Another option could be "free to air" satellite commonly known as FTA. It's 100% free TV and not hacked channels and there's hundreds of channels. But it may not have programming you like as it's mostly PBS, various documentaries and foreign shows. Most of the foreign stuff isn't in English but there is some. You can get the Velocity channel which is one I watch the most at home on FTA. I've watched some pretty cool documentaries that you won't get on pay TV. There are some good forums that explain it all. Can get into it for $200-300. Harder to aim the dish than pay TV like DirecTV and the others and is easier for a fixed setup than moving from CG to CG.
Could be an option if you want something to watch instead of DVDs or having plain silence...
Another option could be a large OTA antenna on a tall mast. You can go to TVfool.com, plug in your location and see if there's any "catchable" stations.