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Ask Slashdot: Best Way To Watch TV In 2012?
zaba writes "Once again, I can hear the tell-tale signs of a hard drive dying. This time, it's in the DVR for one of our TVs. In the U.S., are we at a point where, with a little technical savvy, 'cutting the cord' makes sense? If so, what are the best options? Does a refurb Roku (anywhere from 60-80 USD) make the most sense? Does building a mythbox or some such device make sense? For my family of four (ages 36, 30, 13 and 4), we are paying ~100 USD/month for two receivers (one with a DVR). What, in your opinion, is the best option to have TV service in two rooms of the house? Kid's shows could be in one room and adult shows in another. Or, all of it could be on one server (I have computers lying around) that could go to multiple rooms. We like the DVR for the instant access, but saving a hundred bucks a month would be nice as well. I can drop CAT-5 as needed, but Wi-Fi would be preferred. For programming, we currently have 'standard' cable and mostly watch the major networks. I would love to have ESPN, but can get my sports fix (mostly college football) through other means, I'm sure. How do you all watch TV? What have you found to be the best way to get what you want?"
By looking at it.
The Roku Box fills all of my TV watching needs.
I would have recommended a Roku or AppleTV with Netflix and Hulu Plus.... but Hulu Plus just started running political ads. Arrrgghh. Amazon Prime is a nice to have, but not needed. I rarely find something there that Netflix doesn't have.... unless you want reality tv stuff or those "dirty job" type shows. Amazon Prime streaming seems to have those in spades.
Have you found anything worth watching yet? Whenever I hear about something good I check it out, but it just seems like shit to me. Game of thrones? Lord of the rings with tits. Caprica 1? Zzzzz. Walking Dead? Nothing ever happens - there's a strict 5 zombies per episode limit (apart from the last episode - perhaps it's the same 5 zombies over and over, though).
Loads of talk of 3D, google/apple/whatever tv, but if it's just the same old shit then it seems like a waste of a lot of money. Just stick the good stuff on the net so we can watch it whenever.
is not to watch tv. seriously, it sucks.
I made the switch from cable to XBMC. Well we still get our internet through the cable company, but no longer do I get television through them. There's plenty of free streaming plugins in XBMC. And I have a server in another part of the house that hosts digital copies of TV shows and movies that stream over the wireless to a seamless picture and sound. I subscribe to Amazon Prime and get a lot of TV shows that way. It is very DIY, but once it is working, it is great.
I love the smell of napalm in the morning....
What have you found to be the best way to get what you want?
I just flash my titties..
I have been without cable or satelite for a year now. I have MythTV setup with dual tuner which captures OTA programs. After the shows get recorded an automated process converts the mpeg2 files into mpeg4 for lower file size and easy to stream in home network format. On the front end I have 4 apple TV connected to 4 TVs in different rooms. Each of them is running XBMC on it which streams the recorded programs from MythTV. My network is a mix of WIFI G and ethernet over power line. Works fairly well. Only problem is I can't watch live tv on the Apple TV because uncompressed mpeg2 is too much to stream. And the Apple TV are too underpowered to decode it properly. I get channel lineup information from schedulesdirect on yearly subscription. Anything I missed? My only gripe is not having sports access. This year missed NBA completely. :(
I've learned not to try to tell people what to do, especially since they rarely listen (like my brother who spent $70/month on Dish when I had advised spending 1/3 that amount). Instead I tell them what works for me and let them decide:
SETUP 1 :
- free TV via an antenna. Attached to all the rooms in the house. Both an old VCR and DVR that I use to tape stuff while I'm sleeping.
- supplemented by Hulu.com over PC or roku
- supplemented by DVD purchases of shows not on hulu (like Games of Thrones). Supplemented by uTorrent if the DVD has not been released yet.
- I also read a lot of mystery or sci-fi magazines online if nothing's on.
