@Emily: That box will take in the digital signals that are flying around and pump them in to your TV. Preferably HD and all free. Its basically a fancy new set of rabbit ears.

@FFB: Discovery, Nat Geo, TLC, DIY, I would miss out on all of those. Granted you could probably buy them on DVD but that might get pricey as well. I sometimes catch myself looking at PS3’s and that Earth series on BluRay as well. Good call on the NetFlix as well. You hear that Microsoft is going to stream them through XBOX Live?

And as far as a productivity killer, I think I agree. I have to tear my self away to do contract work. It would be much easier to get motivated knowing that lounging wasnt an option. I guess we need some release though I would like to get outside more.

@Frank: Should I write back to you here? I guess your at lunch but anyway, it would be cool if they set it up like they are going to set up Sirius XM where you pick your own channels. Maybe that will take off and they will emulate it.

@Susy: These are all wonderful points! You ever watch Fawlty Towers? That was good on DVD as well. Commercials themselves drive me through the roof. If we didn’t have a DVR I would NEVER EVER watch TV. Hmm…

There are more benefits to nixing cable than saving money.
1. Mr Chiots and I read more books (which is better for the intellect, keeps your brain active)
2. We are much more productive, we rarely watch TV, so all those to-do lists that have been piling up for years finally all got finished.
3. We also spend more time talking now that we’re not watching TV every evening, we used to watch all kinds of stuff because we wanted to get our $50’s worth out of our cable, now even though we can watch all the free network channels in HD, we don’t because we don’t need to since we’re not paying for it.
4. We’re also more creative about what we do watch, getting old shows from the library, often British or foreign shows (Good Neighbors, Battlestar Galactica, Jekyll (series from the UK), many documentaries), these shows are often more interesting, better writing and production value. Plus sometimes it’s fun to watch through the complete run of Seinfeld in a month.
5. Not to mention, you don’t have to watch commercials, so you’re not tempted by all the ads you see on TV. Not to mention, this time of year – NO POLITICAL ADS – yeah!
6. I’m sure it’s also better for children to not watch TV so much and not be exposed to marketing & reading is much better for their minds.

And yes, sometimes you watch something you may have seen a thousand times just because it’s there now.