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Old 04-21-2014, 10:49 PM   #21
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I wanted to give everyone an update as to what I ended up doing. All your comments/feedback/input helped in my search for a cable-less solution!

I still do subscribe to Hulu+.

I got an AverTV (which is a TV tuner for the computer that works with Windows Media Center that comes free with Windows7) and a channel changing remote (this remote sealed the deal for me since I didn't want to be going to my computer every time I needed to skip commercials, etc.)

Amazon.com: Avertv Hybrid Volar Max TV Tuner Kit for Windows MTVHVMXSK: Electronics

Amazon.com: Ortek Windows 7 Vista XP Media Center MCE PC Remote Control and Infrared Receiver for Home, Premium and Ultimate Edition: Electronics

I stream the antenna picked up TV shows (Indoor antenna fromt Costco) via HMDI cable from my computer(Windows Media Center and AverTV tuner) to my TV, and with a remote, I can change the channels, pause, etc from my couch. It's sort like having a Tivo, except I can only record one show at a time.

So whatever the TV shows not available on Hulu+ (ie. The Good Wife (current season), Ellen (not just clips)), I can record it on my computer via AverTV/antenna.

I was initially thinking of getting a DVR, but this cheaper setup ($56 for the AverTV and $12 for the remote, plus the cost of the HDMI cable (I already had the HDMI cable..)) works great for me.

And... (drum roll pleeeze...) I have cut the cable!!
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Old 04-21-2014, 11:28 PM   #22
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Congrats! Great solution! And for another $56 and a cable splitter, you can upgrade to a second recording channel if you wish.
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Old 04-22-2014, 08:02 AM   #23
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I may look more closely into Hulu. There are a lot of internet-based options these days, including simply watching the latest episodes of your favorite shows the next day on the network's website. A lot of old-time classics are available for free in youtube or other video aggregator sites.

The trouble for many, including myself, is that there are no good options for internet providers. I have to rely on the local cable monopoly (Time Warner). When they almost doubled the price of my service overnight without notifying me, the best I could do was call to cancel the TV portion of my package since I needed to keep the internet piece. I did find that they were willing to make a deal with me though so I kept the basic local channels and upgraded my internet speed at lower overall cost than I had originally.

It will be interesting to see how the cable industry shakes out in the next few years but I suspect they will maintain virtual monopoly control over internet service in many markets.
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Old 04-22-2014, 08:54 AM   #24
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Some recent info on cutting the cord:

Quote:
A new report from Experian Marketing Services, a consumer data services firm, says that about 6.5% of American households have cut the cable cord, meaning they've canceled their cable or satellite television subscriptions while keeping high-speed Internet services. That's about 7.6 million homes that are doing without cable television service, up from 4.5%, or 5.1 million homes back in 2010.
Quote:
In any household that includes at least one member of the millennial generation, the 18 to 34 age group, the figure rises to 12.4%, from 4.5% in 2010.

In any household that has a subscription to Netflix or Hulu, the figure rises to 18.1%, from 12.7% in 2010.
Quote:
The key, not surprisingly, is streaming video. Those who watch video on any device -- phone, tablet, or television -- are much more likely than others to eliminate cable television service.

But interestingly, the final deciding factor in cutting off cable television service is getting that big screen in the living room hooked up to the Internet.
Minyanville: Cord cutting trend is not Comcast's friend
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Old 04-22-2014, 09:28 AM   #25
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Companies like Time Warner, Comcast, etc. that have both bandwidth and pay TV will simply raise their profit in internet/bandwidth to offset losses in profit on the pay TV side.

I'm curious if anyone has found a reliable way to watch sports (soccer, for example) without CATV?
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Old 04-22-2014, 09:34 AM   #26
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Originally Posted by someguy View Post

I'm curious if anyone has found a reliable way to watch sports (soccer, for example) without CATV?
The picture quality isn't all that good but here are a couple of sites you might try:

feed2all Live Football Stream | Watch Live Football Online | Live Soccer Stream
Wiziwig.tv | Live sports schedules. Watch free streams and the best sports events live on your pc.
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Old 04-22-2014, 10:14 AM   #27
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Comcast reported subscriber growth for their most recent quarter today. First time in a couple of years.

You can only hope Google Fiber will push other companies to deploy more fiber. AT&T made an announcement the other day, though it may not be serious, about 100 markets where they could roll out their Giga service.

Fiber would certainly make it easier to cut the cord. Or, GF seems to price about the same (for a bundle with TV) as others but just give you a lot more speed.
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Old 04-22-2014, 03:07 PM   #28
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Plex is free...
At some point, everyone will have some form of Plex. Not much interest here on ER, but I love it... especially the free part, and casting from my PC.
Plex gives me free same day news and many shows from 4 major networks, PBS, History Channel and A&E. I confess, I still have DirecTV, but am thinking future.

Another thought is sharing (legally)... Netflix, or Amazon Prime. I share with one son 300 miles away. Would guess that this sharing would be valid for Hulu, too, but don't know.
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Old 04-23-2014, 11:43 AM   #29
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Plex is free...
At some point, everyone will have some form of Plex. Not much interest here on ER, but I love it... especially the free part, and casting from my PC.
Plex gives me free same day news and many shows from 4 major networks, PBS, History Channel and A&E. I confess, I still have DirecTV, but am thinking future.

Another thought is sharing (legally)... Netflix, or Amazon Prime. I share with one son 300 miles away. Would guess that this sharing would be valid for Hulu, too, but don't know.
I was successfully using plex for a few things. Now, it stopped working on my Windows 7 computer because they started charging a fee -- the software says I must pay first to use it anymore. I spent a few minutes trying to figure it out and just gave up as I was too busy.

I had it set up to broadcast to a channel on my Roku 3 Box attached to my television

When I get the motivation, I will have to investigate. I don't mind paying something for the software, as long as it is a one time fee.
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