I'm thinking about going cable free...

In a nutshell... cable has gotten too expensive. I have verizon Fios in 5 rooms with 2 HD boxes and DVR. My monthly bill is $201. I don't want to pay it anymore. So, I'm trying to figure out the best and most painless way to go cable free.

What I've come up with is:
Netflix (I already have an account) = $8.00 per month
Hulu+ = $8.00 per month
Amazon streaming (I already have prime) = $80/12 = $7.00
5 Roku boxes at $100 each.

If I dropped cable and kept internet my Verizon bill would be about $60 per month + $23 for the subscription services, I'd save $118 per month. I could use that saved money to buy one Roku box each month until I got all 5. Then it would be all savings :)

This is the best plan I could come up with. I've been a slave to cable forever, so I won't pretend to know the best cable free solutions. Does anyone else have any input or ideas? It would be greatly appreciated.

I kinda did the same thing and ditched my satellite. I was going wireless streaming for a long time, but if you're going to go that drastic I would ensure you have all the tv's you care about hardwired in if you want quality streams. cat6 would be best but if you have gigabit connections on both ends cat5e would work if it's laying around. Hopefully you have the wires ran already or have a basement... I'll never again buy a house with a crawl space. Good luck!

Lol I atually just started running ethernet 2 days ago. I bought a bunch of keystones, face plates and a punchdown tool. It's been easy going so far because of the placement of my garage attic.

Make sure you get the roku 2 xs and wire it....

:)

I just did the same at my house..... But no roku's.... I have basic cable on 2 tv's(free) and one hd DVR and my wdlive for 1080 movies :)

---------- VIA Wiihacks IPAD App ----------

Will do, I just finished the reading up on the various models. I wish I would have done this a long time ago. The idea of actually cutting the cord and being free is exciting lol. I'm going to save so much money hehehehe

So, I cancelled 2 of my boxes. I'm streaming Playon, Hulu+ and Netflix to one room via PS3. I'm also streaming Playon and netflix to another TV via Wii :)

Just dropping 2/5 boxes and my premium channels knocked 50 bucks off my bill... good stuff so far.

Good thread. I have been thinking of getting a Roku myself. I am also an Amazon prime member and had forgotten how many free titles are available from them alone.

What about HBO? There are several shows that I would like to keep watching.
How about SPEED channel too? Or an alternate that streams F1 - got to have that!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by acrosteve

Good thread. I have been thinking of getting a Roku myself. I am also an Amazon prime member and had forgotten how many free titles are available from them alone.

What about HBO? There are several shows that I would like to keep watching.
How about SPEED channel too? Or an alternate that streams F1 - got to have that!

---

Things are going really well with my cord cutting quest. In regards to HBO, I was never a huge premium channel watcher, so I'm not missing anything. This is how I made it work for my family.

Living room: Xbox 360 + Roku Box - Netflix, Hulu+, Amazon Instant Streaming and PlayOn
Family Room: Wii - Netflix, Hulu+, Amazon Instant Streaming and PlayOn
Master Bedroom: PS3 + Roku Box - Netflix, Hulu+, Amazon Instant Streaming and PlayOn
Kids Room 1: Roku Box - Netflix, Hulu+, Amazon Instant Streaming and PlayOn
Kids Room 2: Roku Box - Netflix, Hulu+, Amazon Instant Streaming and PlayOn

Keep in mind Roku and PlayOn also provide a ton of additional content in the form of channels. I also recommend subscribing to Vudu.

I plan on getting a few HD antennas to get local content in HD.

That's good to know. I am running a softmod wii, and tried a couple of sites(GBTV and Hot wheels battle force 5), and hit a roadblock on Flash compatability.


I will try some other sites with the Wii.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by acrosteve

That's good to know. I am running a softmod wii, and tried a couple of sites(GBTV and Hot wheels battle force 5), and hit a roadblock on Flash compatability.


I will try some other sites with the Wii.

---

Keep in mind the Wii's web browser is a severe limitation. Using the browser to load actual pages to watch streaming video isn't the way to go. You are best using the native netflix channel. Beyond that, use PlayOn to stream Amazon, Hulu+ and what ever other channels you like. Also, Wiimc is your friend. It is the single best homebrew app available for wii. Use it, use it and use it some more.