Cable TV Alternatives

mspeas · Post by **mspeas** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 6:45 am

Currently using YouTube TV and am looking for cheaper services. I know about Sling and Fubo. What else is out there? My brother in law spoke of Hurley TV, but it looks so sketchy that it must be borderline illegal or worse. No interest in anything illegal or sketchy.

Suggestions that are legal in US.

Second Round · Post by **Second Round** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 6:55 am

Roku is a decent gateway to various streaming services, some free with ads, and has some free stuff of their own (ditto). The only up-front cost for us was the plug-in dongle itself.

Not sure if it's improved but the ads on Roku free stuff were poorly timed (and too numerous) last time I checked. For example, I had been enjoying watching the old Alfred Hitchcock series such as the A.H. Hour (I think the other was A.H. Presents?). It was not unusual for a commercial break to be placed in the middle of dialogue. Keep in mind that these shows were once on commercial television, so the editing of them had originally been done to allow for commercial breaks that were more "natural" in their timing. Roku appeared to have made no effort to time the commercials to occur between scenes, let alone when the original shows had them. Also, after some time watching these hacked-up episodes, the commercials became so numerous that, between those two annoyances, I just quit watching, it was too disruptive and unpleasant.

They may well have refined their approach since then, but I've not checked, and am not eager to.

cjcerny · Post by **cjcerny** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 6:58 am

As long as you live anywhere near a decent sized city with some TV stations, you can always put up an antenna. That still works even in 2025.

LikeNumbers · Post by **LikeNumbers** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 7:07 am

We are cord cutters - started about 4 years ago and never going back.
Prior to cutting the cord our monthly costs were $160/mo + $75/mo for internet.
After cutting the cord our costs are $50/mo for internet and $15/mo for two subscriptions.

We use:
1 an interior amplified antenna for local channels (about 20+ in our are)
2. Comcast 75Mbps at $54/mo, no contract
3. Roku as the gateway to many other streaming sites (works well on TV, phones, iPads, etc)
Many of these sites are free like FreeVee, Plex, Filmrise, Favesome, Roku itself, Xfinity stream, PBS, etc.
4. Have two paid subscriptions a) Netflix $10/mo w/ads, and b) NewsMax approx $5/mo

Second Round · Post by **Second Round** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 7:16 am

cjcerny wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 6:58 am As long as you live anywhere near a decent sized city with some TV stations, you can always put up an antenna. That still works even in 2025.

I've found that it doesn't work for us, probably due to being in a topographically hilly area. Not mountainous, just hilly. We are only 10-15 miles (max) from the nearest station towers, but live in a hilly subdivision.

mrmass · Post by **mrmass** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 7:51 am

OP you didn't mention what "channels" you watch. If its just ABC, CBS, NBC, CW try an antenna. Otherwise, if you want a full boat of channels there are only so many options

Direct TV Stream
Sling TV
Hulu Live
YouTube TV
Regular Cable

This this site is great https://www.suppose.tv/tv you plug in the channels you watch; it shows what service has it.

prd1982 · Post by **prd1982** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 8:07 am

LikeNumbers wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 7:07 am
We use:

2. Comcast 75Mbps at $54/mo, no contract

Why don’t you switch to Comcast’s prepaid Now internet at $30/month for 100Mbps?

Zdex · Post by **Zdex** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 8:10 am

First, I’d get an Apple TV 4K, because it’s cheap but a joy to use for streaming. Excellent picture quality, updated apps, much better than the television interface.

Want to cut the bill? See if these free services offer what you need. It’s a lot of content — movies, some live channels, lots of curated content — for $0 dollars.

Then, even with hills, see if you can find an antenna solution that works. There are multiple free online mapping services that will tell you what you should be pulling in. I’d try again, as it’s totally free content, free “live” broadcasting, and the modern HD signal is excellent. Perhaps a roof mount antenna will work.