SETUP 2 (if I lived where antennas are not allowed)
- $25 a month Dish service for cable on two sets
- supplemented by hulu, DVD, torrent, et cetera
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
As it stands right now, an HTPC is going to do the most separate functions, but it's not necessarily the best option for all services. Here's my cord-cutter setup, and it works great for me:
Roku for Amazon, Hulu+, Netflix: Clean interface, super low-power, remote easy enough for my daughter to learn at 4. You also get the 300+ other channels for Roku, plus a bunch of awesome private channels (and the ability to create your own, if you're so inclined). It's NOT a local streaming machine, though it's possible via a variety of hacks. Overall, we use this the most.
HTPC for DVR functions and various internet stuff: I like Windows Media Center, but there are a bunch of different free flavors out there, depending on what hardware and software you're using. It's a great DVR for our OTA signal, plays every format available for downloaded stuff, and handles DVD rips by default. It's also the best way to play the stuff that content providers won't allow on Roku-style set-top boxes, like standard Hulu. Oh, and it does music, too, of course.
TV Tuner for OTA: I use my HTPC for this sometimes, but really like the speed and ease-of-use of using the built-in TV tuner. YMMV.
The main point here is that no one device is necessarily going to do everything you want it to, or not in the way you want it. A HTPC is the most versatile, but not always the prettiest or easiest for everyone in the family (if you're techie but your spouse/kids aren't, for example). I love my Rokus, and they're so cheap that it wasn't a big deal to get one for every TV. I don't miss cable at all.
You should have a home file server where everyone keeps everything. RAID 6 it. That way you never have to worry about dying hard drives.
Put RTorrent on it with a watch directory. Sign up to a private TV torrent tracker with an RSS feed. Download the torrents linked to by those feeds into your watch directory. Share the torrent directory via Samba.
Put a PC with XBMC anywhere you want to watch TV. Add your samba share as a source. You're done.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
No, seriously.
I got rid of mine a few years ago, and I have no idea (not a clue) how I ever had time to watch it.
It's incredible how much time it takes to watch your TV! In the absence of TV you will devote that time to other pursuits. And *any* other pursuit, including sleeping or picking lint out of your navel, is more valuable to you than watching TV.
The other thing that happened was that my desensitization to the crap on TV abated. Now, watching TV is torture: I cannot believe how horribly bad it is relative to anything else. I don't know whether it was always that bad and I was used to it, or whether it has *really* gone downhill in the last 5 years.
For the record, I am probably around average when it comes to productivity, engagement, and intellectual ability: this is not the pronouncement of a Harvard professor, just an ordinary IT manager who is sick of looking at screens when he gets home.
XBMC on a small 1080p capable system (even a $35 Raspberry Pi will do), XBMC Remote on an Android device as the remote control, and optionally a file server for locally stored content. The library for movies and TV season DVDs. We cut the cord years ago.
Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.
you could [run Netflix] with a computer as well. Biggest pain would be using a keyboard and mouse
That's what a tray table is for. You put the wireless keyboard and trackball on the tray while picking a show, and once the show starts, you put them away to make room for your microwave dinner.
I spent a long time without cable watching everything off a hard drive or Netflix, but I'm back to cable + a DVR. I really just love flipping through channels, and having everything instantly on in HD. I felt like watching TV only off Netflix and my hard drive had me making too many of the choices, and I got into a rut. I admit I have weird taste in TV and so maybe it's not for everyone, but cable + DVR is definitely my preference.
Here in Iceland I get my TV service through something called "myndlykill"; I don't know the English word for it, but it's a box with a Cat5 on the back that plugs into your hub and downloads channels from the net and yeilds an HDMI signal. Most people here have 50Mb/s or 100Mb/s optical fiber net connections so there's enough bandwidth for a good picture.
Rhetorical questions suck. Why ask a question if you don't want an answer?
Dish or DirectTV both have great packages and great multi-room DVR systems, mostly without the worry of babysitting your downloads or pissing off your ISP with torrent downloads.
Similar, Ceton makes a fantastic 4-tuner cable-card that works great with Windows Media Center, albeit after a sometimes difficult setup. Media Center then integrates nicely with things like Netflix.
If your goal is to easily watch TV, then keep paying for cable or Dish/Direct and upgrade DVR systems.
If your goal is to cut the cord, deploy a good internet-enabled Blu-Ray player with DivX/x264 support in each room and get yourself some Netflix.
