Replacing cable/satellite programs with Internet

[Tommy]

Let me start by acknowledging that if I were a lot richer, I wouldn't be wasting time on this topic. But I'm not, so here goes.

I get my television service from Dish Network. I'll call my package of channels about middle of the heap. I get more than the basics including HD, ESPN, local stations and the DVR controller for a single television. I don't subscribe to HBO or other pay channels. My monthly bill is nearly $80/month and has gone up by $5-6 each of the last few years. I've been telling myself that when it reaches $100, I'll cancel because I just don't watch TV that much.

Thinking about the day when I cancel, I started looking to the Internet as an alternative source for programming. It seems that you can see much of what is on TV using Hulu and other online sites. The one thing you can't see easily or in real time is sports of the kind shown on ESPN. There is a service for people who are subscribers to particular cable or ISP services that allows you to get ESPN online IN ADDITION TO your cable service. But clearly, as you have to subscribe to a service to get it, that would not serve my purpose.

Last night I was pleased to discover that the LSU-Georgia football game was available in real time on CBSSports.com . That started me thinking that maybe the time to drop satellite service is near. My question for you guys is this. Have any of you dropped your cable/satellite service entirely in favor of programming from the Internet? If so, are there any particular web sites you have come to rely on?

[Bobcat]

Tommy .. I`ve also got Dish ( two TV`s ) and including all taxes etc , pay in the $65/mo range . I get local channels , HD , no recorder or the HD package ( don`t miss it ) . I have the middle package with no movie channels and all that . Called Dish the other day and said I was thinking about going back to cable ( in my area , they are offering a $99 package for internet and TV ) and was switched to a " Customer Retention Specialist " . Long story short , they gave me a $10/mo discount and a movie channel of my choice for 12 mos with no contract extension .
You might try that and see what you get .

Bob

[Tommy]

Update: Last night on nbcsports.msnbc.com I watched the Sunday night football game on my computer. It sounded great and had a camera view feature that let me select which camera I watched. But it had several down sides:

• There was no pregame programming - only the game itself
• It was about five minutes behind the actual game time
• The image was barely standard definition - definitely not HD
• They substituted their own commercials which resulted in a very small number of commercials that repeated with mind numbing repetition

Anybody else got any good sports web sites?

[4RE KLR]

Hey Tommy,

We have the basic package with local TV. No DVR we do have a hi-def box because our regular box quit and they did not have another one on the truck. It did not cost us anything to get the Hi-def box. We do have a hi-def TV and sure there is a little difference but it is not that much. At least not to me.

I was thinking the same thing. I called (rather the sweet wife did) and told them we were thinking of canceling the service because the prices were just too unreasonable in the economy today. They offered a package with a phone hi-speed Internet and the cable. We do not have a home phone, we use cell. The taxes are stupid high here for a land line. So what they offered would not work. We told them we would be looking around for less expensive service for the TV and Internet.

They lowered our price by $15.00 immediately when we said that. So it is worth a try. I suppose they would rather lower the price one by one than loose the business. To me that is good business. Ask and you shall receive.

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Steve

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