Save Money by Ditching Cable For Free Online Video

A while ago, I spoke about my TV bills and how I wish I could reduce them. Well, Kevin from Satellite TV Guru is guest posting today precisely about this topic. It is an eye opener for me and I hope you find this interesting

More and more Americans dream of cutting back on expenses and for most of us, home entertainment is one of the first budgetary items that is slashed. A growing number of TV viewers are doing away with their cable and turning to “off-the-grid” methods such as internet-based television and on demand web sites such as Hulu and YouTube. For some viewers, simply attaching your computer to your TV may work fine, but some of us want ease of use and a true cable or satellite alternative.

Sites like Hulu offer a massive amount of free content including current television hits such as The Office, 30 Rock, Dancing With the Stars and more (Hulu is jointly owned by NBC, Fox and ABC). Hulu offers an “On Demand” functionality that suits more of us “on the go” types who can’t watch shows live or whose goal is to cut costs, which, sadly, may include DVR service. Immediately after a show airs on a Hulu-carried network, that episode is added to the site. Though each network carries a solid amount of popular content, not all shows are added to Hulu, such as Fox hits American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance? (they only offer clips).

If you’re a swinging bachelor or bachelorette, sitting in front of your computer for an hour or two to watch a few shows may fit your lifestyle. For families this is simply not an option. Mentioned earlier, most PCs and Macs can be plugged into your TV’s input for easy viewing provided you own the right cords and adapters. One should also note that streaming content from your computer to an HDTV can contain harsh quality degradation along with eating up a huge amount of bandwidth.

If having to attach your computer to your TV every time you want to watch a show or movie sounds like a drag, other options may suit your needs. Largely seen as a failure by pundits, Apple Computer’s Apple TV box allows viewers to play music and videos from your iTunes on your HDTV. On the surface, the possibilities sound pretty lame. Enter Boxee. This popular third-party application can be used not only on your computer to stream Hulu, YouTube, Instant Netflix, Pandora Radio and iTunes content, but can also be added to your Apple TV device. This means all the free programming that currently exists on these videos are easily accessible without the need of computer cable hassles, cable television and a satellite dish. All you would need is high-speed cable internet. Considering the cost savings by eliminating your cable/satellite bill, the average American family will be able to save some cash hand-over-fist.

Using Netflix is also a popular way for TV and movie junkies to get their fix at a low rate. But besides their DVD-by-mail service, they offer a bevy of films and TV shows through their ‘Instant” service. Again, subscribers can either stream this content on their computer or purchase a Roku box for $99 and plug it into a TV. The Roku will also carry content through Amazon.com’s On Demand service. Though there is a cost for Netflix service, adding it to your Hulu or Boxee solution will further enhance your cable/satellite alternative.

Hulu is still widely seen as an experiment in programming and there is a lot of talk of content owners planning on adding a price plan to the site. There’s no guarantee that Hulu will remain free. You should also know that the use of Hulu through Boxee is an unsupported endeavor so Hulu outages in the application may occur from time to time. Still, with all the money you can save, it may be worth it.

In addition to watching TV online you also may want to look into switching to Satellite TV, which can be much more affordable than cable. Be sure to check out our site for a complete review of Dish Network and to order Dish Network online.