Thinking of dropping Comcast cable for a Roku 3

JBoogalooJBoogaloo This too shall pass...Alexandria, VA Icrontian
in Internet & Media
Ok, so the title pretty much covers it. I've done some reading, but since this is the place for knowledge I need some honest input from you fancy folk. Im thinking of dropping comcast cable, upping my interwebz speed and setting up 1...maybe 2 Roku3's.
TV isn't a super huge thing for my wife and I, but there are a few things that we watch with religious devotion and would like to keep up with them (Walking Dead and a few shows like it), sports (me). Her concern is being able to view world news in realtime (CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, etc...) She also enjoys her E! shows, food network and animal planet from time to time.
I haven't had any experience with this and was hoping to pick a brain or two of you. How's the news viewing, station availability (if any), opinion on better alternative, and overall opinion of your pros and cons of worthiness

Thanks in advance peeps!!!

Comments

  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    dropped cable a while back. didn't miss it.

    The only concern was sports, but i hooked up a set of bunny ears and the football games have looked awesome in hd.

    We have netflix and hulu plus that we also watch on the tv through a ps3.
    JBoogaloo
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    We dropped cable years ago in favor of Netflix and Hulu (On Xbox, Roku, and Blu-ray players at various televisions). We only missed local stations, and only really on New Year's Eve. Recently, we picked up a Coax HD antenna for $7 at MicroCenter, and now we get local channels fine too, even in the basement.

    I don't watch news, so I can't speak to that.
    JBoogaloo
  • JBoogalooJBoogaloo This too shall pass... Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    Thanks for the input, fellas!
  • BLuKnightBLuKnight Lehi, UT Icrontian
    We've never head Comast digital. However, we do have Comcast as our ISP. Mostly, we use Netflix and Roku 3 (with Plex) for all of our TV/Movie needs.

    Even though we're not paying for cable TV, we still get the local stations along with Discovery, History and TV Land. The local stations are even available in HD since our TVs have a digital tuner. Comcast isn't the cheapest when it comes to internet. However, in my area, I find it snappier than other services.

    Since we get the local channels for free, probably because they probably didn't bother putting in a filter, I'm quite happy with the overall arrangement. It's been like this for us in 3 different houses we've lived in. Results may vary in different areas.
    JBoogaloo
  • erichblas2005erichblas2005 Your Native Texan Houston,Texas Member
    I had Comcast cable years back and I dropped it within 2 weeks. It was due to an outages and bad customer service.
    like many others I see you in the comments I use Hulu and have been a paying customer since 2009.
    JBoogaloo
  • ZanthianZanthian Mitey Worrier Icrontian
    I haven't had cable in a very long time. Like others, use netflix mostly as a substitute. I like watching content on my time table and without ads.
    JBoogaloo
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    Netflix+XBMC+bunny ears for local HDTV

    been doing this for years
    JBoogaloo
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    Netflix + Hulu (occasionally) + YouTube... I very rarely miss TV, especially since I can get my Food Network fix at the gym while running on a treadmill
    JBoogaloo
  • midgamidga "There's so much hot dog in Rome" ~digi (> ^.(> O_o)> Icrontian
    Yeah...stop paying to watch commercials.
    JBoogaloo
  • BlackHawkBlackHawk Bible music connoisseur There's no place like 127.0.0.1 Icrontian
    I wish I could drop cable TV but @kimono54 loves her Food Network, E! and ABC Family. Some of the shows are on Hulu and Amazon but I don't know if Carla would get used to having to select the show she wants and having one randomly broadcast.
  • JBoogalooJBoogaloo This too shall pass... Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    BlackHawk said:

    I wish I could drop cable TV but @kimono54 loves her Food Network, E! and ABC Family. Some of the shows are on Hulu and Amazon but I don't know if Carla would get used to having to select the show she wants and having one randomly broadcast.

    And this is where my big question really is. Thanks @blackhawk! Are there any experiences in this area where a spouse (or yourself) are trying to watch up to date shows with a roku and how does all one go about catching a "new" broadcast? Or are the "new" broadcasts strictly cable based and streaming becomes playing catch-up? Thanks for all this great info, guys!

    I'm still leaning on dropping them, but Blackhawk's sentiment is one I share deeply and would feel bad having the wife sacrifice what little she watches already for something I want...

  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    We're always a week or two behind what's being broadcast, but neither Betsy nor I care much about that. We prefer to watch on our own schedule anyhow.

    Betsy does miss being able to just turn on HGTV and let it run in the background while she's doing something else, but I was never a fan of that habit anyway, so c'est la vie, I guess. It wasn't worth $60/month to her, and that's what it really comes down to: Yes, your habits will change, and you might miss something, but is it really worth paying 6x the cost of Netflix just to be able to watch Gordon Ramsey yell at people right now, instead of waiting to watch it in a couple weeks?
    JBoogaloomidga
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited September 2013
    I wish I could cut the cable, but for some reason it's worth it to my family for the three cable channels they watch all day. If I could get rid of it, I'd go for an HD antenna and pick up this tuner for all the networked possibilities. Unfortunately it doesn't work directly with Roku, but the Samsung Smart TVs and a bunch of other apps work with it, along with XBMC and MCE. Between the locals you can tune OTA, Netflix, and Amazon Prime instant video, you can get a pretty good entertainment experience. I just wish HBO GO was available a la carte.
    JBoogaloo
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited September 2013
    GHoosdum said:

    I just wish HBO GO was available a la carte.

    I cannot imagine the world in which HBO does not realize that they have to do this soon.

  • JBoogalooJBoogaloo This too shall pass... Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    Seriously, thanks guys! @CB and @Ghoosdum, huge input help! I think I have a good idea on how to move further.
    midga
  • CrazyJoeCrazyJoe Winter Springs, FL Icrontian
    I wish all cable channels were available a la carte. Then I could pay for the 4-5 channels that Suzy watches, a few of the ESPN, etc. channels that I watch and then be done with it. But alas, I pay for a cable service that I only use 1/10 of.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    CrazyJoe said:

    I wish all cable channels were available a la carte. Then I could pay for the 4-5 channels that Suzy watches, a few of the ESPN, etc. channels that I watch and then be done with it. But alas, I pay for a cable service that I only use 1/10 of.

    In the midst of other, ostensibly more serious things, there are some Congress members trying to change that.
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