Cutting the cable at home

[KyDan]

Posting here in the off topic forum because this isn't RV related.

After several years of minimal cable TV "packages" I'm gonna have to cut
the cable entirely.
We watch basic TV. Local network and PBS and a few others like HGTV,
TNT and at Christmas Hallmark Channel.

We own a decent DVR so we have no cable box.
I LIKED being able to use my own TV remote.
We could only record one show at a time but that wasn't much of an issue.
Our favorite shows on PBS like Mystery are shown multiple times so if the DVR was busy at one prime time slot we could catch the show late night to watch later.

Oh yeah, we have 4 TVs. and on occasion they all 4 get used.

We got the dreaded letter 2 days ago.
Spectrum (sounds a lot like the old James Bond nemesis!) is going to
scramble all channels even local bottom tier so we won't be able to
use our DVR as before and they only will loan us 2 tuners for free for a limited time.
I called and tried to get a deal but they wouldn't budge. A single DVR tacks an extra $25 per month on my already too high bill.

I'm going to cut the cable and get an antenna.
Suggestions for roof top or attic antennas??
What kind of in line amp do you use if any?
What kind/size coax did you run?

Thanks for any suggestions!

[Joe_GA]

Since you are in Louisville, KY, you should be able to receive many channels with an OTA (over the air) antenna. I remember years ago, that your local Radio Shack would know which antenna worked best for your area. I'd start there.
I doubt you would need a signal amp, but if you want to feed 4 TV's, you will load the signal somewhat. If you find it is a problem, you could then get a distribution amp. Buy good quality cable, connectors and splitters. I believe RG-6 is still the go to cable to use.

[windsurfdog]

KyDan, I just cut the cable a couple of months ago. I got this antenna:
https://www.amazon.com/ANTOP-Smartpa...p+hdtv+antenna
It works fine and looks neat. I mounted it on my deck rail and it has a very clean look. The coax replaced the input from the cable feed where the initial splitters were located so that the signal goes to all (2) TV's in the house. It comes with an amp which I keep on. Most antennas are 45-50 miles away and I get very good reception. If I mounted it antenna higher (only about 12 feet currently), I'm sure the reception would be even better.

This antenna currently feeds 2 Tivos that fortunately have OTA capabilities.

I've since added a Nvidia Shield Pro https://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-SHIELD...%2Bshield&th=1 to stream OTT. I've subscribed to PlayStation Vue and have access to 95% of the channels I had when subscribed to Comcast...for about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost.

Go for it! You will be quite happy you did...I certainly am!

[doc73]

We cut the cord back in April. Use a streaming box for all our TV now. It uses the internet and you just do a search for what you want to watch and so far it's been pretty good. Our daughter has been watching rugrats, a show I watched when I was a kid 25 years ago.. It is pretty neat. You just need internet.

[Jim34RL]

If you have the internet and a good data plan you can use the Amazon Fire Stick or Hulu and or some other internet device to steam to the TV.

I have not been a cable customer for over 20 years and will never go back to them! I do use DISH and we are extremely happy with Dish and it is also in the trailer. I like the Smithsonian channel along with the history channel and American Heroes Channel, the wife likes HGT and the DYI channels.

[GreenImp]

I suggest you visit these two sites for all of the information you'll need about the antenna requirements for your homes specific location. If you're in or near a city, you may be able to receive all of your local channels with nothing more than an indoor antenna.
https://www.antennaweb.org/
TV Fool

As for over the air DVR...I have been using a couple of "DVR+" model DVR's made by Channel Master for years now with no "complaints". I did use Tivo's OTA version DVR for a couple years before that and will admit it was a nicer, but it requires a monthly subscription and the DVR+ does not. The Tivo's subscription can be front loaded into the purchase price if you choose.

I "cut the cord" from satellite TV many years ago and back then internet streaming options were non-existent to not all that great. It has vastly improved over the years however and these days you may even be able to avoid using an OTA antenna system at all. If you have good reliable internet service, I suggest looking into this option but have no information to offer otherwise.

[Joe_GA]

I turn DISH TV on and off to use it when we travel. I have COX cable for TV and internet at home. I thought I could save money by using DISH at home and dropping the TV from COX. Trouble is, they'll double the cost of my internet if I do that. You can't win.

