Netflix and Hulu PLUS = a much smaller cable bill.

[Big Cuddly Bear]

If you are looking to cut costs, and have an internet ready TV, I'm here to tell you that you can save a HUGE amount of money if you don't have to watch stuff as soon as it becomes available on cable.

I've had Netflix streaming since about 2 years ago, but I just subscribed to Hulu PLUS. I'm not going to talk about Netflix because I am sure a lot of you know about what they stream, and about the quality of service.

Anyway, we just bought a new TV, and it is "internet ready". Basically I just plugged in a USB Dongle, and I was good to go, as the TV had about 15 apps already included, and Hulu PLUS was one of them.

Now, I have used regular Hulu for about a year while surfing the web. And I liked it. But then I found out about Hulu PLUS... a $10 a month subscription service. Basically it is like Hulu on steroids. And we love it! And I especially love it, as I have been able to go and watch TV shows that I missed back in their hayday... especially Murder One.

Anyway, for $10 a month you can get SEVERAL THOUSAND TV shows streamed to your TV of computer, Way more than what you get with regular Hulu, it seems. But strangely enough, there are some shows I have found on regular Hulu that are not on PLUS.

But it isn't all just old TV shows. You can get many brand new shows within a week of their first airing on network TV. Three networks supply content, for sure.... FOX, NBC, and ABC. Plus their is a lot of independent content.

Anyway, the point of this thread is that between Netflix and Hulu PLUS, we have canceled a major portion of our cable package. I'm guessing that we are saving about $50 - $60 a month.

There are a few negatives to PLUS, though...

1. There is about 5 minutes of commercials for a one hour show.

2. In Prime Time I have had a few issues with keeping a stable connection, but not too often.

3, There is like a 2 second black period between show and commercials... but you get used to it.

Overall, I really am glad to have paid the $10 a month, and am happier everyday, as new content gets added daily, it seems. And I love the chance to go back and watch shows like Wiseguy, Remington Steele, Night Stalkings, and other shows that I never saw when they were new.

But we love the new content as well.....

 

[bicker]

If you are looking to cut costs, and have an internet ready TV,

I suspect a good portion of the folks who are most focused on and passionate about cutting costs probably, as a result don't have an Internet-read television!

I'm here to tell you that you can save a HUGE amount of money if you don't have to watch stuff as soon as it becomes available on cable.

In some ways, that used to always be the case. Practically everything that a portion of people would consider worth watching eventually made it to over-the-air broadcast television. However, the approaches you're suggesting typically result in a shorter wait, and/or less (or no) editing for television. More importantly, more and more, now, cable networks are where old shows go to be rebroadcast.

I've had Netflix streaming since about 2 years ago, but I just subscribed to Hulu PLUS.

A few notes about both.

First, my public service announcement:

Neither of these services comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act that over-the-air broadcast channels and cable networks must comply with. Even DVDs and Blu-ray Discs are accessible to the hearing impaired, while Netflix streaming and Hulu PLUS generally are not.

To be fair #1: Neither of these new services are yet subject to the laws. Those who crafted these laws back in the 1990s didn't foresee how technology would change, and therefore the law fails to outline its applicability to video distributed via the Internet. There is a lot of work going on to try to fix the law, but those efforts are stymied by general inconsideration for this protected class in our society. Not everyone shares our nation's consideration for the disabled.

To be fair #2: Both of these new services, now, can technically support accessibility for the hearing impaired. That's an accomplishment - last year, they couldn't. The problem, now, is that only an infinitesimally-small portion of their respective catalogs are encoded for closed captioning. Right now, of the recently added videos on Hulu, only 124 of 1,691 are captioned. For Netflix, I only have numbers from this summer: Back then, Netflix offered about 10,000 streaming titles, of which only about 100 were captioned - and 78 of that 100 were the 78 episodes of the series Lost.

The problem is that these services do not impose on the content providers or distributors a requirement to provide a closed captioned encoding of the source material. And, again, to be fair, they're not required to. However, it makes their offerings practically useless for the hearing impaired.

Of more general interest: Both of these services are dependent on your broadband throughput. That means that if you don't have great broadband service, reliable and fast, then you'll have a lesser experience as compared to over-the-air broadcast or cable. Furthermore, even with a great broadband service, the service providers themselves often provide a more highly-compressed feed than you'd be subjected to from over-the-air broadcast or cable, meaning that you'd still get lower picture quality.

Also note that there is a general move away from offering great content up for free. You've subscribed, now, to Hulu Plus, paying for content that in some form used to be free. Several network execs have expressed serious concerns about how little return they would get at some of the price-points now offered. Essentially, expect that with Hulu Plus you're getting an "introductory rate" - that eventually, once enough consumers make the switch you've made, and are hooked on this way of receiving programming, the price will go up markedly. It'll work a bit like how drug dealers get addicts hooked.

That's not to say that these aren't great choices. As you pointed out, you can save a lot of money, as compared to paying for cable. There are good sides and bad sides to this approach. And surely, if dealing with the issues that early adopters face doesn't bother you, for now these are really great values.

Anyway, the point of this thread is that between Netflix and Hulu PLUS, we have canceled a major portion of our cable package. I'm guessing that we are saving about $50 - $60 a month.

