It Keeps Getting Better

I cancelled my cable television subscription back in 2008. My day job had downsized and I, in turn, downsized many of my monthly apartment bills. A quote from a fellow coworker and friend after our department was sacked: "We're so poor they'll come and cut our Cox off." After moving to a house with cable the following year, my roommates and I again opted to drop that service and explore the a la carte options of streaming content.

The surprising thing was that instead of feeling like a loss, cutting cable TV out of my life was liberating. I went from accepting whatever programming a bundle of cable stations wanted to give me, to being in charge of finding what content I wanted. Things like Netflix and Hulu helped make that happen. But more on that later. More and more cable stations are moving their good content to more expensive bundles. Even if you aren't paying more for your bundle of channels, chances are you're watching more advertisements per hour.

There's an Omaha radio jingle from two such communications companies that I can only describe as a desperate Hail Mary of a bundle. Not only are some companies bundling their own services, we now must hold onto our socks as they combine to bundle multiple companies together. Don't worry, your socks are safe 'til they get to the dryer.

"It's funny because math."

So [Company A] and [Company B] are teaming up to bring us TV, Internet, Home Phone and Wireless service. As the radio ad goes...

Company A: "It keeps getting better."
Company B: "It truly does."

I'm here to tell you that cutting cable has only gotten better for me as well. So the next time you hear that radio ad, remember this blog as I'll show you a few of the many options to take charge of your television viewing experience.

Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, Youtube MLB.tv, ESPN3, and Amazon Instant Video
Paying for cable television is like betting that your current TV season of shows are better than the previous 60+ years of television history. They aren't. The bolded list above has access to some current seasons, but even more content from previous decades. Stuff you forgot you liked. Stuff you never knew you liked. Stuff from the USA as well as some sneaky-good shows from Canada and the UK. Stuff that current shows try to copy. If I could cut cable in 2008 when there weren't this many options, you can do it in 2012 too.

"As a person without cable TV, this is how I feel about all your Shark Week posts."

PLEX, Roku, CanIStream.It, and other media centers
These are just some of the options to help aggregate or organize all of the options. When you have the history of television at your fingertips, deciding what to watch becomes difficult. If you're like me, you may have a hard drive or two with digital media as well. These harness the streamable content with the video, audio and images you've likely acquired over the years. Isn't it time to save money by cutting cable and unleash the potential of your lifetime's experience of TV and movie viewing?

Accessories
Connecting a dedicated computer (or video game consol) to your TV may need a Windows remote and/or HDMI-capable video card. There is even an app called Polkast that can broadcast your own digital lineup of shows to your mobile device. Like your own TV station in "the cloud." Also, as more advertisers wise up to this trend, don't forget to install AdBlock. It's a totally different Internet with that, isn't it folks? There are also ways to configure your router to whitelist (or filter) certain ad-heavy domains. But that's a blog posting for another day. If you jump on the cable-cutting bandwagon now, it's still content friendly with blockable ads.

Since 2008, I've saved almost $2,000 by not paying for 70 cable stations a month. My homemade "bundle" paid for my initial infrastructure investment. It continues to pay for itself each month and then some. If you've ever thought about an a la carte cable option or making your own TV lineup, the technology is there.

"Your cable TV is experiencing difficulties. Please, do not panic. Resist the temptation to read, or talk to loved ones. Do not attempt sexual relations, as years of cable TV radiation have lefts your genitals withered, and useless."

If you're comfortable keeping cable, that's cool too. I'm a blog not a preacher. Whenever you're ready to wake from that matrix, just let me know.