A lot of people have experimented with getting rid of cable or satellite, preferring to buy and rent TV shows and movies from the likes of iTunes and Netflix. Such services don’t come close to matching the depth, breadth and immediacy of cable offerings, but unlike cable, they let users pay for only the shows they want to watch.
Cutting the cord isn’t for everyone, but if you have a handful of favorite TV shows, don’t mind waiting 24 hours to see them, and don’t mind putting forth some effort, you can do it.
List the TV series you can’t live without. If you go without cable, plan how you will find out about new shows to check out (friends? Facebook?) and how you’ll watch those shows if they are unavailable through the Internet TV box you buy. And prepare to make some compromises.
How it works
*You get a small box, such as an Apple TV ($99; apple.com/appletv), Roku ($59.99-$99.99; roku.com) or Boxee Box from D-Link (about $199; boxee.net/buy).
*Connect the box to your TV via HDMI or standard cable, and hook up the box to your high-speed Internet connection via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable.
*On your Internet-connected computer or the Internet TV box, rent or buy TV shows and movies from a service such as Netflix (Apple TV, Boxee, Roku), Amazon (Roku), iTunes (Apple TV), Vudu (Boxee) or Hulu Plus (Roku).
*Through your TV, access your Netflix, iTunes or other account and play your shows and movies.
*Apple TV and Boxee can use Wi-Fi to play video from your computer
Pros:
*Pay only for the shows you watch, so it’s cheaper than cable if you don’t watch a lot of different shows (tack on monthly subscriptions of $5 to $10 for Hulu Plus and Netflix, respectively).
*Subscribing to or buying a season pass of a show is as easy as setting up your DVR to record multiple episodes.
*Your TV experience becomes even more social because you’re relying more on your friends for tips on new shows.
*Unlike a cable or satellite DVR, you’re not restricted to recording only two shows simultaneously.
*Netflix viewing and subscriptions have skyrocketed, meaning it likely will be around a while.
*Netflix has movies and past TV seasons, but usually no current TV episodes. Hulu Plus pretty much has current seasons with some exceptions. Amazon and iTunes have past and current episodes.
Cons:
*No live events, such as sports, Oscar telecasts and news.
*Not all networks and all shows are available.
*The popularity of Internet video is choking bandwidth for everything else the Internet has to offer, including Web surfing, Facebook updating, e-mailing and more. To compensate, Internet service providers might raise rates for high-bandwidth users — that would be you if you get your shows through Netflix, Amazon, et al. So your Internet bill might one day be as high as your cable bill is now.
*You’re essentially choosing, say, Vudu versus Amazon versus iTunes, which is tough to do when their prices and content can fluctuate, depending on their agreements with studios.
*The shows are available about 24 hours after they air on TV, so you have to warn your friends not to talk about a show you haven’t seen yet.
*The video is compressed, so full HD isn’t likely. But with rented and purchased shows, quality is still good — DVD-quality or better.
*When something fouls up, there’s no one to call for help. You must read manuals, search the Web for answers to your problems, wade through Web forums asking questions, checking back later to see if your questions have been answered. Meanwhile, your TV viewing is fouled up.
Apple TV
Pro: Of the three boxes we tested, it’s the easiest to set up and use.
Con: You can’t purchase iTunes video from Apple TV; you have to use your computer to buy content and stream it to the Apple TV.
Boxee Box from D-Link
Pro: Comes with a Web browser, easily bringing the Internet to your TV. That makes it best for those who don’t mind digging around for all the video the Web has to offer and watching it on the TV screen. Plus the Vudu movie service isn’t available on Apple TV or Roku.
Cons: Much of the content is actually a mere link to a website such as crackle.com, so you wind up using your TV to view Web video at Web resolution.
Roku
Pro: Amazon and Hulu Plus compare nicely to Apple TV’s iTunes. Hulu Plus lets you watch many current shows.
Cons: It can’t stream video from your computer, so that clip on your hard drive from grandma’s 80th birthday party? You can’t use Roku to play that on your TV.
What it takes to switch
*An indoor antenna that amplifies TV signals, such as the RCA 1440, around $40. It can lie flat on a table or hang on a wall and connects to your TV to bring in HDTV and other signals from nearby TV stations. Warning: Thunderstorms and other weather can affect how well signals come in, and your home’s construction, location and proximity to tall buildings or high terrain will affect the antenna’s performance. You might have to keep trying antennas until you find one that works. Bonus: Your HDTV signal is no longer being compressed by your cable/satellite box, so your picture will be awesome.
*High-speed Internet, for, let’s say, $50 a month.
*A subscription to Netflix ($7.99 a month) or Hulu Plus ($7.99 a month) or both (about $16 a month).
*An Internet TV box, such as the Apple TV, Roku or Boxee Box. It will display your subscription service on your TV. Your kids’ PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 (spend an extra $30 to $40 for the remote that works with these video game systems) will also work great, but good luck sharing it between the gamers and TV watchers in the house.
*A computer, preferably a laptop that will be in the same room as your TV and is connected to your Internet.
Should you switch?
In some ways, cable can actually be cheaper — and less of a headache — than going without. For instance, if you watch a lot of different TV shows, your cable bill will be cheaper than using Internet TV to subscribe to the shows you want to watch.
If you and the kids want to watch Internet TV at the same time, good luck: “Virtually nobody has enough bandwidth to do streaming to more than one device simultaneously,” points out David Wertheimer, CEO and executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California. “The ‘cord-cutting’ hype is totally overblown.”
