I've mentioned before that my parents didn't get cable until around 1994, and up to that point all we had to watch on TV was just the four broadcast networks and PBS. I used to think that we were really late in getting cable, as most folks seemed to have it by 1990 or so, but now I'm not sure. I've seen some people on this site say they didn't get cable until the 2000's, which is very surprising to me.

Do you remember when you (or your parents) first got cable?

Believe it or not, around 2007 was when my family truly started using cable.

Throughout 2004-2006, sometimes we'd use cable, other times we won't.

From my father's case, he probably got it around the mid 1970s. He already subscribed to HBO since 1977 and he hasn't stopped watching their stuff ever since. My mom mostly grew up with broadcast TV, so she relied on my dad (when he was her fiancee) when she moved in with her. I already grew up with cable by the time I was born, so I never really had a day without cable (for the most part).

I think the early to mid 2000's is when we first got our cable.

I'm pretty sure we've had cable tv as long as I can remember. I can't ever recall a time we didn't have our big black television, which my parents apparently bought in the early 90s, but even taking that out the equation, we used to own a second, smaller cable television set that sat in my parents' bedroom. That said, we simultaneously held on to our small, old-fashioned 70s/80s television for my dad's workout purposes until the mid-2000s, when we replaced it with a larger and newer set.

I'm pretty sure we've had cable tv as long as I can remember. I can't ever recall a time we didn't have our big black television, which my parents apparently bought in the early 90s, but even taking that out the equation, we used to own a second, smaller cable television set that sat in my parents' bedroom. That said, we simultaneously held on to our small, old-fashioned 70s/80s television for my dad's workout purposes until the mid-2000s, when we replaced it with a larger and newer set.


My parents TV when I was a young kid looked like this.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/usedphotosna/40444798_614.jpg

They didn't get a new one until 1996. I used to have to play my video games on that thing. >:(

In 2001, when we moved into our new home. The house was prewired for cable TV, so we have been able to enjoy that aspect.

I think our first system had the Adelphia provider...which was eventually bought out by another company. (Yep, ten years ago, after it went defunct, its services were taken over by Time Warner.)

My parents TV when I was a young kid looked like this.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/usedphotosna/40444798_614.jpg

They didn't get a new one until 1996. I used to have to play my video games on that thing. >:(


Wow. No wonder why you got an NES as your first console. That thing at least had major support for RF cables.

My parents subscribed to Pay-TV (cable) during the same year that it became available in the country. Cable TV was only launched in Australia in 1995. It was viewed as being pretty revolutionary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1htarIoSOiw

My parents subscribed to Pay-TV (cable) during the same year that it became available in the country. Cable TV was only launched in Australia in 1995. It was viewed as being pretty revolutionary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1htarIoSOiw


Wow. Australians had to get cable during the mid 90s? That has to be a long time for TV enthusiasts in that country.

Wow. Australians had to get cable during the mid 90s? That has to be a long time for TV enthusiasts in that country.


Yep. Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Fox Sports and MTV all didn't exist prior to 1995. Although, the MTV brand did exist as a program between 1987-1993 on one of the free-to-air networks.

Yep. Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Fox Sports and MTV all didn't exist prior to 1995. Although, the MTV brand did exist as a program between 1987-1993 on one of the free-to-air networks.


That seems pretty late for a first-world country. Although it takes time to have cable if a certain country likes having TV in their households.

We had sporadically during my earlier childhood years. However, (not for the debbie downer) immediately after the 9/11 attacks we got Cable in our household permanently due to the loss of TV signals from the area. The major antenna in the area was on top of the North Tower and obviously was destroyed, amongst other communication issues. I vividly remember us getting Direct TV a month later, we have had various cable/satellite providers consistently ever since...

2000

I think we always had it?

My parents TV when I was a young kid looked like this.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/usedphotosna/40444798_614.jpg

They didn't get a new one until 1996. I used to have to play my video games on that thing. >:(


What is that on top? ???

