kins

We have a Tivo which the kids use to watch Netflix and Amazon prime stuff. I use a PC or iPad to watch Netflix or get onto StrongVPN to watch BBC iPlayer etc. Hate ads.

kimilseung

ads? I have heard about them, but can't remember the last time I saw one.

The Englishster

This is exactly my set up too, plus Vudu for more recent movies. In addition I have digital rabbit ears which pulls in about 10 channels, and don't forget WatchESPN - it always has awesome coverage of Wimbledon.

Mainstream sports like soccer and football can be a problem. There's always P2P but the quality can be a bit dodgey. For the Big Game the solution is usually go round a mate's house.

I always thought the ads were there so you could go and put the kettle on...

Yorkieabroad

We've got TiVo as well...love the box, but it's on Comcast cable, which isn't so lovely.....I use it to watch an hour a night of some cop show or other, and the occasional old episode of 2 and a half men

Wife uses a Roku box to watch crappy Korean soap operas

We supposedly have the blazing fast xfiniti Internet, so I'm keen to drop cable tv, but if one of the boys is on Xbox live and the other is streaming Minecraft and skype-ing at the same time as the daughter is trying to stream Netflix/amazon, and the wife is (shock, horror) trying to work, the whole thing gets really treacly....at which point something has to give, and it's back to TiVo...so not quite ready to ditch the cable just yet..

Yorkieabroad

[QUOTE=The Englishster;

I always thought the ads were there so you could go and put the kettle on...[/QUOTE]

If you put the kettle on every time there were ads, you'd be needing extra ad breaks between the breaks just so you had time to go for a leak....either that or to upgrade to the extra high absorbent adult diapers....

tonrob

We just spend our evenings sat round the piano.

Sometimes I'll join in with the wind instrument.

Ash UK/US

Agreed... notice how they are in cahoots too? If one channels is on commercial most others are too.

yukichon

Is DirecTV similar to Sky on that you can series link and just forward through the adverts?

The Englishster

We have that instrument too. Just love trumpeting away in the lounge.

cluedweasel

Pretty much any of the satellite and cable providers will provide (at a cost) a DVR which will do this. Our cable company provides a crappy one which still has a 1998 copyright notice and can barely hold 5 hours of HD. One of the many reasons we ditched them.

I use a PC connected to the TV with Windows Media Center (sic) as our DVR. Any programmes recorded are post-processed to remove the adverts. All we really record is stuff from the antenna.

markonline1

My wife only had Netflix when I arrived. As good as it is, I still missed having proper tv, so I hooked us up with cable. Went with U Verse, but they all seem to be pretty much of a much. I work swing shifts so I DVR a lot of stuff meaning I can ff the ads. Still watch quite a bit of UK tv too. I hook my. iPad up to the TV and use FilmOn for live TV or VPN in Touch for iplayer or the other online streams. So far, neither has missed a beat.

yukichon

I've heard of a box called uktveverywhere which gives you all the free view channels but in the USA...Alan Sugar is always banging on about it on twitter

LeavingLondon

Thanks all. We cancelled the cable package and will now look at all your suggestions. Thank you!

Speedwell

Roku box for us! I have Amazon Prime, which is well worth the money when you consider how many shows we watch, and my husband thinks the AcornTV channel is worth the nominal amount of money we paid for it. Otherwise we only watch free stuff, and we never complain there's "nothing on".

LeavingLondon

We've ordered a couple of Roku boxes and are now looking into Hulu Plus and/Netflix (and Amazon Prime too)