Cord Cutting Do's and Don'ts - A CHUD Community Help Thread

Hi everyone!  Welcome to what I hope will help you (and me) if you're considering "cutting the cord" to your cable/satellite/unborn fetus (well, maybe not that far).  I have just begun the process as I have received permission from the big boss aka my wife to do so.

My first step last night was to hook up a crappy antenna I had to the existing unused cable outside and run our TV through and see if it picked up anything.  And the result was (in my opinion) a resounding success.  I grabbed 20 channels, and only 7 of them were church related and/or Spanish speaking!  NBC was the only channel that didn't have a good signal.  And one nice thing--my Dish receiver allows me to plug the antenna to it and I can switch to the channels through the receiver (no program guide data, though).  And I know I was missing 2 other channels that I had picked up earlier using a powered indoor antenna that for some reason didn't come up this time.

Next immediate step:  Remove the unused Dish that is on my roof (I recently had the service changed so now I have a single Dish in my front yard--they wouldn't take the other on one my roof down due to covering the screw holes in the roof), and leave the stand and then hook up an antenna to that to see if that fixes the NBC problem (I think it will).

I've also bought "PlayOn", which allows me to stream media from my PC where I store all my media to my TV via my PS3, and has lots of available channels for the networks, DIY, Food Network, NFL, ESPN, Amazon, Netlfix, etc.  Just a one-time fee, plus I already have connectivity to Amazon, Netflix, Vudu, and Hulu (among others) on the PS3 itself.

Got the name of a VOIP company from a friend that's using it and is liking it.  Stepdad is bringing me his Roku box that he isn't currently using so I can mess with it--I plan on buying one (or two) myself eventually.  I also have a blu-ray player in my bedroom that has a bunch of the movie/music services available on it.

The "big" change--switching from DSL to cable.  They have to run all new equipment down to my house since we're so far off the road.  Also they'll need to add a few new outlets as well.  Since I've never had cable, I only have 1 cable on the outside of the house that goes to my living room (which I plugged my OTA antenna into) and that's it.  Don't know how they'll handle that.  I'm trying to prep everything else in anticipation for that to happen.

I will retain Dish a little longer (due mainly to the update I mentioned above), but eventually will try to get rid of all of it in favor of the internet stuff.

Now, all that being said, any suggestions, bad experiences, good experiences anyone else can give?  I will continue to update the thread on my progress.

And they all do.  So hopefully that will be all OK.  Just testing out the antenna thing "just in case".  The Roku box is pretty cool--it's even an older model.  I was able to watch a couple of things even with my DSL connection.  Enough to get me excited.  One thing I need to figure out--it appears that folks can build their own channels for Roku using feeds already available from the various networks.  I need to check in on how to do that.  I think my parent's box is too old to do that because I couldn't figure out how to make it work.

I also noticed that the signals at night are much better than the day time--which I remembered from listening to the radio way back when.  You could find a station from 2 states away on the radio at night.

Anyone know of a good Blu-Ray ripper?  Or at least a decrypter?  I'm using DVD Decrypter + Handbrake to put all my DVDs on my media PC, but I haven't found anything yet to use for my BRs. I tried DVDFab, but it keeps crashing on me.  I had downloaded Modiac, but don't have a registration key for it.  Aieesoft (I think that's it) is another I toyed with.  Any suggestions?

Shit--with all this going on, my son's LCD monitor and my LCD TV in my computer room both just fizzled out on me.  I think the monitor is a lost cause--too much cat piss I guess (long story), and apparently the problem with the TV is prevalent enough that folks have made YouTube videos on how to fix it by ordering a new power supply part for about $125.  But for that much, I may just buy a new, a little smaller, LCD TV.  This was a 32" Westinghouse that was (only) 2-3 years old and probably bigger than it needed to be in general.  So I may go down to a 24 - 26 inch LCD LED TV--I think I can get one for < $200.  I've seen some open box models and some deals online.