1. Write down every feature you want
2. Write down all the shows you like to watch on a regular basis
3. Determine the other means of obtaining those shows other than pay tv (Antenna, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, etc)
4. Decide the best choice for you by what features and shows you want
We went through this couple years ago and settled on a Tivo with an Antenna. We supplement with Netflix and Amazon.
AppleTV is nice, but you'll be paying per show (or season).
Roku is cheap, but not as reliable
Netflix (on either ATV or Roku) and Hulu (on Roku) are monthly services which have decent selection. I'm not sure if Amazon is on Roku.
If you're the adventuresome type, don't mind playing fast and loose with the rules (but don't want to get caught), and have a free weekend, you can try and set up the following on a machine you designate as a server:
sabnzbd - a program to download stuff from the usenet
sickbeard - a program to find TV shows on usenet
couch potato - a program to look for movies on usenet (optional)
jailbreak an ATV2 (they're still out there, right?) and put on either XMBC or, for a little more family friendly (but limited), Plex along with Plex Media Server on your PC.
You will also want a NZB account, like NZBmatrix ($10 for 10 years? Lifetime? who knows) and a Usenet account. Look for deals on Slickdeals.net - on rare occasions you can pick up an unlimited account for $6/mo. I rarely use more than 100GB of TV in a month, so a 1TB chuck for about $50-60 is also good.
You tell sickbeard what shows you want it to find, and what your NZB account password is. When it finds the show you want, it passes the info off to sabnzbd (you input your usenet credentials there) which downloads the blocks of the show,decodes it, names it, and puts it into the directory or your choosing. Couch Potato is similar. I'm sure I've gotten something wrong, but after an hour or two of tutorials out there on the net it's not that bad.
Okay, so that's getting you content - probably over https - is a way that does not expose you to the IP owners of the world like P2P does.
Once your content is on the computer, you can either point your Roku or AppleTV with XBMC installed to it and start watching. I prefer Plex, and my 9 yo and wife found it super easy.
We cut the cable (well, sat) back in January and don't miss it. Oh - I do have antennas for OTA reception for local weather and news.
Using usenet isn't exactly legit, but it's also very, very low risk as you are never uploading or sharing any content with others. It's a nice system if you've got a slower connection, too, as you are downloading the files - not streaming them. It means a day or so delay for shows, but you never have to worry about buffering.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Am I the only person that thinks it's absurd that I can purchase a 100 megabit downstream link from my cable provider but can't watch a particular TV show without being forced to purchase a 70 dollar/month (with 2 year commitment) bundled package? (From the same company)
I have a connection to a network where I can grab data from anywhere on the planet, but TV shows come via an obsolete channel switched bitstream on a schedule designed to extract advertising dollars in exchange for my valuable time.
The media companies have spoken, and they aren't interested in selling me content. So I don't buy it. The few shows worth watching are available at the usual places and you can watch them at your leisure. Paying for content sends the wrong message. When you pay, you're buying 20 minutes of advertising. When you pay, you're telling them you're willing to sit there in front of the TV when they tell you to.
Given the exploitative nature of traditional TV packaging, they should be paying you to watch. Not the other way around.
I run MythTV, and it's pretty nice (can be combined with a storage server, and in my case, a workstation). Still feels like recording songs off the radio, but the quality is good and the TV industry are only just now starting to provide fair alternatives. (the reason i have a DVR is to watch stuff when I want. Let me know when you can give me that with streaming, without arbitrarily pulling content.) Mythtv is a bit "temperamental" in my experience, and it provides a reasonable interface that could have been better. You can use mythtv with over-the-air digital TV and supplement with other services if necessary
I haven't had a TV for 15 years or so.
Strangely, I find myself able to form my own political viewpoints and impression of what's going on.
Netflix and iTunes for movies and commercial-free old tv series. News sites for news.
Go to the pub to watch big sports events like Stanley cup and World Cup soccer (the vibe is better than the living room anyway).
Olympics etc come online now too. Not a fan of (the mostly non-foot variety of) football, so no problem at all there with weekly sports viewing.
