Internet Alternatives to Cable TV

[Happs]

The condo complex I live in provides cable television to all 188 units whether or not residents watch it or not. I am one of those residents that hardly watches television and if I do it’s one of the big 3 networks or PBS, which I can obtain via a thin plastic HDTV antenna that I can attach to the window or tv stand. I get most of my news and information via the internet.

I plan to write the HOA and ask them to save $75,000 per year and drop cable tv for all units and have each individual owner decide on their own whether or not he/she wants cable tv and to pay for it on their own, instead of forcing everyone to pay roughly $33 per month collectively. Sure it will be more expensive for each person to subscribe on their own, but as it is now, the non users are subsidizing the users.

I read somewhere that a lot of people watch cable tv shows via live streaming or the next day/week online. Is this what Hulu is? I foresee that a board member will respond by asking how will he/she watch ESPN, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC etc? Could I tell them they can connect their laptop computer via an HDMI cable to their HDTV and watch it live via networks website? If someone asks, how will I watch my favorite shows on the Discover Channel, Food Network, Tru TV, etc, do I respond by saying they can watch it on Hulu for free, the network’s website or pay for each episode via iTunes?

A lot of condo owners don’t look at the HOA budget and assume that cable tv is free when it’s actually a $75,000 a year expense for the HOA. They will not be receptive to paying for what has always been a “free” luxury. I’m not up on the latest technical stuff, so what should I mention internet or technology wise how they can watch cable news/sports or these cable sitcoms and reality shows online for less than what a cable tv subscription will cost them on their own each month? For those that don’t own a traditional computer or laptop, can people watch cable tv shows via a tablet or smartphone or connect it via an HDMI cable to a regular big screen television?

[cvmom]

We stream all of our TV (which isn’t that much) from the internet. It’s possible but definitely more of a pain. You don’t always get the shows you want, and I think sports are not very available.

There have been some good threads on this board about internet TV, might want to search those up.

Good luck! I would hate to have to subsidize the couch potato habits of others.

[spdrun]

Bit-ferging-torrent, baby!

[moneymaker]

If the complex is mostly older people forget about teaching them how to steal with bit torrent. As far as sports or news is concerned I don’t think the internet is there yet. Sounds like you are getting cable at half price, do you seriously think the HOA is going to reduce your monthly HOA fees after stopping the bulk cable? Think again, if I were you I would stop complaining.

[Happs]

I don’t expect them to lower the HOA dues after stopping bulk cable, but eliminating a $75,000 per year expenditure can help build up the reserves or delay future HOA dues increases.

I’ve checked out previous posts on here about dropping cable and they have been helpful. I don’t expect to teach the older members of the Board and condo complex about technology, but rather mention to them in a cursory way how computers are changing the way we view television programming. I will emphasize instead how the HOA is forcing its members to buy a product they might not want or need.

[patb]

thye should negotiate a better deal

[Hatfield]

This doesn’t seem that different than the HOA paying for maintaining a jacuzzi that you may or may not use, or a tennis court, or a clubhouse, or any other amenity.

[Jazzman]

We have an Apple TV, an internet TV and cable box. The cable box rarely get turned on. They consume a lot of electricity, and you get something like 200 channels of mostly rubbish. The problem is we would only be saving about $25 a month if we ditched it and just went with the 70 or so free channels.

Apple TV connects via wifi and has a much more user friendly interface. It’s also cheaper since the mainstay of it is Netflix. It offers movies, documentaries TV shows, podcasts, radio and connects up with your Mac. Unfortunately, we’ve seen many of the good news podcasts dropped, and movies are not updated as frequently as they should be. There is a dedicated sports channel. Hulu is an add-on to Apple TV and broadens the choice, but for the extra you pay doesn’t seem worth it IMO.

The Internet TV we have is a flat screen that can surf the internet. It’s a little like Apple TV, but has YouTube, Amazon movies and other mostly superfluous stuff. We’ve noticed the surfing speeds to be slow, so actual web-based TV is not good. It has no cable box so gets just the 70 free channels.

I believe TV on demand is the future, and cable will die a slow death if it doesn’t embrace on-demand. That way you just pay for what you want.

I live in a condo/townhouse complex and we all pay individually. This makes sense unless your association can negotiate big discounts. Individuals could then elect whether they want a cable box or not, and pay the difference themselves, or just go the Apple TV route and only pay the Netflix subscription.

Remember that cable is bundled with telephone and internet, and your provider may not offer much of a discount if you detached cable.

[spdrun]

My apartment complex (in NY) works as follows. They pay Time-Warner cable for service, but that just means coax to each apartment and a basic signal. No cable box, but you can get CNN, C-SPAN, al-Jazeera, basically all over-the air channels, NY1, etc in clear-QAM if you hook up any digital tuner. Internet is separate as is phone service (get both of mine through Verizon).

Dropping cable service wouldn’t affect pricing for phone and Internet — the bundles aren’t appreciably cheaper in my building than in any other NYC apartment.

[ctr70]

I have not had cable for about 5+ years. Everything I watch is streaming via Netflix. I do miss watching certain sports games. There are a few sites where you can watch games, they are kind of rough and I don’t know where they get the signals and they seem kind of under the table. I watch the NCAA hoops tournament over the Net on the CBS web site.

I wish there was a really good solution for ONLY sports on demand over the Net. That is all I want to watch. The rest of TV is 99% complete garbage. And the advertisements are the worst (especially with sports), that alone is a reason to cancel cable. They are all corny, stupid, cliche and pretty much either beer, cars, or fast food.

[moneymaker]

I totally agree about the commercials, they seem to be getting worse and more unbearable. That’s one reason I watch channels(most of the time) that don’t have them. History channel is a pretty good about not going overboard, even PBS can get nauseating with the constant begging for money. Ok I take it back about History channel, i guess I just really don’t pay that much attention to tv, it’s just background noise most of the time.

[Author]

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