Actually, what I'm really considering--I have a small 13" regular tube TV (with digital tuner) in the computer room now.  It's not HD, but the picture is fine.  I'm thinking about giving my son my old 22" LCD monitor (which is not HDCP compliant so I can't watch Blu-Rays on it with my desktop), and then buy myself a new LCD LED monitor of similar size (HDCP compliant).  And then just sit on the new TV until Black Friday and pick up a new LCD LED TV ultra-cheap.

Think I've chosen the direction--my wife is getting a new Verizon phone/contract, and HHGregg is offering a $100 gift card for doing so there.  I'll use that and buy a 22" Samsung LCD LED TV and use it for my monitor and TV (for now), then go the Black Friday direction for a big "final" TV.  Shoot, I've already seen some of the no-name brand 32" TVs selling for just over $200.  I'm guessing I can get a name brand on BF for < $200.

Gotta set up the cable switch-over now.  Wife is very nervous about that.

Called the cable company out on 6/8.  If the drill is the same, he will come out, tell me they need to send a contractor, then that guy will tell us that they have to run the extra cable, blah blah blah and send us the bill and ask if we want them to do it.

Found an open box 24" Toshiba LED LCD TV.  Only 720p, but it was under $200.  Looks great--watched Dark Knight and a couple of YouTube vids in 720p on it so far.  

Well, that was a close one.  Cable company came out, inspected, sent out a surveyor, who spoke with my wife while I'm out of town.  That person said, "...you realize it's about $5 a foot to run this, right?"  And the first guy estimated 1,000 feet.  Hm.  However, I got a phone call the next day where they estimated the cost to be about what I expected it to be.  Unfortunately, the process is going to take 45-60 days (estimated) because of all the work involved.  But I've waited 14 years...what's another few days.

Argh--latest update:  Apparently the cable company has found some mess of wiring, cables, etc., at the top of my driveway, where they would start the tie-in to run down to my house.  Still waiting on the final word, which she said they're trying to get by Wednesday.  I'm kind of like--that stuff at the street isn't my problem, so why should I have to pay for any of that they have to fix?  So, it's all up in the air right now.  Blerg.

Got the "final" cost today--it's about $400 higher than the original estimates, but that's not surprising because they'd never gone this far before.  They're sending me the official letter/offer/ransom note today--when I send them back a check, they'll start the process.  I feel like I need a rape shower.

Check has been sent.  Anxious to see when they start work.  Girl told me it probably would be more like a week or so to finish once they start.  On the "good" side, it's been like a hundred here with no rain in sight.  So hopefully that means quicker work and no delays.

"Call Before You Dig" was out on Friday and marked all the lines around our area, so Comcast should be out this week.  I also received my modem in the mail on Saturday, so I'm ready when they are.  Will probably just go to a local store to pick up my VOIP connector (I'm using Nettalk Duo, which a friend is also using and has been happy with).

Guys came out and buried the long fiber cable on Friday (they hit a water pipe right at the very end--ugh).  There were out there for nearly 12 hours.  I think next step is for Comcast to hookup the cable to their ports, and then they'll send someone to the house to hook up the internet.

Finally, the "plant extension" is finished.  I can call Comcast today after 12:00 and schedule my install.  So from the time I sent the check until now, it's been about a month or so.  They said 45 days + so I guess I should consider myself lucky.

IT IS DONE!  I am surfing on an orgasm-inducing 25+ Mbps right now.  I started up a video on YouTube and cranked it to 1080p, and it didn't miss a beat.  This is awesome so far.  Son is playing COD: MW3 on the PS3 and is complaining now that it's "too fast".

My wife has actually been saying how great the new internet is.  We haven't dropped any Dish channels yet, but that's mainly because I called and got us a bunch of discounts and coupons for the next 12 months or so.  Been using the Roku box a lot and watching all kinds of online video.  And my wife has been really happy because we home school and my son has been watching a lot of educational videos, etc., and none of them buffer, stutter, or time out.