Finally, fill in any gaps with paid streaming services that you need, especially when they are running sales. Some sales can be significant, where you get an entire library of content for $2.99 or $3.99 per month for six months or a year. For example, Max(HBO) just had a Black Friday deal for $2.99 a month for six months, so we jumped on that, a very fair deal for a substantial library. Netflix may be the only one that doesn’t discount.

We did the above. This reduced the cable bill from hundreds of dollars a month to anywhere from $30 to $60 a month, depending on promotions (fiber is $65 a month). We are ruthless with cancellations, eliminating any service that is ending a promotional subscription price. We calendar termination dates so we don’t forget. Some months we have three or four cancellations, one a week.

One problem with this plan is sports. We don’t care about them and don’t watch them. That makes it exceedingly easy to do the above, and keep costs very low. If you must have pro sports, and are doing it legally, the above won’t work and the monthly fees are going to be high.

lthenderson · Post by **lthenderson** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 8:46 am

mspeas wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 6:45 am Currently using YouTube TV and am looking for cheaper services. I know about Sling and Fubo. What else is out there?

Subscribing directly to the channel you want to watch is almost always cheaper than watching an aggregator with lots of channels like YouTube. Without knowing what channels you specifically have to have, this is impossible to answer. All we can suggest are other aggregating sites that may or may not have all the channels you desire.

prd1982 · Post by **prd1982** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 9:05 am

lthenderson wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 8:46 am
Subscribing directly to the channel you want to watch is almost always cheaper than watching an aggregator with lots of channels like YouTube.

I didn’t think local channels were available via the internet other than an aggregator like YouTube TV.

lthenderson · Post by **lthenderson** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 9:07 am

prd1982 wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 9:05 am
lthenderson wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 8:46 am
Subscribing directly to the channel you want to watch is almost always cheaper than watching an aggregator with lots of channels like YouTube.
I didn’t think local channels were available via the internet other than an aggregator like YouTube TV.

I was referring to a channel like Discovery which you can get for $5.99 a month or NBC which you can get for $8 per month. Both of those are cheaper than YouTube.

bogles the mind · Post by **bogles the mind** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 9:14 am

prd1982 wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 9:05 am
lthenderson wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 8:46 am
Subscribing directly to the channel you want to watch is almost always cheaper than watching an aggregator with lots of channels like YouTube.
I didn’t think local channels were available via the internet other than an aggregator like YouTube TV.

Local news channels sometimes have free streaming apps that can be accessed via a smart tv or add on streaming device.

dukeblue219 · Post by **dukeblue219** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 9:27 am

You're getting a lot of answers that, IMO, aren't really answering your question. Yes Roku exists and yes libraries can provide some limited access to content, but none of those are "cable TV alternatives."

If you want to watch TV in the traditional way your options are YouTube TV, Sling, Fubo, Hulu Live TV, and DirecTV Stream. None of them are cheap. Only YouTube has comprehensive access to local channels.

An antenna for local network is also an option but obviously eliminates all the cable networks.

Everything else will disappoint you unless you want to break with the concept of channel surfing and watching premier events and live sports. You can definitely entertain yourself from Netflix and Prime, or Hulu and Disney+, or whatever. But it isn't cable TV.

bogles the mind · Post by **bogles the mind** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 9:44 am

The selling point of cable is network content (abc,cbs,nbc,fox) and sports. All the other stuff is mostly replays of the same content that gets passed around between channels, most of which can be streamed for free.

greg24 · Post by **greg24** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 10:01 am

There is an absolute ton of free content out there on sites like Pluto and Tubi. That would be enough for some people.

The OP needs to let us know what they're looking for.

fishstew · Post by **fishstew** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 10:26 am

I've been down this path, and I don't think you'll find a drastic difference in a tv provider that provides both local channels and the more popular channels (espn, fx, etc). I recently was informed by a cable company that the OTA channels (Fox, NBC, CBS, etc) take up ~35$ each month regardless of who carries them. So then your directv, youtubetv, etc are left with the rest which makes sense as to why they keep raising prices. To your point, I have seen a lot of re-sold pirated content popping up for 20$s a month. I'm not touching those, but I do know people that use them.

