Hulu Plus + NetFlix

[e_wind]

For a man that doesnt have HBO or ShoTime or anything, just basic cable, is this comination better than cable? I have netflix and love it, but I need something to watch recent tv shows on. Combine they're like 16$ a month which is a great deal, and Hulu Plus just got added to Xbox. As soon as its on Apple TV it'll be perfect i presume...

[peafunk31]

For a man that doesnt have HBO or ShoTime or anything, just basic cable, is this comination better than cable? I have netflix and love it, but I need something to watch recent tv shows on. Combine they're like 16$ a month which is a great deal, and Hulu Plus just got added to Xbox. As soon as its on Apple TV it'll be perfect i presume...

I can't comment on Hulu but Netflix, imo, is just continuing to get better. I rarely do not get the DVD in the mail that I have at the top of my list (as opposed to the 2nd choice). Plus, their streaming choices are getting more robust (I stream on PS3). The streaming TV series choices are quite excellent & I've been able to stream some pretty obscure movies that my wife would not appreciate. I get to watch the obscure ones instantly & don't have to clog up the physical DVD queue with my weird tastes. I save the movies we both would most likely enjoy for the mailed DVDs

[el_chode]

There's one big risk you're gonna face: pissy lawyers. Every so often, something you've come to rely on is gonna get yanked from Hulu because some lawyers terminated the license.

Otherwise, if the shows you want are on there, then go for it.

[darkglow]

i've owned an apple TV box for almost 3 years.. i have loved it but there were certain features it lacked and the podcast content was just barely not enough to keep me wanting cable.. and recently plunged into the Roku box.. I am thoroughly pleased and advise you to look into this option. I have Hulu Plus / MLB TV / Netflix / plus about 30 more worthwhile "channels" that provide me with both on demand and live broadcasts via Internet.

The Roku box can be found at most all electronic stores (best buy for 79.99) and set up is very easy.. plus alot of third parties on the internet have custom-made streaming TV channels with HD TV shows and movies/etc.. I've even found some live HD concert footage channels that would be comparable to Palladia which was a channel on my digital cable listing..

[el_chode]

darkglow brings up a good point

If you want to adopt now, then do it. But services like Roku are getting bigger and better all the time, and Google already tried (and failed) to kill Cable.

Apple is next on the list. Their AppleTV boxes might become superpowerful as two things are in Apple's favor:

- they already have licensing deals for content
- publishers are moving towards "apps" for content delivery.

cable will kick and scream but their days are numbered

[e_wind]

My question about Roku, if you have 10 channels, are you paying 5-10$ a month for each? My main goal is to be able to watch shows that aren't on netflix (basically new episodes of comedy central shows and AMC shows) for a better price. If I have to pay the same price monthly it becomes not worth it because I'm not a huge TV guy.

[darkglow]

My question about Roku, if you have 10 channels, are you paying 5-10$ a month for each? My main goal is to be able to watch shows that aren't on netflix (basically new episodes of comedy central shows and AMC shows) for a better price. If I have to pay the same price monthly it becomes not worth it because I'm not a huge TV guy.

if you have a hulu plus subscription.. you basically have every major and alot of minor network television shows at your fingertips.. while most are not "live".. who really has time to worry about watching stuff live these days.. like i said if you really want to watch something live.. there's probably a third party channel set up by someone to stream the live broadcast.. from services like justin.tv (i thought justin.tv would be all grainy and slow.. but there are alot of 720p quality live broadcasts)

the Roku service automatically adjusts the quality to optimize all or most of your bandwidth.. a pretty nice feature which keeps it from hardly ever skipping or stopping to re-buffer...

check some youtube videos and see the product demos

Roku Instant Internet TV
Roku vs. Apple TV
Roku XDS Streaming Player 1080p

[e_wind]

Well, I'm returning my cable box right now and going to check out a roku box. For the time I'm going for the cheapest one, so I can continue to save for hangout. Plus, I love the feature of being able to play my music through my surround sound via apple TV, so it needs to be in my living room. I'll be paying 16$ a month for Hulu and Netflix, and my Insight bill just dropped from 86$ to 47$. I'm happy to save 20 bucks a month since I don't use my cable anyway. Thanks for the advice dudes.

[capt. scotty]

My landlord actually covers my cable, but I'll have to look into this roku box a year or so from now when Im no longer hear.

I just restarted Netflix, and since my cable isnt HD but my TV is, I love that I cant stream HD quality movies from my computer to my TV so easily. Since I just got my first HDTV over the holidays and didnt have HD quality movies or whatever on my TV until now, this is the bees knees for me.

I guess that Roku box would defintiely be for me as well because all I really watch often are the major channels, ESPN, NFLN, AMC, FX, and to a degree Vs. I could live without the rest. Well, besides HBO and SHO that is.