How do you watch TV

[bremersm]

Currently we have cable, and at $80 a month I am looking for ways to reduce the monthly expense, but not sacrifice our viewing. Do we have any cord cutters here?

Can I survive on Apple TV and HD antenna alone? I know that I will miss out on some live sports. F1 is not a concern as I can find the races the next day.

Are there any other options?

[LesserBlackDog]

Well... I'm not sure I can give you any advice, but I've been without TV for years (8, to be exact) and my life is certainly no worse off now. I've never regretted not having it.

The only time I miss TV is during football season (though, frankly, most of the games I want to see don't make it onto nationalized broadcasts anyway). Otherwise, it's true what they say about the "vast wasteland." I'm astonished at how pointless it all is when I visit friends or family who have the TV on all the time. I would rather listen to the news on the radio for white noise/brain candy.

When I hear that a particular show is really good, I can still watch it by buying, renting, or borrowing the DVDs.

I've considered digital rabbits ears so I can watch PBS, but haven't really gotten around to it.

[JBarwick]

Apple TV, Hulu Plus, and Cable. Apple TV and Hulu Plus are at my girlfriends and Cable is at my place. Since I have a roommate we split our cable cost but it is still quite expensive at $65 per person for cable and internet. Basic cable which is much cheaper with Uverse does not even have ESPN.

[Cannon]

Apple TV episodes can get pretty expensive if you like a lot of shows, but it can also be way cheaper than cable if you just want access to a few. Hulu Plus and Netflix are a must, in my opinion. HD antenna too, of course.

I can't cut cable because I want HBO. For some reason, HBO has yet to offer a standalone subscription for HBO GO. It would make them a lot of money because it is a great service. I guess they just can't help but want to be exclusively tied to cable for a while.

[Furious Styles]

When we moved, we lost access to Comcast (and their far, far superior speed internet). So we were stuck with DirecTV. We have just a basic level and use HD antenna for some channels we don't get. Honestly, I don't miss having all the crazy channels we used to see before; I watch TV a lot less--except during NFL season--and enjoy getting out and about more instead. Netflix ($8/month) fills in the gaps when we want to turn our brains off, and it's helped us discover shows like Luther, Alphas, and catch up on old Family Ties episodes.

[saleen]

If you have someone else who has cable and a router, you can look into getting a slingbox. Its not as smooth as having your own cable, and it isn't quite the quality (still pretty good if you get an HD slingbox).

I pay my dad $10 a month so he can get an extra cable box. I attach my slingbox to that cable box and his router and whala, I get cable for $10 a month and the initial cost of the slingbox. This works well for me, because I don't watch too much T.V. Unlike options like Hulu (which is also great) I can watch live sports. Baseball is the main thing I watch on TV, so that is important.

There are obviously some cons, including not only a slight dip in quality and laggyness changing channels etc, but also the bandwidth considerations for both you and wherever you have the cable box setup.

Pros are you can also download the slingbox app and watch the MLB playoffs from your smartphone at work...... not that I did that.

[MikeAD91]

You need an option for people who don't own a TV. I occasionally watch stuff on Hulu Plus on my computer.

[shad0w4life]

EZTV download tv shows is my method.

I also have a WD TV Live Hub 1TB media player. Not sure how I got along without one before, love being able to just plug a usb in(or transfer onto HD) and play youtube music videos etc. Son loves it too, bust a move with some of the singers

[Jessy Diamond]

In Canada, services like Hulu or Netflix either have lackluster content or are just plain unavailable, so I just pay for cable. I just like being able the browse the channels on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Still, I usually watch TV shows using the EZTV method. I have a HDMI cable from my laptop to my TV when I want to use the big screen. I can also watch a few shows on my phone, when the app works (probably one of the only few advantages of being with Bell Mobility).