So you're done paying for a cable box...

[Nooch]

I have a basic package with DirecTV but the ONLY reason I havent cut the cord yet is because I can't watch live football without it (unless I wanna go to a bar or stream a shitty signal illegally from Europe somewhere). At least with DirecTV I have the option to suspend my account for the 6 months in between the Super Bowl and the following season.

If I wasn't a football nut, I would've cut the cord LONG ago, Netflix and my piggyback subscription to HBOGO serve my minimal TV-watching needs just fine for less than $20/mo.

[Snowman]

You would think someone would figure this Live Sports issue out by now. I mean the stuff would can get on sites like NFL.com is damn close.

I know TV networks live off of advertisement dollars but professional sports lives off of ticket sales and merchandising. With that kind of income and the potential of selling live broadcasts pay per view style, then maybe posting the game in an online archive free a day or two later would be very feasible in today's viewing market.

[salsashark]

Microsoft's presentation at E3 this year mentioned sports packages being available via xbox live. IIRC, they talked about NHL and NBA.

Now, if they could put together a WSBK/MotoGP package, I might actually have a reason to fire up the xbox.

[~Barn~]

<Snip...> Here is the trick I learned. I got comcast for internet. Since they connected the house for internet... guess what? I can just plug any of my TV's with a QAM into the cable outlet and get all local channel in HD... its AWESOME. Most newer TV's have a digital tuner with QAM.

All I pay is for internet. <Snip...>

I don't have Comcast, but THIS.... is an awesome post! I wouldn't have even thought to try that.

[rforsythe]

Been contemplating this as well, at least dropping DirecTV down to the minimum. I think we're still under contract, but if I can get the other stuff missing in other cheaper/free ways, then so be it. Day care is fuckin expensive, and we need to cut expenses. That said, Breaking Bad/Walking Dead/Falling Skies/etc will arrive in my home.

[~Barn~]

Been contemplating this as well, at least dropping DirecTV down to the minimum. I think we're still under contract, but if I can get the other stuff missing in other cheaper/free ways, then so be it. Day care is fuckin expensive, and we need to cut expenses. That said, Breaking Bad/Walking Dead/Falling Skies/etc will arrive in my home.

No joke about childcare being a total racket (not unlike cable/satellite providers), but I think my kids would mutiny if I took away all their Choice Ultimate shows, and scaled back to something more basic.

I haven't gone so far as to give them boxes in their rooms yet, but they do get outstanding grades, so for now...
DirecTV: 1
The Muniz family: 0


On a somewhat related note, if anybody is currently using CenturyLink for internet, and you're still on the 7Mbps plan... Give them a call and see if you can sweet-talk an upgrade to their 12Mbps VDSL.

I just did this recently for +$10/month, and it absolutely smokes the old technology. With multiple smartphones, and game consoles, and Kindles, and blah-blah-blah chewing up my previous WiFi bandwidth, this upgrade has been a game changer.

[Ghost]

Here is the trick I learned. I got comcast for internet. Since they connected the house for internet... guess what? I can just plug any of my TV's with a QAM into the cable outlet and get all local channel in HD... its AWESOME. Most newer TV's have a digital tuner with QAM.

Hmm, so even without a "basic" cable tv subscription your QAM tv can pull signals?

That's...interesting...

[FZ1Guy]

Hmm, so even without a "basic" cable tv subscription your QAM tv can pull signals?

That's...interesting...

Right... it works fantastic... and its HD (no box needed)

If you have comcast for internet... you can test it out for your self... just wheel the TV up to a cable plug in, run the automatic channel search on your TV and see the channels pop in...

[Jmetz]

IF people were smart, one person would get the package, split it and run cable between 3 or so neighbors.

[FZ1Guy]

IF people were smart, one person would get the package, split it and run cable between 3 or so neighbors.

yea, just don't get caught...

[salsashark]

IF people were smart, one person would get the package, split it and run cable between 3 or so neighbors.

