A few months back I realized my cable TV bill was outrageous, well over $100 for an HD package with HBO. Every six months I'd call the cable company, threaten to leave until I was forwarded to the Customer Retention department where they'd offer to keep my rates low for another six months. Half a year later the cycle of threats-and-temporary-deals would reiterate. And I was only watching about 7 hours of television a week. I also noticed I had a few dozen unopened DVDs and Blu-ray discs that I was always “going to watch.”
Enough was enough. I made a decision that led to…
Technology Influence #6: Cutting the Cord
After listening to a few podcasters who experimented with cutting the cord I decided to try it myself. A lot of people could not believe I did this. I was an early adopter of home theater so why would I abandon video entertainment? To be clear, “cutting the cord” means I stopped my cable television subscription. It does not mean my television is idle.
After stopping my cable package I subscribed to Netflix streaming and Hulu Plus, both of which are streamed into my home theater via an Apple TV. Plus, I use the iTunes store through my Apple TV to rent movies and to purchase television series that interest me. This way I am only paying for the shows I want.
In case there is an emergency where I need to see something on broadcast news I purchased a thin, unassuming indoor HD antenna. Admittedly, it is not perfect and the signal tends to pixilate at times. As a better method for getting local broadcast TV I am hoping that the Aereo service comes to the Philadelphia area soon. (Aereo provides local broadcast TV to subscribers over the Internet by basically renting the subscriber a small antenna from a farm of antennas that are owned and run by Aereo.)
Truthfully, I really don’t miss live TV much. I can still keep up with the latest episodes on some shows via Hulu Plus. (E.g., Community, The Office and Saturday Night Live) I have been able to use Netflix and iTunes purchases to selectively watch or catch up on shows I’ve always wanted to see at my own pace. (E.g. Dexter, The Wire) I rarely watch over-the-air network TV although it does happen for events like the Super Bowl.
But, there are a few things I do miss. I admit it. I miss being able to skip forward through commercial breaks. (Hulu Plus adds short commercial segments to TV shows and prevents fast forwarding.) This year I missed two event I usually watch, the Golden Globe Awards and Winter X Games. In both cases these were result of not seeing advertisements that reminded me exactly when they were on. (I guess commercial advertisements really do work.)
Cutting the cord has been liberating and has saved me money. The cable companies know that with the rise of Internet content and distribution, the model of cable TV is limited. For example, the recent straight-to-Netflix series House of Cards was a top-rate season of episodic TV that by-passed cable and broadcast distribution to go right to the Internet. I predict this will be the wave of the future as cutting out the cable middle-man increases the profits and artistic control for the content creators. Cable companies will try to hold onto the cable distribution model for as long as possible, but the writing is on the wall.
Next: Influence #7 -Online Shopping.
I "cut the cord" about six months ago. It is working out great. Yes, there is an adjustment in terms of the content I'm watching, but so far there is available on Netflix streaming to keep me satisfied.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy broadcast TV in full uncompressed HD via a rooftop antenna I installed myself. I run the coaxial to my laptop using a TV tuner card. Windows Media Player provides me with full DVR capability and a onscreen TV guide. I dedicated an external 1 TB hard drive for recording shows. No need to wait or pay for Aereo.
Jim, or should I say "Dear fellow cord-cutter" :) -- the one thing about Aereo is that it is an Internet service. So I don't have to be at home, near my coax to watch it. I could watch it on my laptop no matter where I am. Sort of like a combined solution of the antenna and a Slingbox together.
ReplyDeleteHi Len,
ReplyDeleteHave to tell you, you took me back (almost) with Aereo service.... Both Uncle Jerry and Kate worked at "Aero Service" in our old neighborhood of Wissinoming (Philadelphia).
Though I do watch more TV than you (it is baseball and hockey season), my cable bill is also high and I need to "discuss" that with Time Warner. To boot, my cable box in the living room has been totally out for about 4 weeks now so I have to schlept it to their office during my lunch time....a chore I am not looking forward to doing...
If you call, ask to be directed to their "customer retention" department. If there are other options in your area to gently suggest to them you are considering (e.g., FIOS, Dish Network) then that should get you some sort of better deal.
ReplyDelete