I haven’t had cable since 2005 and it works out OK for me. I have Netflix plus various online content and Bittorrent.
I’ll admit I probably watch more tv than the average person - like Cosmic Relief I substituted one addiction for another. But it’s all commercial-free content that I set out to watch instead of “whatever is on right now” and when it’s over, it’s over. Unlike with cable where you can always find some other little tidbit to watch.
It drives my dad crazy when I visit his house and I have control of the remote and do not “flip” during commercials - because I don’t get commercials at my house and they don’t bother me. He watches about 8 hrs of TV a day and can’t stand commercials.
For about a decade, I didn’t have TV and I really didn’t miss it. My brother’s family doesn’t watch TV and he says it’s been a big positive on his young children.
My husband and I had cable/Dish for the last 8 years or so, and got rid of it a few months ago (kept the cable internet). It’s fantastic–far less time is wasted in front of the TV. I also like not having to pay the ridiculous rates, call every few months to get on a new special promotion so the ridiculous rates would go back down briefly, etc. We did keep Netflix, the 3 movies at a time package.
We haven’t had TV at all for the last 10 years. The only time I miss it is when I or the kids are sick at home and don’t really feel like sleeping or reading. We were recently given a small DVD player that we use sometimes. Honestly, between soccer, scouts, reading, dinner, etc. there isn’t really any time to watch.
I haven’t had cable since…1994? No, 92. I think. I find that on those occassions when I do get to watch (at my daughter’s, or while housesitting) I get so engrossed that I do nothing else but sit and stare. I’m much better off with just broadcast TV, and I’ve cut way back on that, too.
Huh. Living in a rural area, I equate cable/dish with any television reception. So, some of y’all can get rid of cable and still watch broadcast TV? Wow. :smack:
I haven’t had a TV since my grad school roommate moved out in 2003 and took it with her. I couldn’t afford a new one at the time, and by the time I could, I had discovered that I didn’t really miss it.
I dropped cable about a year ago, and have never looked back. A few months prior to that, I realized that the only channel I watched regularly was the Discovery Channel. Everything else I watched only occasionally, if at all. When I moved, I decided that I would not get cable at my new place. I use an antenna, and just watch the network TV. I have a high-speed internet connection from my phone company which replaces my cable modem. I bought several episodes of Mythbusters from iTunes, and a few episodes of Extreme Engineering to help ween me off my addiction. I’d probably get more Mythbusters, but iTunes hasn’t had any new episodes in months.
Thirded. My hubby and my son watch the TV. If not for them I wouldn’t fool with cable TV.
I think everyone has a tendency to get “drawn to” TV - I mean, it’s formulated to catch and keep your attention. I notice that in the gym - even if I’m not listening to it with headphones, I notice what’s on the TVs there and I’ll even catch myself watching when I’m in the aerobics room and can see one on the gym floor thru the window.
Phlosphr, I don’t think you will miss much. And, your dinner conversations will be much more fulfilling without its intrusion.
Yeah, we get the four major networks and PBS via our set-top antenna. I catch The Daily Show on Hulu.com sometimes, and DVDs + BitTorrent meet the rest of our television-watching desires. I don’t miss cable at all. It’s been about six years since we had it.
Isn’t it amazing how something as simple as a television can engulf someone so easily.
I’m wondering those with children…Mrs.P and I do not have any children [yet] and are hoping to raise them with minimal TV. I can only see positives coming from that, but maybe that’s because I’m not a kid anymore. Do kids still watch saturday morning cartoons? I suppose there could be saturday morning internet time.
Mine are 6, 4, and 1. I let them watch a fair amount of PBS kids’ programming during the day (Sesame Street, Between the Lions, a couple others) and then they get free run of the TV on Saturday mornings. In addition I’ll sometimes put in an Animaniacs DVD or let MiniWhatsit watch a Disney movie or something. My kids are definitely not TV-deprived; probably the opposite, in fact.
I did exactly what the op is talking about. When I moved I left cable behind. And I paid my house off in 10 years. Still don’t have cable because I think it’s a rip-off. I’d pay $1 a channel if it was offered but with digital coming online I think the trend is to get away from paying for TV. I can get movies free at the library, and PBS
I haven’t had cable or broadcast TV for about 8 years now, and I can vouch for this. After years of only watching things on DVD, using Adblock software on my computer, and not listening to the radio, I think my built-up tolerance to advertisements has mostly gone away. I find them both captivating and distracting much more than I used to. It’s like the mental filters I used to have that blocked them out have atrophied.
That’s my reason for not having cable, by the way: ads. Think about how much of your life you spend watching advertisements. I watch a good deal of television shows on DVD, but I only watch the shows. If I watched them on TV, it would take up almost 1/3 more of my time. Tivo helps, but you have to remember to fast-forward, which, in my advertisement-addled state, I often forget to do.
I did exactly what the op is talking about. When I moved I left cable behind. And I paid my house off in 10 years. Still don’t have cable because I think it’s a rip-off. I’d pay $1 a channel if it was offered but with digital coming online the desire to get cable again will shrink. I can get movies free at the library, and PBS has 4 channels in my area already. The other stations have started broadcasting extra channels (even though they broadcast the same programs). I expect the choices to go up next year.
I see no reason why a regular TV channel won’t start carrying some of the traditional cable channels such A&E or the History channel. It seems natural to fill any voids created by the increase in available channels.
I haven’t had cable since 1996 and only own a TV as a medium for playing DVDs. I’ve rented TV series like Dexter and occasionally will watch a show like CSI that’s picked up by the bunny ears, but overall, I can’t be bothered with TV.
The only thing I kind of miss is documentaries, but we rent feature-length docs and that satisfies that craving.
I gave up cable television to help pay off debt. Then I was debt-free, and I subscribed to cable television again. I discovered that I hadn’t watched it in six months, so I cancelled it.
(Actually, I transferred the money to a data subscription for my new iPhone, but that is just a special case of a larger truth: the Internet basically replaced TV for me.)
If I really want to watch TV, I’ll put up an antenna and connect it to one of those little tuner widgets that plug into my computer. So far, I haven’t.
