Even though I’m not a Cablevision customer and didn’t risk missing the Oscars because of the cable company’s squabble with ABC, I was inspired to explore alternatives to my cable TV service and the ever-higher bills.
So I made an antenna out of a couple of pieces of wire cut from an old telephone extension cord and a bit of cable coax with an RF plug attached. Hooked it up to the back of the set and let it scan the over-the-air channels, and hey, I’ve got free, crystal-clear, high-definition signals from ABC, CBS, NBC, CPTV, Fox and a couple of independent channels. There’s also a digital program guide and lots of digital extras like 24-hour weather, an NBC sports feed and, saints preserve us, QVC and its incessant Dooney & Bourke shilling.
OK, now the nearly $100 per month I’m paying for cable TV includes a wonderful whole-house DVR, lots of Law & Order reruns and some cable-only programming that I watch. But I’m having a really hard time justifying the cost when I never even look at 90-plus percent of the service I am buying.
I’m seriously considering cutting the cable and saving myself $1,000 bucks a year. Any advice from those who’ve already switched back to good old antenna-based — make that new improved over-the-air digital — TV would be most welcome.