Only thing is, Canadian Netflix and iTunes movie and tv show selection sucks sucks sucks due to separate licensing agreements for the content compared to in US. It's like spending an hour in a video rental store trying to find a movie that you haven't seen that actually wasn't straight to DVD. Most of their selection is "wasn't good enough for the big screen" crap or something from pre-1965. Almost bad enough to make you want to get a TV or a US proxy net connection and fake US zip code and US bank VISA card, but not quite.
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
Im so tired of this.
I leaned a new lick watching peter frampton last week. Was that a waste?
My kids and I had a discussion regarding quantum physics because of something we watched on TV. Was that a waste?
My kids no more about our solar system then most kids their age because of some of the television we watch. Is that bad?
My kids want to build things over the summer because of something they say on TV. Is that bad?
My daughter likes doing experiments because of mythbusters. Is that bad?
I have used TV tio teach my kids about advertising shenanigans. Was that bad?
I could list a 1000 ways TV is good.
Is there stuff on TV that is horrible drivel and nonsense? yes. But to dismiss all of TV because of that is no different then burning down all the library's because they have a copy of twilight.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I was in your exact position (minus the kids) in January, and I settled on a bit of a hybrid system. I have a Blu-Ray player to play my existing (past) movie collection. For Netflix and some Hulu Plus streaming I have a Roku HD; it also supports Amazon Prime and a plethora of other channels that I haven't dug into much. For everything else I have a spare 35' HDMI cable (www.monoprice.com) that I connect to my laptop, add 2.4ghz mouse and keyboard and it's a very robust solution.
The additional thing to note is that all of this is supported by a Comcast internet-only plan. If you take the raw coaxial cable coming into the house before your modem and split it to be sent to your TV, you will get all of the major networks in HD and a lot of other content as well. This fulfills any "live TV" watching we want to do, such as sports or reality-tv.
The conversion to this solution cost me about $200 in cables, the Roku, etc., but my monthly fees for internet and entertainment media have dropped from $130 to $58. So it has already payed for itself.
-MoG
I have an antenna. I get better quality than many people I know with dish or cable. I spend more than adequate time in front of the idiot box as is - why tempt myself with more.
There are a few premium shows I want to watch - Mad Men and Sopranos for example. But I've watched entire series on DVD for less than the cost of a month of cable.
Savings depends on your plan but compared to many of my friends and neighbors I am saving over a thousand dollars a year in subscription fees alone not counting the cost of the box and the power to run it (many DVRs are power vampires on standby). That pays for a week or more camping at a national park. Or a weekend at Disneyland.
~~~~~~~
"You are not remembered for doing what is expected of you." - Atul Chitnis
Cut the cord! Subscription television is ridiculously overpriced and saddled with more advertising than content. There is rarely even anything on worth watching. Set yourself up a new media box (Boxee, Roku, GoogleTV, custom HTPC, etc) and enjoy everything you want without accidentally slipping into channel surfer mode. You'll enjoy life a lot more the less television you take in. :)
What should go with? I love my Boxee Box. It's quick and easy to set up. It gives you that "set top" feel. It has great options for local and network playback. It has a lot of options for streaming as well (but with some notable exceptions, like Hulu and, I believe, Amazon). The interface is absolutely beautiful and the remote control is even kind of cool. Couple it with a basic Netflix subscription and a health dose of torrents and you'll be all set.
"He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
I pirate Top Gear; the BBC really ought to get with the program and offer foreigners a way to pay for series or subscriptions.
You mean, like Netflix? Most of the BBC series I watch are on it....
I've wondered about the best way to do this as well. I refuse to pay for a service that makes me watch commercials (cable/sat TV). IMHO advertisers should be paying cable companies to give away cable access to people who want it, or there should not be commercials if I'm paying. Why do I need to pay to be advertised to? I'm sure it's more complex, but I just don't care.
My setup has evolved over time. I have a 30 Mbps Internet connection, a 55" LED LG mounted to the wall in my living room, and a mid-line BD/surround system. The evolving part is the media source of course. I started with a small tower with Windows 7 running on it. It let me play my Windows-based games on my big screen and I could stream Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, and my questionably acquired collection of movies and TV series.
Disclaimer: I know from reading this site frequently that most people here don't like Apple. The disclaimer part is that I just don't care. My views are based on my experience.
