Maybe I’ve taken this #BeBrave thing a bit too far. Maybe I’ve let the influence of my good friend Ryan inspire me. Whatever the reason, tomorrow morning we are officially cutting the cord. No more cable. I can’t believe I’m saying that. I literally just had the thought that for the first time since I was in college, I won’t have cable tv.
That statement is sad, crazy, stupid and awesome….all at once.
Some of you reading this may have seen the light many years ago and if you did, congratulations. Seriously. I’ve never been accused of being the smartest guy in the room, so I’m just now catching up. We’ve had Apple TV and a Roku box for years. Why we’ve had these and STILL had cable I can’t really justify. I’ve been paying money to “the man” now for far too long.
So it all happens tomorrow. If you want the full, technical, boring details, keep reading. If not, know that this time around, the revolution will NOT be televised.
Now before you think we’re going all “Walton’s” and stuff, we are hardly going to be without the programs we love the most. Thanks to advances in technology, apps and the internet, you too don’t have to keep dropping $150 a month on cable. Here’s our set up –
Hardware
Apple TV, Roku, Wii, HD Antenna, HD TV (1), Old School TV (1)
Software and Apps
Netflix (paid), WatchESPN App (the game changer), Watch Disney, Disney X D, Disney Junior, MLB.TV (paid), Jelly Telly app (Roku only), Pandora, KLove. Hulu Plus (optional – We are not getting it). Misc others.
The reality is, we honestly never watch TV. There isn’t a single television show that we gather around the TV to watch. The kids watch a few Nickelodeon and Disney shows but typically, they were on demand and not live. About the only time the TV was on for an extended period of time, there is a ballgame of some kind. Watch ESPN changed the game for us because we could watch just about every North Carolina Tar Heels game (Football, Baseball, Basketball) for free with our internet connection and Apple TV/Roku. We can still catch NBA games on WatchESPN, TNT OT with airplay (Apple TV) and potentially the NBA package next season.
Here’s the catch you need to be aware of if you’re a sports fan….
Local blackout restrictions are a total buzzkill. Basically channels like FoxSports Ohio pay oodles of money in advertising so you buy their cable channel. That means the MLB and NBA apps and packages are meaningless. In plain english, I can not watch Cavaliers, Indians, Reds or Pirates games. I can pull up the audio with the MLB app, but there is no watching the game live. You can pick up the replay on the app after the game is over. This really is a first world problem. Really.
We are hopping on the Charlotte Hornets bandwagon anyway….
So that’s about it. We are getting local broadcasting with an HDTV Antenna I got at Best Buy for $18. I purchased a cable modem for $70 so I don’t have to rent one from “the man” for $10/mo. It will have paid for itself in 7 months.
Our total cable bill coming from WOW before all of this? $125
Our total internet bill coming from WOW after? $30
My kids still get to see all of their shows, on demand, through apps on Roku/AppleTV. We still get our sports fix from apps and packages.
And mama loves the price of the new cable bill.
Have you cut the cord? What has your experience been?
Wishing It ALL Goes Well For You, Heather And The Kids!! So Glad You Spelled Out How You Are Doing This As We Are Doing The Same Thing Starting At The End Of June…Since June Is Already Paid For. We Can Definitely Put That Extra 90.00 Dollars to Good Use In Our House!
Good to hear! One thing I HIGHLY recommend it writing down any and all programs, teams, games, you watch currently. Then do your research and make sure that you can still watch them by other means through the internet before making it official. You might even get the equipment and try your new method for a day or two. Most paid apps have a free trial and you can always return the equipment if it’s not going to work. The key for us is that we just really never watch TV live. It made it a pretty easy decision. Good luck! That first lowered bill will feel pretty good.
I want to cut my cord as well. I bought a Roku TV, I have WiFi and a Wii. My issue is watching Cavs games. Have you found a work around for this? I live in the suburbs of Cleveland.
You will need the Fox Sports Go app which, quite is one of the worst apps out there. They don’t have an app on Roku yet (it is on Fire TV but rarely works). We have found that with android chromebooks it will work. It also works on apple devices. You’ll need a cable login (like you would use for WatchESPN) so if you’ve got a friend or family member that still has cable, you might ask them. Really long answer but in a perfect world, you could airplay it to your TV using an ipad/iphone and apple TV. Otherwise it’s NBATV and a domain unlocator that’s about $5 a month.