AppleTV...Is it worth canceling my cable subscription? Give me some tips here

[downsouthstunna]

Okay so its almost 2013 and Im still paying nearly $200 for my cable package. Now I do have a bundle(tv/internet/phone) so I'm only looking to cancel the tv side but would getting a Apple TV really fulfill my needs?

Has anyone gone through the transition of canceling your cable tv and solely using only content to survive?

I dont watch much programming on television as it is other than sports. Now I need to see my football, college football, nba and some tennis, so my question is, is there a subscription I could purchase via AppleTV that gives me some type of sports package? Im also aware of finding streams online but none are ever in HD quality. If there is in fact a subscription/app I could purchase, do they come in HD?

I also watch a few season shows like Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad and maybe 2-3 other shows. I see you can purchase the season via itunes for around $44 but id rather just find a stream of it. Does Hulu post shows pretty timely after the episode premieres or is it a wait like Netflix?

Bottom line is I just want to save some money because other than ESPN, A&E, Discovery, National Geographic and a few others, having these hundreds of cable channels arent worth it to me. Anyone have some first hand experience of cutting the cord?

 

[thadocta]

go get basic tv for like 15 bucks then slip the cable man 40 bucks to give u all the channels

get normal internet from twc or att for like 30 bucks

get vonage for like 25-30 a month.

under a 100 bucks but still getting all the goodies

your welcome

 

[kingkoopa]

Good post? I'd also like to know as well. Other then espn my package is a waste as well.

 

[kingkoopa]

go get basic tv for like 15 bucks then slip the cable man 40 bucks to give u all the channels
get normal internet from twc or att for like 30 bucks
get vonage for like 25-30 a month.
under a 100 bucks but still getting all the goodies
your welcome

How old r u? Slip the cable man 40 bucks will give u all the channels?

 

[kdawg]

I just slashed our package - was similar to you. Now we have a few less channels - but don't really miss them - and only pay about $80 a month.

Obviously it's not quite the same but you should be able to get a much better deal. Changing to their new package made my Internet faster 25Mb compared to 20) but reduced the cost by about $20 - if you don't phone them once in a while they forget about you and can leave you on an old price that is much worse.

 

[thadocta]

go get basic tv for like 15 bucks then slip the cable man 40 bucks to give u all the channels
get normal internet from twc or att for like 30 bucks
get vonage for like 25-30 a month.
under a 100 bucks but still getting all the goodies
your welcome

How old r u? Slip the cable man 40 bucks will give u all the channels?

yeah. i was talking to a cable man and he told me 40 is the standard rate for them to not install the trap. so when i moved and was getting cable installed i asked the installer how much would it be to install all the channels and he told me 40 bucks.

why does my age matter tho??

 

[downsouthstunna]

go get basic tv for like 15 bucks then slip the cable man 40 bucks to give u all the channels
get normal internet from twc or att for like 30 bucks
get vonage for like 25-30 a month.
under a 100 bucks but still getting all the goodies
your welcome

This isnt possible anymore dude lol. You think this is 1996 when you could pay a guy $50 to hook you up and get a "black box" and have all the movies channels?!? Everything is controlled in the office now. Hell you cant even get cable from plugging it from the wall to the tv anymore. You need a box. At least in my area with Comcast. When the cable guy comes out now, all he does is hook it up from outside and if your wiring is done, thats pretty much all he has control of.

I use to work for Comcast some years back and my Cable/Internet bill(with 4 dvr boxes) was $20 a month. And that was with EVERY channel included(even Playboy ).

 

[downsouthstunna]

yeah. i was talking to a cable man and he told me 40 is the standard rate for them to not install the trap. so when i moved and was getting cable installed i asked the installer how much would it be to install all the channels and he told me 40 bucks.
why does my age matter tho??

What cable company do you have? With Comcast, doesnt matter if you have a trap installed or not, you NEED a digital box.

But I think we are paddling a little bit away from the thread topic here. Anyone have some info about AppleTV or GoogleTV and maybe watching live sports with it without having a cable tv package?

 

[thadocta]

yeah. i was talking to a cable man and he told me 40 is the standard rate for them to not install the trap. so when i moved and was getting cable installed i asked the installer how much would it be to install all the channels and he told me 40 bucks.
why does my age matter tho??

What cable company do you have? With Comcast, doesnt matter if you have a trap installed or not, you NEED a digital box.

But I think we are paddling a little bit away from the thread topic here. Anyone have some info about AppleTV or GoogleTV and maybe watching live sports with it without having a cable tv package?

i have time warner and they dont require a box it just comes straight from the wall..

i dont think you can watch all sports online, especially if you want to watch any of ur local teams because they will be blocked through nba league pass.
for NFL i dont think they have a league pass, they have something called game rewind where u can watch all the games the next day, which is pointless.
but if u have a ps3 you can watch all the games live through the directv application. you either pay about 300 for the season if you are not a directv subscriber or if you know someone that will let you login to their account you can get it for 100 bucks.

