Wow! I've been seriously considering dropping mine as well. And your post has re-inspired me to do so. So eerie that you mentioned it, since it's been weighing on my mind the last few days.
My Sony Bravia TV is WiFi connected so I already get lots of cool Internet features, including a web browser. Or I can connect my laptop to the TV. It isn't WiDi so have to use a wired connection if I want to access all of my computer files, or get
a wireless display receiver to mirror the computer to the TV. But, I can use PIP if I want to use the computer at the same time. You might want to see if your TV does that as well. I also have a WiFi Sony Blu-Ray with all the Internet features of my TV and more. Got these before Roku became popular.
Time Warner Cable is now requiring Digital Transport Adapters on all TV's and they are junk. Poorly made and you have to use their remote which makes having Control for HDMI (remote sharing features) sort of pointless. I installed them two days ago and the pictures on all my TV's are worse, reception is really bad, and they render some of my Sony TV functions, like TV Guide and the info banner useless, just to mention a few issues. There are many more problems. Plus TWC won't allow a user to purchase their own DTA and will charge for every adapter you need. That will increase my cable bill by another $120.00 per year if I use DTA's on all my TV's. I have TV's in 4 rooms now, but rarely use two of them.
So, yesterday, I threw together an antenna made from some binder clips, paper clips and an old CD case (see YouTube for various homemade antenna instructions), attached a
75 to 300 ohm matching transformer and hooked it up to my TV. Took about 10 min at a cost of $4.00 for the transformer. Had all the other parts already. This was my test unit to see what I could get.
OMG! It totally worked and pulled in 28 digital channels in high def that were within 12 miles. (I only got around 60 channels with cable.) Best picture quality that I've ever had. Of course these are only broadcast channels (goto
www.TVFool.com to see what's available in your area) and some are not what I would ever watch, but I can stream all the other shows I really like from the internet, so I won't be missing much if anything. My little homemade antenna is somewhat fragile since I hastily put it together, so I may just invest in an attic or rooftop antenna, which I hope will pull in even more stations and be even more stable in reception.
I already have Amazon Prime for movies and TV episodes, plus I discovered VTuner is included with my TV features, which is global Internet radio. There are tons of radio channels categorized by genre and country/language. One is old time radio that features 4 or 5 stations broadcasting some brilliant programs; music, mysteries, sci-fi from the 20's to the 40's, that I'm getting a kick out of.
I'll save nearly $960.00 a year if I cut the cord. Spirit says he would like me to spend some of that savings on more raw bones and car rides to the park. I think I will!
Thanks for posting and giving me the courage!