Pretty sure I'm giving Comcast the boot since they jacked my bill up again. I will punt the whole cable service and just keep the high-speed internet.
What do I want? I'm looking at Roku. Anything else that's better? I've already got Hulu Plus (activated today) and it seems to work pretty good on the wii via wireless. Do I want a DVR? Any streaming devices that include a DVR?
Educate me!
You don't really need a DVR as streaming is already stored material. The Roku is well known and cheap.
If you have a PS3 or XBOX you just need to install XBMC.
I have a Logitech revue box that came with a wireless keyboard with built in touchpad. My kids can use it to play on PBSkids, nick, etc.
or.....read GRM on the big screen
In reply to Grtechguy:
Does the xbox or PS3 have DVR capability, or does it work the same as the wii?
We have Roku on the kitchen TV and a Blu-Ray player that also supports streaming. We can stream Netflix to either, and have many other channel options through the Roku box,including Amazon Prime instant video since we are Amazon Prime subscribers. No cable here for months, and except for local channels I don't miss it.
The only thing currently holding us back from going to an on-demand structure is the lack of a live news source. Anyone know if any news outlets are in talks to make a deal with any of the big providers?
We currently have Dish Network, which is quite good, but comes at a hefty price. We're not getting the value out for the money we put in.
jg
I have a Roku, but would probably go for an Apple TV next time. Roku doesn't do you tube.
I built a PC and fitted it into the furniture the TV sits on. I used leftover drives and peripherals, then purchased a motherboard with an HDMI out. It works great, although I do miss real surround sound. Having some of the parts, this was a very economical solution.
I found a how-to to build a simple antenna that optimizes air-broadcast HD signal and stuck it up inside one gable of my attic, then ran the coax down to the TV. This way I have streaming and all the local channels, and the air HD is better quality than I was paying Cox cable for. If you want to DVR the air broadcast, there are HD tv tuner cards for PC install that let you DVR and come with a remote.
If you aren't comfortable building, Roku and Boxee probably have the best reputation, but I don't have experience with either.
I've got Netflix and am beta testing RedBox Instant streaming. Netflix is okay, worth the $8/month. Redbox right now has CRAP selection for streaming - mostly one star 1970's movies - but it includes 4 rental credits for the actual boxes, which is all the new movies,. every month. It might be worth the $8/mo but I'm not sure yet.
I can't stand Hulu Plus.
For the only sports I care to watch (Tour de France) I usually purchase a $30 package each year and generally get better coverage when I want it than cable offers on their schedule.
All in all, I wouldn't go back.
EDIT: Here's the plan I used for the HD Air Antenna I'm probably 20 miles as the crow flies from the transmit towers of all three local affiliates, 30 from the public TV transmitter. It works great, even inside a one story house in a dense neighborhood.
I cut the cord in December. Great decision for me. I wasn't watching enough TV to justify the cost of cable, and most of what I watched is available over the air.
No more cable TV, so now I have an antenna in the attic (20 miles from major metro, so plenty of strong over-the-air signal available). I have 3 Roku 2 XS (wired option, though it's fine with a new fast wireless router) and one Sony BluRay player + subscription to Hulu Plus. I also have an old laptop connected to a TV, with a nice small wireless keyboard/mouse combo from Lenovo.
No need for a DVR because most of the TV shows I'd record are available on Hulu Plus - or from individual websites for a few others (that's where the connected PC comes in handy). You can watch shows on Hulu anytime, so the DVR's awesome time-shiftyness.. is no longer necessary.
Also, before you buy anything - check out Hulu.com. Not Hulu Plus. There is a LOT of free current season TV via that site.
If you're into stealing TV and movies (I'm not) then you should check out lifehacker.com which has lots of info on downloading torrents, etc for old and new "screen" content.
I found that not having cable has freed me of the desire to sit down and just mindlessly watch whatever is on. If I want to watch something, I make a point to watch it. I catch most sports over the air, live. I do miss watching ESPN, but I can catch some of it on ESPN3 or via streaming sites that are easy to find with google.
Lastly, there is a good amount of related info at reddit.com/r/cordcutters
Those with Hulu Plus:
Does History channel offer any programming? That's the only thing I REALLY miss about not having cable.
Youtube does as does History.com via the built-in web browser of most devices and smart TVs.
iTunes via AppleTV might have some as well as Amazon and Google Play and Netflix all of which you have to pay for to buy or rent the media, but still on-demand, available on multiple devices, etc.
yeah I can get older episodes of some shows on Netflix. Watching streaming video on my ancient laptop is impossible, it will hardly play youtube videos. The Xbox web browser won't play flash player videos either.
Is ESPN available via any option other than cable or dish?
1988RedT2 wrote: Is ESPN available via any option other than cable or dish?
Aside from ESPN3.com....nope (unless you count the magazine).
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