What is Digg?Sponsored by HowLifeWorks
How Private Online Shopping Clubs Work view!
howlifeworks.com - How to become a member and get discounts of up to 80% on must-have luxury goods
156 Comments
- str3ama, on 04/12/2009, -2/+43I've said it once and I'll say it again - the internet is definitely your friend amidst this recession - especially if you're willingly to get adventurous.
http://www.hulu.com - a staple for most, if you're in the US. Has lots of shows mostly nbc and fox
http://abc.go.com/player - HD Streaming of ABC shows
http://freetube.110mb.com - Live Streaming of Television Channels (mostly news channels and some other small channels)
http://www.surfthechannel.com - Excellent site for TV Shows
htttp://www.ninjavideo.net - Great for tv shows as well, but slightly annoying requires you to download some java plugin to watch
http://www.deezer.com - just throwing this one for the heck of it - free music streaming
http://www.thepiratebay.com - if you can't get the show you're looking for on the above sites, then just get the from TPB.
That's all you need to make your computer into a TV crushing monolith - the only caveat is the bandwidth limit that some ISPs are putting on users. Yet another reason to see the light and start supporting Net Neutrality, if you didn't already. - yano, on 04/11/2009, -3/+38I haven't paid for TV service in 3 years. Everything I want to watch is easily available on the Internet. The big problem these studios need to address is to provide an easy (legal) way to watch older shows. Good luck trying to find TV shows before 1999 on the Internet, besides torrent sites.
- BossKey, on 04/11/2009, -2/+32Buying new hardware may not be necessary. I do this with a laptop hooked up to the widescreen, a laptop that became spare after I upgraded. I watch more TV on that than on broadcast.
- FoxOrian, on 04/12/2009, -0/+23Laptops with broken screens, [especially macbooks,] make great media computers. You can buy one for cheap, and if you have some mechanical savvyness [like following an iFixit guide,] you can remove the screen and use just the lower-half itself hooked up to your TV, so it's only outputting video through the VGA connection. Nice part is that it can slide into a shelf just like a book.
I helped a friend make his MacBook Pro with a destroyed screen work again by removing it, since he didn't have the money to get a replacement. It was still a perfectly usable desktop system after that. Looks like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fox-orian/3178125194/ ... - behn1220, on 04/12/2009, -1/+18I canceled my cable TV service a little over a year ago and have relied solely on legal streams and NNTP for every show my wife and I care about. I couldn't be happier with that decision. It is amazing what happens when you don't have 150+ mindless channels to watch that you don't even WANT to watch. My wife and I read more, listen to music more, and generally get more ***** done than we would have if we turned on the TV and spent hour upon hour looking for something worthwhile on cable. Also, my 18 month old daughter has little interest in the TV because it is never on, so she spends more time being active and playing than most of the other kids her age and older that I know.
My call to the cable company to cancel cable was very entertaining. They really didn't know how to react to me telling them that I'm canceling my cable TV service so that I can instead watch TV for free over the internet with only a slight delay in programming and fewer commercials. :)
As a side note, I have refused to use BitTorrent as a solution since it is usually slow as *****, it slows my internet connection down to a crawl when I have an active torrent going, and I'd rather not leave my IP on a tracker somewhere waiting to be found be someone who doesn't like me. I've had several friends call me and say "Hey, I got this letter in the mail today from my ISP telling me I download %insert_show/movie_here% from a torrent and they will cancel my service if I do it again. Should I be worried?". I, of course, tell them to stop using BitTorrent because it is by design the furthest thing from an anonymous service and you can watch many of the shows that you download from torrents instantaneously from services like Hulu or directly from the network's website legally. Or use NNTP. That is all. - Mudbeast, on 04/12/2009, -1/+17DONT ***** TALK ABOUT USENET
- LightPhoenix, on 04/12/2009, -0/+14EZTV
- IIECONII, on 04/11/2009, -3/+17I want to cancel my non-cable TV subscription, but for an internet-only cable-plan, they charge you an extra $10 fee.
It costs me $15 currently for my TV(non-cable), so I would save $5/month for not having TV.
I suppose I'll keep my TV, that way if something big happens, I can see it quickly.
Although, I'm sure I could find the information on the internet just as fast... - linagee, on 04/12/2009, -0/+13Can I kill my cable company instead of my cable bill?
- flyerfanatic, on 04/12/2009, -0/+12not gonna be very helpful for time warner customers that are about to be slapped with ridiculous cap plans. gonna cost way to much.
- boulderomen, on 04/12/2009, -0/+12that looks awesome.