Eventually I decided it was taking up too much space, making too much noise, and taking up too much electricity (didn't want to shut it down because takes a while to boot). Over the last couple years I've picked up an iPhone and an iPad, so as a natural progression I decided to try the Apple TV. It has some nice features such as being 1080p, having AirPlay (lets me stream music and pictures from my iDevices, and lets me mirror the screen on my iPad, some games work with it too), and a superb Netflix interface (much better than most App-enabled media appliances). I've picked up a few TV series and a few movies and they play beautiful video and sound. Since most people seem to have iDevices nowadays, it's nice for friend and family that come over to be able to share pictures and videos and such from their phones on the TV.
The problem with Apple TV is that it's the usually Apple-walled-garden situation. You're limited to the services they provide (for now). I suspect they will open the Apple TV up for app dev soon (like they did for the iPhone when the Appe Store was announced) based on the direction the interface is heading. Once that happens it may be a solve-all solution for my needs. But until then, there is one major problem with it... there's no way to play my video collection.
To fix this, eventually I picked up a Boxee from Best Buy (made by D-Link... not my favorite brand). So far it has been a fantastic solution. It streams my video collection on my LAN flawlessly, streams Netflix (interface is not as polished as Apple's), Pandora, Vudu (decent service), Hulu, and many others. There's an app repository that you can get quite a few apps from, and the ability to add custom repos if you'd like. The remote is not a simple and beautifully made sliver of aluminum like the Apple TV remote, but it's far more functional. It has a full QWERTY keyboard on the back, it's not directional (works in any orientation, so not IR I guess), and the front is a simple interface. The Boxee also support AirPlay for audio and video. I haven't had luck with doing any screen mirroring.
I've only just recently discovered the Vudu service on it. It's owned by Walmart and it's pretty nifty. I don't want to be an advertisement for it but if you go the Boxee route you should definitely check out Vudu.
Over all the Boxee does 99% of what I want and maybe everything that you would want. You can even add an antenna attachment so you can stream local broadcast channels. The Apple TV is nicer in design (smaller, sleeker, cheaper), interface, remote (iDevices can be remotes too), and overall polish. Once they start having apps for it and stuff like Oplayer and Hulu show up on it, I don't think I'll need the Boxee anymore.
I've also considered the Roku, but I haven't had a reason to look at it since I got the Boxee.
"That'll never compile."
Whenever I hear about something good I check it out, but it just seems like shit to me. Game of thrones? Lord of the rings with tits.
I've had absolutely no desire whatsoever to watch Game of Thrones. Then you had to come here and describe it as the single most awesome concept ever. Can you really think of anything better than Lord of the Rings with tits??
Now I have to check it out.
Cable TV is almost entirely repeats of OTA broadcast TV shows, and a flood of low-quality "reality" shows. And with the proliferation of cable channels over the years, the content is continually spread ever-thinner. So you have 5 "discovery" channels, and 4 "history" channels, great! ...except that all the content which was formerly on ONE channel is now spread across 4 or 5, and to fill time each channel just has the same 3 hours (of repeats) on each day, playing in a loop. Really, it's incredibly sad.
Honestly, OTA broadcast networks had the formula figured out, many decades ago, and it works just as well today as it did back then. Whatever you like to watch on cable, you can find hours of it on the broadcast networks, every week. That's where all the halfway-decent original shows are developed and air, that's where the most-watched sporting events air, that's where all the best science, history and nature shows air, that's where the best news programs are produced, etc.
Ever since OTA TV went digital (and HD) the "free" option is now the highest quality, all-around. It's also them most convenient option, by far, since you don't have to wait for the cable guy when you move, you can hook-up an unlimited number of TVs and other devices, and there are no restrictions on recording or time-shifting the content. If you're paying for cable, you're really paying $60+/month for the priviledge of lower picture quality and massive inconvenience, and only getting an extra 20% of content out of it that you wouldn't get OTA.
My recomendation... Get a good antenna, and buy or put together a DVR. DVI or HDMI to the TV, and all you need is a $50 ATSC tuner from Hauppauge (IR remote incuded) to make your Myth/Freevo/whatever -box complete. The picture quality will be perfect, and the flexibility is just amazing, as you can add as many tuner cards as your DVR box can physically accomodate, you can watch pre-recorded or live TV from one of the tuners on ANY internet-connected device (eg., my phone), as well as any DVD/Blu-rays you rip to the device, etc.
