Cable TV is too expensive; Antenna/dvd is 80-90% cheaper

I've come to the conclusion that buying Cable TV ($550-600 a year) is
simply NOT a viable option. Not for those of us who have to work for a
living & therefore have little spare time (20 hours a week) or spare
cash for watching tv. Cable TV is just too expensive, especially since

BTR1701...

I work for a living and have plenty of both time and money.

Deke...

I'm retired, at 58, and have lots of time, and almost enough money.

modern technology has supplied cheaper options.

ravenlynne...

As you've posted in the other 88 threads you've started on this topic.
Are dvd salesman or something? Or do you have OCD and need to post the

Anim8rFSK...

cool. I had no idea if you got orders that far out or knew you'd be
stationed in one place that long. Hope you find a fast connection! :-)

ravenlynne...

Me too! I'm spoiled to my modern conveniences...

same idea a set amount of times to be comfortable with yourself?

David Johnston...

That may work for you, but I have only one channel and no way to
easily purchase and resell DVDs at minimal loss.

Mac Breck...

Why purchase and re-sell? Rent. Netflix is your friend. You can also
use Netflix to sample shows you think you might like, purchase the shows
that make the grade with you, and keep 'em.

me...

I'm surprised you have internet service in a place that's so primitive that
there's only one channel ;) Luckily, I live between 3 markets (one of
them being Chicago) and on any given day, have about 32 channels
(including some Spanish ones) available.

David Johnston...

Technically two. But the other is CBC.

Are you time-warped in the 50s? Well, in two years'

David Johnston...

Actually the local spectrum is rather uncrowded. Unlikely they'll
make the changeover in a hurry.

Mac Breck...

He's in a bad reception area. I'm in the same boat. I can receive CBS
acceptably, NBC marginally on a good day, and ABC not at all. So, 99%
of all TV that I watch is CBS. I gave up cable two years ago this
month. I don't even have enough free time to keep up with everything I
like on CBS. Subscribing to cable or satellite would be a waste of
money, and I use that money for buying/renting DVDs. It's working out
very well for me.

Troy.Heagy...

Well said.

I put up with poor reception because (1) it's free and (2) UPN/WB are
not showing good enough shows to make me want to pay for them. I'm
perfectly happy to watch Smallville or Veronica in black-n-white, since
they are free. The other 6 networks come in nice and clear.

videonovels...

.

I am merely expressing MY opinion on how to save money. I think it is

BTR1701...

Over and over and over again, in addition to arguing with those who say
they don't particularly need to be so frugal.

It's gone beyond your mere expression of opinion and you know it. Quit
being so disingenuous.

a worthy goal to save you money & be independent from needing
government handouts. That is all. No different than an editorial in a

BTR1701...

I neither need to save money to the extent you're advocating nor do I
need government handouts.

paper, and no different from OTHER people on this group expressing
their opinions.

.

videonovels...

.

Must be nice to be rich. I want your job. But alas, I have to save

BTR1701...

I'm not rich. I'm comfortable. There's a difference.

every penny else I'll have nothing when I'm 70 (the same fate my father
faces; he wasted his money on cars).

Default User...

It'd be nice if he started saving money with his internet connection.

ravenlynne...

heh...he's already on dial up which you can almost get free now...but I
get your point..

Troy.Heagy...

I tried NetZero free internet service ~6 years ago. I would have saved
$15 a month via canceling my Erols account, but NetZero limited me to
only ~3 hours a day, which was unsatisfactory. They kept kicking me
off and saying, "Please come back tomorrow."

I ultimately decided having unlimited 24-hour-a-day service was worth
the $15 a month fee.

BTR1701...

And yet you seem to have problems with other people who make the same
cost-benefit determination regarding their cable service.

videonovels...

No I don't. I don't have any problems with your choice to spend ~$50 a
month on cable tv. You presume animosity against you, where none
exists.

BTR1701...

I didn't say you have animosity but you quite clearly don't agree with
the people who say they like their TV the way it is. You make snide
comments like "must be nice to be rich" or intimate that they are are
blowing their future financial security by indulging in petty luxuries.

,

Now I have Netscape which is $10. And of course NetZero is no longer
"zero", since they no longer have free dialup. (Which seems dumb.
Seems to me that ads could support free dialup in today's world.)

Podkayne Fries...

Anyone can pick up a handful of free trial ISP software discs and get
free Internet for a year or two. The hellspawn wanted AOL so that she
could burn lots of CDs from the AOL music libraries, and she had free
AOL for almost 18 months. Sign up for a free trial, cancel it right
before the trial period is up and they'll give you more free time.
Lather, rinse, repeat.

videonovels...

.

1 NBC
2 CBS
3 ABC
4 FOX
5 PBS
6 i, formerly pax

If I lived in a situation where there's only one station, like a deep
valley, then I'd sign up for "limited" cable for ~$7 a month to get the
15 local channels. Still a lot cheaper than $600 a year.

Brian Henderson...

Dillon Pyron...

Just as long as you remember the putter.

videonovels...

And make sure the lawn is properly trimmed.

Michael Bowker...

Ok, now that's comedy. Be sure to tip your waitresses! He'll be here
all week. :)

Anim8rFSK...

Don't forget to try the veal!

Same here really. If I remember right, I think I get NBC where I can
make out shapes, but CBS and ABC are snow with sound. The people we
bought the house from put a massive TV antenna on the roof in the
hopes of actually being able to get something and it doesn't work
worth a darn. That's the hazards of living in a valley.

Mac Breck...

Thanks Patty Winter for saving me the time of replying to the above. ;-)

not...

That Antenna he has will work just fine, what he "WILL" need is either a ATSC
tuner or a new TV to receive OTA broadcasts.

Patty Winter (patty1...