So it comes down to what you watch. What works for me is doing an annual sub of peacock when they run a deal because they show the premier league games (or the replays the next day) which I like to watch. After that, I do enjoy other sports on occasion, but not 80$ a month worth.. So I purchased a Tablo device (think dvr for OTA cable) which works w/ my roku TV and iphone. Our TV is in our basement, so the indoor antenna options were all useless. I bought a directional antenna mounted it to our deck post, grounded it, and ran the cable back to the tablo device. From there, our tablo can stream the basic cable channels to my tv, phone, etc. It isn't perfect where the feed freezes sometimes and I have to go back into it, but I find it worth not having to pay for the TV subscription that I rarely use.

I've heard of others mounting the directional antenna in an attic which would mean you wouldn't have to worry about grounding from lightning I would imagine. I would have perhaps went this route if I wanted to have the Tablo device upstairs instead.

There are mobile apps you can download that act as a sort of compass for the closest broadcast towers, so you can use that to point your antenna in the right spot.

I am not overly skilled in hands-on tasks like this, but it took a couple of us a few hours to ultimately have setup.

Kenkat · Post by **Kenkat** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 10:32 am

Second Round wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 7:16 am
cjcerny wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 6:58 am As long as you live anywhere near a decent sized city with some TV stations, you can always put up an antenna. That still works even in 2025.
I've found that it doesn't work for us, probably due to being in a topographically hilly area. Not mountainous, just hilly. We are only 10-15 miles (max) from the nearest station towers, but live in a hilly subdivision.

I’m in a similar situation; I had to put up an outside antenna and a taller mast to make it work. I used the cabling from my old Dish Network install (the mast is mounted where the dish used to be) and shortened some of the cable runs. I am more at the top of the hill than the bottom but it works far better than those flat panel antennas which didn’t cut it for my location. The antenna is at the back of the house and I do have a clear line of sight to where the station towers are which matters quite a bit.

You may have already gone down this road but just mentioning it if you want to get out the ladder and try again.

count damoney · Post by **count damoney** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 11:05 am

prd1982 wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 9:05 am
lthenderson wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 8:46 am
Subscribing directly to the channel you want to watch is almost always cheaper than watching an aggregator with lots of channels like YouTube.
I didn’t think local channels were available via the internet other than an aggregator like YouTube TV.

All my local affiliates offer free online streaming and have apps for the various devices (firestick, roku, etc).
The only caveat is they don't stream network programming (ie primetime shows) or live sporting events. But if you want to watch local news, your local fishing shows, etc . .they are available.

like2read · Post by **like2read** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 11:14 am

Here's a couple of sites that have good info.

https://www.reddit.com/r/cordcutters/?rdt=63218

and for great help with going the antenna route (I really like the signal search map feature):

https://www.rabbitears.info/

BetaTracker · Post by **BetaTracker** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 11:29 am

Sports viewing is looking more like an expensive addiction than a fun pastime!

Mayacallie · Post by **Mayacallie** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 11:33 am

One of the reasons that I like YouTube TV is portability. We move around between 3 locations, so one subscription covers all sites ( with basic cable arrangements at each place). Ditto for Apple TV, Max ( $2.99 x 6 mos) and Netflix $6.99, Prime is just included with Prime.

Second Round · Post by **Second Round** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 1:03 pm

Kenkat wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 10:32 am
I’m in a similar situation; I had to put up an outside antenna and a taller mast to make it work. ...

You may have already gone down this road but just mentioning it if you want to get out the ladder and try again.

Thanks. I think I'd need my own tower! It's about 80 feet up to get to the high ground in 3 directions. Ironically, the one direction where it's not clearly higher ground as you go away from our house, is WSW, and the direction of at least 1 station is WNW. So not wildly different. But it's wooded and developed all along. No clear line of sight, I suspect not even close.

rockstar · Post by **rockstar** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 1:28 pm

What do you watch?

I cut the cord in 2013, and I stream without ads. It’s a mindset switch from watching what is on to watching whatever you want and when. And you get a lot of time back by not watching commercials. For example, the TV show Tracker is down to 40 minutes. That means you’re watching 20 minutes of ads. Why?

