I've managed to do without Foxtel even though I already have the cable installed (Bigpond).
I couldn't however do without by set top box/PVR!
I have an
IceTV subscription as a program guide and software installed on my computer to manage the recording of programs of interest.
The only problems I have with it are that the inbuilt 400GB disk is not big enough and that when you have 400GB of TV recorded, it takes a long time to catch up.
If only it could automatically handle skipping ads and extending recording time when programs run over schedule (always!)...