[Okipedro]

If I thought dropping cable would mean an end to "John and Kate Plus 8," I'd have done it long ago. But alas, the GF enjoys that...

[Rhywun]

Roughly $1.25 a day is worth not having to futz around with all the clumsy workarounds mentioned here, IMHO. I do work on my Mac, I don't want to watch TV on it. I live alone, so I mainly leave the TV running in the background to keep me company :)
There's always something on, whether it's old Match Game reruns or the newest L Word or BSG (well, not any more).

[doglesby]

Frankly Cable and broadcast TV are becoming just awful experiences anyway. Too many ads over the content, widescreen shows chopped to bits, scheduling difficulties (why networks that air only recorded content can't start and end shows on time is a mystery to me). No one seems to care about the quality of the product they provide any more. I think I'll be much happier getting shows online.

[Paulyboy]

Sports is a deal breaker for me as well. Otherwise I can find almost every show I watch online (legally) for free, and usually the next day. DVDs and iTunes could take care of the rest of the shows. The quality of streamed shows is decent enough now as well.

I agred with mslavick that "There's also something to be said about just flopping on the couch and flipping through the channels on the tv until you find something that interests you." However once you familiarize and educate yourself with all the online sources of TV shows and Movies, and the various methods you can employ to watch them (on TV or computer screen), you'll probably discover there's more out there to watch then you'll ever have enough time for. It does obviously require some thought and planning whereas just" flipping through the channels" is conveniently mindless.

[matt_kizerian]

Am I the only one who thinks playing sports is a lot more fun than watching it?

[rab777hp]

Nice article- but there's another streaming service missed, here, amazon.

[igamogam]

After reading this article and the replies I have come to two conclusions.
1 I am glad I stopped watching TV, 99% of programs are complete dung, but people are too lazy to switch off.
2. Humankind will become extict quite soon, mainly from social isolation and obesity.

[mslavick]

1 I am glad I stopped watching TV, 99% of programs are complete dung, but people are too lazy to switch off.

2. Humankind will become extict quite soon, mainly from social isolation and obesity.

Says the man posting to an Internet forum from his computer.

[jarek91]

This is definitely the way things are headed. I posted about this about a year ago on my blog when I got fed up with $100 a month for Comcast cable with HD and DVR for the five stations and 7 shows I watched. I'm down to about 5 shows these days with Hulu/Boxee/Netflix and my AppleTV/XBox360 combo and I've never looked back. I did opt to also grab a $30 HD antenna from Best Buy on the rare occasion I want to grab some local shows/news/etc and it all works great. Cable companies need to step up to the plate with al-la-carte programming or they could end up in worse shape publicly than the RIAA/MPAA.

[GaryPDX]

Sadly, I am a motor sports enthusiast--Formula One, MotoGP, LeMans, Indycars, etc. and the motor sports programming on Speed TV alone is worth our $80 monthly bill to me (for which I sometimes feel a tiny bit guilty).

[natmusak]

I still need to be able to turn on the TV and see what's happening on the news (yikes, I know, I shouldn't disgrace the word "news" like that). I'm hoping Apple will be introducing live streaming videocasts to iTunes, perhaps using Snow Leopard's QuickTime X. Once that happens, buh bye ridiculously overpriced cable. :)

[rab777hp]

You can already do live streaming online, CNN especially has been big on this.

But what's really great is this app livestation, which lets you stream all these channels for free.

[walfy]

I've been without Tee Vee for over 15 years. There is too much good stuff to read, too many things to do, then to sit and stare at schlock. Thing that irked me: you pay a hefty hunk for cable, and they still pump you up with insidious commercials that are especially designed to bore into your subconscious. Once there, they release the hooks that lock into the brain matter, never to come out.
The news networks, with some exceptions, are merely "corporate perspective outlets." Eat it up, if it's your thing.
That being said, I can't resist watching a certain "Daily Show," and its offshoot "Colbert Report."
If you've got high-speed internet, there's really no reason to have cable, except if you're a sports fan.

[ChrisLJ]

Thanks rab777hp, I think I'll give it a try just to watch Aljazeera. Should be interesting.

http://www.livestati...acker=main_menu