When I first moved into my house, I hooked up basic cable. But because my TV has a digital tuner in it, the cable guy told me I could watch the neighbors' on demand channels.

Don't know how it worked, but he showed me that there was a series of channels that, if a neighbor was watching something through "On Demand", then I could watch it too.

It was pretty entertaining to see what kind of movies my neighbors liked... kind of creepy as well

Comcast fixed that little glitch a couple of years ago.

[~Barn~]

Hmm, so even without a "basic" cable tv subscription your QAM tv can pull signals?

That's...interesting...

My guess is that it's probably just a relay of the O.T.A signals that Comcast is capturing and funneling through their cable. It would explain why you'd get the 2s, 4s, and 9s, etc.... But not the CNNs and ESPNs, and other channels associated with "basic".

If you're super lucky, you might get OTA networks from other regions. WGN out of Chicago for example. Either way, that's a helluva trick, and it keeps you from having to have a pair of rabbit ears for every TV in the house.

Again, nice find!

[Ghost]

My guess is that it's probably just a relay of the O.T.A signals that Comcast is capturing and funneling through their cable. It would explain why you'd get the 2s, 4s, and 9s, etc.... But not the CNNs and ESPNs, and other channels associated with "basic".

If you're super lucky, you might get OTA networks from other regions. WGN out of Chicago for example. Either way, that's a helluva trick, and it keeps you from having to have a pair of rabbit ears for every TV in the house.

Again, nice find!

Yeah, if this works it beats the F*ing rabbit ears...

[Jmetz]

yea, just don't get caught...

I'd bet there's nothing that says you can't share your cable.

When I first moved into my house, I hooked up basic cable. But because my TV has a digital tuner in it, the cable guy told me I could watch the neighbors' on demand channels.

Don't know how it worked, but he showed me that there was a series of channels that, if a neighbor was watching something through "On Demand", then I could watch it too.

It was pretty entertaining to see what kind of movies my neighbors liked... kind of creepy as well

Comcast fixed that little glitch a couple of years ago.

Yep. I use to get all kinds of PPV like that. I had like 10 channels of PPV and I would get some other random movie channels as well. The only thing that sucked was not having control of the movies. Start getting into a movie and then bam, they turn it off.

[salsashark]

Yep. I use to get all kinds of PPV like that. I had like 10 channels of PPV and I would get some other random movie channels as well. The only thing that sucked was not having control of the movies. Start getting into a movie and then bam, they turn it off.

Oh I know... One of my neighbors had a nasty habit of turning movies off with like 15 minutes left!

[FZ1Guy]

Yeah, if this works it beats the F*ing rabbit ears...

Yea, and rabbit ears won't work for me since I can't see lookout mountains... so i'm very happy...

[WolFeYeZ]

I'd bet there's nothing that says you can't share your cable.

There is. Might even be a law against that.

[salsashark]

There is. Might even be a law against that.

There is... and there is. Theft is theft.

Old roomy used to work for Comcast. They actually do fly overs looking for pirated signals (hot spots), then send the line men in to investigate.

[Ghost]

Yea, and rabbit ears won't work for me since I can't see lookout mountains... so i'm very happy...

Works.

Then I unplugged it since there's nothing on.

But, at least for local channels, it's a nice HD signal w/o hassle.

Thanks man!

[FZ1Guy]

Works.

Then I unplugged it since there's nothing on.

But, at least for local channels, it's a nice HD signal w/o hassle.

Thanks man!

HeHeHe...

[Nooch]

They actually do fly overs looking for pirated signals (hot spots), then send the line men in to investigate.

They don't do that anymore. The tap audit division was shut down over a year ago.

[Snowman]

They don't do that anymore. The tap audit division was shut down over a year ago.

Would you know the "Policy" concerning this?

[Nooch]

Would you know the "Policy" concerning this?

Yes, because up until a few months ago, I worked at Comcast in the same department as tap audit.

[salsashark]

Well... it's been almost 10 years since we lived together so...