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.

They can put a man on the moon, but....

Is this content? Is this advertising?  These days that line has been crossed, and it is meant to confuse us.  There use to be break from a television program or news channel which would denote the time for a commercial.  The television networks are very aware of "time shifting" and "on demand" viewing.  To combat that growing trend, the advertisers have been, and are doing more and more, in programming advertising. Here is one I came across this morning.  You tell me, is this news, or advertising? 

CNN has been on the decline for years, and this is just one more example of why that downward trend is continuing.  This is not to say that the other news networks are doing the same, but this is so in your face, it is disgusting.  I made the choice 6 years ago to cut the cord.  I refuse to pay the cable companies for the hundred channels I do not want, just for the privilege of watching the handful I like.  I chose instead to use the Roku box, and have never looked back. I watch what I want, when I want, with NO COMMERCIALS. I have been over at the homes of some friends and they will channel surf, and invariably I will hear this "there's nothing on".  How insane is that?  They are paying anywhere form $80 to $150 a month for this.  

Kevin Spacey nailed it.  The old model for the cable companies is ebbing away.  I am reminded of the famous line on Seinfeld by George Costanza, " they can put a man on the moon".  I have been saying this for years about the cable tv industry.  There is no reason that a subscriber should not pay for JUST the channels they want.

I challenge you dear reader, take the plunge, cut the cord!!!

Beware...

At first there will some minor withdrawal, there will some silence in your home, because instead of having that background noise you are use to, you will forced to talk to your spouse, talk to your kids, read a book, and lets not forget,you will not have to listen to those inane commercials.

 If you choose a Roku, you will be talking about it to your friends, and your enemies. Every one of them will probably ask the same question. What the hell is a Roku?  Your face will light up, you will tell them, and there will be that hint, that subtle hint from them that they are missing out on something cool.  When you tell them that they will save over $1000 a year, that is the jaw dropping moment.

I have personally "converted" about 10 people to the Roku. Not one of them has regretted it. Just sayin....

From Gitmo Nation,

Gitmo Gil