Breaking up is hard to do — even when it’s with your cable provider.

It takes all your money and doesn’t always give you what you need. But you’ve been plugged in for so long it’s hard to imagine living without that slim black cable.

From antennas to streaming high-definition, life outside the wire is full of rich content. Many of the top shows on cable are available freely online, though perhaps a little later than on the old box. Movies and unique programming are much easier to come by with the right online services.

The basics

Before you cut your cable, grab your tools: free-to-air antennas can pick up high-definition signals in Toronto, netting you upwards of 10 channels depending on your location in the city. This will cover off basic channels like Global, OMNI, TVO, CBC and CTV, all for just the one-time cost of an antenna.

Antennas are available cheaply at any major electronics store. In order to get the best signal quality, the antenna should be mounted outside — though indoor ones will still get a few channels if you’re drill-shy. There are plenty of online guides available for setup, including a Toronto-specific one at remotecentral.com.

Digital gear

It’s a good idea to figure out how you plan to watch the myriad of online streaming options available before you pull out of your cable agreement. Any laptop ought to hook up to your high-definition television, though for convenience you may want to invest in a set-top box that can connect with all the major services.

Apple offers a set-top solution that retails for $109.99 and gives you access to Netflix, MLB, NHL, iTunes and videos from your computer.

One alternative to the Cupertino giant is the D-Link Boxee Box which retails for $189.99 and allows for more customization, but lacks the slick iTunes integration of Apple TV. The included web browser is a big advantage of Boxee because it allows you to stream videos from network websites for channels like CBC, CTV and Global.

Services

Netflix is the gold standard of subscription-based internet television. The Canadian version offers less than the American one due to copyright restrictions, but it still boasts thousands of movies and TV shows, many in high definition, for $7.99 per month.

Special events like the Olympics and the Euro Cup are often available at a cost. Pending relief from the lockout, the upcoming NHL season will be available through the league’s streaming service.

The games streamed are out-of-market games, meaning you need to resort to over-the-air broadcasts for local matches.

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The iTunes rental service lets you rent high-definition movies for under $6, available to watch for 24-hours, or purchase forever for around $24.99. The store also has TV shows such as Glee and Breaking Bad available for a few dollars per episode or at a bulk rate for the whole season.

More and more television networks are posting episodes on their websites for later viewing and several have live streaming options available. Streaming video this way generally requires a computer, though the Boxee’s web browser will play most channels.

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