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Is TV Over the 'Net Really Cheaper Than Cable?

Posted by Soulskill on from the depends-on-your-morals dept.

jfruh writes "More and more people are joining the ranks of 'cord-cutters' — those who cancel their cable TV subscriptions and get their televisied entertainment either for free over the airwaves or over the Internet. But, assuming you're going to do things legally, is this really a cheaper option? It depends on what you watch. Brian Proffitt contemplated this move, and he walks you through the calculations he made to figure out the prices of cutting the cord. He weighed the costs of various a la carte and all-you-can-eat Internet streaming services, and took into account the fact that Internet service on its own is often pricier than it would be if bundled with cable TV."

5 of 285 comments (clear)

  1. Quality and quantity by jmorris42 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Lets do the math. The most my ISP (Suddenlink) will sell is 250GB/mo at up to 15mbps. Put two TVs in a home, that is pretty minimal these days. So you can't expect to stream more than six or seven Mb/s and have any hope of keeping a second set going. Now an hour of HD programming on my MythTV system scarfs down GB/hr when recording HD and perhaps one GB/hr for standard def.

    Add it up and if you stream you are going to settle for a lot lower quality and still be watching the bandwidth counter the last part of the month. The bandwidth caps ended cord cutting as a viable tactic for any home where the TV runs a lot, i.e. children are involved.

    --
    Democrat delenda est
    1. Re:Quality and quantity by icebike · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I feel pretty much the same about movies.
      So, you watch what you want, and I'll ask for no explanations from you, an provide none of my own.

      --
      Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
  2. I'm sure about one thing... by grumpyman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...OTA is cheaper than cable and that's all I need.

  3. My story.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I used to pay just over $100 for Internet and Digital Cable - 90% of which I never watched.

    I now pay $54 for internet, $8 for netflix, $8 for hulu, and OTA is free.

    Yup, its cheaper.

  4. TFA missed the most important consideration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not having to deal with the cable company ever again?

    **PRICELESS**