Interesting. Thanks for sharing

So don't expect to win anything.

Everyone chipped in to buy the server and etc.
Don't know enough to follow the how-to details, but it did give me pause.

When my sister shivered that the monster telecoms were setting themselves up to control all information flow....I said, "No. They are setting themselves up to be replaced." But I didn't know how that could be done. I just knew that someone would find a way.

Thomas Edison got annoyed with his gas company. Voila! Electric light. Never underestimate the creative power of the ticked off.

I do not pay for cable tv but I pay for cable internet. Cable TV is nothing but endless reality show crap. I know they can cut off or control my internet connection anytime, the weak spot is between my router and the open internet, those few crucial hops.

for internet???
It would be most interesting if they did not.

waiting for the weather to get better so my son can readjust my outside antenna. I'm just getting too darn old to be climbing on the roof, discretion still being the better part of valor. The programming just gets worse and worse especially for the price and between the intertubes and my local PBS I don't think I will miss much. I'll just have to bid a fond farewell to Georgio Tsoukalakalokass.

It is on my roof.

It has not required an adjustment one single time.

I don't understand why you would have to adjust yours.


P.S. I had a Dish satellite for 8 years before that, also on the roof.

It never required any adjustments either.

I agree some of the programming is awful.

I just have reg channels (had no idea how abysmal most the shows are on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox).
Luv Netflix. Unfortunately as more folks drop cable tv, cable companies just will hike up internet service
charges.

The woman said; "you can't get true HD with a coax cable". I replied; "isn't your feed from the dish sent by a coax cable?". Silence.

I like cable. I can browse the channels on my android pad, record, download movies, all kinds of cool stuff.

I disagree with this one. I like to know I can watch what I what when I want. There's a lot of movies that aren't available to stream. So even if you don't buy the disc you have to rent it. It's important to me to be able to see a movie when I need to see it for entertainment purposes as well as professional research purposes.

I did ditch cable TV though. I love that. Now I only watch things intentionally, not what I just happen upon. I also have HD antennas so sometimes I will just see what's on, but there's a lot less to choose from and get distracted by.

Streaming binge watching is where it's at.

is I can watch movies and stuff on this marvelous flat screen monitor, with its crispy clear pictures.
Much better than the old tvs we had.

Cable is just the subscription service regardless of what kind of TV you have.

It's funny how before flat screens 32" was a huge TV and now that's on the small side.

In my house. We enjoy watching movies, will watch short pieces on YouTube and other video services...but I cannot stand TV these days. Any good I've gained has more than offset by the cost.

Not talking about reality TV of course. But compared to the movies being put out, TV is where you get complex and original stories now. Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Newsroom, Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey... Nothing wrong with TV today at all, just gotta watch the good shows.

And the many adjacent channels full of garbage.

socially unacceptable as wearing fur anymore. So I have to back you up. I admit I despair at the lack of anything good to watch more often than not...but I want my Letterman tonight, not tomorrow - same goes for all my fave shows. I avoid the honey booboos, duck dynasties, and housewives from anywhere - and still manage to fill a couple hours a day with interesting programming.

And I'm a sucker for sitcoms! There! I said it!

I think it was the Netflix CEO that Chris Hayes interviewed and I think he was right when he said the talent is doing a lot of TV now because that's where the risk takers are. The movies are for the most part boring - either action flicks or kids' movies. If you want good adult drama it's on TV. (That includes Netflix and the like original programming now.)

As for sitcoms... Modern Family is fantastic! 30 Rock was great, Arrested Development... all smart and funny.

I work from home a day or two a week and a tablet, or even a laptop, for that matter, isn't going to give me nearly enough screen real estate to work and for work, I really prefer a full-size keyboard. As a matter of fact, I just ordered a new desktop this week for just that purpose. Old one is 8 years old and XP, so it's necessary. Good thing, though, is that I always get small business desktop machines. Cheaper with fewer unnecessary frills and better processors and Windows 7 Pro, so this will likely be my last.

And, while the tablet is great for many things, spending a quiet evening surfing and listening to music isn't one that I'd care to do on a tablet. That's what the laptop is for.