 

[milestailsprowe]

Using a special home phone device you can use your cellphone as a home phone with multiple phones around the house. It works via bluetooth as a bluetooth headset.

You can cut cable by just using a variety of streaming sites/torrents and hulu plus.

Cable TV is on the way out. Subscribes are losing customers in droves daily.

 

[n3rd]

Thadocta: ^Nail on the head. The thing about cable is you get to watch your local sports teams. I've been trying to figure out a work around, but I can't figure one out.

If I didnt live in the city of the team I wanted to watch, NBA League Pass would be a done deal. But I want to watch my local nba teams, so its a stalemate. I may be calling ATT back in the next week or 2 and see if they can offer me a sweetheart deal.

 

[rarefiedair24]

Okay so its almost 2013 and Im still paying nearly $200 for my cable package. Now I do have a bundle(tv/internet/phone) so I'm only looking to cancel the tv side but would getting a Apple TV really fulfill my needs?
Has anyone gone through the transition of canceling your cable tv and solely using only content to survive?
I dont watch much programming on television as it is other than sports. Now I need to see my football, college football, nba and some tennis, so my question is, is there a subscription I could purchase via AppleTV that gives me some type of sports package? Im also aware of finding streams online but none are ever in HD quality. If there is in fact a subscription/app I could purchase, do they come in HD?
I also watch a few season shows like Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad and maybe 2-3 other shows. I see you can purchase the season via itunes for around $44 but id rather just find a stream of it. Does Hulu post shows pretty timely after the episode premieres or is it a wait like Netflix?
Bottom line is I just want to save some money because other than ESPN, A&E, Discovery, National Geographic and a few others, having these hundreds of cable channels arent worth it to me. Anyone have some first hand experience of cutting the cord?

I've been trying to, but unfortunately sports is what's keeping me from completely severing ties, as of right now there's no walk around for watching sports without a TV package, sure you can find a stream here and there but they're unreliable at best.. AppleTV does have League Pass but obviously any home team broadcasts will be blocked out so you'd need at least a bare bones cable package or a digital converter box at best to at least pull in local channels.. 

 

[jumpmanpro97]

This isnt possible anymore dude lol. You think this is 1996 when you could pay a guy $50 to hook you up and get a "black box" and have all the movies channels?!? Everything is controlled in the office now. Hell you cant even get cable from plugging it from the wall to the tv anymore. You need a box. At least in my area with Comcast. When the cable guy comes out now, all he does is hook it up from outside and if your wiring is done, thats pretty much all he has control of.
I use to work for Comcast some years back and my Cable/Internet bill(with 4 dvr boxes) was $20 a month. And that was with EVERY channel included(even Playboy ).

the good old black box years! I was wondering the same thing when he said slip the cable guy $40. Is that still possible? I have time warner here in souther california and we can still just plug into the wall to get cable. We do have one cable box tho in the living room, since that's the only way to get HD channels. As for AppleTV I'm also thinking about getting that in a couple of weeks.

For the OP do you have netflix? I honestly would cut the cable and just have netflix, but I need to watch my NBA, Don't they have NBA league pass for online streaming? I wonder how much that cost?

 

[rarefiedair24]

the good old black box years! I was wondering the same thing when he said slip the cable guy $40. Is that still possible?

It is still possible with Comcast, for instance, my stepdad and mom live in a townhouse community, his neighbor worked for Comcast so he had access to the hub located in the complex which is located on my stepdads property.  The neighbor would do something in the hub and they'd be able to pull free cable with HBO and the other movie channels. Problem is, it would never last more than a couple of days because when some other Comcast guy would go to work in the Hub he'd patch whatever it is my stepdads neighbor did and then they'd lose all their TV service..  So I'd say it is possible, but not nearly as surefire as back in the day. 

 

[semf]

Apple TV is just a set top box that connects to iTunes . . . http://www.apple.com/appletv/what-is/

wouldn't Apple TV be more expensive since you're going to be paying another subscription for NBA, NFL, etc or paying for each movie / TV show you want to watch?

 

[pdouly33]

You can't get cable shows like Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, etc. from Hulu Plus.

I have Apple TV in addition to Comcast - I use it for Netflix & Hulu Plus on my TV. You can also get NBA League Pass Broadband through Apple TV.

 

[vc3fan]

Ok, Apple Tv can replace your box but you will miss out on some of the features of having cable with it as well. Hulu Plus is awesome for the 7.99 a month especially if you are unable to catch a show or two shows are on at once and you rather watch one over the other. I watch most of the Thursday Night NBC lineup on a Friday at work if it is slow or even something like some the fox sunday night shows when Walking Dead is on either Tuesday or a Monday if we are not swamped . I have friends that have went to Hulu from a box and just have to deal with people talking about the show the next day while they wait to watch it after it aired.


Netflix does not always give you the best selection of movies but that is what the Itunes store or even Amazon if you own a Roku is for to rent movies (Can' t picture buying these films to store on hd space anymore.)


The sports and apps like HBO Go are the downfalls.



