Excellent case study on how one family was able to save money by completely cutting cable TV service.
Showing posts with label cable tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cable tv. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
First Person: How We Cut the Cord and Now Enjoy (Almost) Free TV - Yahoo! Finance
First Person: How We Cut the Cord and Now Enjoy (Almost) Free TV - Yahoo! Finance
Excellent case study on how one family was able to save money by completely cutting cable TV service.
Excellent case study on how one family was able to save money by completely cutting cable TV service.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Hear what people are saying about cutting their cable TV.
Mobcast 82: MW2 vs. Black Ops, the State of AI, Zombies, and More
Bitmob is a site where gamers and geeks gather to talk about gaming and geek culture. This weeks podcast features a segment on cutting their cable subscriptions and the pros and cons of doing so with a PS3 or Xbox 360. It's worth a listen!
Bitmob is a site where gamers and geeks gather to talk about gaming and geek culture. This weeks podcast features a segment on cutting their cable subscriptions and the pros and cons of doing so with a PS3 or Xbox 360. It's worth a listen!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Microsoft working on TV subscription service for Xbox, PCs
Microsoft working on TV subscription service for Xbox, PCs
If you have a Xbox 360 or a PC connected to your HDTV, then the latest development from Microsoft would be of interest. Microsoft is looking to provide streaming content subscriptions for its Windows devices. The only drawback is the willingness of content providers to allow their content on the service. Google is already dealing with the hurdles of having content blocked from Google TV. The biggest benefit would be to consumers who would be able to have true a la carte programming choices and not pay for channels they would never watch.
If you have a Xbox 360 or a PC connected to your HDTV, then the latest development from Microsoft would be of interest. Microsoft is looking to provide streaming content subscriptions for its Windows devices. The only drawback is the willingness of content providers to allow their content on the service. Google is already dealing with the hurdles of having content blocked from Google TV. The biggest benefit would be to consumers who would be able to have true a la carte programming choices and not pay for channels they would never watch.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Saving money is great, but how do I connect my PC to my TV?
In order to access almost all the streaming content available to you on the internet to replace your premium cable TV programming, you will need a way to connect your PC to your TV.
If you still have a standard definition television, you're going to run into trouble getting content to your TV. There is no easy way to get the output of your PC to your TV without converter equipment. But, if you're dropping two or three premium channels to basic cable level of service, you can make the investment in a new HDTV and use the money you save to pay for it. At this time of year you'll probably get a great deal on a TV at Best Buy: This week's TV and home theater offers at BestBuy.com
To connect your PC to your HDTV you will need a VGA cable and a stereo audio patch cord. The audio cord would connect to the audio output of the PC to the stereo input which is normally located next to the VGA connector on the TV. If your PC supports HDMI output, all you would need is a single HDMI cable. HDMI provides digital video and audio so you won't need additional cable.
If your home network is wireless, you should be all set to connect to the internet and start streaming content. Be aware that you may run into video quality issues streaming content this way. To avoid that you should use a wired connection into your PC. If your modem or router is in another part of the house, you don't have to run cable. Netgear makes a device that allows you to use the wiring in your home as a network. Powerline ethernet is very effective in extending your internet connection. I use an older version from Netgear several years ago and it works very well with my game consoles and computers. You can purchase adapters at Amazon: NETGEAR Powerline AV 200 Adapter Kit
Now that you have your PC hooked up to your TV, my next post will tell you how you can access video podcasts on just about any subject. Food, Politics, Sports and even online college courses are just a click away!
If you still have a standard definition television, you're going to run into trouble getting content to your TV. There is no easy way to get the output of your PC to your TV without converter equipment. But, if you're dropping two or three premium channels to basic cable level of service, you can make the investment in a new HDTV and use the money you save to pay for it. At this time of year you'll probably get a great deal on a TV at Best Buy: This week's TV and home theater offers at BestBuy.com
To connect your PC to your HDTV you will need a VGA cable and a stereo audio patch cord. The audio cord would connect to the audio output of the PC to the stereo input which is normally located next to the VGA connector on the TV. If your PC supports HDMI output, all you would need is a single HDMI cable. HDMI provides digital video and audio so you won't need additional cable.
If your home network is wireless, you should be all set to connect to the internet and start streaming content. Be aware that you may run into video quality issues streaming content this way. To avoid that you should use a wired connection into your PC. If your modem or router is in another part of the house, you don't have to run cable. Netgear makes a device that allows you to use the wiring in your home as a network. Powerline ethernet is very effective in extending your internet connection. I use an older version from Netgear several years ago and it works very well with my game consoles and computers. You can purchase adapters at Amazon: NETGEAR Powerline AV 200 Adapter Kit
Now that you have your PC hooked up to your TV, my next post will tell you how you can access video podcasts on just about any subject. Food, Politics, Sports and even online college courses are just a click away!
