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We have been longtime DIRECTV subscribers but have been thinking of getting the Apple TV or similar streaming device. We have been researching but seems that we will end up losing the DVR capability for a couple shows on broadcast networks and also some of the fluff channels that we watch like HGTV, A&E, etc. We know we can get the premium movie channels streamed so that's ok. Wondering if anyone else (or how many) people have killed cable or DTV and what your experiences were.
Thanks!
 
Gave up cable when we moved to a rural area a year and a half ago. We bought a Roku and it worked great except we had satellite Internet and it used all our data. We are looking into some other options when our contract expires like an outfit that uses broadcast towers for Internet and we might revisit it then.

If Internet access is not an issue, it's a great option.
 
I haven't had cable, satellite or OTA TV since I moved up onto the mountain. I have been using Chromecast and Amazon Prime and Netflix for a few years. I now have HBO via Amazon Prime but I am thinking of dropping it as there just isn't very much content on it that I am interested in.

No cable is available here. I couldn't get satellite until last year because of trees - when the neighbors clear cut (I did not) then that gave me a shot to the satellites, but I haven't installed it - yet.

I only have 3.5 mbps internet, and that is flaky - it is long distance WiFi and when the weather is bad so is reception. Also, it is a mesh network, so somewhat like cable, the bandwidth is shared to a degree - so sometimes it is very slow for no apparent reason.

I don't watch that much TV, no sports at all, so I am not missing much, but YMMV if you watch a lot. The availability is getting better, especially if you have fast internet. There are a number of offerings now to get most of what you would get via cable via the internet only. The lines are blurring.
 
Yeah, my son and his, then fiancé, now wife killed the cable about nine months ago. They went with Apple TV. This month they signed with Comcast, couldn't take the "nothing" on Apple!
 
Netflix (99% of our TV time)
Amazon prime is eh, ok
HD Over the Air antenna (good for the basic network channels)

We cut the cable 8-9 years ago and only watched DVDs for a few years so when we started streaming video we had a LOT of catching up to do.

Felt good not to be tied to the TV/DVR but a little rough at first.
 
I've been very happy with my choice to get rid of DirectTV for over a year now. There's plenty of options available especially if you have a decent internet connection. Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV and many more. I chose to use an old computer I had laying around. Installed Linux and a media center program called Kodi. I can watch movies, OTA tv, listen to music, Netflix, stream movies, YouTube, and more on any computer, tv or mobile device on my network. If you've got Windows 7 it includes Windows Media Center that is pretty easy to set up and use. There's a lot of information available on cutting the cord.
 
Dropped Comcast about 6 months ago. Just have their internet now. We stream Netflix and Hulu on a variety of devices from Apple TV and Roku to PS3.
 
Netflix (99% of our TV time)
Amazon prime is eh, ok
HD Over the Air antenna (good for the basic network channels)

We cut the cable 8-9 years ago and only watched DVDs for a few years so when we started streaming video we had a LOT of catching up to do.

Felt good not to be tied to the TV/DVR but a little rough at first.
Ditto here as well. Feel the same way about Amazon Prime and especially now when they want us to "subscribe" for more shows. RedBull TV is cool sometimes.
 
we run a Roku but have an Amazon, Hulu and Netflix subscription. (total $28/month)
got tired of paying the ridiculous fees of Dish/DirecTV/TimeWarner/etc
i don't feel like we're missing anything.
my parents set me up with a username on their Dish account so i was able to get access to more content through their setup.
 
There is/are devices that allow you to record. TiVo is one of them, and prepare for the monthly subscription. There is another that you can do I just can't remember the name of it but you buy it outright. $500 or so I believe.

We won't have cable. We have Internet through Comcast because DSL blows. Use Amazon Prime, no Hulu or anything else. We honestly don't use it. Don't miss it either really. I recently purchased a Mohu Leaf 50 antenna and used it to pickup the couple of stations we get here. It's nice sometimes to just watch Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune.

You will find the streaming market for local channels lacking... in a BIG way.
 
I've been very happy with my choice to get rid of DirectTV for over a year now. There's plenty of options available especially if you have a decent internet connection. Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV and many more. I chose to use an old computer I had laying around. Installed Linux and a media center program called Kodi. I can watch movies, OTA tv, listen to music, Netflix, stream movies, YouTube, and more on any computer, tv or mobile device on my network. If you've got Windows 7 it includes Windows Media Center that is pretty easy to set up and use. There's a lot of information available on cutting the cord.
There is/are devices that allow you to record. TiVo is one of them, and prepare for the monthly subscription. There is another that you can do I just can't remember the name of it but you buy it outright. $500 or so I believe.

We won't have cable. We have Internet through Comcast because DSL blows. Use Amazon Prime, no Hulu or anything else. We honestly don't use it. Don't miss it either really. I recently purchased a Mohu Leaf 50 antenna and used it to pickup the couple of stations we get here. It's nice sometimes to just watch Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune.

You will find the streaming market for local channels lacking... in a BIG way.

Picked up a 2005 MacPro Tower on CL for $300 and it will do all of the above.

Record streaming content.
Access network shows 24h after it airs.
Netflix
YouTube
Play music
Network access from the rest of the house.

If you have any technical skills, you can do just about anything with a used Mac.

I got the Mac for video editing but when my PS3 took a dump I switched to using the computer that was already hooked up to the 13" crt monitor we use as a TV anyway.
Dropped Comcast about 6 months ago. Just have their internet now. We stream Netflix and Hulu on a variety of devices from Apple TV and Roku to PS3.

Ok, that was a joke - we upgraded to a 15" monitor recently.
 
Roku, Amazon, and Netflix but we have a bundled phone/internet/cable thats not bad on price.
It would look like we are big TV watchers not really we just want to be able to watch something when we do. Oh and recently tried HULU they have some old school stuff to.

But we got cable so we could enjoy CNN and FOX NEWS !!!
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I don't watch much TV, but the little woman does. I dumped charter because of the service and cost. She has Roku now and likes it, what a cost savings.
 
We do have Netflix and Amazon Prime, and stream them over a Roku and a Apple TV box. We do still have Direct TV and have considered dropping it for pure streaming, but we have shows we like to watch that still aren't available for streaming. We are getting closer to making that change though, maybe in the not too distant future. As it sits right now, our internet service (Qwest) doesn't always give us the bandwidth we need without having to sit an buffer from time to time. Where we live, we can't get the higher speeds just yet.
 
I'm watching Season-2 of "The Blacklist" in HD via Netflix on my 65" big screen TV right this very moment.

I refuse to schedule my life around weekly TV programs and will sporadically watch a series (that I like) off and on over days/weeks/months or binge watch a whole season of something in one setting.
 

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