TomatoTomahto · Post by **TomatoTomahto** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 1:44 pm

rockstar wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 1:28 pm What do you watch?

I cut the cord in 2013, and I stream without ads. It’s a mindset switch from watching what is on to watching whatever you want and when. And you get a lot of time back by not watching commercials. For example, the TV show Tracker is down to 40 minutes. That means you’re watching 20 minutes of ads. Why?

+1

We are financially comfortable and well past the point where watching an ad is acceptable. We cut the cord not to save money, but to be able to watch most anything we care to, without ads. We subscribe to a number of streaming services, and the costs add up, but I figure I don’t drink alcohol, dress like a bum, and seldom eat at restaurants.

I guess we have stopped watching most sports, but we were already heading that way when we had cable. I really don’t miss football or even ice hockey; baseball was never of interest; it does make it a bit awkward when social gatherings discuss recent games/trades/misbehavior (!). We have added an interest in Formula 1 (subscribe to great F1 channel) and, of all things, sport climbing (mostly via YouTube).

GoldStar · Post by **GoldStar** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 2:03 pm

Mayacallie wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 11:33 am One of the reasons that I like YouTube TV is portability. We move around between 3 locations, so one subscription covers all sites ( with basic cable arrangements at each place). Ditto for Apple TV, Max ( $2.99 x 6 mos) and Netflix $6.99, Prime is just included with Prime.

Why use basic cable if you have YouTubeTV? YouTubeTV can give you all the local stations (although perhaps you are accross multiple cities and they don't accomdate you there?). Or maybe you meant basic internet connectivity.

OP can go free with Tubi - but I don't know requirements.
Personally- I can't tolerate commercials (so the lowest tier Netflix doesn't even do it for me).

enad · Post by **enad** » Fri Jan 10, 2025 3:02 pm

We bought a Samsung TV that has the Samsung Plus TV app built into it. We also have a antenna we use for the 125+ local channels. And we access Prime through a built in app. Tubi is available as is Sling free, so there are no shortages of content to watch.

Parkinglotracer · Post by **Parkinglotracer** » Sat Jan 11, 2025 3:05 pm

We Have internet at two locales for control of blink cameras and thermostats and one YouTube tv subscription that travels with us. YouTube has local channels and ESPN, etc.

uaeebs86 · Post by **uaeebs86** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:24 am

mspeas wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 6:45 am Currently using YouTube TV and am looking for cheaper services. I know about Sling and Fubo. What else is out there? My brother in law spoke of Hurley TV, but it looks so sketchy that it must be borderline illegal or worse. No interest in anything illegal or sketchy.

Suggestions that are legal in US.

Fubo is getting combined with Hulu + Live TV.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate ... -with-fubo

BV3273 · Post by **BV3273** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:47 am

[Merged into here - moderator Kendall]

I’m looking for advice about cutting the cord.

Obviously I need WiFi in my house, but I’m tired of paying for a home phone we only get scam calls on and see many more options for streaming TV versus having a cable box.

I get overwhelmed when it comes to streaming services. I need some sort of live channel coverage for the wife to be on board. We both watch TV, but mainly at night.

I’ve been looking at Vizio TVs that offer movies and some “live” channels (pre-recorded TV).

When it comes to streaming services I see Hulu Live & YouTube TV. Anyone have experience with these?

My bill will probably go from about $250 a month to around $100 for just WiFi. Plus whatever streaming service(s) I subscribe to.

uaeebs86 · Post by **uaeebs86** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:49 am

Discussion ongoing here:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=447031

Post by **Kendall** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:54 am

BV3273's post has been merged into the existing discussion.

BV3273 · Post by **BV3273** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:57 am

Thanks

So it looks like Sling, YouTube TV, and Hulu Live are the most obvious options.

retiredjg · Post by **retiredjg** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:04 am

BV3273 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:47 am [Merged into here - moderator Kendall]

I’m looking for advice about cutting the cord.

