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  • #61
    Over a year ago we cut out satellite and went to a media PC.

    We use a Dell Zino at our main TV and have everything wirelessly networked throughout the home from our main computer upstairs. Threw in an extra hard drive to store movies and other stuff, and have two tuners so we can record things at the same time.

    We mounted an HD antenna on the roof and use Windows Media Center to record OTA stuff, works great. We also use Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, etc on that TV. Total initial cost was about the equivalent of half a year or so of satellite. Ongoing cost is Netflix. The one downside is no ESPN family of channels, but otherwise it's been good.

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    • #62
      Originally posted by OhioBlue View Post
      Over a year ago we cut out satellite and went to a media PC.

      We use a Dell Zino at our main TV and have everything wirelessly networked throughout the home from our main computer upstairs. Threw in an extra hard drive to store movies and other stuff, and have two tuners so we can record things at the same time.

      We mounted an HD antenna on the roof and use Windows Media Center to record OTA stuff, works great. We also use Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, etc on that TV. Total initial cost was about the equivalent of half a year or so of satellite. Ongoing cost is Netflix. The one downside is no ESPN family of channels, but otherwise it's been good.
      I already have an antenna hooked up in the attic and a Windows Media PC. Maybe I'll set this up.
      "I think it was King Benjamin who said 'you sorry ass shitbags who have no skills that the market values also have an obligation to have the attitude that if one day you do in fact win the PowerBall Lottery that you will then impart of your substance to those without.'"
      - Goatnapper'96

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      • #63
        Originally posted by OhioBlue View Post
        Over a year ago we cut out satellite and went to a media PC.

        We use a Dell Zino at our main TV and have everything wirelessly networked throughout the home from our main computer upstairs. Threw in an extra hard drive to store movies and other stuff, and have two tuners so we can record things at the same time.

        We mounted an HD antenna on the roof and use Windows Media Center to record OTA stuff, works great. We also use Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, etc on that TV. Total initial cost was about the equivalent of half a year or so of satellite. Ongoing cost is Netflix. The one downside is no ESPN family of channels, but otherwise it's been good.
        Originally posted by Pelado View Post
        I already have an antenna hooked up in the attic and a Windows Media PC. Maybe I'll set this up.
        I have an OTA antenna in my attic. I have been meaning to do this for 3 years now. But the inability to get ESPN has been the primary thing keeping me from pulling the trigger. I can get many of the ESPN channels on my xbox, but stuff is often blacked out (like last night's BYU game) for some reason. And you can never get whatever is playing on the Uno.

        All in all i find it kind of pathetic that I have essentially thrown thousands of dollars down the drain for a single channel.
        Prepare to put mustard on those words, for you will soon be consuming them, along with this slice of humble pie that comes direct from the oven of shame set at gas mark “egg on your face”! -- Moss

        There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese. --Coach Finstock

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        • #64
          I haven't cut the cable at home yet (Digital Cable with CableCard).


          But I bought a Roku for use in the hotel on the road. No more watching the same episode of SportsCenter multiple times.
          "It's true that everything happens for a reason. Just remember that sometimes that reason is that you did something really, really, stupid."

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          • #65
            I haven't cut the cable at home yet (Digital Cable with CableCard).


            But I bought a Roku for use in the hotel on the road. Makes life much nicer.
            "It's true that everything happens for a reason. Just remember that sometimes that reason is that you did something really, really, stupid."

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            • #66
              Originally posted by FMCoug View Post
              I haven't cut the cable at home yet (Digital Cable with CableCard).


              But I bought a Roku for use in the hotel on the road. No more watching the same episode of SportsCenter multiple times.
              Originally posted by FMCoug View Post
              I haven't cut the cable at home yet (Digital Cable with CableCard).


              But I bought a Roku for use in the hotel on the road. Makes life much nicer.
              Fascinating.
              Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.

              "The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American

              GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

              Comment


              • #67
                Originally posted by OhioBlue View Post
                Over a year ago we cut out satellite and went to a media PC.

                We use a Dell Zino at our main TV and have everything wirelessly networked throughout the home from our main computer upstairs. Threw in an extra hard drive to store movies and other stuff, and have two tuners so we can record things at the same time.

                We mounted an HD antenna on the roof and use Windows Media Center to record OTA stuff, works great. We also use Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, etc on that TV. Total initial cost was about the equivalent of half a year or so of satellite. Ongoing cost is Netflix. The one downside is no ESPN family of channels, but otherwise it's been good.
                Over a year ago we cut out comcast. We got the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Thin-Leaf-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004QK7HI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358445340&sr=8-1&keywords=mohu+leaf+antenna"]Amazon.com: Paper Thin Leaf Indoor HDTV Antenna - Made in the USA!: Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/317WfLjh7aL.@@AMEPARAM@@317WfLjh7aL[/ame] and the Mac Mini to wach espn and the pac12 networks (I use my parents log in for xfinity) we also got the vizio co star for netflix on our other tv in our bedroom. These have all worked out great.
                "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

                "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

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                • #68
                  For those of you that have young children, what do you do? I would be fine cutting out cable/DTV for me and my wife, but I'm not sure what my kids would watch. They have a tv in their playroom and its nice (for me) to have them turn it on in the morning so they aren't in my face at 6:00 a.m.
                  Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.