We had sporadically during my earlier childhood years. However, (not for the debbie downer) immediately after the 9/11 attacks we got Cable in our household permanently due to the loss of TV signals from the area. The major antenna in the area was on top of the North Tower and obviously was destroyed, amongst other communication issues. I vividly remember us getting Direct TV a month later, we have had various cable/satellite providers consistently ever since...


Damn. They should've gave your family an offer after the 9/11 attacks. Just saying.

My parents have had cable as long as I can remember. You can have regular or basic cable but not have digital cable with a lot of premium channels. All still considered as cable.

I can't exactly remember. I just know its somewhere around 96. I started watching Nickelodeon at that time.

What is that on top? ???


I don't know. It kind of looks like a cable box. That's actually not a picture of my parents TV, just a similar looking one from the internet. ;)

My parents had cable in the early 1980s but it kept going out so they switched back to regular broadcast tv till 2005 when i got Direct Tv

I can't exactly remember. I just know its somewhere around 96. I started watching Nickelodeon at that time.

I first watched Nick in the late 80's at a friend's house.

I've mentioned before that my parents didn't get cable until around 1994, and up to that point all we had to watch on TV was just the four broadcast networks and PBS. I used to think that we were really late in getting cable, as most folks seemed to have it by 1990 or so, but now I'm not sure. I've seen some people on this site say they didn't get cable until the 2000's, which is very surprising to me.

Do you remember when you (or your parents) first got cable?


Still better than me. Our family didn't get cable until late 2008.

Wow. Australians had to get cable during the mid 90s? That has to be a long time for TV enthusiasts in that country.

I'm reminded of this line from this one Aussie show I'm obsessed with: “Some of you come from povo families, but that’s not your fault. Some of you, I know, don’t even have Foxtel.” I thought that as usual, the character was just exaggerating her new public school classmates' poverty, but it turns out the penetration of pay TV only reached 50% in Australia less than five years ago and that in 2012, it was only 28%. (Then again, I'm from a country where the penetration of pay TV is 15%, but if your peers are at least middle class, it's easy to forget that. I wonder if that was also the case in pre-streaming Australia.)

Still better than me. Our family didn't get cable until late 2008.

It was around that time when we got our first HD television set.

I don't know. It kind of looks like a cable box. That's actually not a picture of my parents TV, just a similar looking one from the internet. ;)


I’d say cable box. A TV like that was more than likely not cable ready.

Myself, I never had cable at my folks house. I first really got to watch cable for a length of time in the hospital in 1985. Then again in 1991.

First time I really had cable was in college from 1994-1996. Then at my old house I used my satellite dish which was essentially cable without local channels.

My dad ended up getting dish or direct, whichever will give him the best deal.

Now I don’t pay for TV. There’s more free stuff out there than I have time to watch.

1990. I was 10 years old. It was called Dimension Cable. I think they went out of business in the mid 90s. We use to have one of those TVs from the 90s with a built in VCR. But in our house we always had a separate VCR as well. 

Cable tv is not really a thing in the U.K. People do have satellite tv which is the same sort of thing I guess. We don’t though. We just have what ever free to air channels are available via Freeview

I got cable in 1987 when I first moved into my own place (which is incidentally where I live now).  I was quite happy with them for the first few years - then my service got sold, and sold again.  It's now Comcast.  Not so thrilled with them these days, just too lazy to make a change.  :-\\

Late 70s or early 80s,I cant remember really but it was beautiful!!!

Channels 2-36 of beautiful analogue programming!!!

Now we have channels 1-1999+ with nothing but mostly crap :(

Probably it was mid to late 1980's.

Late 70s or early 80s,I cant remember really but it was beautiful!!!

Channels 2-36 of beautiful analogue programming!!!

Now we have channels 1-1999+ with nothing but mostly crap :(


Up until the mid 2000s I had analog master feeds on my c band dish. It was beautiful.

I still get tons of channels on FTA but it’s all digital. Which is fine as long as it’s tuned in perfectly.