I often joke that, between the desktop, the laptop, the tablet and the phone, a lot of the time I'm literally within arm's reach of four computers.

I'm down with most of the other nine, though.

and 1 Android ( mostly unused) for the 2 of us.
Mr. Dixie likes to have extra puters as "minions" where he tries out software he is thinking of getting.
Me, I like to use them for extra storage, they are all 500 GB.

I joke about saving money from having no tv bills, but then there is the cost, cheap as it is, of him building and re-building the puters.

and just the internet.

It is cable's fault for not un-bundling the tiers and then raising the cost so very much.


Tikki

I do not think I am alone in this:
Computer use ( and cell phone use) allows us to pick and choose what want to see and read and hear right now,
this minute. Very little chaff, mostly wheat.
We are in charge of our time and content.
With tv, you have to watch on their time, plus the harrassing commercials (chaff) in relation to the wheat.

I suspect that tv is just too cumbersome and slow in comparison of our other options.

We are paying for networks on the different tiers that we will never watch.
How is that fair.


Tikki

If they would let me pay for only the channels I want, that would be great.

For a decent tablet (by decent, I mean one with great specs), one has to shell out $600 or $700. And a physical keyboard costs another $100. For that price, I can get an excellent laptop. I have a tablet, a 2013 Nexus 7, but I only use it at night before bed and when I'm on the toilet. Other than that, I don't find it that useful. My Galaxy Note 3 can do the same things a tablet can do. It's just another gimmicky electronic that collects dust on my desk.

And I use it very often for biz. Check orders, process credit cards, and other stuff. Maybe it doesn't meet your high standards but it works for me.

on a trans-Pacific flight, I'd do it in a heartbeat. As it is, I can't even get 3 extra inches in Economy Comfort for that price. And even just an aisle seat in the regular economy section costs an extra $69.

although i do wish we had money to travel.

no landline, no internet. (There is no cable access in my area)

Switching to satellite internet is 15 to 20 dollars more expensive.

I also like knowing I can depend on my landline when the electricity is out.

P.S. I think the state of the economy; low paying jobs and unemployment would also be a factor.

They assume that everyone has access to high speed internet at their house (and $$$ to pay the bill). And flies so frequently that where you sit actually matters.

Feh.

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have wanted to be sitting where I was on my last trans-Pacific flight.

Too many commercials. If I were sports fan I would be hard up but I'm not so it doesn't matter. I can get any show out there from NBC to hbo via bit torrent. Here's the funny thing though: I look for it all all on Netflix first. I find a pay service more compelling than piracy for free. They can have my money if only they provide what I'm asking for! There are some animated shows I started watching on Netflix that I have to pirate now because they can't get the damn licensing fees straight to put the new seasons on Netflix. I am willing to pay reasonable fee but I am not willing to pay extortion.

The death of commercial television is news to my ears. I do understand it will take some time in the dying.

and a lot more are on "long long wait" which means 6 months or more.
Netflix is focusing on its streaming biz.
but
I am rural, so only get slow dsl.
Plus, Netflix does not stream to Linux machines.

as you point out...there are options.

I've made several digital antenna's for less than 10$

Here's the latest one I found
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/tv/build-your-own-digital-tv-antenna

I've made the clear tv antenna for 75cents using a 7.5 inch cookie tin lid.

I'm getting 14 channels because I am not bothered to put it out the window with the cold weather. I will in the spring.

You can get a one bedroom apartment for the cost of a hotel room in most places.

And the huge bonus is that you get a kitchen and can save a bundle on food.

I looked into it:

1. Keeping my existing internet connection would cost nearly as much as my current cable and internet package, due to the magical world of Comcast's opaque, complicated pricing structure. (The only other option in my area is AT&T, and they make Comcast seem helpful and reliable.)

2. A la carte options were available from MLB, but the resolution would not be comparable to my cable package.

3. I would need to get some sort of streaming video service, and the resolution would be poor at times because of network congestion.

Conclusion: I wasn't going to save much money (about $10/mo during baseball season) and I was going to get significantly less for it. Not worth the trouble.