If you live in New York and say are a Knicks fan, don't plan on cutting your cable TV since the NBA League Pass will give you the other 28 teams in the area when a game is not on TNT, ESPN, or even NBA TV. So, you will not have the Knicks or the Nets on a Tuesday night for example since they would be blacked out in the area. Apps like HBO Go require you to have service with those channels. So, you will not be able to access it if you do not or no longer have a cable account anymore.

They are trying hard to have these devices be our cable boxes (I know Apple is working with Cablevision on a way to have Apple TV's be a cable box for people with all the same features it has right now. Just don't think your going to see it anytime soon.) Your best bet is to lower your bill to a minimum plan with maybe a HBO for example to access full use of the Apple TV. Again, I have friends that have done this with torrents being used as well, they are not right now handling it well but managing. the Software is not there just yet. But an Apple TV is a nice investment.

 

[prestige]

JAILBREAK your apple tv + Boxee and a few other apps. 

 

[lokid300s]

i have appletv, and honestly.....the best thing about it is airplay and mirroring.  being able to view whatevers is on your iphone/ipad/etc is nice. As a cable alternative tho....HELL NO! It has youtube and pretty much 3 other useful apps (monthly subscriptions) and that's it.  If you want more content, I'd say go with a ROKU, but again.....no LIVE SPORTS.

The perfect setup, I am taking into account that you would like to watch all the popular shows and live sports:

For LIVE TV and Sports:

- Get an HD over the air antenna.  Google Mohu Leaf.  You can get this for around $50.00

- Get a Roku HD box 79.00 at Costco

- Buy NBA League Pass ($170) and use that either on your Xbox, Roku, AppleTV

With this setup, you won't miss any NBA games, Super Bowl, NFL, MLB, etc

For Shows, Movies, PayPerView:

- subscribe to a newsgroup and learn how to download NZBs ( I suggest giganews, and for nzb's..i go to nzbmatrix) $12 a month for 25GB downloads, and nzbmatrix is $10 lifetime membership

- most of the new shows: walking dead, SOA, breaking bad, etc will be up on NZB in hours.  Pay Per Views are up by end of day.

So, if you break down the totals for everything above, the monthly would equate to: $37.00

 

[rarefiedair24]

i have appletv, and honestly.....the best thing about it is airplay and mirroring.  being able to view whatevers is on your iphone/ipad/etc is nice. As a cable alternative tho....HELL NO! It has youtube and pretty much 3 other useful apps (monthly subscriptions) and that's it.  If you want more content, I'd say go with a ROKU, but again.....no LIVE SPORTS.

The perfect setup, I am taking into account that you would like to watch all the popular shows and live sports:

For LIVE TV and Sports:

- Get an HD over the air antenna.  Google Mohu Leaf.  You can get this for around $50.00

- Get a Roku HD box 79.00 at Costco

- Buy NBA League Pass ($170) and use that either on your Xbox, Roku, AppleTV

With this setup, you won't miss any NBA games, Super Bowl, NFL, MLB, etc

For Shows, Movies, PayPerView:

- subscribe to a newsgroup and learn how to download NZBs ( I suggest giganews, and for nzb's..i go to nzbmatrix) $12 a month for 25GB downloads, and nzbmatrix is $10 lifetime membership

- most of the new shows: walking dead, SOA, breaking bad, etc will be up on NZB in hours.  Pay Per Views are up by end of day.

So, if you break down the totals for everything above, the monthly would equate to: $37.00

Gonna check out this Mohu Leaf.. Great info! Thanks.  You don't have a location of where you're located, does this Mohu work stateside? 

 

[big1236]

Gonna check out this Mohu Leaf.. Great info! Thanks.  You don't have a location of where you're located, does this Mohu work stateside? 

I too would like to know....

 

[lokid300s]

Gonna check out this Mohu Leaf.. Great info! Thanks.  You don't have a location of where you're located, does this Mohu work stateside? 

my bad...yes i'm from Phoenix, AZ and believe it or not....over the air HD is better than cable HD.  Cable HD is compressed,  over the air is NOT!

 

[georgehimself]

Best bet for NBA would be league pass for iphone, its like 40 bucks. Then mirror with apple TV. I'm not sure about the quality though.

 

[maldonado]

JAILBREAK your apple tv + Boxee and a few other apps. 

heard bout this..

















whats good?

 

[2g00d4u]

I have a JB ATV2 and honestly I only find it useful for TV shows and movies (one of the few things Ive tested. I know its capable of doing more). Live streaming-wise it's a hit or miss. You'll find yourself missing the convenience factor that a TV and cable/satellite provides.

With a TV, you turn it on and start flipping channels. With the Apple TV, you go into XBMC or NITO, then you go through a few menus before you get to selection lists and then if a stream doesnt work, you gotta go back and try each source. The process just takes longer.

Movies and TV shows are great. There's some HD quality movies that you can stream. Which brings me to internet connection. You would want a fast connection since its all streaming.

A regular Apple TV like the Apple TV 3 I have no comment since I've never used it without a jailbreak. IMO though, an ATV without jailbreak is just a piece of hockey puck.