Why do you think he wouldn't be able to use an antenna to receive

Troy.Heagy...

.

You don't need a converter. By 2007, all digital sets will be required
by law to include the tuner, so, literally, all you need is an antenna
to watch. Same as now.

Therefore your statement, "shifts over to digital- then it's cable or
satellite or nothing" is in error. Totally and completely wrong. Why
not just admit you made a mistake? Everybody does at some point, or
another.

digital TV? In fact, if his current antenna gets both VHF and UHF,
he may not even need to buy a new antenna. (Or he may need a larger
one, but anyway, still an antenna.)

.

Antenna - A simple antenna mounted on a high bookshelf can supply most
of what a person wants to see. Reruns of seinfeld, south park, drew
carey. New episodes of 24, Stargate sg1/atlantis, american idol, et

videonovels...

.

(The New) Battlestar Galactica on Sci-Fi Channel and BBC One.

cetera.

I spend most of my evenings just watching Free tv; no cable needed.

ravenlynne...

Bully for you.

DVD - For those shows that are difficult-to-find or cable-exclusive,
modern video technology provides a cheap solution. I recently
purchased and watched the following shows, for only $5-10 each: Voyager
seasons 1-7 (purchased at $70; sold at $65 each). Battlestar
Galactica's most-recent season (purchased $45; sold $40).

ravenlynne...

How did you do that? Illegal pirate copies on ebay?

The net result, during the last year, I spent only $5 * 8 sets = $40.

.

In contrast, my local comcast provider charges $600 to watch those same
episodes. That's 15 times more expensive! (Put another way, the
antenna/dvd option gave me a 90% discount.) Cable TV is too expensive.
----- At this point some will say, "But you're missing all those
great documentaries (or whatever) on History/Discovery channels."

ravenlynne...

No one will say that because at this point no one cares.

Perhaps so, but since I have NO SPARE TIME, those documentaries would
not be watched even if I had them. Those "extras" provided by comcast
cable have no value, if I am not at home to watch them! ;-)

ravenlynne...

So what?

Better to boycott the cable, buy the DVDs of whatever programs I care
about, watch them 2-3 times, and then recoup the money on ebay.

It makes more fiscal sense.

RichA...

Cable firms have a clever way of forcing people to buy-in, if you are
in an area where antennas don't work, etc. They go to the management
of apartment buildings, and offer them a bribe if they will forbid the
use of satellite dishes by tenants. This locks in tenants to either
cable use or nothing. It's a huge racket.

Deke...

CORRECTION.......
And its hugely illegal. Guvment says that as long as you have clear line of
site, landlord cant keep you from putting up a dish, or outside antenna,
within certain parameters.
(like you cant string cable across the building, or do permanent damage)
And landlord that tell s you different, needs to get guidnace from the FCC.

RobertVA...

Clarification:

US FCC rules prevent interference in certain situations from landlords
(multiple AND single unit buildings), Condominium associations and even
local governments from city/county level up to the state.

Dish has to be 36" diameter or less (no problem with digital) to enjoy
protection, so probably wouldn't help with the larger analog dishes.

Installation has to be in location tenant has EXCLUSIVE use of. Common
or limited common areas like shared balconies can still be subject to
landlord regulation. Landlord/Association permission is still required
if antenna overhangs a common area, as it probably would if hanging
outside a window.

Landlord can still prohibit ANY holes for cables or mounting brackets.
Tenant would also be responsible for any marks made by clamping
equipment to balconies, fences or window edges. You would still have to
engineer some way to secure the unit against intrusion and weather while
getting the wires through. If you have any kind of private balcony or
patio, mounting wouldn't be an issue, as you could put a short mast in a
bucket of concrete.

Local (city or county) regulation is permitted if installation is tall
enough to be a hazard if toppled, particularly if toppling antenna or
mast might contact above ground utility lines. State level government
and below can ONLY regulate over safety issues, therefore cannot apply
any restrictions in connection with appearance issues. Dishes can even
be in single family house front yards, as long as not out in or over the
city right of way that includes and commonly extends a few feet beyond
the sidewalk and street.

Unfortunately these regulations don't pay your lawyer bills if some
uninformed bureaucrat. condo/neighborhood association, or landlord gives
you a hard time.

BTR1701...

No, but being a lawyer yourself does and it gives you a fun hobby in
your spare time, forcing a homeowner's association to eat it.

trotsky...

If one has no life, you mean.

videonovels...

Also illegal under FCC regulations. Managers can not forbid the
mounting of antennas or mini-dishes on apartment balconies/window
sills. Any such restriction is null & void under U.S. law since ~1995,
because lawmakers don't want to see cable companies have a monopoly.
They want everybody, even apartment dwellers, to have a choice.

.

One person brought up sports and news. I don't watch sports &
therefore it does not bother me to not see it (I watch nascar on
Fox/Nbc but little else). If I was an avid sports fan, then yeah,
cable would be a necessity.

And news, I see no evidence that cable news is better than the ~8 hours
worth of daily news I get for free via an antenna. Just as biased
towards the "big government" viewpoint, and all echoing the same views.
6 different channels..... and they all sound like the same voice.

I prefer to get my news via AM radio, internet services like the BBC,
text-based sources, and from a variety of views.

ravenlynne...

Reading a book works too.

Nancy2...

I usually have the TV (dish) on WHILE I'm reading. That's the best of
all. LOL.

ravenlynne...

That background noise is usual in my home too..

Nancy2...

Not if you watch any sports events and want to see them live. In
addition, most don't issue DVDs. You get much wider, better news on
cable than you do on any antenna-fed network. You get lots of
educational programming (the Discovery channels) on cable that are
never on DVDs. But, each to own and all that. If you're happy, that's
all that matters.