Cut the cord...well almost

[sheldor]

After talking with WideOpenWest a few months ago I got them down to $75 but since then it rose to over $100!!  :shootgun:  This is for basic cable/DVR and 2mip internet.   :jawdrop Needless to say, I was annoyed so last month we cut the cord - so to speak.   I looked into Comcast, Dish, etc but thought they were just as bad as wow.  :eekout  I decided to buy the Roku and move the wireless downstairs.  For cable, we subscribed to Aereo.  Its about 15 channels and then we use Netflix for some cable shows we like.  The Roku is a nifty little box.  Its remote is also a game control and wireless headset.  We have Pandora as one of the channels and curious to see how far the headset will work.  Also bought our own cable modem which takes $5 off the bill.  One time setup was $175 but last month the TV & 15mip internet bill was $28!!  :cheers OMG that was the first time in years its been below $75.  Netflix is $15/month and Aereo adds another $8/month.  Another nice feature of Aereo is the 20 hour DVR on the cloud so we can record and watch the show just about anywhere.  An additional $4/month will double the DVR and give the ability to watch a show while taping another.

Also finding that I spend much less time being a couch potato and more TIME FOR World of Warcraft!!!  Hooo-ahhhh  :msu

[Rico]

Cool!  I tried Aereo for awhile too - it's a nice service.  I hope it doesn't get killed by the cable giants.

[Bromptonboy]

I am waiting for Aereo to be available in the Philadelphia area.  The only thing that is keeping me from cutting the cord is Game of Thrones.  Once the season is over, I will make the move.

[sheldor]

Cool!  I tried Aereo for awhile too - it's a nice service.  I hope it doesn't get killed by the cable giants.

Yeah, the cable companies and even networks are pretty upset but my guess they will find some compromise.  Hopefully it will not cost subscribers their remaining limbs.  We don't have many left.

[X]

Aereo doesn't really affect cable, but broadcasters are upset and CBS is considering going strictly to a cable station to avoid Aereo stealing it's broadcast signal.

[ricdude]

Would totally do aereo, but they stop just before my county line. So close!  Hardly see their service as stealing the over the air signal, though...

Still surviving on Netflix (binge viewing older shows), Hulu (first run prime time), and amazon (Big Bang theory).

[sheldor]

Interesting article..

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/techflash/2014/02/aereo-vs-the-broadcasters-6-possible.html?page=all

[Ktrek]

Laurie and I subscribed to Aero during the football season and also during the Olympics. We loath commercials and so it is not a service we would use on a regular basis. Maybe we would if you could use the DVR feature without having to exit fullscreen to advance forward to avoid commercials. Personally I feel that Aero has the right to "lease" me an antenna. If I am willing to pay for that lease because I don't want to hassle with installing my own outdoor antenna then what is the difference? I hope the courts rule in favor of Aero because if they don't it will only help expose how deep in the pockets the cable companies have been able to seat themselves within American politics. There is only one way I will subscribe to a cable or satellite TV subscriber again and that is if they allow a "limited" service for a certain dollar amount. For instance if I could select 15 channels of my choice for $30.00 a month I would do it in a heart beat, but as long as they make me pay for all their other crap to get the ten channels I want? No way!

I subscribe to Netfix and am also an Amazon Prime customer (re-evaluating that now with their latest $20 price increase) and have not felt like we lack for anything to watch. When we dropped cable several years back and took the $60.00 a month, plus the $30.00 we usually spent on DVDs anyway, and invested that money in building our library we now have more films and TV shows then we could probably watch in the rest of our lifetime. And guess what? Outside of the few intro commercials on some movies we don't have to put up with all that anymore.

Now having said that if Aero survives the cable conglomerates I will likely subscribe again in September when the regular football season starts. I'm not a fan of pre-season games and so August is out.

Kevin

[sheldor]

I remember when cable used to offer a limited basic cable for $15/month - about 10-15 channels I think.  No dvr and a descent speed internet was maybe another $40.  If the courts decide against aereo, we only lose $8/month and go back to the digital antenna and buy the frickin 100hr dvr for about $200.  Cable companies do not seem to understand that consumers have a choice and one of them is cut the cord.   Wow is giving us internet for $30/month for one year and in 12-months and they can either extend that rate another 12 months, make it permanent or I take my business elsewhere.  Its like the cable think they have you by your genitals when its really the reverse. :)   Power to the people baby! :metallica:

[X]

Laurie and I subscribed to Aero during the football season and also during the Olympics. We loath commercials and so it is not a service we would use on a regular basis. Maybe we would if you could use the DVR feature without having to exit fullscreen to advance forward to avoid commercials. Personally I feel that Aero has the right to "lease" me an antenna. If I am willing to pay for that lease because I don't want to hassle with installing my own outdoor antenna then what is the difference? I hope the courts rule in favor of Aero because if they don't it will only help expose how deep in the pockets the cable companies have been able to seat themselves within American politics. There is only one way I will subscribe to a cable or satellite TV subscriber again and that is if they allow a "limited" service for a certain dollar amount. For instance if I could select 15 channels of my choice for $30.00 a month I would do it in a heart beat, but as long as they make me pay for all their other crap to get the ten channels I want? No way!

I subscribe to Netfix and am also an Amazon Prime customer (re-evaluating that now with their latest $20 price increase) and have not felt like we lack for anything to watch. When we dropped cable several years back and took the $60.00 a month, plus the $30.00 we usually spent on DVDs anyway, and invested that money in building our library we now have more films and TV shows then we could probably watch in the rest of our lifetime. And guess what? Outside of the few intro commercials on some movies we don't have to put up with all that anymore.

Now having said that if Aero survives the cable conglomerates I will likely subscribe again in September when the regular football season starts. I'm not a fan of pre-season games and so August is out.

Kevin

Aereo isn't having issues with cable companies only the terrestrial broadcast wings. If they were going up against cable, I'm sure they would have found some way to crush it before the Supreme Court. Hell, considering the 4 billion that cable companies pay broadcasters for re-transmission rights, it would be in the better interest of the cable providers if Aereo is a success. That way that can piggyback the concept and not pay for the usage rights.

[sheldor]

Aereo currently unavailable - thank you scotus - nothing supreme here.  This is progress??   Good thing I got the antenna a few days ago but all my recordings are stuck in limbo.  frackers   :smilie_bleh:   :wallbash:

[Bromptonboy]

Yeah, that really stinks.  I wanted to get the service here in Philadelphia.

[Ktrek]

I think this just shows how deep the pockets are of the major cable companies and start ups like Aero just cannot fight the big guys. The Supreme court did not have the interests of free economy and the American public in mind at all in this decision. Very disappointing! No pro football for me this season. Oh well. :(

Kevin

[X]

I'm actually with the supreme court on this. This has nothing to do with fighting the big guys, Aereo thought they would be clever and bypass established broadcast and copyright laws. At the end of the day, they were using broadcast transmissions without wanting to pay the fee, but while charging the consumer. To put it in perspective, it was no different than creating a company that broadcasts and records satellite music or movies and charging for that while not paying the content providers.

Also, this has zero to do with cable companies. They would have profited from a ruling in Aereo's favor. Cable companies and Satellite providers actually pay the broadcast companies to have the channels in their line up. The cable companies didn't have a dog in this fight and stealing no matter how creatively it's done is never in the interest of free economy.

[Bromptonboy]

If I understand Aereo - I thought you are in effect just renting a 'remote' antenna in their data center - like a remotely connected digital antenna.  What was the networks objection?  Did this prevent them from some sort of targeted advertising?