I聽have to admit it. I fell off the wagon. Don鈥檛 judge me.聽
Almost a year ago I cut the cable cord, opting instead to get my entertainment fix through solely online sources and methods.聽
We had received an Apple TV for Christmas, and that coupled with our Netflix subscription at a paltry $10 per month or so, seemed to be a really great way to cut some fat off our family budget.聽
I had already been feeling dissatisfied with my cable package and the hefty price tag that came with it. I had a gazillion channels, but I only seemed to watch a scant few.聽
And, mostly I thought the stuff on offer was pretty crappy anyway. It seemed to be a bunch of reality shows, talent shows and shows with Kardashians, as well as a few cop shows thrown in for good measure. Besides, my kids spent more time watching stuff on YouTube than on regular 脿 la carte TV, so I canceled my cable, but upgraded my internet package to meet the new demands my digital use would see.聽
For the first few weeks I felt this odd sense of freedom. Suddenly, I was able to choose what I wanted to watch, rather than surf around to see what was being offered on the boob tube. I could go to Netflix and browse old TV shows and movies, as well as some pretty good new releases. I binge-watched tons of shows, staying up late cursing that Netflix was 鈥渢he devil鈥� every bleary morning I woke up from a marathon session.聽
Ahh, but then I started to get that itch. I鈥檓 a newsman first and foremost, and I wasn鈥檛 getting my daily news fix. I tried online options, however the best I could ever do was either snippets of a broadcast or the full hour-long news from yesterday.聽
Yesterday? Excuse me, but I鈥檓 a journalist and I just don鈥檛 do yesterday鈥檚 news, thank you very much. So, being the tech guy, I bought a digital antennae. A digital antennae is the modern version of your grandpa鈥檚 old rabbit ears and it lets you get high-quality digital television channels for absolutely free. And, I鈥檓 talking channels like ABC, NBC and CBC, not to mention PBS and others. Channels that have live news!聽
Well, you could have those channels for free if you lived in somewhere like Vancouver or elsewhere in the Lower Mainland. Not in Squamish, though. No, in 麻豆社国产you can only get Global TV for free with a digital antennae. And mine would go all fuzzy if the dog walked in front of it, too. Or the cat. Or if I sneezed, or anyone breathed.聽
So, suffice it to say, I was not pleased with the free digital reception I got in Squamish. I even spent hours researching how to get more free channels, however I am left with the conclusion that the trade off to living in the glorious mountains is that we are going to get crappy reception.聽
I mean, look at our meagre radio choices. We get a solid two radio stations in our cars around Squamish. It鈥檚 like some reception Bermuda Triangle Twilight Zone. Wow, that sounds like a movie I鈥檇 like to see, actually.
But, I was also unable to watch shows like The Flash on CW, although I could catch them online during a brief window. And other shows like Preacher on AMC required a subscription to the channel to watch online. I also missed my PBS nature shows and documentaries.聽
So, maybe I was weak, or maybe it just isn鈥檛 the right time, but I re-connected my cable again. I opted for the limited package mandated by the CRTC. It has all the ABC, CBC, NBC, CBS and PBS channels I want, 40 of them in fact, plus I splurged on the CTV 24 Hour News Channel. I need my fix when I need it. Don鈥檛 judge me.
More and more Canadians are cutting the cable cord, and it is indeed a great way to save money and get away from the 鈥渇eed you what we want you to see鈥� type of television. However, if you crave a wider selection, not to mention live news coverage, in a place like Squamish, you may have to pay for some of the channels you want until there are a lot more options from the online world. But hey, that鈥檚 just me, an entertainment, pop culture and current affairs junkie Don鈥檛 judge.
