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Cut the TV cable

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by zenMachine, Apr 2, 2011.

  1. caffeinekid

    caffeinekid Duct Tape Extraordinaire

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    Easy. IMO, it has pretty much sucked for about a decade (back when it was still Sci-fi). There are only so many variations on a pre-1980's plot/story line that you can pull off. And that doesn't even speak to the cheesy CGI.
     
  2. Trebuchet

    Trebuchet Senior Member

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    LoL! Yeah Wth is up with that? Well it's definitely fiction with very little science behind it unless someone argues for the physics behind doing a body slam without injury. :rolleyes:

    Sacrilege! Blasphemy! Profanation! :mad:

    . . . and sadly mostly true but there are some nuggets that keep me coming back for more. I really think they shine with the mini-series format and wished they'd do more.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    we sit down around 7-7:30 at night when we're home. internet is $50. and t.v. is $70. i couldn't do p/c without high speed cable, it's slow enough as is. :cool: plus, i work a lot from home. we flip around between local sports (red sox) and hgtv. we do a lot of remodeling as a side business so enjoy seeing what other people do and pick up tips and ideas. i like hd theaters auto shows and nature. it would be difficult to cut the cord in this household.:) and i still recall saying, back in 1960 something, "i will never pay fot t.v." hypocrit.
     
  4. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    1 person likes this.
  5. Trebuchet

    Trebuchet Senior Member

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    Great source thanks zenM! :thumb: Here's a bit updated source by the same people.

     
  6. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

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    Based upon my location to Raleigh, antennaeweb says I'm 70 miles away. I'm not sure an in the house (attic) mount antennae will get it done. I also have to remember that I can not have an outside the house mounted antennae because of association rules. I'm going to my local television repair store for more research.
     
  7. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    The FCC prohibits HOAs from prohibiting the use of outdoor antennas. Tell your HOA to take their complaints to the FCC directly and leave you alone.
     
  8. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Your homeowners association needs to be reminded that their prohibition is itself illegal. Please follow the FCC link in my reply at post #6.

    You cannot even be forced to get a permit for a mast less than 12 feet above your roofline.
     
  9. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

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    thanks for the heads up. I'll research it.
     
  10. Skoorbmax

    Skoorbmax Senior Member

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    Went to satellite from cable this year because it was cheaper and had better tech but I hope that within the next couple of years I can scrap that, too. Both are dinosaurs, really. The future is everything over the internet. I know there are bandwidth fights going on now and will be for some time, though, so it's impossible to say when this will get to a decent maturity. Hulu, netflix are still children in terms of the amount of content delivered.
     
  11. Dusty Chips

    Dusty Chips New Member

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    From Chicago? Will you email me a Home Run Inn pizza? I'll pay you back....
     
  12. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    Terk HDTVa indoor antenna on order from Amazon. I'll use this as a test for our bedroom TV upstairs first. If it works out well, I can either get another one for the living room, or get the bigger outdoor one, Terk HDTVo.

    Either way, I won't cut the cable until after the week of American Idol with Todd Rundgren as music producer (in two weeks I've been told) since I plan to record those shows. I've never watched AI before, but will make an exception this time.

    Should be interesting. Not only because Todd has such a wide range and variety of songs for the contestants to work with, but also because he acted as Liv Tyler's dad for a long time before she reunited with her biological father Steven, who is now a judge on the show!
     
  13. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Funny, American 'Idle' is one of the reasons I rarely watch TV. And I feel like I'm about the only person on the planet who has never seen a so-called 'reality' show. Ah well, we all have different tastes. :)
     
  14. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    The only reality TV I watch are CSPAN and NASA, which I won't have without cable :-(
     
  15. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    How's your internet connection?

    CSPAN 1,2 and 3 and radio are online.
    Live Video - C-SPAN | C-SPAN

    So is NASA,
    NASA - NASA TV
     
  16. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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  17. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    Happy to report that the Terk HDTVa antenna works beautifully. I'm able to pick up about fifty HD stations, most of which I really don't care for anyway since I don't watch that much TV to begin with. However, a surprise is an extra PBS channel called World which my cable service doesn't carry, so I never knew it even existed. Way cool.

    As for live sports, I've been watching the Masters on my iPad via the Masters app. An experience that's convinced me the cable TV model is going the way of the old land line phone. It won't go away completely, but surely the internet TV model is changing the game dramatically.

    I can see a future where different sport leagues will have their own streaming broadcasts (live and on demand) with extra content added that regular TV simply cannot match. Like what MLB is already doing. And with the explosion of devices such as smartphones and tablets, people will no longer have to be sitting in front of a TV to follow the action. I can walk around the house with an iPad, even go outside to the backyard, and have the game follow me around instead!
     
  18. donee

    donee New Member

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    Funny you should mention them. Home Run Inn was the neighborhood pizza place in my Dad's childhood neighborhood. We stayed with my grandmother one year when I was a kid(she was a regular there at HRI), and walked by it all the time on the way to the baseball fields.
     
  19. boulder_bum

    boulder_bum Senior Member

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    I have an Apple TV, which gets my new release rentals for $4-5, older movies and TV shows via Netflix, and new programs via free Video Podcasts.

    I love it! That, coupled with the internet make for all the news and entertainment I need.

    It's even portable with an iPhone or iPad and synched content/apps.
     
  20. Dusty Chips

    Dusty Chips New Member

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    31st street, right? My dad used to play softball there alla time.