I'm in So. Ca too, Rita. We have Time Warner, but it's expensive. They add on for the DVR box, DVR service, each tier of channels, HD service, the instant movies aren't cheap, maybe $6 but they add taxes and fees on top of that. We keep getting promos from AT&T Uverse. You might check them out. Sometimes promotional rates include a slow internet, and we don't want that, right?!

We pay so much for cable TV but are bombarded with obnoxious commercials, so I DVR anything I like and use Netflix a lot too.

I also would suggest you call Verizon and tell them you are thinking of switching and ask if there is any way they can help cut down your bill, any promotional offers?

Good luck.

Any chance you can use an antenna for your tv? It's free! I know we've saved quite a lot over the years, but we are fortunate to be able to receive many channels this way.

TV service is expensive and getting more so. Each supplier is very mindful of what the competitors charge, none of them wants or needs to be the cheapest.

If one needs to save money, that'll push the decision. For those who can afford it I'd think it would be hard to settle for just broadcast TV. So much of the programming people like to watch isn't available over the air.

snidely, cable and satellite TV is overrated. I am using antenna TV for 3/12 years now.

I get plenty of channels. Yes, there is no HGTV, no weather channel but there are 3 PBS channels with plenty of HGTV style shows, local weather is great.

I would never go back to pay for TV.

Moni

Moni, since almost all tv are digital now,can you still use an antenna?? I didn't think you could,i may be wrong,and it sure as heck wouldn't be the first time!!

I switched from Cox 2 years ago to AT&T didn't last 2 weeks,hated so many things about at&t that I switche back to cox,and just last month I negotiated with cox and got 40.00 dropped from my bill per month,just by signing up for 2 years.We've been with them for almost 26 years,except for that very short time we went to at&t 2 years ago.So it was worth it to me.
Kathi

Digital over-the-air broadcasts only require a newer digital TV set plus an antenna or an older analog TV with a converter box. No monthly charges.

moni, of course everyone has different likes and dislikes.

I don't watch much TV but much of what I do watch (sports, news, financial programs) isn't available over the air. We switched to a Sat provider from a cable one about 4 years ago and I still kick myself for having not done that sooner. To each his own.

we have bright house (se mi) and right now I'm so mad!was in the middle of a movie and it froze, then the screen went blank...of course it's the small old tv in the office and not a flat screen....

we only have this and direct...but fil has that and what a pain in the back that is! he lost he dish several times while we were visiting...

Kathi, those newer antennas are digital antennas. I get a GREAT digital picture with mine.

Moni

We're in So Cal and use Direct TV. Love it. This is our main source of entertainment (don't go to movie theaters anymore - too rude and noisy).

With so much original programming on cable networks now (Game of Thrones, American Horror Story, Walking Dead, The Incredible Dr. Pol, Dark Skies - not to mention all the bride shows LOL!), no way could I go with just an antenna.

In my personal opinion, network programming is so inferior to what we get on cable channels now. There's no question it's a luxury, but everyone has their own priorities and you need to do what's right for you. I would price out some of the competitors and see if you can get a better price.

We have Time Warner cable as our internet provider.

ETA: Love the DVR! We have several series programmed to record, so we can watch at our convenience. That's a big plus for us.

This post was edited by tally on Thu, Apr 24, 14 at 10:40

I'm another happy antenna user. For me it's perfect. I didn't have any TV at all for many years, so the 13 or 14 channels I get with my antenna seem like a luxury. Yes, definitely to each his own . . . I don't watch sports, and other than Jeopardy the only series I'm hooked on is The Voice.

But I get PBS, including CreateTV, and the major non-cable networks. Combined with Netflix streaming (which I may cancel because I received an Amazon Prime membership for my birthday), it gives me more TV than I could possibly watch.

I think a lot of people don't consider the option of using an antenna because they don't think it would work.

A minor semantic quibble.

There is no such thing as a digital antenna. There are digitally encoded over-the-air signals that require digital tuners (that are built into all modern TV's) to decode, but since the frequency range of the carrier frequency for these signal are in the same broad frequency bands (VHF and UHF) as the original analog over-the-air signals, the very same antennas will work.

Anyone touting the antenna they are selling as a "digital antenna" is using marketing hogwash to justify a higher price or to induce someone to buy the new "digital antenna" when their existing antenna may well be sufficient.

I have only had broadcast TV for years, and have probably saved well over $10000 in cable fees, just in the time I've lived in Virginia.

bob, I'm going to quibble with your quibble.

