Electronically Obsessed A tech addict's guide to using the Internet to streamline your life

Break free from (and cancel!) your cable or satellite subscriptions (Part I): Internet TV

Who needs seventeen premium movie channels and forty-three music channels?  Who needs a terrible digital video recorder (DVR) that is slow, unreliable, and expensive?  Who needs expensive monthly subscription fees?

With a television, computer, and a broadband Internet connection, you can replace all of those things.  This post describes the services I use to replace my cable television subscription.  A later post describes the hardware necessary to use these services.

Video-on-demand

Today, several online services offer premium video-on-demand, which effectively eliminates the hassle of dealing with a DVR.  I'd rather not deal with trying to remember when to set recordings, wondering if the shows I wanted to watch actually recorded, whether I'm trying to record more than two shows in the same time slot, and the most ridiculous of all, whether or not my DVR's hard drive has enough space to record the programs I want.  Also, barring any family commitments or traditions, there is absolutely no reason why a television viewer must sit in front of their television at an appointed time to consume content.

Hulu: Free (for now), ad supported

Hulu is my main source for newer content.  For current TV shows, Hulu usually posts the last five episodes of a series.  Sometimes, at the end of a season, the entire season is posted at once.  Hulu features content from NBC, FOX, ABC, Comedy Central, and others.  Noticably missing from the lineup is CBS.

Netflix: $4.99/month (Limited Plan); $8.99/month - $16.99/month (Unlimited Plans)

Netflix offers a large library of movies, television shows, and special events on DVD and Blu-ray.  Netflix mails a selection of movies (specified by a user-created queue) to the subscribers.  The subscribers return the movies via a postage pre-paid envelope.  However, I personally use Netflix's Watch Instantly feature the most.  Watch Instantly allows subscribers to watch unlimited streams of certain older titles over their Internet connection.  Watch Instantly selections improve every month and feature lots of content popular movies and full seasons of "The Office" and "Lost."

Lower you subscription costs

Before I explored Internet TV options, I was a traditional cable subscriber.  My monthly cable bill, which included broadband Internet, a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) rental, basic and extended cable channels (no premium movie channels like HBO or Showtime), and an ocassional movie on-demand or pay-per-view event, often averaged right around $130-150.

Today, my monthly home entertainment costs include a $52 broadband Internet bill and a $14.99 Netflix bill, for a total of about $67/month.  That's a savings of about $756 a year!

Sports

One major drawback to an Internet TV lifestyle is the lack of live sports selections.  You are limited to sports on the major networks and have some access to other games via live streaming sites like www.justin.tv.

However, if you are rarely home due to social, family, or work commitments, ditching your cable or satellite subscription appears to be a viable option.

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