Cheaper Alternatives to Cable/Satellite TV

Live without cable or satellite TV? There are options, if you dare.

Apr. 03, 2009 — by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

At one time or another, we’ve all complained about our cable or satellite bill. But for most of us, it’s become a necessity like car insurance - something that gets squeezed into the budget.

According to the FCC, the average monthly home cable bill is about $85. That might be a fair deal, if you had the time or desire to watch the 200 channels in your package.

If haggling customer service reps at Comcast or DirecTV isn’t working and money is getting too tight, there are other ways to get your prime-time fix minus the $1,000 annual tab.

OTA (Over the Air)
That’s right - get an antenna. You http://www.electronichouse.com/article/over_the_air_hdtv_the_free_alternative” title=“get HDTV for free”>get HDTV for free. And you don’t need to install a giant antenna on your roof to get it. Check with AntennaWeb.org for channel availability and tower proximity in your area.

Quick story for the doubters: I used a $70 indoor antenna to get great OTA HD on a small TV in order to watch a Celtics playoff game which coincided with a family birthday party held in a condo clubhouse. Needless to say, I was more excited than my wife.

Network Web Sites
All four major networks (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC) offer most of their programming online. Some even provide HD. For more details like what each network offers and how its offered, check out our http://www.electronichouse.com/article/complete_guide_to_watching_your_favorite_shows_online/” title=“Complete Guide to Watching Your Favorite Shows Online”>Complete Guide to Watching Your Favorite Shows Online.

Hulu
Hulu is a completely free to use, advertising-supported, video streaming site which allows you to watch/download films and TV episodes on your computer. I visited the Hulu site for the first time while researching this article. Within two minutes, I was watching an episode of “Celebrity Apprentice.” It’s that easy. Here’s what you get with Hulu:

Hulu brings together a large selection of videos from more than 130 content providers, including FOX, NBC Universal, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros. and more. Users can choose from more than 1000 current primetime TV hits such as The Simpsons, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Office the morning after they air, classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The A Team, Airwolf and Married…with Children, movies like Men in Black, Ghostbusters, and The Karate Kid, and clips from Saturday Night Live, Friends and other popular TV shows and movies.

Other sites such as Joost and Fancast offer similiar services. You can also rent from Amazon on Demand and iTunes.

Netflix
With an unlimited subscription plan (prices vary from $8.99 to $23.99 monthly), Netflix allows you to exchange DVDs of movies/TV series as often as you want, and watch instantly on your computer. You can take it a bit further with the Roku set-top box. Buy the box for $99 and stream your choices right to the TV. You can also sync up with Netflix on Xbox and certain TiVo boxes (read: The Netflix Invasion). Netflix claims to have more than 100,000 titles in its DVD library.

Conclusion
Cutting the cable/satellite cord isn’t for everyone. Sports junkies are really screwed because of the lack of alternatives for watching live games. All the major sports offer live game streaming, but with major restrictions. The NFL and NBA online “season passes” are not available in the U.S. For a subscription, MLB and the NHL provide access to every game, except for your local team.

There are many more options for streaming video; Vudu, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation3 to name a few. But with these devices priced upwards of $200, I didn’t consider them viable options for the goal - which is cutting costs.

Do you watch your favorite programs without cable or satellite? Let us know in the comments below.

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