Monday, November 15, 2010
How I save money on cable TV
We made the decision to change our service to basic cable because we needed to save money. We were down to a single income and couldn't afford to keep our premium channels. This is our current set up now.
We have a HDTV in our living room. Connected to it we have a Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3 (PS3). I play video games more than I watch television. I have a Gold level membership on Xbox Live that costs me $60 a year. With that I have access to Netflix, ESPN3, Last.fm and the Zune Marketplace. The Zune Marketplace will allow me to stream HD rentals of movies to my TV. Rentals are paid with Microsoft Points. 1600 points is about 20 dollars and most HD rentals are 480 points. I can do Netflix streaming from my PS3 for free. If I wanted true 1080p streaming, the PS3 is my only option as I don't have a HDMI output on my Xbox 360. Based on my network configuration, the streaming quality is better on my 360. I also have MLB.tv on my PS3 and Hulu Plus is available for PS3 currently. I don't subscribe to either as I don't watch that much baseball or broadcast TV.
My HDTV has a VGA input so I could use it as a monitor for my PC. I can leverage this input to watch basketball on TNT through NBA Overdrive. By running my laptop into TV anything I can watch on the web would be available on my TV. Some folks have a home theater PC (HTPC) just for this purpose. The great benefit of this is that you can access anything on the web as well as movies on DVD or blu-ray depending on your configuration. The downside is that you need a well ventilated space for the HTPC. If you have free space near your TV you should consider this option.
My next post will talk about Netflix as an option for streaming movies and TV shows to your TV. It's an excellent service and very affordable. Thanks for reading!
We have a HDTV in our living room. Connected to it we have a Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3 (PS3). I play video games more than I watch television. I have a Gold level membership on Xbox Live that costs me $60 a year. With that I have access to Netflix, ESPN3, Last.fm and the Zune Marketplace. The Zune Marketplace will allow me to stream HD rentals of movies to my TV. Rentals are paid with Microsoft Points. 1600 points is about 20 dollars and most HD rentals are 480 points. I can do Netflix streaming from my PS3 for free. If I wanted true 1080p streaming, the PS3 is my only option as I don't have a HDMI output on my Xbox 360. Based on my network configuration, the streaming quality is better on my 360. I also have MLB.tv on my PS3 and Hulu Plus is available for PS3 currently. I don't subscribe to either as I don't watch that much baseball or broadcast TV.
My HDTV has a VGA input so I could use it as a monitor for my PC. I can leverage this input to watch basketball on TNT through NBA Overdrive. By running my laptop into TV anything I can watch on the web would be available on my TV. Some folks have a home theater PC (HTPC) just for this purpose. The great benefit of this is that you can access anything on the web as well as movies on DVD or blu-ray depending on your configuration. The downside is that you need a well ventilated space for the HTPC. If you have free space near your TV you should consider this option.
My next post will talk about Netflix as an option for streaming movies and TV shows to your TV. It's an excellent service and very affordable. Thanks for reading!
Monday, November 8, 2010
An Important Note on Bandwidth Usage
The way that I was able to save money on my cable bill was to drop my cable service down to the lowest level. I didn't think I would miss the programming because I had other means to get the shows and other things my family would want to see. Leveraging my internet service to get those things has helped fill the gap. However, I want to make you aware of some restrictions that may impact your decision to go the route I went.
Cable and Satellite providers that also offer internet access may have limits on how much data can be consumed by a customer. The measurement of this is considered bandwidth. Some providers have very low limits, others are more generous. Those that have limits, charge a fee for going over the limit. I strongly suggest you talk to your internet service provider to understand what your limits are and ask how much are the overage fees, if any. Comcast is my internet service provider and they offer a 250 GB limit per month. They say that over 90 percent of their customers don't come close to the limit. My family consumes on average 50GB a month; this includes downloading files and playing online games as well as streaming video. Verizon FIOS does not have any limits on bandwidth, however the service is only available in limited areas.
In addition to bandwidth limits, you will want to consider the speed of your connection. The faster the connection, the better the video quality. If you have a DSL connection, you may run into issues with smooth playback of high definition streams.
For information, visit the New America Foundation website for an August 2009 article that identifies the bandwidth caps that are in place at the largest US cable internet providers.