Now, OTA TV can certainly fill your viewing/entertainment needs, but this can be complimented with the also-free Hulu Desktop to get some cable TV shows, old shows, and junk movies, as well as a (cheap) subscription to Netflix for your movie viewing, and possibly their streaming video selection if you have a compatible device (Linux isn't supported).
This has been my setup for the past 5+ years, and I couldn't be happier. My only concern is moving to an area where I'm too far from the broadcast towers. For anyone in that situation, I see Dish Network's $15/month "Welcome Package" seems perfect, you just need to find a receiver that can be controlled via USB ala Directv, or similar, since depending on IR blasters sucks royally, and I suppose one of those component video capture boxes.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
Not entirely true. The FCC ruled that you can't be restricted from installing an antenna (or dish) in "exclusive use" areas. For condos or apartments, often the entire exterior of the building is considered a shared usage area. I have even seen some standalone homes that the exterior was considered a "shared usage" space (mostly in senior communities where the exterior upkeep is completely taken care of by the HOA). You can still install antenna indoors, but that may not be sufficient depending on your region.
The Roku is great, I've had one since just before the version 2 came out. I love that thing. Netflix + Amazon Prime gives me most everything. Then a piece of software called Playon.tv allows me to pull streams through the old windows box in the corner, transcode, and stream to the roku. Any file that you can watch in VLC, you can stream through playon to your roku...though it does seem to have some problems with certain types of mkv files.
I haven't had cable in years. I've got an Apple TV 2 plugged in to my TV and it's fantastic. We watch a ton of stuff on Netflix. I also download full seasons of some of the shows I watch from iTunes. A bunch of other stuff I watch on the various TV stations' apps on my iPad (which I could Airplay to the TV but I don't). It's just about a perfect setup for the type and amount of TV that we watch.
In my experience either the WDTV or Boxee box are going to be your best bang-for-the-buck when it comes to doing both online media (Netflix, Hulu, Spotify) and playing back most types of local media (mp3, mkv, m4v, avi, etc). I've tried both and I think the WDTV is edges out the Boxee Box.
Given a WDTV and an large external harddrive, you can start by using MakeMKV and Handbrake (both free) to rip all your current DVD's and Blu-rays. If you were so inclined, you could probably also borrow and rip friends' collections as well, though this wouldn't be legal.
From there, if you were also so inclined, you could pick up a DVD or Blu-Ray subscription from Netflix to go with the streaming subscription. I've heard the same software works pretty well with their discs too.
That doesn't get into downloading movies from Usenet or torrents, which is also an option.
As others have mentioned, the real "problem" is how this is all presented to you, the user. If you cut the chord, you are now going to be picking and choosing each movie and TV show you watch. It's a choice, rather than having a bunch of stuff thrown at you for you to just leave on. It may seem minor, but in practice it's a noticeable difference in how you consume media.
- I have an HDHomeRun which has two tuners which can individually receive any feed on either unencrypted cable or free OTA.
- I have a Mac Mini running XBMC. It really is the simplest and cheapest way of doing it, no messing with getting HDMI to work (works with audio out of the box).
- I have Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, TED, Pandora plugins running on XBMC as well as Ted (The Episode Downloader) with Transmission
- HDTV passes audio through digitally to my receiver (optional)
- Attached a 2TB WD Passport to it, USB powered (optional depending on the amount of content you have)
- Get AirServer if you want your Mini to also receive your iPad/iPhone content over AirPlay (optional)
The things to look out for:
- Make sure your Mac Mini does not go to sleep. It uses minimal power but I have an actual Apple TV in the bedroom and 3-4 laptops so it has to remain on to be able to share content also, I want it to get content online. The remote control does wake it up so YMMV
- Make sure nothing interrupts your XBMC process (pop ups etc). Make your user not an admin (you won't get interrupted by software updates and the like), login automatically, start the application automatically, make the user get a minimal Finder, uninstall unnecessary software. I'm still working on some of the details but most of the popup stuff is disabled. I am going to create a script that automatically restarts XBMC because it does crash once in a while. You can use Cocktail to disable a lot of things.
