- “Are we ready?”
- “Will our lives be different?”
- “Will we miss anything we used to have?”
- “What if we regret our decision?”
- “Is it actually going to be cost effective?”
- “Are there other options out there?”
- “Will we feel different?”
And what, exactly, are we trying to ultimately decide? Whether or not to get rid of cable.
The truth is, we’ve been extremely unhappy with our cable provider for a LONG time – months. Okay, years. We hate strongly dislike our cable provider. We’ve tried talking with customer support, we’ve had a technician out dozens of times, and nothing is better. In fact, our service only continues to get worse. And for the amount we pay each month for cable and internet, the fact that our service cuts out almost 50 percent of the time now, it’s just getting to the point where we are a bit fed up.
Yes, I know this is a total first world problem, but the fact of the matter is, when you’re throwing $130+ a month at a company, you expect the service to work, right? Right.
So, as our contract is up in the next couple months, we’ve come to the point where we’re trying to decide whether or not we should continue with cable or if we should just bite the bullet and cut the cord.
Seeing as how I work for an AV publication, I felt like this could be something that might be interesting to document our experience. Plus, I feel like if there’s anyone else out there that’s either A) been through this before or B) might have some good advice, it’s AV people, right? Right.
So, here’s our current situation:
- We have two HDTVs in our home — one of which is actually plugged into an HD cable box, the other is plugged directly into the wall and is not getting HD feeds (it’s a small TV in our bedroom).
- We have an Apple TV plugged into our downstairs (main) TV.
- We watch more Netflix than anything else via the Apple TV on that downstairs TV.
- We bought an indoor HD antenna to see what kind of over-the-air HD channels we could get, and we get the main networks (ABC, CBS, NBC), but that’s about it.
- The only real television that we would miss (that we can’t currently get on Netflix or via Airplay on an Apple device) is live sporting events. (We’re big Carolina football and Carolina basketball fans in our house…)
Now, do we bite the bullet and get rid of cable and do without live sporting events and be rid of our awful cable provider? Or, do we suffer through? While the answer may seem obvious, when you have two big sports fans like us living in a house, the answer is more difficult than you may think.
So, while we have completed Step One by purchasing an over-the-air HD antenna, we still don’t totally feel ready.
Therefore I put it out to the rAVe readers: Have any of you cut the cable cord? Thought about it? What are your experiences? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them!