Obviously I need WiFi in my house, but I’m tired of paying for a home phone we only get scam calls on and see many more options for streaming TV versus having a cable box.

I get overwhelmed when it comes to streaming services. I need some sort of live channel coverage for the wife to be on board. We both watch TV, but mainly at night.

I’ve been looking at Vizio TVs that offer movies and some “live” channels (pre-recorded TV).

When it comes to streaming services I see Hulu Live & YouTube TV. Anyone have experience with these?

My bill will probably go from about $250 a month to around $100 for just WiFi. Plus whatever streaming service(s) I subscribe to.

I put off cutting the cord for quite awhile, because cable offered exactly what I wanted. However, as the price went up every year....I finally gave up in 2024.

Youtube TV has everything. That includes local TV channels. Yes, I was skeptical at first too, but somehow they do it. It takes a few days to get accustomed to navigating, but nothing is overly complicated. I didn't like their version of a VCR at first, but soon figured out how to get what I want being distracted by all the other stuff.

Chances are you will want some kind of subscription for streaming content. I have Netflix (watch a lot) and Amazon Prime (which very little due to the ads). There are dozens of others that you can try to see which, if any, you want. But you don't get locked into these things unless you just forget to cancel. And they all seem to be available through YoutubeTV.

No more VCR box. Just one remote. Lower costs. Wider access. Relatively intuitive navigation if you take the time to get to know it. What's not to like?

Chances are your TV will need a FireStick or similar to access YoutubeTV. Not very expensive. Takes 2 minutes to install - one on each TV.

biscuit5 · Post by **biscuit5** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:27 am

Currently using YouTube TV and am looking for cheaper services.

"Cutting the cord" used to mean saving $$ by streaming, around here not the case anymore.

Pricing is getting out of control and further fragmented by needing to subscribe to multiple services to see sports game X, Y or Z (Sat night NFL game for example only on Prime, Xmas Day NFL games only on Netflix, NBA etc)

Not sure where this will land. If one doesn't care about sports probably far easier, otherwise

It can be further frustrating when paying for a service and 60-70% of the channels one never watches nor wants to watch as they contain 'junk' shows you can prob watch elsewhere for free anyway.

Blue456 · Post by **Blue456** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:48 am

biscuit5 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:27 am
"Cutting the cord" used to mean saving $$ by streaming, around here not the case anymore.

True for cord cutters generation. For everybody else it is still $20 or less per month without commercials.

biscuit5 · Post by **biscuit5** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 10:06 am

Blue456 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:48 am True for cord cutters generation. For everybody else it is still $20 or less per month without commercials.

? Standard cable (live TV watching) is less than streaming (live TV watching) around here. They each have commercials.

like2read · Post by **like2read** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 10:10 am

BV3273 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2025 8:47 am
My bill will probably go from about $250 a month to around $100 for just WiFi.

It sounds like you can likely spend even less than $100 per month. If by Wi-Fi, you mean an internet connection and a router supplied by your ISP, it sounds like you may be looking at paying for more bandwidth than may be necessary. That sounds like a gigabit plan. A 100 Mbps plan is probably all you need if you are just streaming, and not playing video games.

Blue456 · Post by **Blue456** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 10:22 am

biscuit5 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2025 10:06 am
Blue456 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:48 am True for cord cutters generation. For everybody else it is still $20 or less per month without commercials.
? Standard cable (live TV watching) is less than streaming (live TV watching) around here. They each have commercials.

Cable for less than $20 a month that’s truly impressive.

JoeJohnson · Post by **JoeJohnson** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 10:25 am

biscuit5 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:27 am
Currently using YouTube TV and am looking for cheaper services.
"Cutting the cord" used to mean saving $$ by streaming, around here not the case anymore.

I'm shocked if cable is cheaper than streaming Youtube TV or Hulu Live, especially when considering: DVR capabilities, few to no fees w/ Youtube TV, no box required, no device rental fee (can stream to any smart TV in the house).

Both streaming packages and traditional cable/satellite do not have the Prime games, Netflix games, etc. so while that's annoying, it's not a feature comparison.

