Day 1

Before I get into my personal experience with cutting the cable I'd like to share a little bit about myself and my reasons for killing my cable bill once and for all.


Let's begin with the obvious - cable is expensive these days! I recently began looking for cable in my area and noticed that the all of the the service providers were offering excessively overpriced packages upwards of $165/mo. for cable, internet, home phone, HBO, Showtime, and DVR. Oh, also you can get a bunch of free stuff you don't actually need or really want for that matter.

The problem for me is I only want a few things, but the cable companies don't allow for unique customization for programming packages.

So what do I really want?
-The basic cable channels
-TLC
-HGTV
-BRAVO
-E!
-HBO only for TrueBlood
-Showtime only for Dexter
-DVR
-10+Mbps internet
...and that's it!

I don't think that the few things I want should cost upwards of $165/mo., but it does because I can't get Bravo with the most basic packages, so I have to pay an additional fee for just Bravo. Then the premium channels cost anywhere from $10-$15/mo. for both, but I am really only watching a few TV shows. And of course, I have to have DVR because it's like a microwave, and once you've had one you can't go back. But DVR is typically an additional $15/mo. So now it's pretty clear why I am hemorrhaging my paycheck on cable.

I spoke with my stepfather, the resident techie in the family, about cutting expensive cable out of my life for good and he gave me some suggestions, one of which was to start a blog to document my experiences. In part, because he wants to see how my "experiment" goes and if killing cable can feasibly be done, and also in part to give others insight through my personal experience.

So here we are. Day 1.

Digital Video Player:
There are many types of digital video players available including: Google TV, Apple TV, Boxee Box, Roku, Xbox, PS3, etc. They all have different specs but my needs were simple. I needed Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora and Amazon TV apps all for a reasonable price.

I picked the Roku because it met all of my needs and was only $99. I just ordered the Roku XDS for my HDTV and it should be here in about a week so I will blog more as I set my Roku up. Also, right now Roku has a deal going to try Hulu Plus for a month for free, so I can see if it's worth the low price of $7.99/mo. :)

Antenna:
My tech-savvy stepfather also recommended I purchase a HD antenna because I can actually get HD basic cable for FREE. FREE. This isn't your grandma's antenna either.

I purchased the RCA ANT1650 Flat Digital Amplified Indoor TV Antenna for $43.88 on amazon.com. The price is almost twice as much as other antennae out there, but to be honest, I want something that looks good sitting on my TV stand.

Subscriptions:
As I mentioned earlier, I am subscribing to two services. Netflix and Hulu Plus. I am paying roughly $15/mo for Netflix DVDs and instant streaming to my Roku. You can get Netflix for about $10/mo if you want one DVD at a time, but I wanted 2 at a time.

Hulu Plus allows you to watch full seasons of TV shows at your leisure for about $8/mo. Unfortunately there is no CBS. So if you love HIMYM and Big Bang Theory like I do, you want CBS. Which is why an antenna is essential for me.

Internet:
As you can imagine, with all of this downloading and streaming on the internet you're going to need a substantial amount of bandwidth. My stepfather suggested a minimum of 10Mbps. I got a deal from Comcast Xfinity of $50/mo for 12 months of 22Mbps. That may seem like a lot, but $22Mbps typically would run you anywhere from $75-$100/mo.

The Math:

One time fees-
$100 Roku
$50   Antenna
$150

Monthly Fees-
$55  Internet and Modem Rental
$15  Netflix
$8    Hulu Plus
$78

I realize this number is without regular taxes and fees, but if I can enjoy all the cable I want for $78/mo, why would I pay $165?