[KyDan]

I hear you Joe!
I called ATT and they don't have fiber-optic in my neighborhood yet and they
no longer offer DSL lines on the old slow phone lines so I only have
one option for internet.
My cable company also doubles the rate if I drop TV and just choose internet.
It's $70 a month for internet.
The best "deal" package I could get was $103 a month for very basic channels with 1 dvr and 3 tuners for the other TVs and internet.
I may go with that for a while or I may call and cancel and just take the
internet for $70.
I can subscribe to sling TV and get my DW her HGTV and TNT. We should be able to get all networks and PBS with an antenna.
Sling TV with their "cloud DVR" is $25 a month.
That would make it $95.
The cheaper cost is offset by the hassle of having to run the antenna
and hook it all up.
BUT if it works I don't have to have a tuner at each TV and the stupid
decoder tuners are the size of a small DVD player.
We can't even fit one of those stupid things in our Kitchen near the TV that
we watch news on every evening.

Why can't they just leave us alone?!?

IF ATT runs fiber-optic my way one day I might be able to switch internet to them. Right now they are only $40 a month for "low speed" internet which is plenty fast enough to stream movies one at a time which is all we'd ever need. By that time they'll probably have jacked the price anyway...

[crunchman12001]

Following.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by KyDan

I hear you Joe!
I called ATT and they don't have fiber-optic in my neighborhood yet and they
no longer offer DSL lines on the old slow phone lines so I only have
one option for internet.
My cable company also doubles the rate if I drop TV and just choose internet.
It's $70 a month for internet.
The best "deal" package I could get was $103 a month for very basic channels with 1 dvr and 3 tuners for the other TVs and internet.
I may go with that for a while or I may call and cancel and just take the
internet for $70.
I can subscribe to sling TV and get my DW her HGTV and TNT. We should be able to get all networks and PBS with an antenna.
Sling TV with their "cloud DVR" is $25 a month.
That would make it $95.
The cheaper cost is offset by the hassle of having to run the antenna
and hook it all up.
BUT if it works I don't have to have a tuner at each TV and the stupid
decoder tuners are the size of a small DVD player.
We can't even fit one of those stupid things in our Kitchen near the TV that
we watch news on every evening.

Why can't they just leave us alone?!?

IF ATT runs fiber-optic my way one day I might be able to switch internet to them. Right now they are only $40 a month for "low speed" internet which is plenty fast enough to stream movies one at a time which is all we'd ever need. By that time they'll probably have jacked the price anyway...

Have you tried Dish Network for high speed internet? if not here is a link:
https://www.dish.com/searchq1satelli...324009A7B69A3D

This might be the best deal dollar wise for you.

[Joe_GA]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

Have you tried Dish Network for high speed internet? if not here is a link:
https://www.dish.com/searchq1satelli...324009A7B69A3D

This might be the best deal dollar wise for you.

I'm not sure how that works. Don't you need a phone line for uploads? I don't have one of them.

[loly50]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

If you have the internet and a good data plan you can use the Amazon Fire Stick or Hulu and or some other internet device to steam to the TV.

I have not been a cable customer for over 20 years and will never go back to them! I do use DISH and we are extremely happy with Dish and it is also in the trailer. I like the Smithsonian channel along with the history channel and American Heroes Channel, the wife likes HGT and the DYI channels.

We wish we knew how to work all these new things coming up. Bought the Amazon Fire Stick and don't know how to use it.... We also wish to cut that cable cord, again Spectrum and 150 a mth, can't stand it, all this cable stuff is such a monopoly.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by KyDan

I hear you Joe!
I called ATT and they don't have fiber-optic in my neighborhood yet and they
no longer offer DSL lines on the old slow phone lines so I only have
one option for internet.
My cable company also doubles the rate if I drop TV and just choose internet.
It's $70 a month for internet.
The best "deal" package I could get was $103 a month for very basic channels with 1 dvr and 3 tuners for the other TVs and internet.
I may go with that for a while or I may call and cancel and just take the
internet for $70.
I can subscribe to sling TV and get my DW her HGTV and TNT. We should be able to get all networks and PBS with an antenna.
Sling TV with their "cloud DVR" is $25 a month.
That would make it $95.
The cheaper cost is offset by the hassle of having to run the antenna
and hook it all up.
BUT if it works I don't have to have a tuner at each TV and the stupid
decoder tuners are the size of a small DVD player.
We can't even fit one of those stupid things in our Kitchen near the TV that
we watch news on every evening.

Why can't they just leave us alone?!?

IF ATT runs fiber-optic my way one day I might be able to switch internet to them. Right now they are only $40 a month for "low speed" internet which is plenty fast enough to stream movies one at a time which is all we'd ever need. By that time they'll probably have jacked the price anyway...