                  "The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American

                  GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

                  Comment


                  • #69
                    Originally posted by falafel View Post
                    For those of you that have young children, what do you do? I would be fine cutting out cable/DTV for me and my wife, but I'm not sure what my kids would watch. They have a tv in their playroom and its nice (for me) to have them turn it on in the morning so they aren't in my face at 6:00 a.m.
                    get the vizio co star for $99 and let them watch netflix for kids. My 5 year old figured it out quickly.
                    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

                    "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      Originally posted by Donuthole View Post
                      I have an OTA antenna in my attic. I have been meaning to do this for 3 years now. But the inability to get ESPN has been the primary thing keeping me from pulling the trigger. I can get many of the ESPN channels on my xbox, but stuff is often blacked out (like last night's BYU game) for some reason. And you can never get whatever is playing on the Uno.

                      All in all i find it kind of pathetic that I have essentially thrown thousands of dollars down the drain for a single channel.
                      If ESPN weren't owned by Disney, I bet ESPN would have been the entity to end the cable/satellite boondoggle. I'm basically in the same position as you where I'm having a hard time giving up my satellite because of sports, most notably ESPN and the NFL Redzone channel. But the thing is, I would be more than willing to spend $10 a month just for ESPN and I would be willing to spend $20 a month during the NFL season for the Redzone channel.

                      I think ESPN probably understands this but ESPN is attached to Disney's other properties. The Disney channel can stand on its own too. Unfortunately, I don't think ABC Family and those other random Disney channels would demand an amount more than they're getting from people that subscribe to cable/satellite.

                      The only thing that allows more than half of these channels to survive is attaching to them to the channels that people care about. I have the cheapest mainstream tier on Dish and we get along fine with it. We spend around $55 for the DVR and programming. But if I could save literally only $10 a month I would do it as long as I received the following channels:

                      1. ESPN
                      2. ESPN 2 (this is negotiable)
                      3. Discovery
                      4. Disney
                      5. Nickelodeon
                      6. CNN
                      7. TNT
                      8. Comedy Central
                      9. FX
                      10. AMC
                      Part of it is based on academic grounds. Among major conferences, the Pac-10 is the best academically, largely because of Stanford, Cal and UCLA. “Colorado is on a par with Oregon,” he said. “Utah isn’t even in the picture.”

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                      • #71
                        Originally posted by falafel View Post
                        For those of you that have young children, what do you do? I would be fine cutting out cable/DTV for me and my wife, but I'm not sure what my kids would watch. They have a tv in their playroom and its nice (for me) to have them turn it on in the morning so they aren't in my face at 6:00 a.m.
                        I leave the iPad out on the couch. My 2 year old knows how to turn on Netflix and watch whatever she wants. My 5 year old doesn't know how to operate a remote control but she knows how to use the iPad.
                        Part of it is based on academic grounds. Among major conferences, the Pac-10 is the best academically, largely because of Stanford, Cal and UCLA. “Colorado is on a par with Oregon,” he said. “Utah isn’t even in the picture.”

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          Originally posted by Maximus View Post
                          If they allowed it, a lot of people would do it. Thus almost no more people paying $80-90 for hundreds of unwatched channels.
                          I think a provider would make up the difference in revenue if they were the first to offer a la carte.
                          "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy; its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill


                          "I only know what I hear on the news." - Dear Leader

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                          • #73
                            Originally posted by Color Me Badd Fan View Post
                            I leave the iPad out on the couch. My 2 year old knows how to turn on Netflix and watch whatever she wants. My 5 year old doesn't know how to operate a remote control but she knows how to use the iPad.
                            I have three kids in the house, but only two iPads.

                            Plus, whenever my kids use my iPad, it comes back covered in kid goober. I'm not a fan.
                            Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.

                            "The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American

                            GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              Originally posted by falafel View Post
                              For those of you that have young children, what do you do? I would be fine cutting out cable/DTV for me and my wife, but I'm not sure what my kids would watch. They have a tv in their playroom and its nice (for me) to have them turn it on in the morning so they aren't in my face at 6:00 a.m.
                              The L.A. area has several PBS affiliates, and at least one of them seems to be showing cartoons (Word World, Super Why, etc.) at any given time. Between that and Netflix for Kids, we seem to always have plenty of options.
                              "What are you prepared to do?" - Jimmy Malone

                              "What choice?" - Abe Petrovsky

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                              • #75
                                Originally posted by Joe Public View Post
                                The L.A. area has several PBS affiliates, and at least one of them seems to be showing cartoons (Word World, Super Why, etc.) at any given time. Between that and Netflix for Kids, we seem to always have plenty of options.
                                concur
                                "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

                                "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

                                Comment

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