So yesterday was the beginning of the adventure, and now we dig into the first bit of fun. On tap today is cancelation of Cable (save broadband internet, to be written off for work as I work from home once a week), and calling my car insurance company to let them know I will be driving less.
Cancelling cable is a decision we made based on the fact that with Cable TV and the internet, we spend $110 a month! We have extended cable, and one DVR box. TV is just too much money to watch. I’ll definitely miss Cartoon Network (shut up, all of you. Cartoons rule, and if you think it’s childish, I just say that I have more fun than you still!) and the Food Network, but I don’t really value them at 70$ a month. I have an old computer and an extra 300GB Hard Drive I can set up to function as my tuner box and DVR with an over the air HD tuner for a one time cost of $60. Which I will have to find a way to get for free.
For those of you who’re looking to get rid of your cable, but feel like you’d either miss out on too many of your shows or whatnot, I would like to inform you that many of your favorite shows can be watched FOR FREE on the internet! Legally! Not only that, but you’d also be able to watch far, far fewer commercials. There are several sites out there that will accomplish this feat for you. For example, I stumbled across Hulu.com at work recently, and have found, much to my delight, full episodes of some of my favorite shows, such as Family Guy, American Dad, The Simpsons, Firefly, and Fringe. There’s a list of all TV shows with full episodes, not just short clips, though it does offer those as well.
Combine this with an RSS feed for each show which alerts you to new shows uploaded to Hulu and a good RSS feeder (I use Outlook, but there are multiple ones out there), you’ll never have to worry about finding it through their sometimes convoluted interface. Shows are typically available the day after they air, and some are carried in 480p resolution (which for the internet is pretty good).
For those of you who try Hulu and can’t find what you’re looking for, the major networks do carry their shows on their website, ABC.com, NBC.com and CBS.com are good places to start for the network shows. Though CBS is severely lacking in full episodes of their programming, you are likely to find whatever you’re looking for, and will only have to watch around 4 commercials through the whole show.
What do you need to do this, if you so choose to do it in your living room, is a computer with a broadband internet connection. This can be shared with other computers throughout the house using any one of several residential grade Wireless Routers. Chances are you already have one set up. That, and a web browser, and you’re pretty much all set! If your TV is capable of VGA Plug (which looks like the plug that attaches your monitor to your PC) or has an HDMI input, you can purchase a cable REALLY cheap online from My Cable Mart. For those of you who need VGA, you can pick up a 6 foot cable for $7. A far better price than something from a local bestbuy. A DVI to HDMI cable, which you would need for a HD TV will run you $8 for a 6’ length. Buy it in stores, and you’ll be paying 5 times that much!
On a separate note, none of these companies are paying me to link to them, but if they want to send me some free stuff or whatever, I’m all for that. I’m merely linking to them because they’ve EARNED my respect. Well, the ones that sell stuff, anyway.
For those of you who really want to keep your local channels, it’s a little known fact that HD channels are broadcast over the airwaves for free, much like your normal channels, and can be picked up by an HD Antenna/Tuner, which can be installed into your computer as well! I’ve heard it works surprisingly well, but I will have to try it myself. You won’t get extended HD channels like ESPN and Food Network (boo!) but, it’s a start! Look for internet TV to become more popular in the future.
I would be happy to price out a media center computer that would be TV-in ready and internet capable for under $700. If you’re truly interested, I’m willing to build it for you (if you buy parts) for a barter of something I need! WITH a Blu-Ray DVD drive! I worked up the information for my cousin recently, and he loves it.
