I never would have thought it could happen.
You see, we're in a rather unique position -- our part of Colorado (Denver area) is ringed with mountains and dotted with buttes -- which effectively block signals of all but two or three television stations. (It can really play havoc on cell phones, too, although those companies have compensated with higher or more towers.)
So if you want to watch television -- you pretty much have to have cable or a satellite dish.
Or so I thought.
Two months ago, we cancelled our cable. Since our Internet access was coming through Comcast, as well, we hooked up via phone line (but wirelessly) with Qwest/Century Link. (Our neighborhood had very low speed access, until I complained to the Century Link corporate board...then magically higher speed links were approved and installed in our area! Another good lesson on the value of politely complaining.)
Our payment went down considerably. But what about those programs we really liked?
We watch them on the 'Net. The History Channel shows current episodes of "Ice Road Truckers" and "Top Shot,." two of our favorites. We just watch them a night or so later than we used to.
The series can be rented, or borrowed. We both love "The Unit," a military drama that ran for four seasons, until 2007. (It still seems a shame it was cancelled.) I borrowed all four box sets from the library -- but they're also available on Amazon for sale,. or via Netflix. We also finished the first season of "Warehouse 13," thanks to a free interlibrary loan. No having to sit through commercials this way,. either. Refreshing.
I'm hoping that other networks take the History Channel's cue and post episodes directly on their website -- we'll see. (Are you listening, producers of "The Mentalist?")
Hulu's great. So's Netflix. We use Hulu to access all sorts of programs, from documentaries to rv series to movies. Both daughters, one up in the mountains and the other near the Capitol building, have opted out of cable in favor of Netflix. We used to have a subscription,. and may go back to it in the winter.
What I didn't realize was how much we were watching tv,. simply because we were too tired to do anything else. It was a lot easier to plop down on the couch "for a few minutes," but spend hours there, instead. Now we do more things. (Although I'd like to cut down on our mutual time spent online.)
There's a huge test coming up: college football. Can we find games online? (Our two favorites, the CU Buffs and Michigan's Wolverines,. haven't been doing that well -- which means they're not televised that often.) Do we just plan to spend a few evenings at the local sports bar, when important games are coming up? Or do we just listen to them on the radio?
Time will tell. One thing's for certain,. though: this was a decision we should have made long ago.
(Here's someone else who just got rid of his cable -- although he's able to pick up reception using rabbit ears on the set,. something that's not really possible for us. At the very least, call your cable operator and negotiate a lower price!)
You see, we're in a rather unique position -- our part of Colorado (Denver area) is ringed with mountains and dotted with buttes -- which effectively block signals of all but two or three television stations. (It can really play havoc on cell phones, too, although those companies have compensated with higher or more towers.)
So if you want to watch television -- you pretty much have to have cable or a satellite dish.
Or so I thought.
Two months ago, we cancelled our cable. Since our Internet access was coming through Comcast, as well, we hooked up via phone line (but wirelessly) with Qwest/Century Link. (Our neighborhood had very low speed access, until I complained to the Century Link corporate board...then magically higher speed links were approved and installed in our area! Another good lesson on the value of politely complaining.)
Our payment went down considerably. But what about those programs we really liked?
We watch them on the 'Net. The History Channel shows current episodes of "Ice Road Truckers" and "Top Shot,." two of our favorites. We just watch them a night or so later than we used to.
The series can be rented, or borrowed. We both love "The Unit," a military drama that ran for four seasons, until 2007. (It still seems a shame it was cancelled.) I borrowed all four box sets from the library -- but they're also available on Amazon for sale,. or via Netflix. We also finished the first season of "Warehouse 13," thanks to a free interlibrary loan. No having to sit through commercials this way,. either. Refreshing.
I'm hoping that other networks take the History Channel's cue and post episodes directly on their website -- we'll see. (Are you listening, producers of "The Mentalist?")
Hulu's great. So's Netflix. We use Hulu to access all sorts of programs, from documentaries to rv series to movies. Both daughters, one up in the mountains and the other near the Capitol building, have opted out of cable in favor of Netflix. We used to have a subscription,. and may go back to it in the winter.
What I didn't realize was how much we were watching tv,. simply because we were too tired to do anything else. It was a lot easier to plop down on the couch "for a few minutes," but spend hours there, instead. Now we do more things. (Although I'd like to cut down on our mutual time spent online.)
There's a huge test coming up: college football. Can we find games online? (Our two favorites, the CU Buffs and Michigan's Wolverines,. haven't been doing that well -- which means they're not televised that often.) Do we just plan to spend a few evenings at the local sports bar, when important games are coming up? Or do we just listen to them on the radio?
Time will tell. One thing's for certain,. though: this was a decision we should have made long ago.
(Here's someone else who just got rid of his cable -- although he's able to pick up reception using rabbit ears on the set,. something that's not really possible for us. At the very least, call your cable operator and negotiate a lower price!)
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