Cable vs Internet TV

[snoopy]

I upgraded a few months ago and just checked out Google Video and You Tube after being away from the SageTV news for a while. I understand there are now Online options for TV. I pay currently only for basic cable. If there is a way to get major network channels ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX via the internet for free, then please clue me in. I would SO love to tell my cable company to stop providing that service to me. I have a single tuner for the HD antenna signal which does not come in well and a dual-tuner for the cable signal. I'd love another option. Also, all the letters in the search are now number keys which make it harder to enter searches for me. Is there an easy way to get the numbers back?

[megamojo]

To toggle between input styles (i.e. change between phone style and the entire alphabet on the screen) just press the pause button.

[Tiki]

Currently, most of the shows from the major networks are available online for free, but only through the tv-stations' own web sites (abc.com, cbs.com, etc.) and some authorized third party websites like hulu.com.

Since the shows are ad-supported, they want to keep you locked-in to their websites and their players so they can keep you from skipping the commercials.

This may change in the future, but for now it doesn't look like there is a way to watch this type of content directly in Sage.

[mkanet]

I know this isnt the answer youre looking for, but a simple old fashioned antenna and a $50 digital ATSC tuner will give you free ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, WB, CW, etc for free into sageTV ...and at much higher quality than anything you can find online.

Originally Posted by snoopy

I upgraded a few months ago and just checked out Google Video and You Tube after being away from the SageTV news for a while. I understand there are now Online options for TV. I pay currently only for basic cable. If there is a way to get major network channels ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX via the internet for free, then please clue me in. I would SO love to tell my cable company to stop providing that service to me. I have a single tuner for the HD antenna signal which does not come in well and a dual-tuner for the cable signal. I'd love another option. Also, all the letters in the search are now number keys which make it harder to enter searches for me. Is there an easy way to get the numbers back?

[Tiki]

Originally Posted by mkanet

I know this isnt the answer youre looking for, but a simple old fashioned antenna and a $50 digital ATSC tuner will give you free ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, WB, CW, etc for free into sageTV ...and at much higher quality than anything you can find online.

Of course that assumes you live close enough to a major city to get reception with an indoor antenna. Or that you are close enough to get reception with a roof-top antenna and you live someplace where you are allowed to put an antenna on your roof and you are willing and able to run the cables down from your roof...

[pjpjpjpj]

Originally Posted by snoopy

...I pay currently only for basic cable. If there is a way to get major network channels ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX ... I would SO love to tell my cable company to stop providing that service to me.

Just to be clear, when you say you want to tell the cable company to stop providing "that service", are you talking about local channels (the ones you mentioned), or are you talking about cable TV completely?

If it's the former (meaning, your cable company charges extra for locals and you can choose to cut them out and save $), have you checked into using a QAM tuner? Because you would likely have free digital (maybe HD) local channels available for free in your cable service, via QAM... and the cable company isn't going to tell you about it. If you haven't checked into it, start here: http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels put in your ZIP code, and look for channels shown where the left column says "qam256".