by John Calian |
Link to this article
Topics:
BitTorrent |
Boxee |
Comcast |
Netflix |
OTA |
TiVo
It's been 12 months without Comcast cable, and we are still alive. Before this past year, we paid Comcast over $140/month for all the HD channels they had, HBO, Jon Stewart, sports galore, etc. At most, we watched 2-3 hours a day, 4-5 days a week. (6 month checkin is here).
Comcast has a great service, and all the content available covers everything you could want. But really, we only consumed so little of what was offered. So, we decided to cut the cord, and rely on Over The Air (OTA) programming and what the internet had to offer. Lots of folks have done the same thing, and companies like Hulu, Boxee, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, etc, are paying attention.
Certainly there are some days we miss Comcast, such as when we need a Jon Stewart fix, the French Open or some other sports event, or watching a series on HBO and hating to wait the extra day to pay for the episode on Amazon or iTunes (for whatever reason, you cannot download an episode the day it airs on cable; I would love for this to change). Yet, we have refrained from turning it back on, and stuck to our guns.
But, we have some new conclusions I will share.
First, I'll explain the setup we had:
Hardware
- HDTV (previously a Samsung Plasma, currently a Sony LCD HDTV)
- TiVO HD receiver
- HD OTA indoor antenna
- Macbook Pro laptop
- wired internet connection (using Comcast as the ISP)
- iPhone as a remote
Software
- Mac OSX
- Boxee
- Netflix**
- Amazon
- TiVo
- Bittorrent
- iTunes
- Logitech iPhone remote keyboard and mouse
- Boxee iPhone app
**After around month 8, we stopped paying for Netflix. We simply did not use it much, and spent most of the time simply browsing their site. Lastly, the selection is just not that great, and you cannot get new TV shows.
Conclusions:
One time or Season pass purchasing with Amazon and iTunes. Amazon has a great service and we have purchased movies and shows with little issue. Plus, the new Sony TV we have has the ability to stream Amazon (and other content) right to the TV.
iTunes (until very recently) forced you to download items before viewing, Amazon does not with the right hardware. And, everything runs thru iTunes... which is OK, but I prefer Amazon as it doesnt make me feel so glued to its client software, its more about the content.
TiVo HD box works great, Amazon, Blockbuster and Netflix are all integrated now. But, you have to download shows/movies first, then watch. It costs $14/month for the recording of shows. You dont need to pay this for Amazon, etc.
OTA HD (using the antenna) content is fine, plenty to watch, and using the TiVo to record this works great.
Bittorrent allows you to download anything you want, and occasionally we use it, but it tests your ethical limits :)
Hulu is OK, ESPN 3 is OK, and other internet content providers are OK.
Boxee is great software, very sophisticated, and really the only perfect way to watch what you collect from Bittorrent (or any other method to grab content from the abyss). Of all the things I've learned this last year, using Boxee has been the best experience. Its free software (not sure how they plan to make money...) and I will be happy to grow with their evolution. I run Boxee on the Macbook Pro (and if I ever get an Apple TV, I'll do the same)
iPhone as a remote is OK at best. There is more often than not lag when using the Logitech App, and maybe its just the app. The Boxee App is very good. A dedicated device like the Logitech Mini Dinovo would be sweet.
Bottom Line: You cannot duplicate the Comcast (cable) experience; but if you want to save money, you can and still have a wide choice of entertainment. And saving money is what it comes down to. Without cable television, we still have MORE THAN ENOUGH content to watch; using Amazon or iTunes we can rent movies and television shows, with Bit torrent you can download at your own peril, and Over The Air free TV still works, perfectly, in high definition.
Added bonus: I have read more books this year than in the previous 5 combined.