- mikeinto, on 04/12/2009, -3/+13"Thanks to services like Netflix, iTunes and Amazon On Demand"
Better yet, Hulu, usenet, and rapidshare. - Riggaberto, on 04/12/2009, -1/+11I like how in the first photo they show $1500 worth of devices you can use to reduce your cable bill.
- DeskFlyer, on 04/12/2009, -1/+10http://www.tvland.com/
- DrunkenSavior, on 04/12/2009, -1/+10Americans
- sartan, on 04/12/2009, -0/+9Too bad the internet has borders. Content owners are refusing to export the excellent TV shows they happily provide to foreign TV stations - Canadian users are out of luck with services like Hulu and Netflix-- although American advertisers will happily push Hulu commercials on our local streams! With no viable Canadian alternative, we're always looking for ways around geo-location and RTMP proxying. Short of full-on VPN, we're pretty much boned up here in the frozen north. *rolls eyes* And the industry wonders why people are torrenting television shows.
- IIECONII, on 04/12/2009, -0/+8To me...it IS only $5 when compared to the channels I get for that $5.
The marginal benefit (aka: marginal utility) of the non-cable subscription > that of $5, to me. - ElliotShoe, on 04/12/2009, -0/+8dude, you don't even need that =)
You can watch these streams even with some netbook form factor pcs! like that new Acer+Nvidia AspireRevo... - Adelhas, on 04/12/2009, -0/+7Yeah, Id love to do that, but here in Canada, bandwith caps are not a new thing; Ive never had a access to a good unlimited plan in my area, period. You dont go very far on 20Gb a month.
- AmusedToDeath, on 04/12/2009, -0/+7Saying you're going to get indefinite free tv via your cable provider's pipe is kind of like saying your going to get a free electric car from an oil company. It sounds great in theory, but most of us get our broadband internet access via a cable tv provider (Comcast or ATT). Believe me, what you guys are doing is not lost on them. They know they can't stay in business as a dumb pipe utility - there just isn't enough money in $40/month broadband subscriptions to make it worth their while. So these bandwidth caps they're "testing" right now are just the beginning. They're going to get the money one way or the other, whether it's through cable subscriptions or tiered internet pricing.
- dmbchris, on 04/12/2009, -0/+7my cable bill is only $15 and has like 100 channels (6 HD ones). I think that's a pretty good deal. I definitely supplement with Internet sourced TV via my popcornhour, but at that price I'm not giving up my instant gratification. Plus, there is no way to watch sports in HD online without paying a hefty subscription, and even then it's not really broadcast quality. The internet still has a little growing before it delivers good live video.
- stuffradio, on 04/12/2009, -0/+7"And for those viewers looking for current seasons of TV shows, they can turn to Web sites such as Hulu.com or TV.com."
Not for Canadians. - Mudbeast, on 04/12/2009, -0/+6You really have no idea what you can grab on the inernet, do you?
- inactive, on 04/12/2009, -0/+6Works right up until you bump into that bandwidth cap of your ISP.
- Barackalypse, on 04/12/2009, -0/+5For a guy that mostly likes premium cable shows like Rome and Deadwood and likes to watch them after the whole season is finished, paying $2.99 an episode on iTunes is no deal compared to just buying the DVD set. For example, one of my favorite cable shows was Rome. iTunes charges 2.99 an episode for it, or $35.88 for a 12 episode season, or I could just buy it on DVD for $29.99 and not have it crappily compressed and without any extras.
http://www.amazon.com/Rome-Complete-Season-Ciaran- ... - ThanatosST, on 04/12/2009, -1/+6To be fair, MSN is an American company, the writer is an American, the sites they suggest usually host American TV shows. You know, the ones Americans watch on their TVs in America.
Not to mention that the article starts out with "I know I'm on the only person in America who is looking to cut costs."
Where did you get the idea that this was aimed at a larger audience? - proliance, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4Put up an antenna. You'll get get HD programming on all the networks for free. Daytime shows still seem to be in standard definition, but I don't need to see all the details in Judge Judy's face anyway.
- cowboy86, on 04/12/2009, -2/+6 I did this a year ago. But when the cops raided my house for my computer stuff they took it. Bastards. The also took my LCD TV's.
- inactive, on 04/12/2009, -1/+5not again... same sites.... different order. WAKE ME WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
- Nephlabobo, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4I haven't had cable in over 5 years. :D
- bajones, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4I would get rid of TV service, but it would actually cost more for me.
**Comcast prices differ, depending on where you live, but in my region:
I have: Limited Basic Cable => $8.00/mo (closer to $15 after taxes)
and
HS Internet for current customers => $42.95/mo
========================
My monthly total: $59.22/ month
Internet alone would cost => $59.95/mo (probably throw in a few more bucks for tax and it's around $65), so getting basic cable actually makes it cheaper. - behn1220, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4The Xbox 360 doesn't stream Hulu, eh? http://www.themediamall.com/playon
- kashk5, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4I have my computer hooked up to my TV. Combined with torrents and Media Center, it makes for one good viewing experience.