Cable and Satellite providers that also offer internet access may have limits on how much data can be consumed by a customer. The measurement of this is considered bandwidth. Some providers have very low limits, others are more generous. Those that have limits, charge a fee for going over the limit. I strongly suggest you talk to your internet service provider to understand what your limits are and ask how much are the overage fees, if any. Comcast is my internet service provider and they offer a 250 GB limit per month. They say that over 90 percent of their customers don't come close to the limit. My family consumes on average 50GB a month; this includes downloading files and playing online games as well as streaming video. Verizon FIOS does not have any limits on bandwidth, however the service is only available in limited areas.
In addition to bandwidth limits, you will want to consider the speed of your connection. The faster the connection, the better the video quality. If you have a DSL connection, you may run into issues with smooth playback of high definition streams.
For information, visit the New America Foundation website for an August 2009 article that identifies the bandwidth caps that are in place at the largest US cable internet providers.
Saving money sounds great, but what is the catch?
You're probably wondering how this works. Saving money painlessly? $100 dollars a month? Really? Is this legal?
In a nutshell: This is painless! And more importantly legal! What you save on your bill is related to how much you're currently spending now. For example, we were spending $165 a month on internet services, leased cable modem, preferred digital cable, two premium channels and a sports package because I love NFL Network. By dropping down to basic cable and keeping the internet service, we are paying $64 a month.
Does this mean I have a way to keep all my channels and still save money? No. Stealing cable is illegal and I am not endorsing any means of circumventing the controls set in place by cable or satellite providers. Can I get Pay Per View television events like boxing? Not all events, but there are other legal means to order events that you can watch on TV. Don't I miss the NFL Network? Yes, I do. But there are ways for me to get my NFL fix, legally, on my TV.
In a nutshell, I am able to stream video to my television from the internet. I have access to thousands of movies, hundreds of shows that my kids can watch on demand and sports on demand via ESPN.
I started this blog to share with you how you can do the same thing. You probably have everything you need at home; if not I'll provide links to products that will help. If you'd like you can purchase these items from these links; my wife and kids thank you in advance for that.
In a nutshell: This is painless! And more importantly legal! What you save on your bill is related to how much you're currently spending now. For example, we were spending $165 a month on internet services, leased cable modem, preferred digital cable, two premium channels and a sports package because I love NFL Network. By dropping down to basic cable and keeping the internet service, we are paying $64 a month.
Does this mean I have a way to keep all my channels and still save money? No. Stealing cable is illegal and I am not endorsing any means of circumventing the controls set in place by cable or satellite providers. Can I get Pay Per View television events like boxing? Not all events, but there are other legal means to order events that you can watch on TV. Don't I miss the NFL Network? Yes, I do. But there are ways for me to get my NFL fix, legally, on my TV.
In a nutshell, I am able to stream video to my television from the internet. I have access to thousands of movies, hundreds of shows that my kids can watch on demand and sports on demand via ESPN.
I started this blog to share with you how you can do the same thing. You probably have everything you need at home; if not I'll provide links to products that will help. If you'd like you can purchase these items from these links; my wife and kids thank you in advance for that.
What would you do with an extra $100 a month?
My wife and I are a two income family who recently found themselves down to one income. With four small kids in the house, a 5 year old and 3 year old triplets, we can't afford to have my wife go back to work. But we had to make some changes with a 40% drop in income.
Once change that we made that was surprisingly painless was dropping our premium cable channels. We were actually going to drop cable altogether but we have a pretty good deal on a bundle through our cable provider. For only $2 more a month get to keep our internet access and basic cable. Yes, we could have skipped basic cable but $2 a month is worth it compared to having to deal with the hassle of installing an antenna.
Since we made the change, we learned one very important thing. We should have done this a long time ago! A lot of what we enjoy watching is on broadcast TV. What's more is that we are watching it in HD; we didn't have that option with our regular digital cable box.
We are now saving $100 a month painlessly. Through this blog I am going to share how you can do this too. If you're looking to save some money, then you're in the right place!
What would you do with an extra $100 a month?
Once change that we made that was surprisingly painless was dropping our premium cable channels. We were actually going to drop cable altogether but we have a pretty good deal on a bundle through our cable provider. For only $2 more a month get to keep our internet access and basic cable. Yes, we could have skipped basic cable but $2 a month is worth it compared to having to deal with the hassle of installing an antenna.
Since we made the change, we learned one very important thing. We should have done this a long time ago! A lot of what we enjoy watching is on broadcast TV. What's more is that we are watching it in HD; we didn't have that option with our regular digital cable box.
We are now saving $100 a month painlessly. Through this blog I am going to share how you can do this too. If you're looking to save some money, then you're in the right place!
What would you do with an extra $100 a month?
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