Saturday, January 5, 2013

Bye Bye Comcast - Hello Wii+Netflix+HuluPlus+Antenna

I recently moved to a new apartment and despite the new amenities featured in my new place there was one major loss in the transition - ATT U-verse. The new spot is wired for Comcast, not for U-verse, which really sucks. U-verse is 2xs a better deal than Comcast when it comes to cable TV and all the nickle-and-dime things Comcast requires just to have a halfway decent experience. After 3 weeks of giving Comcast another try I packed everything up, returned it to the service center and decided to revamp my "entertainment center" (I use the term "center" term very loosely).

I decided to go with a combination of Wii-Hulu-Netflix (which I already subscribed to and love)-Redbox-Antenna. Here's what i have learned so far...

Wii - My Wii is getting more use in the first week of January than it did in 2012 as a while. This was the best (and probably the only) gift my brother got me as an adult!

HuluPlus - Hulu is nice. I used to watch the free shows online a lot years ago and hadn't been doing so as much. Now, without cable, this is a great way to watch some of my favorite TV shows on the larger screen - Scandal, Tonight Show, etc...
Pros: Watching shows and series on TV and on computer
Cons: Selections are limited; Movie selections are questionable at best; Did not work well with Wii via wifi (skipped a lot)

Netflix - The current love of my life!! I watched all four seasons of both Mad Men and Breaking Bad and a host of great B-list movies, documentaries and even some more current films via Netflix. Works seamless on the Wii and I also use the app on my laptop, iPad and Windows phone.
Pros: Watching shows and series on TV and computer; App works seamless across my technology
Cons: Movies and shows are not the most current - have to wait for Season 5 to come out

Redbox - There is a Redbox kiosk in my office building, my grocery store, my neighborhood gas station.... they are everywhere. Very convenient for that moment when you're leaving work and decide a movie would be a great way to end the evening.
Pros: Inexpensive, especially if you forget to return for a day; Lots of options, including new movies
Cons: Can't forget to return or it racks up

Antenna - I purchased an antenna from best Buy only to realize that my TV was pre-digital transition, so I also ordered a digital converter from Amazon... waiting for that to ship and arrive. In the meantime, I can pick up about 5 channels on the antenna - weather, two Christian channels and only one that comes in clear with old TV shows like Knight Rider.
No Pros and Cons until I get the digital converter I ordered.

Upfront costs - buying a new TV wasn't an option, so I worked with what I had and bought the following accessories to enhance my experience (should have been more patient and checked for price matches or just used Amazon because clearly I overpaid for each one in Best Buy):

All in all, so far things have been good!!!

Pros: Saving plenty of money each month on cable. With the bundle I'm saving $40/month now, after my bundle would have expired the savings are more like $60/month (not including upgraded channel selection or premium channels).
Cons: No sports! Which is ok for me - luckily I have friends, or 2 cool neighborhood bars within walking distance or I can watch online

Considering the switch?? HuluPlus has a 2 week FREE trial offer if you sign up through my referral code!
http://hulu.com/r/zLTOSg
Posted by
Labels: , ,