Last week I posted a question on Twitter & Facebook asking if anyone had bought a Roku or Apple TV player. I got all sorts of feedback, and it didn’t take long before I was at Fry’s Electronics buying a Roku. They were the only location in town that carried their XD|S version.
I called my cable company and told them I wanted an Internet-only option. They tried to offer me all sorts of discount to keep my cable and phone, but I was persistent and talked them down to $55 a month for high-speed Internet. That’s $116 less per month than I was paying!
The Roku has channels that provide us with plenty to watch. We have a Netflix account and a Hulu Plus account, so we’re able to see all of the shows that we watched (just a day later when they’re online).
I’ll miss live sports, but I’ll use ESPN3.com for some of that. I’ll probably buy the NBA Game Time feature and get 40+ live games a week.
I’ll miss CNN, but I can always use their website too.
I’ve got Pandora playing right now, which is a nice break from the TV.
My router died today, after about 8 years of use, so I went and bought a new Netgear router that’s even faster than my last one.
So I’m done with cable, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. I can think of 500 better things to do with $116 every month, and I don’t feel like I’m missing much.
You can find some more great info about making the switch away from cable HERE and HERE.
Tags: apple tv, roku, television
http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2011/03/the-friend-who-brags-about-not-owning-a-tv-but-watches-hulu/
This is me.
Unless cable adapts and changes their pricing structures, more and more people will continue to do the same. It’s an absolute rip off.
Tyler, I hope you’re right! Eric, you sold your TV?
No, just got rid of cable almost a year ago and do Netflix only. But I think that Acuff post is pretty funny. I always playfully act all holy – “Yeah, I got rid of cable a while ago.” But we still watch tv, just on netflix. I miss sports but I watch big games at friend’s houses or wherever. It’s better for community and I’m not zoned out watching sports and ignoring my girls.