WoostaGal · Post by **WoostaGal** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 10:48 am

Our local library offers Hoopla and Kanopy streaming services. Our state capital library offers streaming services to all state residents including Hoopla, Kanopy, and Biblio+. Could be used to complement whatever other services you use.

beyou · Post by **beyou** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 11:56 am

biscuit5 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:27 am
Currently using YouTube TV and am looking for cheaper services.
"Cutting the cord" used to mean saving $$ by streaming, around here not the case anymore.

I think there are 2 audiences.
1) Save money
2) Eliminate ads

So more streaming services offer option of 2 price tiers. Also why there are free services (with ads).

I am in the ad elimination camp.
I still can economize by

finding discounts

cancel and rotate services

minimize sports included

I get only streaming for specific sports of interest, not a cable like package with everything. This is the ONLY live tv with commercials that I watch. Savings used for premium no ad versions of other entertainment.

Bama12 · Post by **Bama12** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 12:13 pm

I use Hulu.

If you want it free go with a antenna, roku and pluto. Pluto has a lot of stuff.

funyun · Post by **funyun** » Sun Jan 12, 2025 2:10 pm

Something we do as a rule (to not waste money) is to subscribe to whatever streaming service we're into for one month, and then immediately cancel it so that it doesn't auto-renew. Nine times out of ten, we watch what we want from that service and then don't even notice when it expires. And then a few months later we do the same thing again. There are rare exceptions where I might buy a year of something if they offer it at a good discount. But even then I still immediately cancel auto-renewal. It's good when things expire because then you know for sure if the service still brings you value.

rockstar · Post by **rockstar** » Mon Jan 13, 2025 8:59 am

funyun wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2025 2:10 pm Something we do as a rule (to not waste money) is to subscribe to whatever streaming service we're into for one month, and then immediately cancel it so that it doesn't auto-renew. Nine times out of ten, we watch what we want from that service and then don't even notice when it expires. And then a few months later we do the same thing again. There are rare exceptions where I might buy a year of something if they offer it at a good discount. But even then I still immediately cancel auto-renewal. It's good when things expire because then you know for sure if the service still brings you value.

Pretty much the same. But I got a lot of good Black Friday deals like two months of P+ without ads with showtime. Knocked out a couple of shows already. Gentleman in Moscow was probably the best.

dukeblue219 · Post by **dukeblue219** » Mon Jan 13, 2025 9:32 am

Cable pricing is very local and very family-dependent. Some people are comparing a one-TV no-dvr cable subscription to YouTube TV and finding that there's no cost savings. Others will compare 4 TV households with 4 DVRs in monopoly markets where the cable bill can easily exceed $300/mo to YouTube TV and the savings is huge.

I know my parents pay around $250/mo from the only provider in their medium-sized city and that's with no premium channels and no DVR. Just two set top boxes. It's crazy.

RickBoglehead · Post by **RickBoglehead** » Mon Jan 13, 2025 9:58 am

We cut the cord over a decade ago. Cutting the cord meant dumping Comcast TV, going OTA (Over-The-Air) and internet-only.

That means an antenna for OTA viewing, which is all the major networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS), plus the add-on channels provided by the local affiliates of the network. Our antenna is in the attic, made out of coathangers and a piece of wood. We have an antenna booster. Perfect reception.

I have a Windows PC (likely moving to Linux this year), and several HD Homerun boxes, which allow you to pull in channels on the PC via the OTA transmissions, and then watch or record them (you need software to record them).

I use Next PVR to record these OTA shows, and then commercial-skip when watching them. An hour show is really 40 minutes.

We pay $0.99 a month for a one year Hulu deal, each year around Black Friday. Many months our credit card refunds the $0.99 vs. creating a statement... We watch my sister's Netflix, she pays $5 a month for others to use it, including her son at college, so it costs her and us nothing.

We watch Xfinity cable channels, as needed, on my mother's service. She pays, via her HOA, for a massive package that she has no choice to get, and watches only a few channels. Works fine.

Internet only was $30 last year, this year it's $25.