Alternatives to Cable and Sattelite

[BarTopDancer]

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but besides Cable and satellite tv are there any other options for reception? I doubt I can get rabbit ears to pick up anything.

I'm beyond pissed at Cox, but my apartment doesn't face the correct direction to put up a dish.

Blah.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Reading, biking, DVDs, humanitary work, sex, picking fights with the neighbors...

[BarTopDancer]

Haha. I meant TV wise.

[JWBear]

Can you get Verizon FiOS in your area?

[BarTopDancer]

Nope :(

I think Cox has a strangle hold on the area.

[Moonliner]

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but besides Cable and satellite tv are there any other options for reception? I doubt I can get rabbit ears to pick up anything.

I'm beyond pissed at Cox, but my apartment doesn't face the correct direction to put up a dish.

Blah.

It won't replace cable exactly, but one of the digital set top boxes (https://www.dtv2009.gov/)should help you pull in the brodacast stations.

I have an HD version (http://electronics.pricegrabber.com/tv-accessories-and-mounts/m/29373080/)paired with a cheap antenna from Radio Shack that feeds into my main screen for PIP (and just in case the cable goes down....)

[Andrew]

AT&T U-Verse (https://uverse1.att.com/un/launchAMSS.do) is TV-over-IP.

[Morrigoon]

Dude, you haven't seen the latest about AT&T, have you?

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/10/att-customer-ca.html

[BarTopDancer]

No FIOS, no uVerse. Looks like it's Cox or nothing. Antenna's won't reach within my building :(

[Moonliner]

Antenna's won't reach within my building :(

You might want to check that (if you have not already). The Digital broadcasts do much better than the old analog broadcasts.

Antanna Web (http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx)can help you pick one.

[Morrigoon]

Oh, is that true? I didn't realize the digital signals carried better.

[RStar]

That's the problem with services that have a monopoly. No customer care at all. If they know they have you by the balls, then they don't have to care or help.

I'm glad I live in an area that I have plenty of choices. In fact I was just thinking of changing over to AT&T from Time Warner.

[Prudence]

I haven't had tv since the move and I don't really miss it. I have access to a few episodes of the shows I watch most and that does it for me. I don't think I have any options out here except Time Warner.

[Kevy Baby]

I don't think I have any options out here except Time Warner.We have TWC and have no complaints.

[Stan4dSteph]

surfthechannel.com

[flippyshark]

I rely on www.hulu.com for most of my TV watching needs. (No rabbit ear signal, and I am not willing to pay for cable channels.) Hulu has a pretty good variety of shows and a few full length feature films, easily enough to keep me entertained when there's nothing else going on. They just put up Richard Linklater's Slacker. Free. Whee!

[Pirate Bill]

In addition to Hulu, there's also Joost (http://www.joost.com/). And on the take-your-chances-with-the-law side there's bittorrent.

Netflix is also a great entertainment resource. Lots of TV on DVD that you may have missed.

[BarTopDancer]

As much as I despise them, I will be staying with Cox, at least until FIOS shows up in my area.

I'm not into watching TV on my computer (I need my computer to do homework and I have a baby-laptop 13in laptop) and I am very much a TV as background noise person.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[lindyhop]

I'm in the equivalent of the dark ages as far as televison is concerned. I have a small combination radio/TV in my kitchen that's sometimes the one I watch the most (I turn it on while I'm cooking or cleaning up). And did I mention it's black and white? (Ask your grandparents what that is...) Then there's the television in the living room which is probably 15 years old. The rabbit ears get a pretty good picture for ABC but I'm used to "watching" CBS through snow. I bought a fancier indoor antenna a while back hoping it would help but it didn't.

I've been trying to decide what to do about the switch to digital next year. I don't really want cable. I don't want a huge TV because I don't watch that much. Maybe I should just give up on TV altogether.

Then I decided I want/need a TV in my sewing room so I bought the cheapest set I could find at Best Buy yesterday, hooked it up to the indoor antenna that didn't help the old TV, and powered it up. And discovered I can get the digital versions of the local channels and they look wonderful.

TV is not obsolete in my house.:snap:

[Kevy Baby]

Ludite

[Kevy Baby]

EVERY time I see this thread, I always answer the question in my mind with GD's dead-on post early in the thread:

Reading, biking, DVDs, humanitarian work, sex, picking fights with the neighbors...

[lindyhop]

You're welcome.