Cutting the Cord? Try it, you might like it...

I have not been a cable TV subscriber for almost 5 years now. I will say with 99% surety that I will never be a cable television subscriber again. It is a personal choice, it is not for everyone. If you upset with paying anywhere from $75-$150 a month for the privilege of cable, then cutting the cord might be for you. There are so many options nowadays for alternate television viewing, you would be doing a disservice if you at least did not look into it.  I am going to place a link here that will give you a starter guide to cord cutting, and all the options.

I personally use a combination of a Roku device, a laptop with an HDMI port, and thats it. No remote to rent monthly, no cable box to rent monthly.  
 The Roku box is the coolest thing ever... ok, I might be exaggerating a bit, but it is pretty darn sweet.  I get many channels, Netflix, Popcorn, Pandora, The BBC, and others. I get my favorite pod casts, both video and audio, radio stations, all through this box, about the size of a hockey puck. And yes, for full disclosure, you can buy a roku through my site on the link at left. I will add, I will never try to sell anything on my blog here, that I do not believe in. That includes books, movies, any electronics. Believe me, I dont make a lot if you get something through my site to Amazon. Just a few sheckles.

My monthly cost for all my entertainment is $31.87 give or take a penny.  $21 for Internet, $8 for Netflix and about $1.87 for an Amazon Prime account I split with my son.  Believe me, I am never at a loss for entertainment. The only thing I sort of miss a little, is football on Sunday.  Even for that there is a free channel too.  

I have been at many friends houses and either my friend or their kids will go through all the channels and say "there's nothing on". And they are only paying $180 month for the "Triple Play", and they don't even use the phone line, except to get telemarketing calls.  Their Internet connection is the one they use, and the cable is so loaded with crap nowadays, they are literally throwing $120 a month out the window.  Now I will not say that cable does not have some good things, they do, football. 

There are literally thousands of channels on Roku you can subscribe to, and the list is very comprehensive.  If you have followed my blog at all, you know that I am not a fan of the American mainstream media, they have sold out, its that simple. The main thrust of the news networks is to entertain the people. Once the news divisions of the networks had to make money, they sold out.  How can a network do any "hard" news on Monsanto for instance, when Monsanto pays the bill for advertising?  Don't believe me, try watching Foxnews, or MSNBC, or if you want to laugh real hard, CNN. New has become infotainment.  It is a joke, I don't care one bit about the Kardashian's or who slept with who.  Now granted, the BBC and Russia Today are not 100% news either, but it is better than the American crap. I usually get my news from the internet.

I have lists of roku channels to check out, and the user groups always have great suggestions for channels.  Like I said, It is not for everyone. If you enjoy the endless parade of commercials you see on television, then the Roku is not for you.  I am guilty of finding a little gem of a show in Netflix, and watching every episode, right in a row, with no commercials, ITS AWESOME.  The other night I watched the last episode of Breaking Bad on AMC in its scheduled time, that was the first time I ever did that. I do not miss commercials one bit.

But I must admit, having a laptop with an HDMI port is almost as nice.  If you did not know it, there are thousands of full length movies on Youtube, yep, thousands. I am a documentary freak, and Youtube and Vimeo are so great at having those at your fingertips. Just plug in the HDMI cable, and your laptop is another television.

  I laughed like hell the other day, I was at a friends home, and there was a commercial for some cable network and their box had the capability to record "5 channels at a time". Can anyone tell me, at anytime, are there 5 good shows on at the same time? Really.. Do we as people need this? I guess so. Not me. 

I give the Roku a big thumbs up. It might not be for you as an alternative, but as an add on, you would never be at a loss to find any kind of programming. Whether its Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or the hundreds of other channels, you should at least check it out. Let me know your experience with a Roku. I will post your comments.

Gitmo Gil.