Today is the day.

[Victory Sabre]

Today I'm getting rid of cable TV. I'm sick and tired of paying $61 a month for expanded basic cable, and not even getting all the channels I'm paying for, unless I get a box (another $10 a month). Last year the company (which starts with a CH and ends with R) raised the rates by double digits TWICE! The only thing that might suck is I am on the outer edge of over-the-air from the Twin Cities, and Alexandria, so OTA will be kind of iffy.

We'll see what happens. I did get an antenna yesterday, and I'll hook it up to the TV to see how it'll work. Wish me luck.

[AriGriffin]

I have an antenna & converter box. I get CBS, Retro TV Network, ABC, PBS main, PBS Kids, PBS Explorer, ION, Qubo, and ION Life. I watch a couple of shows from NBC and Fox on the computer. So far it has worked out, though I am thinking about getting netflix again so I can watch a couple of other shows I can't get over the air or online.

[Victory Sabre]

Well, the rabbit ears don't work. I'm just too far out of range. I get 1 channel, and it's all religious programming.

[Kanalah]

I don't have cable tv, haven't for years. Ironically back when we did have cable, we were just watching reruns of non-cable shows. We have a digital tv and rabbit ears, so we get NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, Fox, WB, MyNetwork TV, Ion, and Qubo, plus since I'm in the bible belt - about 15 assorted religeous channels.

We did recently get Netflix so we can watch more Sci-fi, namely Babylon 5 and Doctor Who. But we're not really a tv-watching family.

To the OP: If you have a wireless-enabled TV, look into Netflix. We use the instant view package instead of the dvds and it's only like $8 a month. Sucks you only get one channel, my mom-in-law's house is like that though. Also check the websites of channels you like to watch, oftentimes 1 -24 hours later they upload episodes to the internet and you can watch them at your leisure. I watch Hoarders that way.

[Victory Sabre]

I have a PS 3 and a Wii, so I'll probably do the Netflix thing. Spending $8 vs. $61 is no contest.

[BarbieGirl]

I'll be doing the same here in probably june when our contract is up. We have D- TV and its insane, have to pay a monthly rental fee for the dvr plus some other monthly fee regarding it. And we had been having problems with it, which were obviously problems with their equipment we still had to pay a nice 'fee' for them to change it out. So stupid. So netflixs here we come!

[AriGriffin]

Did you use a converter box? Also, trees, power lines, passing cars, and other stuff affect the recption. Try putting your info into: http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx It is mostly for outdoor antennas, but it can help with where to place the indoor rabbit ears to get the best signal.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I have Roku and only Roku and I would never go back to anything else, ever.

I got the hundred buck one, but it looks like they have cheaper packages now since I got mine.

That price is a one time only, flat fee. Now they have Hulu and YouTube capabilities. I think the Hulu is ten bucks a month, and you can either get it or not.

Also, you can rent stuff from Amazon video with a Roku box.

This technology is going to blow cable and satellite out of the water any day now.

[Victory Sabre]

Did you use a converter box? Also, trees, power lines, passing cars, and other stuff affect the recption. Try putting your info into: http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx It is mostly for outdoor antennas, but it can help with where to place the indoor rabbit ears to get the best signal.

When I punch my info in, it confirmed what I already suspected: to get anything I'd need a big antenna to have any chance to get anything (other than that 1 religious channel). When I looked at reception maps for Twin Cities (MN) TV Stations the outer line of reception is 5 miles west of my place. The reception from Alexandria is about 5 miles east of my place, so I'm in a really bad area for OTA TV. Before the switch to digital, we could get signals here a bit better, though they were still weak.

I went to the cable company office (which is 1 block away from my apartment) and canceled cable. I thought they'd put up a stink about it, but they didn't. I'm just glad to be rid of them.

One thing to mention:

Several years ago the area had a choice of 2 cable companies. I was with the competing one, and very happy with them. The quality of service was very high, and if there was a problem, I could talk to a CSR in my town. Actually they were in a building right behind my apartment. I could walk there in the summer and drop off my payment. That was so nice.

When that company went up for sale Ch****r bought them up, and started jacking up rates. They had a maximum rate increase per year, for 3 years, set into the agreement, and the increases were at that maximum (7%). After the 3 years they could raise them as much as they wanted. They have been doing double digit increases since. Last year they had 2 of them (March and October). After the October increase I got rid of my cable box. Today I got rid of them.

[Andara Bledin]

I have a PS 3 and a Wii, so I'll probably do the Netflix thing. Spending $8 vs. $61 is no contest.

That's what I've been doing for the last few years. I almost don't miss cable at all.

I live in Ch****r territory, myself, and boy do they suck ass. Have a friend in Rochester (south of the Twin Cities) that has them for Internet, too, and he's regularly getting dumped offline for no good reason.

^-.-^