Thursday, June 17, 2010

Our (Newly) Cable-Free Home


About a month ago Uka and I decided to get rid of cable TV. We had talked about for nearly 6 months, but I finally made the call to Time Warner to say goodbye. We decided to keep our Internet service, however, since most of the shows we want to watch can be viewed online.

I first got Time Warner when I moved to New York in 2007. Well, I didn't sign up at first, but Mr. Love Bird was abroad at the time and surprised me by sending a 42" flatscreen TV. I felt compelled to get cable so I did! I got the DVR box too because my schedule was so hectic that I figured it'd be most economical so I can watch all the shows I want, whenever I want. 

I came from Comcast in Boston and while the interface of Time Warner's better, Comcast actually had better service. Since 2007, my Time Warner service has moved with me from Harlem to Queens then back to Harlem. It wasn't without hiccups but now that I'm rid of it I feel relieved. 

Now I spend more time reading and playing Wii with Uka, but I do have to admit I miss HGTV and DVRing Oprah which is impossible to find online. I'd also like to start getting more movies from the local library; I have one on the way now that I've been waiting for quite some time so I think the library option might require a lesson in patience. Also, with Baby Agbai on the way I think it was a good move as well since we want her to be a TV-free baby and I'm sure we'll be so busy that we won't have much time for it anyway.

When we do watch TV it's so easy to find our shows on sites live Justin.tv and IceFilms. I know there's Hulu and some of the networks have their episodes but we try to steer clear of commercials. There are also lots of free movies online and since they're streaming there's no issues with downloading. I've also maintained my Netflix subscription although it's the minimum level, but it's still a fun option to have. Right now I'm in the midst of Mad Men season two.

There are a few articles on Apartment Therapy and PBS about living cable free. Here's a sampling:
Have any of our readers cut the cord to cable? What has been your experience?


    4 comments:

    1. I have wanted to, because just like you guys, everything that I want to watch can be watched online! The hubby would die without his ESPN though, lol.

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    2. We got rid of Time Warner over a year ago now. We still have internet though. I missed it at first, but we got used to it. We moved a few months back and don't get the best antenna reception so we decided to get cable back, but after less than a month we've already cancelled it again! We never used it. I find that I'm much more productive without it around.

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    3. @Sarah yes, i totally agree about the more productive part. i wonder too if we'll ever get it again. who knows!

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    4. @Christina surprisingly, uka's found all his sports online. he watched all the nba playoff games that weren't on network tv through his computer and he even invited a bunch of guys over to watch some fight (i don't know about fights, but it was the last big one!) and he streamed it through the computer connected to the tv.

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