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While I can’t cut the cable cord, a mix of the current economy and increasing options online have more households getting rid of their cable, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In response to the number of people who are watching TV on Hulu and other cheaper alternatives to cable and satellite, telecom companies are increasing their focus on their online properties.
Comcast is adding more content to its Fancast Web site, while Time Warner is testing a program where HBO cable subscribers can download and watch content from HBO’s Web site.
“From a Comcast perspective, it’s an acknowledgment that consumers are spending more and more time watching video on their PC,” Sam Schwartz, executive vice president for Comcast Interactive Media, told the Wall Street Journal.
The number of households in the U.S. that watched TV only online in 2008 hit 900,000, according to Parks Associates, and with more connected TVs being introduced, that’s likely to go up.
Add in the number of platforms where services like Netflix are available and the addition of Ethernet to HDMI 1.4, and the cable company may see even more cord cutters in the future.
You know why I can’t cut the cable cord, but we want to know if you’ve done it.
Are you canceling your cable/satellite service? Answer the poll and then let us know why.
I’m cancelling cable this month. There are many reasons, here are a few: Crummy customer service (I was speaking to a rep yesterday who transferred me to a fax machine, I was not amused), crummy hardware (I’ve had to replace at least two sets of boxes that stopped receiving HD service), change in service plans that I didn’t agree to (A recent change in the Time Warner agreement “allows” them to put caps on their internet service, bad news for those of us that are starting to download our movies from legitimate providers).
With the money I’m saving I’ll just buy the few shows I liked to watch on Blu-ray/DVD.
I can’t reliably record programs because they don’t always stay in their time slots. Also, I am tired of seeing the station logo plus the constant advertising of new programs I am not intersted in obscuring and distracting from the program I want to see. Local stations keep interrupting programs with weather alerts, amber alerts and breaking news ( full story at 11!). The captions don’t record on my system so I can’t make out obscure words on some shows. I stopped going out to see movies long ago and now I will only see tv programs that are rented from Netflix.
DTV helped me cut my cable. I live 30 miles out of Chicago. Bought a Tivo so I can time shift and watch shows like Get Smart that airs at midnight. I planned to watch less TV anyway, cutting the cable helps and I don’t worry about paying for something I’m not using.
I did not spend 15k building a Theater/Multipurpose room to not watch live sports. Once I can get games on ESPN, TNT, Fox Sports, etc via the web, I would consider canceling. Until them, I am a slave to cable/satellite.
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For those of you that have cut service with cable/satellite what has your monthly ISP usage been, are you having any problems with caps because of unlimited Netflix and HULU like services? I have been thinking of this for a while, but have been concerned I would kill the caps on our ISP service quickly.
Thanks