And to be even clearer, in the end, when all is said and done, this is going to be good, all around. Figure that in the end, perhaps as much of half of that savings will be long-lasting.

 

[disneybound2010]

We don't have the fancy tv , but we just received our Roku player in the mail and will be setting that up this afternoon. It's taken months of talking to the DH to convince him that this is a way to save some money and a step in the right direction. I've never used Netflix before so I am a bit nervous about the selection, but I like that Roku has channels now and hearing about hulu plus, I am thinking this was a good option for us.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

We don't have the fancy tv , but we just received our Roku player in the mail and will be setting that up this afternoon. It's taken months of talking to the DH to convince him that this is a way to save some money and a step in the right direction. I've never used Netflix before so I am a bit nervous about the selection, but I like that Roku has channels now and hearing about hulu plus, I am thinking this was a good option for us.

Please update us when you have the time. I hate paying so much for cable channels that we don't watch. If cable would only go a la carte...hopefully with some competition in the form of Netflix, Hulu and Roku, they will be forced to. We don't have Roku but it's on my Christmas list for my dad. He doesn't have cable and misses MLB like crazy. They offer an MLB subscription thru Roku. Perfect!

 

[MosMom]

We also cut our cable down to basic and use Netflix streaming through our Tivo and watching TV shows online. Our laptop has an HDMI port and we plug it into our TV. So nice to save nearly $100 a month. Our cable TV bill is now $12 a month.

 

[zoemurr]

I really want to do this.. but DH wants HD sports, and we need to spend $80 a month with cable to get them. Is there another way?

 

[npmommie]

If you are looking to cut costs, and have an internet ready TV, I'm here to tell you that you can save a HUGE amount of money if you don't have to watch stuff as soon as it becomes available on cable.

I've had Netflix streaming since about 2 years ago, but I just subscribed to Hulu PLUS. I'm not going to talk about Netflix because I am sure a lot of you know about what they stream, and about the quality of service.

Anyway, we just bought a new TV, and it is "internet ready". Basically I just plugged in a USB Dongle, and I was good to go, as the TV had about 15 apps already included, and Hulu PLUS was one of them.

Now, I have used regular Hulu for about a year while surfing the web. And I liked it. But then I found out about Hulu PLUS... a $10 a month subscription service. Basically it is like Hulu on steroids. And we love it! And I especially love it, as I have been able to go and watch TV shows that I missed back in their hayday... especially Murder One.

Anyway, for $10 a month you can get SEVERAL THOUSAND TV shows streamed to your TV of computer, Way more than what you get with regular Hulu, it seems. But strangely enough, there are some shows I have found on regular Hulu that are not on PLUS.

But it isn't all just old TV shows. You can get many brand new shows within a week of their first airing on network TV. Three networks supply content, for sure.... FOX, NBC, and ABC. Plus their is a lot of independent content.

Anyway, the point of this thread is that between Netflix and Hulu PLUS, we have canceled a major portion of our cable package. I'm guessing that we are saving about $50 - $60 a month.

There are a few negatives to PLUS, though...

1. There is about 5 minutes of commercials for a one hour show.

2. In Prime Time I have had a few issues with keeping a stable connection, but not too often.

3, There is like a 2 second black period between show and commercials... but you get used to it.

Overall, I really am glad to have paid the $10 a month, and am happier everyday, as new content gets added daily, it seems. And I love the chance to go back and watch shows like Wiseguy, Remington Steele, Night Stalkings, and other shows that I never saw when they were new.

But we love the new content as well.....

what is a usb dongle??

are all the new flat screen tv's internet ready?

we are getting ready to buy a new tv, so this is a good thought,
I hate my cable bill, it is close to $150 a month for the tv and internet.
grrrrr!!

 

[bicker]

Please update us when you have the time. I hate paying so much for cable channels that we don't watch. If cable would only go a la carte...hopefully with some competition in the form of Netflix, Hulu and Roku, they will be forced to.

However, the price the average customer pays will still be pretty-much the same - only a little lower. There are ways of getting satellite service, a la carte, and generally if you get more than six channels (including ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) you're still better off with the packages. Maybe in the cable world it would be seven or eight channels before the break-even point, but most of us watch that many channels already.

I really want to do this.. but DH wants HD sports, and we need to spend $80 a month with cable to get them. Is there another way?

Generally, getting live sports via streaming is a non-starter for one of several reasons. Indeed, one of the things that broadcast will always be able to rely on is live events.

what is a usb dongle??

It's one way of getting connectivity. I don't have a USB dongle, yet my set-up has all the capabilities that OP's set-up has.

are all the new flat screen tv's internet ready?

Definitely not.

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

what is a usb dongle??

are all the new flat screen tv's internet ready?

we are getting ready to buy a new tv, so this is a good thought,
I hate my cable bill, it is close to $150 a month for the tv and internet.
grrrrr!!

USB Dongle is a wifi device that looks like a memory stick, that you plug into the TV so it can get the internet.

No, not all new TVs are, but a whole lot are. The TV I bought was $90 more for the internet part, including buying the dongle. I bought a Samsung.