Language and word use experts will tell you that the meaning of words depends only on how people use them and that changes over time. If the origin is a marketing department somewhere, that hardly matters. The term "digital antenna" is in wide use, and it means what the people who use it intend - an antenna used to receive what is now a digital signal.

A rooftop antenna isn't a rooftop, a GPS antenna isn't a GPS, a radio antenna isn't a radio, yet the meaning of these terms is clear.

Don't worry, be happy.

I have Comcast for cable - expensive but service is excellent where I live. Because I use it so much and it's so good I think it's a good value. Comcast TV on the other hand is a rip off. I've completely dumped them for TV. I use Mohu Leaf antenna (purchased from Amazon) and Roku for streaming video from Amazon and Netflix. Much better TV content now and even better picture quality.

I live too far away for the "digital" antennas. It's hit or miss if we can pick up the stations.

Also too far from town for DSL.

So we are stuck with Dish for both TV and Internet. I do love DISH for our TV, but really wish I could find something else for the internet. So expensive and so limited. I can't do Netflix or anything like that. :(

We have a huge TV package and that is one of the things we think is worth paying for. DH & I both enjoy TV in the evenings after a long hard day of work. We both really like some of the more obscure channels too - IFC, DOC, etc. And we get our local TV stations via the dish also.

The bill is quite a lot of money each month, but that is OK with us.

We have Dish. Have been with them for 14 years. When we upgraded our satellite dish to HD and got the Hopper and 2 Joey's our bill went to about a hundred dollars.

We called, told them we were retired and on a fixed income, that we are loyal customers, don't want to leave, but this bill is unmanageable for us. They knocked off $30 a month for one year. We will call again when the year is up to renegotiate another discount hopefully.

We stick with satellite tv for the same reason as tally, all the really good shows aren't on abc, cbs or nbc. It's definitely a luxury, but one we are willing to pay, at least for now.

Thanks for all the input every one...........

Right now we have Verizon Fios, for tv, phone, and internet. We are thinking of getting rid of the house phone. It's funny, if we do that, we don't get credit for their 'triple play', so our bill would only go down about $10.00.

We have a lot of channels, plus pay for HBO, and have a DVR. Our bill is over $200.00 a month.

Hubby has just been put on permanent disability, so we'd like to cut down, but also because he is home, and when I get a job, he will be alone a lot, so I want him to at least have good tv.

I was just looking at all the taxes and surcharges on our bill.......what a rip off that is.

Rita, we pay less than that with Direct TV, but we have all the premium movie and HD channels, and the Family plan with two boxes. You need to call around and do some competitive shopping. I think you can do better.

We gave up cable TV for Netflix and Amazon Prime about a year ago, and never looked back! We also didn't know you CAN watch regular tv channels for free, but yes you can. With the Prime you also get free 2day shipping for your Amazon purchases which we are regular shoppers of. So with that in mind, the $99 yearly cost actually pays for itself very fast. Netflix is only around $8 a month, but both can be tried for 30 days free. There is also Hulu as well. I have to say since switching, I actually enjoy TV a lot more now. And it certainly doesn't hurt having that $100 savings in our pocket every month either!

mikeswife - you sound just like us. When I scrapped the cable TV I signed up for Amazon prime so I'd have something to watch besides network TV (which I was getting through the cable at the time). I only recently got streaming Netflix to work with decent video quality. Part of the problem was that Comcast wasn't allocating sufficient bandwidth to Netflix but they apparently came to some kind of agreement on that with Netflix paying them more $. Then I upgraded my cable modem and router and now all is good. And I'm saving over $100 per month.

It's such a racket with Comcast. When I first scrapped the landline - no savings of course from the bundle. Then when I scrapped the last basic network TV channels I was getting through them, they raised my internet price by an equivalent amount and the rep on the phone gloated when he pointed out I'd be saving sixty cents. He conveniently left out the additional $6.69 in taxes and fees and when I pointed it out he said well, we have no control over that. It's this kind of thing that causes me to hate Comcast. They have a monopoly on decent internet service where I live so I have no choice there.

If you have Comcast or any other cable provider, you have at least two other choices. Namely, Dish and DirectTV.

I'm not suggesting that different choices are all that different, I understand they're mostly the same.

I have no other choices other than DSL for internet and DSL performance is not equivalent to cable for internet. TV other choices - yes. Internet - not so much. I'm in good shape now for TV sans Dish, DirectTV or Comcast.