In December 2009, I did some analysis and I found that it was possible to cancel cable and purchase a new TV and media center equipment every 3 years (assuming OTA and internet TV stays free)… so I did.
This idea was driven mainly by frustration with the ever-changing Time Warner Cable bill and the fact that we had paid over $480.00 over 5 years for a rented HD DVR box (how much do you think TWC is making renting these boxes?).
Requirements
- HD TV with DVR
- Major networks for live events and prime time programming (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX)
- Additional programming (like Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Food Network, etc…)
- High speed internet
- No installation or equipment rental fees
Budget
- $100/month (average Time Warner Cable bill)
I decided to go with over-the-air HD for network television (41 channels in Raleigh, NC). I went through a couple different antennas, but found a good one with Terk.
I went with an amplified Terk for our main TV and a cheaper RCA for the bedroom. Tivo HD (now Tivo Premiere) with the service plan got us the local guide for OTA programming and DVR.
Samsung 50″ 720p Series 4 Plasma (PN50C450)
$799.99
Tivo HD +Antenna (Now Tivo Premiere)
$299.99
Tivo Service plan
$10.75/month ($129.00 annual payment)
Over-the-air high definition
“Free” – does anyone know how to calculate how much per taxpayer goes to support free OTA programming?
Terk Omni-directional amplified flat digital antenna
$59.99
RCA Basic flat antenna
$29.99
Additional Programming
To get traditional “cable” shows like “Dirty Jobs” or “Man vs. Food”, I decided to get a Mac Mini. The Mac Mini consumes low energy, has a very small footprint for our single tier entertainment center and has additional functionality (beyond just internet TV) like iPhoto for slideshows, iTunes for music and DVD. We also subscribed to Netflix for movies which is available on Tivo and Mac Mini. We have found that internet TV content is updated and allows us to watch stuff that we would have missed anyway.
Mac Mini
$599.99
Monoprice Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter
$8.55
Monoprice 3.5mm to RCA
$3.40
Netflix (streaming, DVD delivery and Tivo integration)
$8.99/month
Hulu.com with Hulu Desktop, TV.com, Boxee
Free
High Speed Internet
I tried Clear.com for high speed internet; but it didn’t work for me (after a 2 week trial). I’ll save this for a separate post. Ended up going with Earthlink for cable internet (this is actually served by Time Warner Cable, but I felt better ordering online with Earthlink.)
Earthlink Cable Internet
$29.95/month
Summary
Total equipment costs: $1,801.90
Equipment over 36 months: $50.05
Total monthly recurring: $49.69
Approximate total monthly: $99.74
We watch mostly network TV (CBS, NBC, etc…) so this works well for us. OTA HDTV is very reliable with a good antenna, but does fall apart some on very windy days. We’ve been using this setup for 6 months and OTA HDTV has ~98% availability.
OTA Resources
http://yourfreedtv.com/Raleigh/
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11249_7-6264597-1.html
http://www.nab.org/
http://www.dtv.gov/
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, dude you have been hard at it. Great info for when I decide to make the switch (soon).
Great bolg!
I too learned to live without cable and Tivo, and it was a learning experience for me also. I finally arrived at an alternative that is working for me – I attached a cable from my large screen TV to a “Dedicated Media Center PC” that I put together myself for around $500 and lots of research time.
The key to all this was the discovery that most versions of Microsoft Windows 7 PC software already have “Media Center” built-in. Media Center has two very cool features: “Internet TV” and “Live TV”, the latter allows me to record and watch all the local and network programming available in my area; quite a lot of is in high definition – clearer than cable. It also comes with a full-fledged “TV Guide” that automatically downloads and updates a 2-week program schedule every night.
I did have to add a $59 TV Tuner card to my dedicated PC, and I attached it to my old UHF rooftop antenna. I can now can receive 39 local channels, free. Best of all (for me), I added a remote control that allows me to sit back and control almost everything from my sofa.
I am also learning more out about all the TV programming available on the internet, about apps like Hulu and Boxee, and that iTunes has 1000’s of free podcasts you can subscribe to.
No, I don’t miss cable at all! I wrote up my experiences on my blog: http://technocatsblog.blogspot.com/