Yep comcast is just a tad bit more money with less service than you have. We just had to give up our two boxes for the spare bedroom TVs and also get rid of the HD box and get analog one to cut cost. I'm debating on a roof antenna as I'm close enough to the big city. Just in my driveway using the camper antenna I can get 40 channels so I'm happy with that it will all be free. I bought a Antenna for the roof for $35 and it does work just got to get permanently mounted. As mentioned comcast may charge me more for internet but sure beat $130 a month. It's nothing but a racket anymore and a pur rip off to charge for every room. Years ago we could have as many TV hooked up and cost the same for all and it was cheap if you just did the basic and no HBO or Cinnemax I paid $15.00 a month. Later RJD

[TheGerman]

"Classic" cable TV is going the way of the dodo. Some cable companies and content providers "get" it and invest heavily into Internet based services. Comcast already makes more money with their Internet services than their TV services.
The increase in Internet services running on cable TV infrastructure is partially the reason you need a set top box for every TV nowadays. It allows to squeeze more TV channels and lots of Internet bandwidth onto the same cable.

[doc73]

Originally Posted by TheGerman

"Classic" cable TV is going the way of the dodo. Some cable companies and content providers "get" it and invest heavily into Internet based services. Comcast already makes more money with their Internet services than their TV services.
The increase in Internet services running on cable TV infrastructure is partially the reason you need a set top box for every TV nowadays. It allows to squeeze more TV channels and lots of Internet bandwidth onto the same cable.

I agree the first over to move over to a ay for what you actually want will be for me! I watch maybe 15 channels but to get them I needed to have a 130 plan.. Not no more. Kodi Box for the win!

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by Joe_GA

I'm not sure how that works. Don't you need a phone line for uploads? I don't have one of them.

No, you don't need a phone line for uploads, but when there are storms you will loose internet. With medium to heavy snow you will have to brush the snow off the dish. Also, you will get throttled back heavily if you go over the allowed amount of download. It also depends on how many people are on across the network for your area. Forget about streaming video.

[txredfish]

Up until about 10 years ago, I lived in Charlestown, IN. I did not have cable and used an outside TV antenna. I received all the Louisville local channels very good. For streaming movies and some cable TV shows using the internet go to these sites for streaming "Go Movies" and "123movies".

[rebellee]

As GreenImp mentioned in post #6, start with antennaweb.org to find out what sort of antenna you need. We cut the cord last November and bought a "50" mile omni directional antenna made by 1byOne (via amazon). Small, about 14 inches on each side and about 1" thick. I mounted it in the attic. It comes with a signal booster. Because I had cable run throughout the house in about 7 rooms, I basically ran the line to the amplifier splitter I already had in the basement. We're only about 17 miles from the transmitters and get about 14 channels on all 6 TVs in the house including ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, NBC and PBS and all of their derivatives. On the TVs we watch the most we have Roku devices. Amazon, Chrome could also work. On these we subscribe to and receive Netflix, Amazon and PlayStation Vue. When not watching over the air TV we mostly watch PlayStation Vue. (many other services could have worked, like Hulu and Sling, but only Vue had the Big Ten Network!). The interface on the Roku isn't the best but it has a cloud based "DVR" where it will store any show you flag as "my shows". For instance, most every season and every episode of Law & Order is available.

There is plenty of information out there on all of the above so do some research and do what works for you. Best thing is, in most cases, there are free trials and if not that, just a 1 month commitment.

[B and B]

We have local Cable Company for Internet, $60 per month 80 down and 20 up. Unlimited. I use Shawdirect, have 7 receivers, use 2 in the RV for $90 per months. That included every channel, all movies, HBO, Sports etc. I also can stream many channels live, also get 120 music channels streamed for free.

Sounds like the internet might be the best option for you. Go with the one option for streaming TV and OTA for PBS etc. remember that OTA has channels like American Heros and Villians, Antenna, PBS Knowledge, PBS Nature, MeTv etc.

[The_Rhino]

We cut cable 13 years ago when we started having kids/more expenses... For home phone/security we have an Ooma (free calls via Internet). We live on a hill w/most TV stations in the same direction, so I installed the biggest directional antenna I could find in the attic & stayed on TWC's $15/mo. Internet plan for as long as we could. We eventually added a TIVO Roamio LIFETIME & 2 Satellite boxes but also use Netflix, Amazon Prime and Sling TV during winter (for ESPN/HGTV). With Spectrum taking-over we are now on a $30/mo. but faster Internet plan.

We also save money on cell phones. We are grandfathered into Republic Wireless' $25/mo. unlimited 3G data ($40 for unlimited 4G) that uses Sprint towers w/free roaming. As long as we keep our Moto X smartphones, we keep the plan, so I keep replacing batteries/screens - HA! Our kids have $40 Moto E smartphones on $6 per phone TING plans (WiFi only, no Data)...

During the summer our monthly TV & services, home phone, Internet, cell phones for all 5 of us is <$125 whereas many colleagues are paying over $300/mo. for only a few privileges that our setup doesn't cover...

Antenna - don't skimp on this... I got the biggest one, can't remember, but it was highly rated on Amazon & is like 12' long...