[mainlander]

This is an interesting concept... "cutting the cord". I have two friends who are also baby boomers and they went a step further,, the got rid of all TV's. They now say they send more time with their spouses, listen to the news on the radio,, go out to movies, are more active.. in general they have adapted to the situation quite admirably. Better than I would I suspect. However, I suspect this type of entertainment "surgery" would be best accomplished in "The Villages" (seriously). A friend of mine once explained the reason behind "bundling" which he described as a proven method to improve customer retention and nothing more. Furthermore you see the "push" for bundling from many sectors,, open a bank account and they bombard you with deals on life ins., home ins. credit cards. Same applies to cell phones,, they want to sell you bundles as well,, the theory is that any customer having three(3) services from the same provider lessens dramatically the chances that you will switch to another provider.. it works apparently. Yes,, the new generation (the We generation,, google "We Day") I suspect will change many, many things,, including the demise of the cable industry,, maybe a good "short" sometime in the future.

[LeeM]

I have been considering getting rid of my land line. However, its tough. I have had the same phone number for years. But it is running me $75 a month which isnt bad except I am also paying for wireless for 4 additional phones..at about $220 a month. And on top of that I have cable tv with internet and netflix.

[2BNTV]

Having grown up with television, as it was the new state of the art technology, I am somewhat addicted to it. Just can't live without watching sporting events. DirecTV does have a good product, for what I pay per month. Unfortunately, that is not an option, I want to explore.

It would be nice if one read books, and was out and about to fill their day. For some people, like me, I could do this, but would feel a part of my life would be missing something.

Like I said, I am a addict of television. I need to upgrade to a DVR type receiver, as I can sometimes can be enslaved, to what's being shown at a particular hour of the day. That's not a good thing.

[JourneyOfLife]

Here is a new development... looks like Time Warner may be selling their cable business.

Comcast eyes Time Warner Cable and unprecented market power - Fortune Tech

Smart move on their part to recognize they should jetison the cable TV business... get out while they can still get "today's stock value" for the business!

It was not their core business anyway.

[Ron1Z]

The only utility company that makes you pay for something that you don't want, and they call it bundling. I have about 200 channels and only use about 10.

[JourneyOfLife]

Originally Posted by Ron1Z

The only utility company that makes you pay for something that you don't want, and they call it bundling. I have about 200 channels and only use about 10.

That is a big part of the issue. Cable and Satellite TV services bundle channels such that people have to pay for channels they do not want.... to subsidize certain channels.

It really stings when people figure out that 5 of those 10 channels are broadcast over the air for free (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS).

That means the full cost of cable TV service is often for a handful of extra channels.

[jebartle]

a "gizmo" that will replace cable just like Magic Jack has replaced the phone!

Originally Posted by BarryRX

There are some analysts that are predicting the death of the cable industry within 5 to 10 years. Our generation wont change. We've grown up watching tv and have had cable for many years. But increasingly, "cord cutters", those that have switched over to Hulu, Youtube, netflix, etc. have cut into the market. But even more than the cord cutters, the industry fears the "cord nevers" even more. These are the younger generation that have grown up getting their media on their phones and iPads and laptops. They have never paid for tv and see no reason not to. Remember the land line telephone. Just 8 years ago, everyone had one. Now, one-third of all homes don't even have a land line phone, and if they do it is often just there because it came bundled with their internet and cable service.

[jebartle]

Got Magic Jack $20 a YEAR, no need to change phone number either, unlimited long distance....I don't know why EVERYONE isn't hooked to MJ unless they are just SOOOO HOOKED to cell phones at a cost of $200 a month minimum! Isn't it strange that it wasn't that long ago that speaking to someone immediately, WAITED until we got home to the answering machine...and we never missed a beat!

Originally Posted by LeeM

I have been considering getting rid of my land line. However, its tough. I have had the same phone number for years. But it is running me $75 a month which isnt bad except I am also paying for wireless for 4 additional phones..at about $220 a month. And on top of that I have cable tv with internet and netflix.

[rubicon]

I personally like bundling and want a company to provide to me for one cost TV internet home phone cell phone.

I do agree that many TV channels are either redundant or simply not viewed. I have made that a known concern to my provider.

I also have a concern that too many Ön Demand" channels are making fast forward unavailable.

[tommy steam]

Originally Posted by rubicon

I personally like bundling and want a company to provide to me for one cost TV internet home phone cell phone.

I do agree that many TV channels are either redundant or simply not viewed. I have made that a known concern to my provider.

I also have a concern that too many Ön Demand" channels are making fast forward unavailable.

I use brighthouse. It's around 140 a month , tv, turbo internet, and phone. Just putting it out there.

[BarryRX]

Here's another option. Last night we were at my daughters home in Gainesville for Thanksgiving. She was going to rent the movie "Thor" for the grand kids. But she had just gotten Apple TV (costs about $100), and since I am a member of Amazon Prime (costs $75/year) I was able to stream the movie for free on my iPad and throw it right up on her big screen TV using her Apple TV.

[Villageshooter]

Originally Posted by DDoug

Be careful if you have Comcast and use streaming on the inter net they are going to start charging for it if you go over a set amount of gigs. They are starting to do that in Atlanta and other markets.

my son works for comcast in a mangement postion,,,, this not going to happen there was a threat of this , they were losing customers with just the idea being run up the flagpole,

[Villageshooter]

roku is the way to go, we love ours , however if you are into sports, forget it you are stuck with cable, there is no way legally to get espn or other sports channel with consistant signals other than cable. they have got us hooked!

[Villageshooter]

Originally Posted by LeeM

I have been considering getting rid of my land line. However, its tough. I have had the same phone number for years. But it is running me $75 a month which isnt bad except I am also paying for wireless for 4 additional phones..at about $220 a month. And on top of that I have cable tv with internet and netflix.

u can have ur existing home number u hav had 4 many years t o become ur cell number ,, just go into ur cell fone provider an they can help u it is called porting ur number all for no cost and u can get rid of the landline completly and save that monthly charge!

[JourneyOfLife]

Originally Posted by Villageshooter

my son works for comcast in a mangement postion,,,, this not going to happen there was a threat of this , they were losing customers with just the idea being run up the flagpole,

He might want to read this 3 week old article. According to it, Comcast is expanding their initiative.

Comcast Usage Caps, Overages Arrive in Atlanta | DSLReports, ISP Information