Dumped the cable

[ny biker]

I am the same way. We only have 2 remotes, but I don't even know how to get the channel guide on. DH is always talking into the remote and then gets mad when the thing doesn't get his command correctly. He uses voice for everything. I just think it's dumb.

This is the point I tried to make to the Comcast people about the "upgraded" DVR they forced me to get. They added so many features that I have no interest in, and as a result the things that used to be simple now take multiple steps and drilling down through several menu layers. And the stupid voice command thing is of absolutely no interest to me. I have enough problems with sore throats and laryngitis, I don't want to have to talk to change the damn TV channel.

Some people just want it to be simple but they have decided they don't want those people (included me) as their customer.

I bought a new router which should give me faster download speeds but haven't had a chance to hook it up yet. And I was delaying the Roku purchase for a month or so because I've been spending too much money on other things lately. Meanwhile Comcast billed me $30 for the technician who came out to hook up the new DVR that I was forced to get, even though they had told me that I would not be charged anything for it. So I had to go back to them and ask them to refund the money. This is on top of the extra $10/month they billed me for two months after I bought my own modem and returned the one I was paying them for -- if I hadn't called to ask for that money back they never would have refunded it. I have more motivation than ever to find alternatives to getting cable TV from them.

As for remotes, with the old DVR that I was perfectly content with, I never bothered to program it so that I could use the DVR remote to control the TV. With the new hated DVR, the technician who was supposed to be there at no charge programmed it for me. Then he tried to show me how to use it, but I kept saying "I won't ever use that feature so you can skip it" and got increasingly annoyed at all the extra steps for doing what I did want to do, so by the time he left I'm pretty sure he thought I was crazy.

[Crankin]

That's why we don't have a DVR. We *never* used it when we had it. Even DH hated the thing.

[snapdragen]

I upgraded to DirecTv's Genie, and couldn't be happier. The remote is much more user friendly, the only other remote I use is the one for my Roku 3, when I want to watch Netflix, Hulu, etc. I rarely watch any of the "lower" channels, mostly BBC America, SyFy, MSNBC.

[kajero]

I am thinking of buying my own router. It would help the cable bill when it is paid for. I haven't turned on the television in two days. Ugh. I still have to pay them $167. I am looking to somehow reduce that.

[Jean_TZ]

I cut the cable 20 years ago. A couple years back I was able to get cable at my condo due to a mix-up in the building's wiring. But every time I looked at the cable TV schedule I was unable to find anything that I wanted to watch. So I'll never do cable TV.

Using an antenna that I built, I manage to get 19 local channels in the Austin TX area. With the exception of PBS, the networks seem to me to have really degraded their programming. So now I mostly rely on a Roku unit to stream Netflix and some freebie channels. I still want to try Hulu some day.

[kajero]

NY Biker
What router did you buy?
What is Roku?
Thank you. I am willing to pay a decent price for a new router. I figure Comcast costs over 140 a year once they add taxes and other fees.

[ny biker]

My new router is a Linksys Max-Stream AC1900 MU-MIMO gigabit router. http://www.microcenter.com/product/4...Gigabit_Router

The modem is an Arris SURFboard 660 series - SB6183. http://www.microcenter.com/product/4...83_Cable_Modem

In my case they are two separate devices, because the old Comcast cable modem was just a modem, not a combination modem + router, and I did not replace the router at the same time as the modem.

Roku is an internet streaming device to watch things from the internet on your TV. Apple TV, Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire are similar devices. Gaming devices like Playstation and some DVRs also have the ability to stream to your TV. Newer TVs come with internet streaming ability built-in, but my 9-year-old TV is otherwise working well so I saw no need to replace it. I could connect a laptop to my TV in order to livestream to it, but the Roku (or Apple TV, etc) is more convenient. I think a lot of people use streaming devices to watch shows and movies from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime even if they also have cable TV. But it seems to be increasingly easier to get rid of cable and still watch lots of shows online, either on demand or in real time, which is what I'm trying to do.

BTW last week I got an email from Playstation Vue telling me they are raising their rates. I currently have the base channels + sports + movies, so if I stay with them I will drop down to just base channels + sports. I'm going to try DirecTV Now next to see if I like their interface better. They don't have a cloud DVR but I most of the things I would want to record would be available on demand. Part of this process for me is getting used to the whole on demand thing, which I never really needed to use with the cable TV.