If J weren't such a fan of the RedSox and Tennis, we'd probably have dropped cable TV a while ago. The Tennis Channel is adding more web stuff (at a price) so maybe we'll check into it more this year.
http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/home/cable.html is a page that talks about experiences in the Bay Area. Maybe it'll help?
My general understanding is that lot of people get a digital antenna to receive local HD channels. But, as you note, digital doesn't transmit as far as the old analog channels, so your choice of channels might be more limited than in the past. That should/might get you PBS and the big networks for "free" - if you can get a signal.
We have a couple of Chromecasts that seem to work fine, but we've never actually tried to watch a streamed movie on them yet. I need to replace our old cable modem with a DOCSIS 3 box I got months ago but still haven't found time to do the changeover (calling the cable company with the numbers is something I dread). We've got Amazon Prime, too, but I've never watched anything through them, either. (I'm not a big TV watcher.)
In the pre-HDTV days, one could fairly easily build a computer to act as a DVR to store shows and speed through commercials. Giving up cable boxes generally means giving up DVR functionality (and I don't think on-demand streaming is exactly equivalent). That's one of the reasons why I haven't looked at cutting the cord more closely yet. (J loves the DVR - when she remembers to record her shows, and when they don't get cut-off half-way through because of schedule delays or non-half-hour starting times.)
Lots of the cable channels have increasing web presence because they want to be on everyone's phones. If you don't insist on watching the shows the same day as they originally air, many have last-week's episodes on their web sites.
Eventually, local WiFi will be ubiquitous and these issues will go away. The FCC's latest proposed rules will help that happen (if some Teabagger judge doesn't strike them down). Wireless peer-to-peer is coming, too.
Technology Review:
See the original for embedded links.
Best of luck! Let us know how it goes!!
Cheers,
Scott.
http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/home/cable.html is a page that talks about experiences in the Bay Area. Maybe it'll help?
My general understanding is that lot of people get a digital antenna to receive local HD channels. But, as you note, digital doesn't transmit as far as the old analog channels, so your choice of channels might be more limited than in the past. That should/might get you PBS and the big networks for "free" - if you can get a signal.
We have a couple of Chromecasts that seem to work fine, but we've never actually tried to watch a streamed movie on them yet. I need to replace our old cable modem with a DOCSIS 3 box I got months ago but still haven't found time to do the changeover (calling the cable company with the numbers is something I dread). We've got Amazon Prime, too, but I've never watched anything through them, either. (I'm not a big TV watcher.)
In the pre-HDTV days, one could fairly easily build a computer to act as a DVR to store shows and speed through commercials. Giving up cable boxes generally means giving up DVR functionality (and I don't think on-demand streaming is exactly equivalent). That's one of the reasons why I haven't looked at cutting the cord more closely yet. (J loves the DVR - when she remembers to record her shows, and when they don't get cut-off half-way through because of schedule delays or non-half-hour starting times.)
Lots of the cable channels have increasing web presence because they want to be on everyone's phones. If you don't insist on watching the shows the same day as they originally air, many have last-week's episodes on their web sites.
Eventually, local WiFi will be ubiquitous and these issues will go away. The FCC's latest proposed rules will help that happen (if some Teabagger judge doesn't strike them down). Wireless peer-to-peer is coming, too.
Technology Review:
In some countries, big ISPs have less of a grip on their markets, and new wireless technology is creating a more open marketplace. Emerging technologies could accelerate this trend. The experimental LTE Direct protocol, for example, provides peer-to-peer communication without cell towers (see “Future Smartphones Won’t Need Cell Towers to Connect”).+
Here in Spain, engineers and volunteers have pioneered a peer-to-peer network called Guifi.net that uses long-range wireless nodes. Its creators are advocates of net neutrality and have the means to ensure that all content that passes through their network gets equal treatment.+
In some markets—including large swaths of the U.S.—just one or two companies have the right to transmit over the most versatile bands of radio spectrum or to build cable connections using public rights of way. This means those companies can dictate the terms and price of the connection, and as a result, an Internet connection in most U.S. cities is costlier and slower than it would be in cities in comparable countries, reports the New American Foundation.+
“The entire net neutrality debate would not exist if there were competition at all layers of the Internet,” says Steve Song, a part-time researcher at the Network Startup Resource Center at the University of Oregon who also builds and sells kits for peer-to-peer mobile networks.
See the original for embedded links.
Best of luck! Let us know how it goes!!
Cheers,
Scott.