- Connect your media center to your ethernet if possible if you're going to have multiple devices use content. WiFi (even 5GHz 802.11n) is still too flaky for continuous HD quality in my area
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
Don't like it use the remote buddy. Very simple.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Uninformed opinion of somebody that doesn't even watch the medium is utterly disposable.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Sorry about it peeps, our communist public TV doesn't have such constraints (which in turn forces commercial chains to up their game).
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Netflix is fine for watching BBC content, so long as you're find with being a couple of years behind the times.
While it's been a while since I've used Netflix, the last I've checked, Top Gear was only available up to Series 13.
However, I am then left with no obvious way to watch Series 14-18.
-free TV via an antenna. Attached to all the rooms in the house. Both an old VCR and DVR that I use to tape stuff while I'm sleeping.
- supplemented by Hulu.com over PC or roku
- supplemented by DVD purchases of shows not on hulu (like Games of Thrones). Supplemented by uTorrent if the DVD has not been released yet.
- I also read a lot of mystery or sci-fi magazines online if nothing's on.
Just out of curiosity, would you have any interest in doing something more rewarding? Either for yourself or society in general?
It's your time and you can spend it however you like. I was just wondering how happy you are with all these distractions in your life.
Have you considered taking up a hobby?
Writing can be enjoyable and possibly bring in some income if you're good at it. Having your first poem published can be an emotionally rewarding experience - more so than you would get from your typical TV show.
How about taking college courses, either online or at the local university? Learning about something can be a lot of fun and improve your mind at the same time. Enough credits can improve your paycheck, and more money can make your life a lot more pleasant.
There's a hacker revolution going on at the moment, and some of them are doing actual science. Being able to build things is interesting and useful in its own right. Being able to repair things can be quite valuable.
Lots of open source projects are in need of assistance. Some of them have quite a community built up, being a part of one can be rewarding.
I'm sure that recording TV shows while you sleep and watching them later can be pleasant, but is it really what you want to do with your life? Is there enough value in it?
I'm just curious. I never was able to understand how people choose to spend their life by being entertained.
This doesn't bother you at all?
Roku plus a pc running PlayOn and some good playon plugins. Pretty much everything is out there ready to be streamed. Netflix and Hulu for Roku are good as well.
Ever feel like you are driving the getaway car?
Here in Iceland I get my TV service through something called "myndlykill"; I don't know the English word for it, but it's a box with a Cat5 on the back that plugs into your hub and downloads channels from the net and yeilds an HDMI signal. Most people here have 50Mb/s or 100Mb/s optical fiber net connections so there's enough bandwidth for a good picture.
Sounds like the Roku that I have: small box, connects to the net, streams content on demand. The only thing that may be different is Roku streams through other providers you already subscribe to such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc.
When I moved to a new job 2 years ago, my wife & I opted not to install cable at the new house - we stream everything now via our Roku. It's been great! We'll keep streaming until the price point changes. Here's the math:
At our old house, cable TV was about $80 per month. That's just for television - Internet connection is on top of that. At the new house, we watch a few shows (Castle, Modern Family, Daily Show, ...) via Hulu+ at $8/month, and a few shows (Mad Men, ...) from Amazon at $2/episode (assume $8/month per show, even though that's not year-round.) We don't watch much current TV, maybe 4 shows, so $32/month. Rather than current TV, we watch more TV on DVD (MI-5, Eureka, ...) and movies, so we stream Netflix for $8/month. Plus one show I can't get elsewhere: Star Wars: The Clone Wars on PlayStation Network, at $2/episode (or $8/month).
So our monthly cost is $8 (Hulu+) + $8 (Netflix) + $8 (SW: Clone Wars) + $32 (Amazon) = $56. Compare that to $80 just for cable TV at the old house. That Roku (less than $100) paid for itself pretty quickly.
BBC offering content to foreigners will happen about as fast as Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, and all the other American services offer THEIR products to paying customers outside America (i.e. probably never) :( It's unfortunately due to licensing restrictions and international copyright laws rather than them "not wanting to" or being technically unable to do it.
