In 2008, I wrote this article:
Alternative to buying DVDs, Blu-rays, & even Cable TV w/ HTPC and online streaming video . With a lot of people I know ditching cable, I wanted to revisit this topic and review your many different options. Five years ago, I expected that every home would have a computer attached to it and we would be using that to view all our content. I never expected that mobile devices would be our primary device to the internet. With all the advances in SmartTVs, DVRs, Rokus, etc - I think the best device you can buy at the moment is a
Google's Chromecast
which will unlock your mobile devices potential on the big screen.
Ditching your home internet provider
I've seen home internet bills from $34.99 to $52.99. If you use a mobile device most of the time, then why spend that much when you can buy an 4G mobile enabled device and use the internet anywhere you go. Combine it with a Chromecast and a Hulu Plus or Netflix account and you are set with your TV watching (see below). The two carriers I recommend for your mobile use is T-Mobile and Verizon.
Who I recommend ditching home internet providers (only one of these requirements need to be met)
- Households of less than three
- Light internet usage (less than 2GB of data/mo)
- Majority internet usage on a mobile device (i.e. iPad, tablet, smartphone)
T-Mobile
- I recommend this for your single household.
- Less money down
- Devices
- iPad Air 16GB 10.1" Tablet w/ 2.5GB of data ($56/mo) - link
- Nexus 7 16GB 7" Tablet w/ 2.5GB of data ($46/mo) - link
- Note III 32GB 5.5" Phone w/ Unlimited data ($99/mo) - link (I recommend this for Netflix, Hulu, & NBA League Pass users)
- HP ENVY TouchSmart 14-k110nr Sleekbook
($799 w/ 2 years free 200mb/mo)
Verizon
- I recommend this if you are a current Verizon subscriber or if you need Verizon's excellent coverage area in your home.
- This is perfect for a household of two with low data usage. Verizon allows you to share your data plan so $30 4GB plan + $10 Tablet access + $10 Tablet access = $50 month for two lines.
- I don't recommend Verizon if you plan on streaming a ton of videos from Netflix or Hulu on your mobile device.
- Devices
- iPad Air 16gb 10.1" w/ 4GB of data ($529 down + $40/mo) - link
- Samsung Galaxy® Tab 2 8GB 10.1" w/ 4GB of data ($249 down + $40/mo) - link
FreedomPop
- I recommend this if you have light internet usage and an existing tablet or mobile device.
- Devices
- Freedom Spot Overdrive Pro (Refurbished) w/ 500mb of rollover data ($59.99 down + $7.98/mo) - link
- Freedom Spot Overdrive Pro (Refurbished) w/ 2GB of data ($59.99 down + $19.99/mo) - link
Ditching your cable/satellite provider
I was amazed at how much my family members' were spending on their cable, internet, and mobile bills. When I ask them why they pay so much, they usually say they need it to either 1) watch sports or 2) watch the Filipino channel. I will try to show you some alternatives to save you guys some money.
Streaming Movies and TV
Five years later your two major providers for online content are still Netflix or Hulu Plus. This is from my article 2008:
Netflix. Instead of paying $25 for the one new Blu-Ray, rent it instead for $8.99/mo... also allows you to stream movies directly to your computer. Advertising more than 40,000 movies to watch instantly, it has most of the movies in my DVD collection
Hulu. This is my alternative to TV DVD collections and DVRs. Fox, NBC, & USA have teamed up to provide web surfers the ultimate in streaming video...
in 2013:
OTA HDTV
Most network stations, ABC, NBC, CW, & CBS provide Over-The-Air (OTA) Content to your HDTV tuner for free. All you need is an DTV antenna and you can pick up most of those channels. Please check out this website to see what channels are available in your area:
Antennaweb.org
Antennae
Depending on the type of antenna that you have, you can:
- Connect one antenna to each HDTV
- Get one powerful antenna (and an amplifier) and connect it to your existing cable tv wiring to use with all the tvs in your house.
- Use one antenna to stream to your home network and watch TV on any (2) computers or mobile devices using SiliconDust HDHomeRun HDHR3-US
. This will also turn any Windows Media Center or XBMC enabled PC into your own personal DVR.
Sports Channel Streaming Alternatives
Filipino Channel Streaming Alternatives
to archive simple PDF files (it's not a great scanner, but I got it dirt cheap). Will work with many TWAIN and WIA enabled scanners to archive documents.
$40 
$25
