they've decided to mess up their agreement with BBC so I can no longer see Doctor Who through them (apparently because Amazon wants exclusivity and there's no way BBC is going to agree to that for major shows like Doctor Who). Getting 7 seasons of Doctor Who for free more than paid for the annual subscription up until now, but I'm wavering at this point. I might end up going with Netflix if they pick up the 8th season for free streaming.
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ClevrChico
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by ClevrChico »

Our house had an old cable line connected. I called to have it removed, and it was done immediately the next day. (Family who are still customers have to wait two weeks to get a technician on site for issues.)

The TV we watch is 99% PBS, either online content or via antenna. (We get three PBS stations in HD.)
Angst
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by Angst »

I've never had cable at home. Always gotten a kick out of gorging on it while in hotels but never spent a dime on it. I watch PBS over the air but my main source for content is the local library. I get DVD's of cable TV shows as well as movies and that works out fine. I typically am one season behind anyone who has cable, but that doesn't bother me much.

[Edit] Hulu once was a pretty good deal, i.e. when it first started, but over time it has eliminated all the free content that I enjoyed watching and moved it to the fee-based Hulu Plus. I haven't used Hulu in a long time.
Last edited by Angst on Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
ddj
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by ddj »

Wife and I haven't had cable for 4 years. We pay for netflix and get by with free Hulu too. We are currently trialing SlingTV for 3 months. $20/mo, no contract, 12-14 channels. Feels like having basic cable...we primarily watch hgtv, amc, espn.
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by HongKonger »

Try radio for background noise if you need it. BBC World Service is fantastic.
dolphinsaremammals
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by dolphinsaremammals »

No antenna and several years go I discontinued cable. Netflix has never worked right with my laptop. I expected to watch a reasonable amount online or via DVDs. I turned out to watch almost nothing. Maybe once a year I stumble across a mention of something interesting, like Inspector Lewis, and then binge watch 5 or 6 episodes via some website.
kazper
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by kazper »

I feel like my TV watching is more focused, if that makes sense. I am not caught half way through a movie while flipping channels, even though we do have an over the air antenna (Mohu leaf is a godsend!). We have not had cable for almost 4 years and rarely miss it. With the selection of movies and shows on Amazon prime and netflix, I always have something to watch. My 400+ queue can attest to this fact! :)

And I gladly pay the $8 subscription fee for netflix knowing that it costs quite a bit less than the $40/$50 I would be paying for basic cable. For Amazon, we order more than enough to cover the yearly fee. The TV is an added bonus.
scouter
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by scouter »

Instead of asking "What's on TV tonight?" and mindlessly flipping through 300 channels of mostly garbage and infomercials, we now ask "What do we feel like watching tonight? Are we up for a movie, a few TED talks, a couple episodes of one of our favorite old shows from the '60s or 70s, or maybe a documentary?"

Much more focused viewing and much more satisfying.

AND... no commercials!
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by DDMP20 »

We got rid of cable four years ago and haven't regretted it. Most of the programming on TV today is mind numbingly stupid. Occasionally we will watch a documentary online or reruns of old shows like Little House on the Prairie or Newhart.

For background noise we purchased an internet radio. Best tech purchase ever. We got one with two speakers so ti actually sounds decent. It's portable and wireless so we can move it around the house. You can listen to all kinds of music and talk shows you can't get on terrestrial radio.
"An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens." -Thomas Jefferson
dolphinsaremammals
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by dolphinsaremammals »

DDMP20 wrote: For background noise we purchased an internet radio. Best tech purchase ever. We got one with two speakers so ti actually sounds decent. It's portable and wireless so we can move it around the house. You can listen to all kinds of music and talk shows you can't get on terrestrial radio.
Suddenly I had visions of, Coming to you today from Mars Central... I wish.
DDMP20
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by DDMP20 »

dolphinsaremammals wrote:
DDMP20 wrote: For background noise we purchased an internet radio. Best tech purchase ever. We got one with two speakers so ti actually sounds decent. It's portable and wireless so we can move it around the house. You can listen to all kinds of music and talk shows you can't get on terrestrial radio.
Suddenly I had visions of, Coming to you today from Mars Central... I wish.

You can listen to radio stations from all over the world on it. It's nice to get a perspective that isn't being brought to you by the corporate mainstream American media.
"An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens." -Thomas Jefferson
saladdin
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by saladdin »

The meaning of "cutting the cord" has changed. I think it once meant not paying for cable. Now it means just finding cheaper ways to watch cable. I have no cable channels. I pay $9 for netflix and got in on discounted amazon prime for $72 ($6 a month) with internet costing 39.99. Throw in mlbtv and I'm at 65ish. I can live with that.


Unless you are a new release only type of person there is more quality programming on netflix/amazon then you can ever watch. So many of the BBC shows are light years ahead of US programming. So I like discovering new shows I never would have found.

Now that companies are streaming their content, HBO NOW will be reportedly 15 a month, you can stream CBS for 6 (I think) and Sling has ESPN and others for 20ish a month. It won't be long before streaming bills will equal cable bills. Throw in data caps and soon cable companies will be selling cable services cheaper to get people off of streaming.
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Re: How do you watch TV differently after "cutting the cable

Post by abuss368 »

We have not cut cable but have found we are watching Netflix more and more.
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