- Myztry, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4For basic services like voice calls, email, web browsing, web 2.0 applications, movie streaming, etc we don't even need a computer as such. All we need is a suitable 'Net top box to take the place of the $30 optical disc player you already have.
Off course it would require a suitable customisable Operating System capable of running on low cost hardware. I wonder if such a thing exists... Now, where's my wireless keyboard with built in trackball and microphone... - linagee, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4Somehow I don't think Net Neutrality will stop caps. Unless they provide content from list A without a cap and list B with a cap. A cap applied across all bandwidth does not have anything to do for/against Net Neutrality. It just sucks, it's businesses being businesses, and it WILL allow new players into the market. (Sort of like how $5/gal gas made hybrids look attractive.)
- Grazzit, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4This is nothing new, a seamless integration is what's needed, I still want to be able to flip channels and discover new shows.
- EnderTheThird, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4Wouldn't quite say it will kill cable, but it's very surprising they didn't even mention Boxee. Also, how does getting a Tivo help you cut your cable bill if you're still paying $13 per month for Tivo service?
If you want to keep cable but get rid of the DVR fee and whatnot, you'd be better off with MythTV. The only fee for MythTV is $20/year for the listings information from Schedules Direct, which really isn't bad for the convenience of it. I've been using MythTV to record network HD shows for more than 2 years and I don't miss cable at all. I have Hulu for Daily Show and Colbert Report and Netflix for anything else. - inactive, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4Firefly
- inactive, on 04/12/2009, -0/+4Living with mom and dad again?
- linuxeventually, on 04/12/2009, -0/+3"One day even internet access will be free for all of us."
I truly hope this is the case. - Benjigga, on 04/12/2009, -2/+5Don't forget about http://www.redtube.com
- protodon, on 04/12/2009, -0/+3On the other hand, I have all these media sources and I want to get cable but it's so expensive. I'd like to be able to just flip on the Discovery channel and see what's on or be surprised by some movie their playing or tbs. It's the element of surprise that tv still has going for it.
- DrCyclops, on 04/12/2009, -0/+3I assume he was referring to the obscure Spanish language film "La Noche Oscura," or perhaps the 1983 film "One Dark Night," featuring Adam West.
Or, you know, not. - linuxeventually, on 04/12/2009, -0/+3There are several free stations available actually, which is the reason the equipment is available for purchase that makes the above possible.
- inactive, on 04/12/2009, -0/+3Agreed, I ***** hate digital downloads unless they are rentals of movies.
I like to own what I buy, and have a package so I can display them on a bookshelf. I like the artwork and all the extra ***** that comes with the discs too like the special features, you don't get that at iTunes or Hulu. - nullvector, on 04/12/2009, -0/+3I did this a few months ago. Got tired of the crap service from cable company and they're useless HD-DVR that used a ton of power and always crashed.
Most of the shows my wife and I watch are broadcast anyway (Lost, Fringe, 24, Office, Heroes, Terminator:SCC, etc)
I have a HDHomeRun box, a small Dell studio hybrid, a Linksys DMA2200 (Also use 360 for WMC), and a Terk TV-5 antenna. I can pick up every broadcast station crystal clear, and record 2 streams at a time. I can also push it out to any of 2 HDTV's we have, even at the same time.....with NO CABLE BILL :)
Haven't really missed cable since. - psychoace, on 04/12/2009, -1/+4Hulu has a crap load of old Tv shows as well. Just look through there list.
- coffeerox, on 04/12/2009, -0/+3That's the only reason why I'm tolerating paying for the jacked up half-basic bill (even though the cable op unlocked it to full lol!) I watch a lot of Food Network and that's not possible ANYWHERE, not on the pirate groups, legal sites, even their own home website. So yeah, TV does have it's uses, channels like those are a great example.
- tgc1, on 04/12/2009, -0/+3Nice setup!
- BossKey, on 04/12/2009, -0/+3@FoxOrian
You know it brother. Although I was talking generically about the hardware in my post, it is an old Mac laptop I am using, just as you said.
One reason Mac laptops make a great TV computer is that Mac laptops have had DVI output for most of this decade, so even older ones interface with digital widescreen TVs very easily. You just need that $4 HDMI adapter from Monoprice. I even ran my monitor calibrator puck on mine. And the more recent Pro laptops also have optical audio out. -
Show 51 - 100 of 161 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is