(Australian here who is still bitter about them taking my Pandora away ... it used to be available globally, sigh. Oh well, VPNs to the rescue I guess?)
iTunes only has movies and those were only added very recently, and a poor selection at that.
Oh yeah, this is the Swedish iTunes store btw. I know the situation is different in other countries but to be honest I feel like ranting about the poor legal options for streaming and downloading TV shows here in Sweden.
The most useful choice tends to be TV network websites but those don't feature nearly all the shows (a lot of times foreign shows are either unavailable due to licensing issues or they are removed within a week or so of airing (and they air long after the show aired in its country of origin)).
Of course, as far as the TV producers are concerned we're all evil if we don't go along with their plan which includes waiting a couple of months after a show originally airs before gratefully watching the ad-supported TV broadcast followed by us purchasing the DVD set that comes out a few weeks after the season ends here in .se and finally we should buy the Bluray version when they release that...
Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
Here in Iceland I get my TV service through something called "myndlykill"; I don't know the English word for it, but it's a box with a Cat5 on the back that plugs into your hub and downloads channels from the net and yeilds an HDMI signal.
I'd buy that just for the name alone.
Probably not the most popular answer on Slashdot, and only available to those of us in Europe and Australia; but a Sony Playstation 3 coupled with the Play TV USB TV Tuner addon and PS3 Media Server (an open source DLNA server) makes for one of the best "all-in-one" media center solutions available. A quick rundown of the combined features:
Not bad for around £200 - oh and it plays games.
Immoral?
I agree (mostly) with your arguments, but I fail to see how stealing programming because you dislike the medium in which it's delivered is moral. If you don't like ad-driven television or services like Hulu, either buy them in a medium in which you don't have to watch ads (on DVD, iTunes, Amazon, Netflix) or don't watch.
I usually just read a book.
Get a Roku. And spend the 10 extra bucks and get the Roku 2 XD.
Like you, I used to use our Wii to stream netflix. but the quality was pretty poor. SD quality scaled up to 1080P. Bleah.
I tried a Win7 box running Windows media center, and while it could do some things well, (such as stream my large amount of local server based media) the netflix quality was HORRENDOUS. And it can't do many other things, such as Crunchyroll, TWiT, and Revision 3 content.
Also tried XBMC, and it was really nice, but couldn't do Netflix natively, and the user made hacks to get Netflix working were just that. Hacks. And ugly ones too.
Eventually I broke down and snagged the Roku2XD on sale over Father's day weekend just this year. It does full 1080P Netflix and really nice scaling on older movies, plus it has TONS of other stuff like Crunchyroll, Revision 3, Twit, and on and on, and that's just the OFFICIAL channels. It also has piles of unofficial ones, and it has PLEX, which allows you to stream your local media on any box running the PLEX server module. (a little Win32 app that handles the sharing and does media conversion/streaming as well.)
I have to say I've never been happier. While not perfect, the Roku2XD is absolutely the closest I've ever seen any box come to the "perfect" home media center experience.
Oh, and the damn thing is the size of a Hockey Puck. I kid you not! You can use double-sided tape or Velcro to hang it off the back of your TV and the Bluetooth remote will still work perfectly. If you lose the remote or it dies, you can get a Roku remote app for your iPhone or Android device and use it's Bluetooth radio to control the Roku. It's AWESOME!
Trust me, go buy a Roku 2 XD. You'll love it and won't look back.
Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
Flamebait - Comments whose sole purpose is to insult and enrage.
I'd suggest read the moderation guidelines, specifically this part:
Concentrate more on promoting than on demoting. Try to be impartial about this; simply disagreeing with a comment is not a valid reason to mark it down. The goal here is to share ideas, to sift through the haystack and find needles, and to keep spammers and griefers in check.
I normally don't nitpick like this, but but parent brings up a good point:
The thing is, each seems to be watched by people who only want reinforcement of their own worldviews. That's no way to develop an intelligent, informed opinion.
George Carlin was right, the US is screwed because the public is wilfully ignorant.
- "Nobody came out that night, not one was ever seen. But Old Man Stauf is waiting there, crazy sick and mean!"