OK so I'm about to head back to State for more undergraduate coursework and need to save some $$$. My wife and I don't watch much TV, but the shows we do watch (House, Burn Notice, Leverage, Greys Anatomy [her NOT me ]) often stream the latest episodes online. Ditching our TWC service (TV only of course, internet = good) would save some $$$ but the problem is that I'm only a social nerd. I was one of those guys that, whenever my PC crashed or couldn't hook up a sound system, I'd turn to a roommate, suitemate, etc. and the problem was solved about 5 minutes later. I couldn't get better customer service if I'd been living in a Best Buy (assuming that living in a BB was somehow acceptable and no one cared that I wasn't going to actually buy anything).

So, my fellow nerds, please take pity on me and enlighten me on this subject.

Additional Thoughts/Q's

1) Anyone tried to stream a show online using a Wii? Wasn't sure if the browser on the Wii would be able to properly stream from a TV program's website (like NBC.com or something).

2) What cable(s) do you guys recommend to connect a PC to a TV? I'm talking about any specs, brands, etc. that you;ve found to work the best.

3) Anyone surviving without cable to save a few $$$? If so, what's been your experience? Would you recommend it to others?


Thanks guys.

4/13/2010 10:35:55 AM

1)Check out http://tversity.com or http://www.playon.tv/playon

2)Too general of a question. It depends on your TV and PC of course. HDMI/DVI then VGA, SVideo and Composite may be used as a last resort. The spec/cable/brand argument has been beat to death and it's accepted that HDMI is HDMI is HDMI is digital. Even M-M-M-MONSTER 24k vacuum sealed gold-plated analog cables are marked up like 80% and not worth it. Check out http://monoprice.com or Classifieds.

3)I would drop satellite in a second if it was not for my roommates. NFL Sunday Ticket and other live sporting events are nice, but saving 800/yr leaves more than enough cash for bar tabs.

/2c

[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 10:45 AM. Reason : ]

4/13/2010 10:43:13 AM

1) no

2) What videocard do you have in your PC? Do you have a HDTV? Do you have your TV close enough to your PC so that you could use your PC speakers if you had to?

3) I've been surviving without cable for about 3 years now. Calculate that out to be ~1500. You'd be surprised by the quality of OTA rabbit ears now that they made the switch to digital.

OTA+Hulu+channelsurfing.net+torrents > $45 month

All of those shows you listed are available for free either through OTA or Hulu.

[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 2:47 PM. Reason : f]

4/13/2010 2:45:52 PM

Basically what Grandmaster & jchill2 said:

1) Orb or PlayOn or Tversity

2) DVI-to-HDMI, like mentioned above, it's digital so either either works or doesn't, use monoprice. Next best is VGA-to-Component. Last resort S-Video. I'd never recommend composite unless you're on a CRT TV still.

3) OTA-HD, Boxee/Hulu, I use a HDHomeRun for DVR recording to WHS

[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 3:00 PM. Reason : .]

4/13/2010 2:59:03 PM

PS3 Media Server is amazing. I used to use twonky, medialink, and tversity. they were all similar in performance, but somehow PS3MS blows them all away over wifi. I stream HD video almost every day over wifi and it works excellent. i can even fastforward and rewind w/o a hitch in most cases.

It can also stream to my Sony TV so you don't even need a PS3. I'd look into something like this, having to connect your laptop up to the TV is a hassle. I have my d/ls go to my Movies folder, and PS3MS automatically streams from there. too easy

4/14/2010 8:05:38 AM

I also use PS3 media server.

4/14/2010 5:21:08 PM

Not sure what type of TV you have. As has been mentioned, if you have HDMI on your TV, your best bet would be to find another device that does HDMI to a TV. VERY simple, one cable setup, then flip the switch on the remote.

Next question becomes "What do I plug into the HDMI?". Most game systems have the benefit of having wireless controllers already. You can also get a cheap Nettop computer computer and get a small wireless keyboard / mouse to go with it.

Given how often my wife watches TV and how often we have large family gatherings, I keep satellite. Otherwise, would drop in a heartbeat and go with another option.

4/14/2010 8:28:03 PM

First I got netflix, and the convenience of the online streaming caused me to scale back on my satellite service to the most basic HD package. Then I got a Roku HD and cancelled satellite altogether.

If you're willing to wait til the end of the season to watch your shows, House, Leverage, and Grey's Anatomy are all available on netflix streaming. Burn Notice is available for rent, but that's probably not what you want. $8.99/month gets you unlimited streaming on netflix and you can watch it on your Wii (need to get the software disc from their site).

I don't mind waiting because there is so much else on there to watch. Eventually I'll probably finish watching everything I'd find interesting, then who knows...

4/16/2010 2:14:10 PM